There is no denying it, we've been having adventures all over, ad I have had little time to write about them. But allow me to back up, and first tackle the best of the best: the Beach.
The beach is something of a give-and-take. Joey loves the beach. He loves the water. He loves the waves. He loves the pool. He loves getting on rides and eating ice cream and popcorn and getting lots of attention from Mom and Dad and Grandma. However, he has just the vaguest suggestion of schedule. Everything around him is new, different, unfamiliar. He doing different things, seeing different people, eating different foods. It can be very overwhelming, especially if he decides he doesn't like what he is doing, seeing, or eating.
To mitigate some of these issues, we brought toys, books, linens, and favorite clothes from home. Oh, and movies. Mom got the boys these great personal dvd players (only one of them stopped working almost right away- Fisher Price isn't what it used to be), so we have movies for them to watch, which made life easier on all of us.
There is nothing quite so wonderful as watching Joey in the ocean. He takes such delight in it! So I surprised that, when given the choice, he wanted to be in the pool. Perhaps being able to be deeper in the water, the calm water perhaps, is attractive; but there is still the sea, in constant motion. Joey spends too many of his days in a state of anxiety and stress, trying to learn, trying to do what he needs to do, and struggling to do it. To relax and just be a little boy- what a breath I hope it is for him.
Sheer joy is what you see in boys at the beach. Of course, they each have their own ways and likes. Andy prefers games. Joey prefers rides. Andy likes an evening darting in the surf in search of shells, Joey prefers bobbing in the pool. To each their own, and it is available to them, at their own leisure.
It was, all in all, a beautiful week of boys, and sand, and crabs, and games, and lights, and feeding the gulls. May we all have such moments in our lives, reminders of what we all work so hard for.
5 comments:
Oh, Amen! And until we get our very own such moments, I will continue to have mine vicariously. Those are some happy looking little boys!
Looks like a really fun time. Your boys always look so happy!
They are such good pals, your boys. I miss those guys. :)
This looks like so much fun. My guys love the beach too. Jack, in particular, likes the sand a lot.
Special Autism Issue Published by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development
Optometry & Vision Development, Volume 40, Number 3, 2009
AURORA, OH – Autism. What is its cause? How does it affect brain anatomy, electrophysiology, visual function and perception? What must we do to meet the needs of these patients? How can optometrists as health care providers be in the vanguard for screening for this spectrum of disorders?
The latest issue of Optometry & Vision Development (Vol 40 #4) tries to answer these important questions. Authors Maino, Viola and Donati investigate the many possible etiologies of Autism starting from the psycho-social belief that emotionally uninvolved parents were the cause (never true) to vaccines and the mercury they contain (doubtful) to the role genetics and environment play (most likely). Drs. Press and Richman then show us how to use preferential non-looking (gaze avoidance) vision assessment as a screening tool for young patients suspected of having Autism.
Dr. Rachel Coulter, a well known and respected expert on the many issues surrounding children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, discusses how we can serve the special needs of those with ASD and follows up with a second article that gives us insights into the visual symptomology often noted for those with Autism. And finally Dr. Nancy Torgerson then takes us on a personal journey that she and her patients with Autism have made while participating in an optometric vision therapy program.
This issue of Optometry & Vision Development also features book reviews (Eye Power: A Cutting Edge Report on Vision Therapy and Autism Frontiers: Clinical Issues and Innovations), literature reviews, editorials and more.
Go to http://www.covd.org and click on Journal for more information.
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