I'm Thankful

Okay so instead of doing those numbers of things people don't know about me, (I was given the numbers 7 and 8)... I'm going to things I'm thankful for that most people probably wouldn't know or guess (using the number 8):

1. I'm thankful for my past relationships. I'm grateful to still be friends with those gentlemen and I've proud of them for the men they've become.
2. I'm thankful for my time at a private Christian school. I learned there the true meaning of being able to worship in front of your friends and family.
3. I'm thankful for my biological dad Chris. We haven't spent much time together over the years, but we've gotten to spend more time together in the past 4 years and that's been a blessing.
5. I'm thankful for my stepdad Bill. Although I didn't always agree with what he said or did while raising me as an Extremely overprotective dad, I am thankful that he cared enough to lay down Some rules. He was probably too strict, but at least he can look at me now, and be proud of all I have accomplished and all the things he wanted to protect me from, he did.
6. I'm thankful for my first car my little 92 Mazda Protege. While all my friends in high school had super nice cars their parents bought, I didn't have a car. When I finally got one, it was my '92 Mazda protege. That car needed soooo many thousands of dollars worth of repairs over the years, but it taught to me to be even more grateful for the amazing car I have now.
7. I'm thankful for my time dealing with depression over the years. I now appreciate my time not being depressed so much more. I appreciate the time my friends take to call me or check on me so much more. I appreciate the activities my friends and family help me get out and get involved in so much more.
8. I'm thankful for the 2-3 lovely ladies at KSU who allow me to text or message them oh so often just to check on them or pray for them. I've built some great friendships with you ladies and I thank you for allowing me to pray with you/for you and allowing me to send you devotions. You guys inspire me and help me to remember to devote myself to others.

and one extra:
9. I'm thankful for Autism. Yes, autism. Autism has taught me more than most of you could imagine. It has taught me patience. How to build trust with someone that doesn't know how to verbally talk or communicate. Love. Devotion. It has taught me how much a parent can truly love their child, no matter what their child is or isn't able to say or do. It has taught me to love these kiddos and their families unconditionally. I have learned what it means to talk without using words. How to show someone you care without ever speaking. How to teach someone how to communicate without words- which has been amazing. Autism has given me a passion in life and has helped me to dig deeper than just a passion to teach all kids, but now a passion specifically to help kids who may not be able to help advocate for themselves. I'm thankful for the kids, parents, and siblings I've met because of autism. I'm thankful for the lives I've been able to influence and touch because of Autism. I'm thankful for Autism, because Autism has helped me determine my purpose in life.

No Title.

It's been a while since I've written a new blog post... and it's been a while since I've had a "melt-down"...

So, today I'm just going to talk about what I'm going through and ask that you pray for me.

Every once in a while (used to be pretty frequent, but have slowed way down over the past few years) I have melt downs where I cry to the point of hyperventilating (however you spell that) and typically they lead to a deep depression.

For someone that doesn't cuss, the only words that came to mind last night were F everyone and everything... I was thinking about how much I hate everyone and I hate my lonely life... and even how I hate my friends.

After crying for about an hour, I decided I needed to shower and was going to just have a drink when I got out and then crash.... I thought about calling my grandma and driving to her house to sleep in her bed... but I decided drinking isn't going to help and I really didn't want to explain my pain to my grandma at that moment so I just showered and went to bed.

So, I struggle with some things from time to time...

I struggle with being alone, yet I love living alone.
I struggle with hating my friends sometimes, yet I need them to do things with me so that I'm not always at home.
I struggle with MEN. I hate them. I know it stems from my relationships/lack there of with my dad and stepdad. And even though I've forgiven them both... I even blame them still sometimes (not often). I HATE being single. I hate being used. Actually I think I hate most of my guy friends and most of my girlfriends too.

And if you're my friend and you're reading this... NO I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my family. My mom is freaking amazing. My sisters are awesome. I live for my sisters. My little sisters are my world. My dad (stepdad) has good intentions. My aunt and cousins make me laugh and keep me busy and I love them for it. My grandma helps me to survive. She's my backbone. My other family, my biological family, is cool too.

