The Special Marathon

i Learn with Boing App Give Away

I am smitten with technology, especially the iPad and its apps. We use many different apps on are various iDevices in our home. Some we use more frequently are Time Timer, Pocket Pond and Who am I Animals along with many educational applications. The use of an iPad or “Dynamic Display Device” (that’s how it is written in my son’s IEP) for educational proposes is very rewarding for my children. The capabilities of these devices to give instant feedback and entertaining reinforcement encourages learning unlike any other instructional tool.

Thanks to the website/community at a4cwsn.com (Apps for Children with Special Needs) and the developers of i Learn with Boing I am able to give away 5 codes to the new app i Learn with Boing: Ice Land Adventures HD!

This app teaches the literacy skills of letters, phonics and spelling. It also features a cross curriculum game for players to have fun with while practicing their newly learned skills and a parent tracking screen so you can monitor your child’s progress.

Make sure you leave a comment to be entered into the give away. If you like The Special Marathon Facebook Page or follow TSM on Twitter you will get additional entries. You can get up to 3 chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Technology

7 ways to fund an iPad for your Special Needs Child

By Sandra 1 Comment

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There is no question an iPad and the applications that run on it can help a special needs child but coming up with anywhere from $400 to $800 dollars to purchase it can be tough. Below are some of the ways I have brainstormed on how to come up with the money to buy an iPad.

I’ll be using some of these strategies myself to fund an iPad 2 for my son. He has a first generation iPad. We got it partially sponsored through a local developmental disability agency.

1. Offer your services and let people know the money is going towards an iPad for your child

Are you really good at something? Organizing or administrative work? Are you willing to do some manual labor? Help someone paint a house or mow lawns? Let your friends and family know you are available for hire and that the money is going into the iPad fund. I have found that most of the time people are very generous when you let them know why you are taking on extra work. Some might even donate toward the cost of the technology.

2. Sell items on Craigslist or ebay

Do you have an extra TV? How about an exercise machine that is not being used? Used toys and baby gear go quickly on both craigslist and ebay. I have a couple of baby items that I’m putting on craigslist for our iPad 2 purchase.

3. Have a yard sale

This is one of the simplest ways to raise some quick cash. Ask friends, family and neighbors if they have anything they would like to donate to it. The last time we had a yard sale two of our neighbors and my father said they had items they wanted to sell but not enough to hold a yard sale of their own. Each one of them said to let them know when we were going to have the next one so they could drop off their donations to us. Don’t forget to set out a donation jar and a sign letting shoppers know that their purchases are going towards an iPad for a special needs child. If your child is not at the sale put a picture of them up as well. If your child is able have them run a lemonade stand as part of the yard sale. People like to see who is going to benefit from the sale.

4. Have a bake sale

Do you make really great cookies? Is your pecan pie to die for? Send an email out or post it on Facebook that you are baking for a cause. I know a mom that made cheese cakes to raise money for her special needs children.

5. Sponsorship from a charity

Many charities like to help children that live where they have a local chapter. Write a letter asking for a sponsorship, again be sure to include a picture of your child. Maybe even attend one of the charity’s events so members can met your child in person.

6. Hold a restaurant night

Ask a local restaurant if they will donate a portion of sales for the day to fund an iPad for a special needs child. Make up flyers and pass them out. Stand in the parking lot of the restaurant and give them out to patrons as they walk in.

7. Sell your crafts on Etsy

Do you like to sew, knit or make things? Start an Etsy shop and let customers know that these items are being sold to raise money for an iPad. Along these lines I will be selling crafts that I make at my bible study’s annual bazaar.

Best of luck in your fundraising!

Do you have any ideas to add to this list? Please post them in the comments.

Filed Under: Autism, Parenting, Special Needs, What Works for Me Wednesday Tagged With: fundraising, iPad

Loving Our God

By Sandra Leave a Comment

Loving Our God, this is the fourth post in the Love series (here is part 1, part 2 and part 3) and I really should have started with loving our God. He is the giver of life and lover of our soul. He is truly the only One who knows what love is…that unconditional love…that love that knows no bounds…that love that is still there even when we fail Him.

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This post has been really hard to write. Far greater people have tackled this subject and done a way better job than I ever could do. These are just my simple thoughts as a mom with a lot going on in my life and a sinner that fails daily.

Sometimes we make loving God into a mystical thing when really it’s no different than loving the person that is right in front of you.

How do you show someone, anyone you love them? You give them time, respect and listen to what they have to say.

