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ADifferentDrummer - A Different Drummer

City: Vassalboro
State: Maine
Country: USA
Member since: Apr 08, 2008
Last logged in: Nov 30, 2008

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Parent, Mother, Teacher, Assistive Technology, Developental Therapy

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ADifferentDrummer's Page URL

http://www.foggyrock.com/MyPage/ADifferentDrummer

ADifferentDrummer's Bio

Hi. My name is Deb Crump. I have been working with yourng children (12 months to kindergarten age) with Autism Spectrum disorders for 14 years. I am a Developmental Therapist through CDS (In Maine, this is the agency that supports young children with special needs. A Developmental Therapist works directly with those children and their families to meet needs they have in any area of development.) I also run my own business developing PECS, schedules, social stories and other visual supports. (Please visit me at http://www.a-different-drummer.htmlplanet.com/ .) I also enjoy teaching adults whether informally through the time I spend with parents or more formally through college classes and seminars. My 7-year-old son has an anxiety disorder and we are still struggling to get services for him as his grades remain high. I look forward to meeting other parents and professionals.

Favorite Blogs (3)

My daughter is kicked out of a restaurant for being autistic today

You read the title correctly. My daughter, and my family were asked to leave a S...Read more

By seymoursheep on 07.06.08
Comments(15)

The compli-sult

I am sure I am not the only one to have one of these, a compli-sult, it is meant...Read more

By seymoursheep on 05.24.08
Comments(2)

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ADifferentDrummer's Blogs

I knew it would come...

by ADifferentDrummer on 07/18/2008

Well, the day has finally arrived and even though I have expected it, it is a strange feeling. Today, Corvus' psychologist handed me to copies of the...

Progress - slow and steady....

by ADifferentDrummer on 07/09/2008

This week, Corvus has camp, which is usually the better weeks in the summer because he has things to do. Yesterday, I was teaching a class, and in o...

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Homework

by ADifferentDrummer on 05/16/2008

Sometimes (it used to be often so I am lucky), Corvus cannot finish his work at school. He gets too worried, too anxious or too distracted. In 1st g...

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Sometimes (it used to be often so I am lucky), Corvus cannot finish his work at school.  He gets too worried, too anxious or too distracted.  In 1st grade, they kept the work at school and did not tell me about it..  As it piled up, his anxiety took over and nothing got done.  The  day before Christmas break, he secretly snuck home his 'incomplete' folder and told me he did not know what to do with it.  He was in tears - poor boy.  I helped him organize it and finish all the things that were almost complete, then the things that were half complete, etc.  By the end of Christmas break, he had finished more than half of the folder and I had words (calm, collected, well planned words) with his teacher.   We kept the folder at home and finished it on the weekends.  For the rest of the year and all of this year, incomplete work comes home on the day it was incomplete.  We finish it up and get it back the next day.   Sometimes, though, I just want to scream at him as he argues with me about when he should do it, where he should do it, whether he should do it, what pencil he should use, whether he should scribble out mistakes, whether he should fix errors, etc.  The place (the table), time (right now), box of pencils (pick on eand stick with it), rules (erase and fix errors), etc., have never changed - but he still finds the need to argue.  I look forward to the days when real homework begins - NOT.  
Deb

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electrical field

by ADifferentDrummer on 05/09/2008

Corvus found out today that copper wire conducts electricity. When he got home, he asked where there was copper wire and his Dad told him in metal co...

My Own Son

by ADifferentDrummer on 05/08/2008

My son, Corvus, does not have a diagnosis on the spectrum. Still, he has always been an interesting child and I want an opportunity to talk about hi...

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My son, Corvus, does not have a diagnosis on the spectrum.  Still, he has  always been an interesting child and I want an opportunity to talk about him.  A blog seemed the right place.

Corvus did not sleep through the night until 5 1/2 years (and still has 'bad' nights).  He choked and gagged on things that were not blended (and still does, though not as bad).  He loved to be upside down all the time - yes, he was a breach baby - and watched TV through his legs with his head on the sofa.  His sensory system was just off.

He got and quickly lost words from the time he was one.  A little before his second birthday, he started retaining words - but they all missed the first sound and were repeated twice.  (-oggy -oggy for doggy and -acker -acker for cracker, etc.)  While cute, it concerned me.  (Maybe I knew too much?)

At 3 he became fascinated with presidents.  Eventually, this fixation with presidents gave way to super heros gave way to strategic computer games gave way to natural disasters - and that is where we are now.

Today Corvus is a smart and articulate boy of 7 1/2.  The concerns continue, though.  He sometimes talks and makes no sense.  He hates fine motor tasks and will sometimes lock himself in the bathroom to cry about a writing task.  I have to check every morning to see if his pants are on backwards because "they feel better that way".  He is either "friends with everyone" or "has no friends", depending on the day.  He eats a small variety of foods - and rarely, ever eats at school.

All this pales, however, to his anxiety.  He has had some rough spots and losses in his life, which might account for some of it.  He is afraid of loud noises, death, his Dad's illness, the wind, choking, being left alone, the dark, etc, etc.  He has nightmares, panic attacks and worries all the time.

After his Dad had a heart attack - which brought everything to a head - Corvus stopped eating and sleeping.  He was emotional and worried all the time.  It was time to return to a therapist.  My concerns ranged from OCD to Asperger.

WE have been to several sessions and the result?  Anxiety Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified.   I asked the psychologist what that means.  He said it means that he is a complicated child who is difficult to diagnose.  This will allow him to see him for a time and work on a better diagnosis.

Am I crazy?  I feel a little let down.  Not that I WANT Corvus to have a diagnosis that is more severe - but this feel so uninformative.  I feel like we know nothing more.  I also realize that as his grades are fine, this diagnosis does nothing for his ability to receive assistance at school.

SIGH.  OK, I have talked about my son and feel a little better for doing so.  Thanks for listening.   Deb

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