Anyway, I had a meltdown yesterday. Almost had one on Sunday too so I wasn't surprised that this one happened last night. But I'm NOT going to be depressed. I REFUSE to go back into depression. It sucks and I've been there too many times to count. It's the hardest thing in the world to come out of depression and I am DETERMINED TO NOT SINK BACK INTO IT. I'M TOO BLESSED... GOD'S BEEN TOO GOOD TO ME AND MY FAMILY.

So... if you're going through something... please know you're not alone. Pray for me and I'll do the same for all of you. Prayer is powerful.

PS... please don't text or call me to talk about how I feel, just please pray for me. And especially please do NOT ask me about this post or tell me that you saw it or ask if I'm okay when you see me. There's nothing worse than people reminding you that you're depressed or struggling with that area... oh and I HATE when people ask me where my Man is... UGH!! He's wherever God has him at right now waiting until I'm emotionally and spiritually ready for him.Which obviously I'm not. Which sucks, but I'm making progress... probably not as fast as I should, but I'm trying.

I didn't write this for sympathy. I don't need your sympathy. Obviously if you've been around me, you know that I love to smile and I love to kick it and have a good time. Oh, and I don't need even your friendship if you're not planning on being around for a while and if you can't be a prayer warrior for me. I only need people in my life who are going to pray for me and be there for the long run. Like I said, I even struggle in the area of friends. I hate some of my best friends sometimes. I'm working on it though. I have learned that people don't always go all out for you the way you would for them. And I've learned that my idea of being a good friend to someone, may not be the same as their idea. So I'm just going to pray about it. Hope you join me in prayer. I need it.

Sunday Morning Reflection

I'm really proud of myself. For those of you who have read my posts or have read some of my facebook statuses last year, you know that I battle with depression. In January someone told me to get out of the house once a week and go do something. I definitely thought that was a good idea so I made it a goal for myself. I'm proud of myself because since January, I haven't had a major meltdown or extreme low point or anything like that.

I know it's all God because I definitely have had a couple of moments where I wanted to cry and I could feel the depression creeping up, but something always stopped the depression from setting in. I am grateful because even when I did cry in the past couple of months, it was short lived and no depression followed.

I'm truly just living and learning. I want to be a better person each day. I am still making changes and making decisions to better myself and my future. I definitely have lots of things that I need to work on and I'm so grateful for opportunities for growth.

I'm always still struggling with this whole single life thing. I know what I want. I know what I don't want. I know I'm not having sex with anyone. I know the society we live in somehow deems that as crazy or stupid... and the sad part is, I even have close friends telling me I can't get a man since I'm not willing to have sex with him first. It's crazy to me what we, as women, have allowed to be okay. Some of the things these boys/supposed to be men say to me are down right disrespectful. 

Anyway, I'm proud of myself for the growth I see in myself. I'm not bragging, or anything like that. Just writing a post so I can look at it later, and think about all the things that were going on in my life at this time, and to see how I was able to smile and still be happy (for the most part) during this... hopefully this will help me down the road. Everyday is a struggle. Everyday presents new challenges. I'm also quickly learning to be careful what I ask for. Sometimes you get exactly what you want, and you quickly wonder if what you asked for was too zealous. 

If anyone else is going through some things, and sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel- just know I've been there. Literally, I've been there. You can get through it. Take one day at a time. Smile at the little things. Pray for the big things. Have faith that tomorrow is a new day. A new opportunity to smile. A new chance to love yourself. 

I love me. Even when no one else does, I've always known God loves me... but I think I can finally truly say I love myself. I've acknowledged some areas of weakness (lots of them) and I'm working on them to become a better me.

This was just a Sunday morning reflection... I am grateful to be me. Grateful for life. Opportunities. Growth. FAMILY! And absolutely too blessed to let depression come back.