Giving God our time

Each morning I get up and start my day with time in worship, prayer and reading of His Word. I wrote a post about this awhile back on Waking up FOR your family verses TO them. I have accountability partners that help me with this so I keep up the habit even when life begins to steal this time in the form of late nights and a pillow that wants to rob my victory every morning.

Show God our Respect

If you are giving God your time, are you showing Him respect? I give His commandments and ordinances authority over my life. I live by them. I talk about Him in a way that honors Him and all that He does for me. I thank Him for the blessings and even the trails.

Listen to what He has to say

When I pay attention to God’s Word and His direction, my life’s journey goes smoother. But’s it’s not enough that I read His Word and take heed to it. I need to be a doer of the Word as we see in James Chapter 1 verse 22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…”

I ask myself this simple question. Is my life and are actions bringing Him honor and glory? If the answer is yes then I am loving Our God.

How do you Love Our God?

Filed Under: Christianity Tagged With: God, love

Loving Our Children

By Sandra Leave a Comment

This is the third installment in our love series, the first was Love Ourself, then came Love our Spouse now I’m focusing on Loving our Children.

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Loving our Children can mean a lot of different things. We can love them by showing them affection, telling them we love them or even by disciplining them. But for me when I think of the best way to show my children I love them is by being Jesus to them.

When I emulate Christ in my life, they get to see a person they can model and relate to and therefore know Christ. Paul said imitate me for I imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

I’d like to introduce you to my friend Holly. She’s a special marathon mom and shares about her son Noah and how she loves him.

My son was diagnosed with Autism at two years of age. He had the classic regression at eighteen months, and almost all of the signs: lining things up obsessively, stimming, fixation on strange objects, stopped talking, etc. While it has not been that long (a little over a year or so) I have learned a lot a long the way.

I have wished that my son would have come with an instruction manual as he is throwing himself on the floor for the hundredth time, screaming and in a full-out tantrum. That manual has yet to appear though, so I just breathe and go hold him. There have been times where I have cried with him out of frustration, pain, and not being able to understand how he feels.

I smile when he smiles, laughs when he laughs, rejoice in the moments where he does something a parent would normally not notice but to us it is worth a celebration, and overflow with emotion when he looks at me and tells me that he loves me.
Spending time with my son daily has made our bond even closer. I am all hands-on parenting and apply different therapies as recommended. He is flourishing in his Autism preschool and is now talking.

Raising a special needs child is truly a journey. There will be straight paths, hills, curves, canyons, and Mount Everests along the way. It is how we handle them that define us as parents to our children. If they see us as confident even though we do not know what lies ahead, they will feel more at ease. If they see us as loving, they will be secure in that love and be able to manifest it back to us and others. If they see Christ through us, they will be more apt to understanding God’s love by our living example. As parents, this is our ultimate duty.

Some final thoughts….

Going back to the first post in the series on Loving ourself…if I take the time to love myself and get refreshed by ”me time” I am a better parent and treat my children better. I am able to love them better. I have more patience, more understanding and am able to come up with creative ideas to solve problems in our lives. I am rested and don’t snap (think rubber band again) at them all the time.

In taking from the second post in the series on Loving our spouse. When I love my husband and he loves me back my children receive a stable home life which gives them security and freedom to be children. They gain role models. My boys get to see how you are to treat a lady by watching the way my husband treats me and their sister. My daughter get to see how a man treats a woman he loves. They all get to see the respect I give their father as the head of the home.

How do you love your child?

Holly lives in California with her husband and 3 1/2 year old son, Noah. She enjoys spending time with her family, history, and helping others understand her son’s Autism. She blogs semi-regularly about her life at: http://www.delaclassique.com

Filed Under: Autism, Christianity, Parenting, Special Needs Tagged With: Christ, love, loving our children

Loving Our Spouse-Sometimes it’s a Fight

By Sandra 5 Comments

This is the second installment in the LOVE series. The first was Love Ourself.

I have heard it said that divorce in families with a special needs child is as high as 80%. I couldn’t find any documentation to substantiate that but there is a lot of data on the divorce rate around 50% for families in general and I can easily understand why people think it’s higher in marriages with a special needs child. The stress that comes with caring for a child with special needs can put a lot of strain on a couple.

Often we are so focused on the needs of the child that the needs of the relationship suffer. I know how difficult it is to find me-time, now I’m talking about finding we-time.

Impossible you say, well I’m going to ask you to fight for it! Fight for the we-time. Fight for your marriage. Fight for your husband.

