Grannies are the best!!!

Shout out to all Grandmas (including grand-aunties and great grandmas) in the world for being in our lives and being the wonders that you are! We love you!!!

Lola Alma (L) and Lola Lourdes (R) with Harperoo and Sofie

What a pretty sight! Grannies and Cuties

With their Nanays: Nanay Jogen and Nanay Siting

  

Lovely!

Beautiful!

Stunning!

Gorgeous!

Pretty smiles from the pretty Lolas while the little ones were very busy

Too (two) cute!

Awww!

Same pose, not the same picture

 

That pose again

And the things they would do for their grandchildren!

Harperoo drivin' and Sofie ridin'

Happy Birthday, Super A!!!

Nov 15, 2012. Super A's 9th birthday party. Simple celebration in school. It was the first celebration I've seen where Super A knows it was his birthday and was very happy about it. That day was tainted with something painful but the thought of my son's happiness buried that pain. Now WIDE AWAKE, it's time to move on, forward and up. To my hero, thank you!

Happy Birthday, Super A. We love you!

Super A: The case of the PSP

A series of soliloquies, dialogues and conversations dedicated to my son, my hero.

Super A's PSP with his fave characters: Dragonov and Heihachi

Super A:                    want PSP

HOM:                         Where did you put your PSP 'nak?

Super A:                    Papa...

HOM to Hubby:          Di ba gaduwa mo ni AJ gabii sa PSP? (Didn't you play PSP with AJ last night?)

Hubby:                     Huh? wa ko kabalo asa iyang PSP... Super A, asa man ang PSP? (Huh? I dunno where the PSP is... Super A, where's the PSP?)

Super A:                    Papa... Papa


                                 After several minutes of trying to find the PSP, rummaging and turning the house upside down...


HOM:                        Oh no, Super A, looks like your PSP is lost

Super A:                   Papa... Papa... 

HOM to Hubby:         Sure ka wa nimo hiposa somewhere? (Are you SURE you did not keep it somewhere?)

Super A:                   Papa... Papa... Papa... (taking us inside our room)

                               
                                Hubby then reached to the deep ends of our closet and unearthed... the PSP


   Hubby:                   I forgot (head scratching and nostrils flaring)


                                 And JUST LIKE THAT, Super A saved the day!

Spunky Harper: Lessons from a 1-year old

In Life, we are always fazed with

Distractions/Temptations

 

Frustrations

Trials and Failures

But if we choose to overcome these,

we will always have SUCCESS

CAMP Learning Center

*. Image courtesy of 123rf

Super A goes to Camp... where Children Attain Maximum Potential. My father discovered this school while wandering about in our village as this is just a stone's throw away from our property. The school is being run by teacher-couple, Teacher Jessica and Teacher Don Bermejo who practiced in the US for a number of years until they decided to settle in Cebu.    

Super A has attended several schools over the years. I even tried to get him on regular schools in the hopes of him adapting to a mainstream set-up. This is one of the not-so-wise decisions I’ve made but then again it could be different with your special child. Going mainstream without supplemental OT program didn’t work for Super A though. The teachers just DID NOT have a clue on how to deal with him. Some schools just let him be or just let him sleep through an entire class. He has also gone through several OT programs in a couple of the more established special schools in the city, but perhaps because of the insufficient time spent on him, we didn’t really see any significant development especially on his behavior. He grew more and more aggressive over the years.

Going to school was a wrestling match for both Super A and I. He didn't event want to step inside these schools. Whenever I drop him off, he would cry and throw tantrums that would range from mild to extreme. This went on even to the last school he went prior to going to CAMP.

On my end, I have to admit, I also have not provided him what he needed. I used to engage him to do activities or to get him to study, but we would just end up “fighting”. I was trying to fit him into a mold and treated him like a regular kid. But there is a reason why they are called special. 

Super A started in CAMP January 2012. When Teacher Jess and I met to discuss our goals and plans, I had that faint jaded feeling, having gone through several program discussions and goals settings with previous schools without really significant and consistent development. 

When Super A was just 3 years old, my goal was for him to be able to learn how to read and write and be an Engineer or Architect... As he got older and displayed more aggressive behavior, those early goals were replaced with fervent prayers for him to just outgrow this or at least be able to learn to manage it. 