Have a wonderful day everyone!
God is Love! :-)

~LaKrystal~

To My Mommy

Today is my mom's birthday!!

My mom is absolutely amazing! Let me tell you why...

She is sooooo calm and patient.
She is devoted to her husband and her family.
She is positive.
She puts us (family) first.
She picked up the slack without complaining when she needed to for the sake of our family.
She pushed forward and made it work as a single mom with me for years before getting married.
She takes care of our family - for those of you that know, that isn't at all easy... for those of you that don't know, do some health related issues, this is not an easy task.
She continues to small each day.
She reads her Bible and devotions daily.
She goes to church each week, even though she has to go alone.
She is STILL active in church and volunteers, even though she has to do this alone also.
She emails out daily devotions to ALL the ladies in our big family.
She may get frustrated occasionally, but you would never know it.


Those are just a few short reasons why I love my mom. There are SOO many more.

Happy Birthday Mommy!!

Amazing Kiddos

Snow Days are GREAT but I miss my little guys! Lots...

So... I'm going to share some of their stories and how Amazing they are! (I also shared this on FB):


3. 1st Grader in my autism classroom: came to me in January from another classroom. This kiddo's mom actually requested me because I work with his twin brother!!  This little boy struggles with attention. He was reading basic sight words and used a lot of "jargon"- his own language to communicate. His teacher recommended getting him on ADHD meds to help him focus. He was also only required to do 5 academic jobs per day and then spent about 30 minutes in a regular 1st grade classroom with the rest of the kids, but wasn't allowed to join in with the class- he had to do other work. He could read 15 words of the words I tested him on in January and he was consistent with numbers 1-20. He also wouldn't follow directions without multiple prompts and couldn't identify his coins consistently. He was not required to do any spelling and rarely got the opportunity to play with other verbal kids.

NOW:  He is able to sit for over 3 HOURS of academic instruction (This is the same kid that his teacher said he couldn't sit for more than 10 minutes of instruction!). He is also using more words to communicate! He is asking for help independently. He is able to read 40 words now (was only at 15 in January). He can consistently identify all 3 coins I've introduced to him so far! He gets to participate with the 1st grade class and gets to play with his typical peers! He also follows directions without prompts and he is counting past 100 and writing up to 50 in one sitting! He can answer WH questions now and sit and independently complete tasks and assignments, asking for help when he needs it! He also is doing short homework assignments now, just like the other kids, and he is taking short spelling tests with me weekly to prepare him for more time in his regular grade level classroom next year!  

I get to spend a lot of time with this kiddo each day and he is just awesome! I love how hard he works and I love seeing the progress he makes every single day!!


2. 2nd grade nonverbal student in my autism classroom: came to me from another room in january, so we've only worked with him for about 2 months, but I did have the opportunity to observe him prior to him moving to my room and I got to sit in on his IEP meeting. he was consistently hitting/scratching staff MULTIPLE times per day, running away from staff, and had to have his hand held at ALL times of the day. He had been in his previous classroom with the same teacher since Kindergarten. They used a "time-out" restraint chair with him daily and used a weighted vest on him (weighing about 20 pounds) as their methods to stop his behavior. He was given 5 "jobs"- academic tasks per day and his para informed me that he usually only got through 2 of those and spent most days on the floor. He could write letters of his name in configuration boxes but only with someone holding his hand/wrist to help him. He also knew some signs but wasn't using them consistently.

NOW: he is able to LINE UP at the door with the other kids and WALK in a line to and from all locations in school WITHOUT his hand being held! Even outside to the bus! We've only had about 5 instances of grabbing/hitting/scratching in the entire 2 months! He's able to sit and comply for over 2 HOURS of academic instruction EVERY day (he was only getting through about 20 minutes before and he would hit/tantrum/run away every day during these sessions). We have also taught him to pair the sign for bathroom with going to bathroom, and he's been able to start using 2 word sentences with signs! We have NEVER had to use a restraint chair!!! And we never use the weighted vest!!! AND last week I gave him the directions and He sat down at his desk by himself, took out his pencil, traced a sheet of letters, turned it over by himself, and finished the other side by himself as well!!!! The para that worked with him before was so excited and almost cried!! YAY!!