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Us Special Marathon Mothers are fighters, warrior mamas. We fight for our children, we fight with doctors, therapist, teachers even school boards for the needs of our children. We don’t back down and we don’t give up. I’m asking you to join me in being a warrior for your wedding day and your spouse. Take up arms for your beloved and fight for him.

Ok I have my Braveheart face paint on, my fist is raised in solidarity now what?

Do what you would do if you were advocating for your child except this time it is for your marriage. Gather the information you need-reconnaissance, create a plan-a battle plan, take action-engagement

Reconnaissance

What can you do that would nurture your relationship and show your husband you love him? What makes your husband feel appreciated?

What makes your husband smile?

The Battle Plan

When you strategize for the engagement (I love this word, I chose it to remind you of the time when your love was new and passionate, but I digress) Think about things that are practical. We would all love to get away for the weekend but that is not realistic for many of us. Maybe it will include your children. Maybe you will need to go to his work.

Engagement

Here are some ideas I have come up with

His favorite meal by candle light in the middle of your living room floor on a blanket while the kids are in the back yard or in their bedroom watching a movie.

A love note in his lunch box saying “You’re the handsomest man and the best father!”

A cup of coffee waiting for him when he gets up.

Take out the candle from your wedding day and light it again. I did this and my husband could not stop talking about it.

You know your man, take some time think about it, plan it and engage!

What are some ways you have engaged with your spouse?

Filed Under: Autism, Christianity, Parenting, Special Needs, What Works for Me Wednesday Tagged With: engage, love, marriage, warrior

Self Care and Special Needs Parenting

By Sandra 9 Comments

We are starting a series on LOVE here at the The Special Marathon.

Loving oneself is not always easy for a parent of a special needs child. There have been many times where I have neglected myself because there was no way I could fit in some “me time” or take a break to refresh while life was happening around me.

Like currently, I have not left the house in almost five days. This time I can blame it on sick kids but I remember when I wouldn’t leave the house because of the anxiety I had about taking my son with Autism out into the community and I won’t leave him with anyone because I didn’t even understand him at the time. How could I expect someone else to ?(I was very naive) I was bearly learning about his triggers and sensory issues. I would panick when he went into a meltdown. I didn’t have the experience or knowledge to have a successful outing and I didn’t have or trust anyone to stay with him so I stayed in…a lot. That wasn’t good for my emotional health. I was losing it quickly and frequently.

I ended up solving my lack of respite by taking it one step at a time. In beginning I would take hot bath or long shower. Just 20 minutes to myself to stop and do nothing. Take long deep breaths, let my muscles relax and my mind go blank. When he was a little older late at night when he started sleeping a little better and I could watch a tv program uninterrupted or have a conversation with my husband that was longer than 3 sentences.Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now a days we live in a state that provides us with respite services and I schedule time in. It doesn’t always happen and often plans have had to be changed but I do put the time on the calendar and pray that when the day comes I don’t have to cancel.

Making sure I have the time to relax and regroup makes me a better mom. Think of it like a rubber band if we continue to go on without a break letting our lives be stretched beyond the point of recoil one of two things will happen. Either we will snap, letting everyone get our wrath, feel the sting of our emotions letting loose or we will lose our elasticity and autopilot will take over. We will just go through the motions not really engaging in what is going on. At least that is what happens for me.

I know everyone is at different places in their ability take and/or get “me time” but it is so important to do it, even if it’s for 5 or 10 minutes. I have come to the conclusion, that self care is different for everyone. Even for myself it has changed over the years.

How do you take “me time”? What does loving yourself look like for you?

Additional resources:

Interview with Our Special Families Village on Respite Services (Sandra from Respite, Inc. is me)
Finding ways to Take Care of Yourself from About.com
Answers4families website with support, tips and respite links.

Filed Under: Autism, Parenting, Special Needs Tagged With: me time, respite, rest, self-care

Nourishing Relationships

By Sandra 2 Comments

The best way to make a friend is to be a friend.

Sorry I didn’t get a post out last week. It was a busy week and I needed to invest some time in real life connections. Don’t get me wrong, the friendships I have made online are some of the best relationships I have. I’m not discrediting them in anyway. I count them just as valuable as those I have off line.

There are just somethings that can only be experienced when you are sitting next to another person….

A head nod saying I am in total agreement with you…I get you

A hand squeeze, that quick sense of tightening and then relaxation telling me go ahead release it, tell me all about it I am here to listen to you

A hug, arms transforming into supports that I can lay my burden on saying, give me your cares I will carry them for you…if only for the short time while we are together

We shouldn’t neglect the friendships we have in real life. These connections need to be nourished by the water of time. So they can grow strong and give forth a salve that can heal the wounds that are inflicted by life here on this fallen earth.