This is my topmost priority, I told teacher Jess. Other goals met will just be bonuses already.

When he started with CAMP, he didn’t know one-to-one correspondence counting. If there are 3 balls in sight, he would count all the way to 10. After his first month in CAMP, he achieved this goal. The key to this was very simple as Teacher Jess explained. When you let him count, let him absorb it by taking a pause after each count.

In his first few months, as Super A was still adjusting with his new school and teachers, his aggressive and odd behaviors like touching one’s hair (especially those with long hair) and running it to his face were still there but Teacher Jess enforced a management practice that somehow diminished and slowly did away with these behavior.

What I also appreciate about CAMP is that we never miss out on our monthly performance and goals discussion. Teacher Jess makes me feel that this is something that we really have to do on a monthly basis which I so appreciate. I feel her sincere effort and concern (and knock on wood, I hope this will not change) for Super A’s development.

Nowadays, Super A is the one even prodding us to take him to school. When we tell him to get ready for school, we don't even have to lift a finger as compared before. At CAMP, he takes on a role like a sergeant-of-arms or something similar who ensures peace and order in school. He picks up toys and puts them back to its place when the smaller kids make a mess. And he does this even at home when Harperoo plays with their toys.  He is the one who packs the toys away. 

Finding the right school/teacher for Super A turned out to be serendipitous more than academic. It's not always by the book. It's about finding that safe and happy place for my son where he will not be looked at differently or indifferently. By far, CAMP has put a smile on Super A's face and given me the peace of mind I've been longing for where no school has done before. This may change, but for now, we're happy CAMPers.

For more info on CAMP, you may call them at (6332) 2366862/ 5144467 or visit them at E. Corro St. Bayanihan Village Basak Pardo Cebu City. 

Spunky Harper: She Rocks!

Keter Elephant Trio Rocker

Bought this Keter (www.keter.com) rocker in SnR (Cebu) for Super A and Harperoo and they are loving it. Super A has this in school and he was just delighted to have it at home. Harperoo is a natural “rocker”. The moment we put her on, she easily rocked away. She knows where to sit, which leg to press on to lunge forward and back...and forth. Sometimes she couples this with laughter that wrinkles her cheeks and nose. And at times she gives us this poker-faced, nonchalant "I've been doing this for so long" stance... almost, Gangnam style. It really is a joy to watch. 

This costs us less than 900 bucks and the laughter and smiles it brings to our children easily make it a very good buy... even a bargain. This is available in red and blue colors. The plastic material looks and now tested to be durable. It comes with decorative stickers and a manual translated in over 5 languages. HAH! For more of Keter Trio rocker, click here. 

Halloween 2012

Harperoo

Harperoo Minnieroo

Whatta Wolf!

3 boyz and a baby in my tummy.. nope this is not a costume

Berdugo... Super A didn't want to be a part of this

Harperoo, so curious...

1, 2, 3 smile... and they turn their heads sideways

Signs of Autism: The journey starts here

There is a sea of information out there on signs and indicators of Autism. Just google it and you will probably swim through over a thousand articles on this subject. If you are new to this, as I was 7 years ago, you wouldn’t know where to start. 

When my son was about 6 months old, I noticed that he made lateral gazes and at that time, I only caught him doing this when looking at something. When I brought this to the attention of my husband, he said that he might’ve taken after an uncle who also exhibits the same behavior. We figured maybe it runs in the family. When he was about a year old, the mother in me took us to a pedia-neurologist who didn’t see anything wrong with him physiologically and 2 ophthalmologists with the latter giving him prescription glasses for migraine but said that it had nothing to do with his lateral gazing or vice versa. He did say it could be lazy eye or I might’ve gotten this mixed up with the first eye doctor I saw which was one of the reasons why I had to go see another doctor. But I can still picture in my head how the second doctor told me about my son’s lateral gaze. I thought something in his eyes wants to tell me something. In retrospect, I eventually realized what he was trying to say. Why he didn’t just give his opinion about it, I don’t know. He is after all a doctor. 

Fast-forward to my son as a 3 year old and after having been diagnosed as under the autistic spectrum, his third visit to his developmental pediatrician proved pivotal. As the doctor was talking to me, she noticed my son’s lateral gaze and immediately she said that it is indicative of a seizure. She asked me to go back to my son’s neurologist and request for an EEG. True enough, he has seizures with the doctor even asking if he passes out because almost severe convoluted electrical activity in his brain shows in the results.