Sorry this one was super long but man I LOVE this kid!! It's so awesome what kids can do when you give them the opportunity!!!



1. 6 yr old boy in my autism classroom: came to me at the beginning of the school year with only a few words, he could count up to 12, couldn't identify his numbers, only able to identify 3 letters, wouldn't greet others or respond to greetings from others, and needed lots of prompts to follow verbal directions. He also couldn't walk down the hallways with a group of students without bolting towards every drinking fountain, and he was in pullups a the beginning of the year. 

NOW: He has lots of words! He can count AND write his numbers up to 100! He knows all of letters AND he can READ 30 words!! He also greets everyone and responds to our greetings without help on a daily basis! And... He follows verbal directions with no help, He no longer wears pullups AND he can walk with other kids in line and go to group activities with the other kids now!

LOVE this little guy! Isn't he awesome?!!




In a nutshell- A. I miss my kiddos. B. I work with some truly AMAZING kids. and C. I love the opportunity to impact their lives! It's SOO awesome to see people who knew them before and see them now and all the progress they've made!

Love my little RockStars :-) 

Office Craftroom Reveal

So... about a month ago, I set out to remodel a bedroom in my house into an office/craftroom. I already had the desk and bookshelves, but I wanted to paint the walls, and add a craft table/reorganize my craft materials.

The room BEFORE (when I bought the house):

In progress:

The room AFTER!!!

 (bookshelf/printing station)

 (view when walking in- desk and filing cabinet, and window)

 (craft table I built- spray painted two book shelves I already had black, then painted a door from Home Depot... below I used cute wrapping paper to make my old plastic drawers look cute!)

(futon for relaxing! also dual purpose as another space for guests to stay)

I know the colors are pretty bold... BUT... I'm very proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone! Those of you that know me, know... I'm a pretty boring person... Lol.

Oh and I still want to hang up my degrees on the walls and some small paintings and put the tv up on the wall...

SOOOO what do you guys think??? Leave your comments below :-)


~LaKrystal~

Social Skills

So... I teach kids Social Skills...

Well, it can be really simple or really complicated depending on how you look at it...

I explained it to 4th graders like this: Coming to Social Skills groups in my class will help you learn to be a better citizen and you will get the chance to help others learn too. Since some of us are great at reading and math, and some of us are great at making friends and making other people laugh, we can all help each other in the areas that we are not so good at. We will do fun activities and crafts and some science experiments and learning too. We will also get to learn more about being a good citizen in our community.

And... I explained it a 1st grade student with Autism who is also a Gifted student, like this: You are Really good at math, right? And you are Really good at reading too? You are really good at math and reading and science and social studies so you don't need extra help with those things like your friends do. But, sometimes you need a little extra help remembering to look at my eyes when we are saying hi, and with playing games with your friends. We are going to work on some of those things. But the cool part is, your friends get to come with you! (He loved that part!)

So... what I want all of my readers to take away from this is... Social Skills isn't a scary topic to talk about with kids. It is something that lots of our kiddos with Autism need tremendous help with, but no one ever takes the time to work on with them. So, I'm going to give a few tips on how to approach/help kiddos that seem to be lacking in the area of Social Skills...

To Parents: Require your child to look at you in the eyes when answering your questions about school that day. Don't yell at them or get upset, but just let them know that you want to try answering again with looking eyes OR if that's too elementary for them, tell them you would like them to look at you when they answer. This may take a few tries, but we willing to actually stop what you are doing and FOLLOW THROUGH. Make a habit to do this every day for at least one activity- maybe every day after school, or every day after breakfast...