How do you connect in real life? What kinds of things do you do to nourish your friendships?
Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Filed Under: Christianity, Parenting, Special Needs Tagged With: connections, friendships, in real life, off line, online, relationships, self-care

10 Simple Sensory Diet Activities

By Sandra 4 Comments

Last week’s post on A New Year a Better Diet-Sensory Diet got a lot of clicks on How to Start a Sensory Diet with an Autistic Child from eHow.com

So, I wanted to share some more sensory diet activities. Below is a list of 10 simple sensory diet activities that I have done with my son.

1. Use a vegetable brush and lightly brush your childs arms and hands

2. Take a blanket and roll them up like a “burrito”

3. Play ring-around-the-rosie

4. Rock from side to side with arms out wide

5. Spin with your arms out wide

6. Swing on a swing set

7. Put on a weighted backpack and take a walk

8. Push a children’s table across the room

9. Pull a sibling in a wagon

10. Lay down on your back and roll to your tummy and back again

Bonus Activity-Water Play!

You don’t need a water table to have fun water play. Fill the tub up throw in a play tea set or Tupperware containers, add a strainer and you have hours of fun. For younger children, fill a plastic shoe container with an inch of water. Get two disposable drink cups, poke a hole in one and let the fun begin.

What are your simple sensory play activities?

Filed Under: Autism, Parenting, Special Needs, What Works for Me Wednesday Tagged With: Down Syndrome, senory play, sensory, sensory diet, Special Needs

A New Year a Better Diet – Sensory Diet

By Sandra 2 Comments

When our son was first diagnosed with Autism I had no idea of the multitude of therapists that would parade in and out of our home for the next several years and I’m assuming many years to come.

With them came a whole new language we had to learn. Two words that we learned were vestibular and proprioceptive. Still many years later I am barely starting to understand the importance these words hold for my son and his ability to regulate himself.

The vestibular system within our bodies deals with our balance and sends signals to our brain about were we are in relation to our surrounding. It controls our equilibrium from within our inner ear. It is very closely connected to our auditory and visual senses. The way I remember it is vertigo makes you feel like you are spinning, when you spin you are stimulating your vestibular system. Vertigo starts with a v so does vestibular, silly I know, but that’s the way I keep things straight in my mind.

The proprioceptive system deals with our joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. We sense it when force is applied by compressing or extending our body parts. The way I remember this system is the proprioceptive system is engaged when pressure is applied to our bodies, pressure start with a p so does proprioceptive.

Whether your child is a sensory seeker or sensory avoider a sensory diet has benefits for both. As I have told you in a past post my son and I have spent hours of sensory play at a water table. He really enjoys sensory activities and they increase his concentration as well. Last year we got it written into his IEP to have 10 minutes of sensory stimulation before any cognitive activity…genius! not my idea it was from his occupational therapist.

A couple of months ago our trampoline went to that big bounce house in the sky and it made me realize how much we lacked a sensory stimulation in our home. Over the Christmas break we felt it acutely. Especially stimuli that provided vestibular and proprioceptive input for my son. So I decided with the new year he needed a new sensory diet at home.

I ordered for him a Weplay Rotation and Balance Board from School Speciality on Amazon.com. I’m really looking forward to trying it out. It is 26 inches wide and says its able to accommodate 2 people. Hopefully two siblings Vestibular System, check.

As for the proprioceptive input he needs, I thought about a couple of things we could add to our daily routines to help in this area. They are all very low tech and inexpensive. The first is hopscotch. Jumping is a great source of joint compression. I would also like to start jumping rope with him. It’s great exercise it might even help both of us drop a few pounds, bonus! Lastly jumping on bubble wrap. What kid doesn’t like to pop the bubbles on bubble wrap. It also gives an auditory stimulus and well as joint compression. jumping on bubble wrap is an exercise I learned from brainhighways. Learn more about brainhighways here.

I new year a better diet, sensory diet that is.

Does your child have a sensory diet? What does it consist of?

Snow bin – a sensory experience

By Sandra 1 Comment

Sensory play can be so much fun with your special needs child. I remember spending hours of play time at the water table with my son. We would splash in the water, filling up cups and dumping them out, push around toy boats and watch the water rush out of a strainer. The water table always engaged him. I could keep his attention for a few minutes instead of just 30 seconds. I got better eye contact during this sensory play and it gave loads of language opportunities.

I found a new sensory experience to do with my children during the break from school. It’s a snow bin from Erin at the Royal Baloo.