I am not sure if it would’ve made a world of difference had we detected his seizure earlier, all I know is always trust your maternal instinct and if there is anything about your baby or child that you’re uncomfortable about, research about it and go see a doctor. Don’t always believe what you read, watch or hear. Believe in your child and what you can do to help your child. I’ve had my share of getting bad advices along the way and sadly this is at the expense of my son.

If your child shows any of the Autism red-flags, go see your pediatrician right away. A good pedia would have a clinical eye for this and would recommend you to see a developmental pediatrician immediately. In Cebu, I only know of two. I also saw another Developmental Pediatrician in Cagayan de Oro.  It took me about 2 months to get an appointment with the first Dev-Pedia and less than that with the second one. But I would like to believe things have changed now. 

Where to start:

First off, even before we delve into the matter of autism, breast-feed your baby because it is one of the BEST gifts that you can give to your children (even if you outsource it, second best). So shove anybody that gets in the way of your baby and breast-milk. I only breast-fed my son for 2 months because I didn't know any better then and I always feel a pang of guilt whenever this comes to mind. I am so sure it would've helped him, one way or another. 

Now I am neither a medical professional nor an expert on the subject of Autism so what I am about to lay out is no medical/professional advice. I only aim to help other mothers with special children. Had I known what I know now and if we only had easy access to these resources and organized them in such a way that was helpful, I would’ve changed a couple of decisions I made before. So hope this helps.

Here are a couple of good references for early warning signs:

www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348/DSECTION=symptoms

www.helpguide.org/mental/autism_signs_symptoms.htm

Good link for local testimonials:

www.autismpinoy.com/autism-facts/

For local support and/or involvement:

http://autismsocietyphilippines.blogspot.com

No recommendations here but these are the following Development Pediatricians we went to for consultation:

Cebu City

DR. JACQUELINE ESPINA

Chong Hua Medical Arts Center, Room 408

135 Juan Osmeña Extension, Cebu City

6332 - 2544293

Dr. MYRA ALTONAGA

Borromeo Bldg. (at the back of Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital)

Osmeña Blvd. Cebu City

6332 - 2555372

Cagayan de Oro

DR. ANNAH REBECCA DOROJA

Cagayan de Oro General Hospital Foundation

(GUSA), Cagayn de Oro City

08822-723215 loc. 205

Dependent on your child’s condition, you will get a final diagnosis when your child is about 3 years old. But if your child shows any of the signs even before reaching this age, get him/her to an early intervention program designed specifically for him/her.

REACH CENTER

Main: Ground Floor Espina House of Architects, Juana Osmeña Extension, Cebu City

Branch: Tabok Mandaue

(6332) 4165505

http://www.reachph.com

JACOB’S LADDER THERAPY CENTER

Children’s Paradise Montessori School

Canduman Mandaue

(6332) 2361254

(Look them up in Facebook for other details)

CEBU MILESTONES THERAPEUTIC CENTER

Bulacao Pardo

Cebu City

(6332) 4163438

(Look them up in Facebook for other details)

NEW HORIZON MULTI-SPECIALTY THERAPY CENTER

03 Yu Sing Building, F. Ramos Street, Cebu City, Philippines

+63.919.220.8600

http://www.newhorizon-aba.com/

CAMP LEARNING CENTER

Bayanihan Village Basak

E. Corro St. Basak Pardo

Cebu City

(6332) 2366862 / 5144467

There are other information out there in terms of dietary programs and alternative treatments among others that can really be overwhelming but I am presenting to you fundamental steps in dealing with autism which is an important foundation for you to move forward. Plunge into all the information you can get that will best fit your child. Not all children with autism are the same thus it's referenced as a spectrum. A treatment that worked with a friend’s child may not necessarily work with yours. 

7 years ago, I’ve read that with autism, there is a limited window where you can still help your child to “come out” from his/her world. Beyond that, there is no hope. Somehow, a statement like that is so powerful it could unwittingly influence how you deal with your special child.  But more and more autistic children are “coming out” now even way past that window of opportunity. And although I don’t want you all worked up with expectations, I would never want a mother to lose HOPE.