To Teachers: Take the few extra seconds each day to facilitate conversations and prompt your students lacking in social skills to answer their friends when someone is talking to them. So many times, our students aren't involved in any conversations because no one reminds them/requires them to respond to their peers. If you hear a student talking to the kiddo with special needs and our kiddo just keeps playing by themselves and not responding, call their name and tell them that their friend is talking to them, then- ask the friend to be your helper and ask the question again. The more you practice, the friends will start wanting to be leaders and help more any time our kiddos need assistance. Other students will be more likely to interact with our kiddos with limited social skills the more we help show them ways to get involved and especially when we help our students interact/respond back to their friends.

To everyone: Social Skills is about being SOCIAL! You can't practice Social Skills without friends around! I teach social skills discretely with my students during some direct instruction sessions and then I give them lots of opportunities to practice their social skills with their friends. Our kiddos need to be around their typical peers. One way I do this is by working in the general education classroom to build relationships between our kiddos and their classmates, and then by inviting those classmates down to our room for fun social skills groups. Social Skills is a huge, sometimes overwhelming topic and I think sometimes it gets avoided or lost in the mix of academics. I think Social Skills are SOOOOO important to help our kiddos with Autism and other disabilities to be able to interact with their peers/members of society.

This was just a brief intro to social skills... I'm sure I'll get more into the Social Skills topic again soon! Socials Skills was on my mind this week since I started a new 4th grade Social Skills Group this week and the first group was a great success! The girls who participated want to come back, and lots of the students in the classroom said they want to come next time! Oh, quick clarification- Social Skills Groups usually have 1-2 of our students with limited social skills and then anywhere from 2-5ish typical peers (role models) from their general education classrooms. I teach social skills with just the student I am targeting/teaching the skills to, but the groups include that student and their peers.

Please leave your comments, questions, concerns with Socials Skills below! I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions!!

~LaKrystal~

Dating...

So... here goes... my thoughts of Dating:


Dating-  a stage in a person's life when he or she is actively pursuing romantic relationships with different people.

Or at least that's a definition floating around the internet...


My definition- an absolutely insane portion of a female's life where she is probably testing the man/men she is going out on dates with to either a)to see if he is hubby material, or b) to see if he will keep her busy and entertained for the time being...


Okay so now I will tell you my personal story on this topic... please feel free to comment, but remember this is my life- so please be nice :-)


I've only been in a few boyfriend/girlfriend "relationships" in my life. In college, I did a lot of what we called "talking" to guys with no relationships. Now, for those of you who don't know- "talking" and "dating" are NOT the same!! Talking can be a variety of things- spending time together, dating without a dating title, sleeping together, texting/talking everyday or more lol, etc.


I don't really do well with meeting new men. I'm VERY shy... So college was great. We met new people all the time in groups at events. I never really had to meet people on my own. So now, as an adult, meeting new men is a challenge. I also don't like to give out my phone number. This poses another problem... AND believe it or not... I don't like to go out to clubs and bars. Thus another problem. 

Also important to note, I watch a LOT of Criminal Minds, Law and Order: SVU, and NCIS... so going places with men I just met, scares me.


So... dating is very tricky at this point in my life. Also, I'm not sure if anyone else ever has this problem, but have you ever met a wonderful person, and they're either a couple hours away, or even a couple of states away... sigh.

Is anyone willing to comment below and share your dating tips and thoughts?? I'm also still giving out 3 gifts for people who comment (as noted in my post Pay It Forward.)

Love you all :-)


~LaKrystal~
 

Organizing!

For those of you that know me, you know that I Love organizing!! My old teaching partner used to tell me that I should be a professional organizer... 

Anyway, here are 5 areas of my house with pics of how I have organized them along with a few organization tips:


1. Books/Printing area:
Who says your printer has to go on a desk? I opted to put my printer on a bookshelf instead of the typical placement for it on a desk. This is because it is so large that it would take up the entire desk! 

This also allowed me to organize my paper on a bookshelf right by the printer making it easy to pick out and change out paper if needed. I also opted to purchase a new wireless printer this school year and I absolutely LOVE it!! Now that I have a home with 3 levels (including the basement I will one day finish) the printer was a perfect purchase for me! I also organized my teaching resources (there are still many more that need to be added- summer project! lol) into these large binders on the bottom shelf. I love having them organized this way because it is so easy to access and grab what I need. One day I'll do an organization post of my classroom...

2. Kitchen Spices:

I searched for a spice rack that I liked for a month probably and I couldn't find one. I didn't want the spices to take up valuable space on the counter and I hated rummaging through the cabinet to find the spice that I was looking for all the time. I also loved the spice racks that turned (oscillated) on the counter but there was only space for like 15-20 spices. So... I made my own.

I bought these clear glass spice containers from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for 99cents each I believe and then used my label maker to label each spice. I also purchased the adjustable shelf at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $15 I believe. I love my spice cabinet and other people love it when they come over to cook also! I have a similar set up for my sprinkles for baking :-) You can see it in the pic below the spices.

3. File Cabinet area:
I have a small file cabinet that I use to stay organized. I love it because all of my paperwork can stay out of the open. Here you can see how I've organized the top of it to be functional as well... 

I have cute file folders and label them according to what I need/use the most often. The folders I chose are: To Do, Mail, To File, Return, and Other. Most are self explanatory, however, I the "Return" folder is for items that I've borrowed from friends or receipts of items I need to return, or mail that isn't mine that needs to be returned.


4. Closet space: 
Now, this must be said first, in my bedroom I have 2 closets. I also use some of the closet space in my office/craftroom.  

I color-coordinate my clothes in my closet, and I hang them up from no-sleeves to short sleeves to long sleeves. In one closet, I have white/tan/yellow/orange/pink/red. In the other closet in my room I have green/blue/purple/brown/gray/black. Then in the office/craftroom closet, I have multi-colored shirts, dresses, suits, and shoes.


5. Linen Closet:
This isn't the best organizing, but at least it's organized right? Here is a pic of the whole thing...

My linen closet is located in a weird place, on my first floor. To me that's weird since all the showers and bedrooms and laundry are all upstairs. Anyway, I use baskets all over my house to keep things organized. The top two shelves are towels. 

Next is a shelf with some mixmatched items on it. I have a few tableclothes, extra curtains etc. on the right, and a basket on the left.

In the basket is full of the following... batteries, extra light bulbs, extra nails, and hammer (it's not pictured here because I was using it to hang items in my craft room!), also extra outlet/surge protectors, and extension cords:

On the next shelf, there are two baskets:

 

One is used for candles, Scentsy bricks, candle lighters, etc. 

The other basket is full of medicine. I don't have a need to sort out my medicine into separate baskets right now since I live by myself.

Now, the bottom shelf is a little different. It used to hold cleaning supplies, but I finally moved those under the bathroom sink on the main floor. Now, the bottom shelf holds all my extra lotions, shower gels/body wash, handsoaps, etc. 

These are just a few of the things in my home that are organized. Please share with me some of the ways you organize!

Thanks for stopping by:

~LaKrystal~ 

Last Week's Cooking: Jan 20, 2013

So, I'm back into the swing of school, which means less time to cook due to lesson planning, data summarizing, and homework for my classes I'm taking. I guess there's one plus to my job... I don't do a lot of homework grading like I did when I was a gen Ed classroom teacher. I had LOTS to grade when I taught 4th grade. Now I have lots to prep and lots of data to take and summarize.

Anyway... I didn't cook much this week but I did prep some freezer to crockpot meals today with my mom. So here's the cooking summary from last week...

Sunday: beef enchiladas, cheesy Mexican rice, and white queso/rotel with Italian sausage and chips
Monday: ham and beans with cornbread *pic below*

Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: precooked pulled pork from Sam's Club
Thursday: Panda Express with a gift card
Friday: KFC
Saturday: homemade baked potato soup *pic below*

And today my mom and were on Pinterest doing some meal prep for some chicken crock pot recipes. Below you can see our work (we only prepped for about an hour and got 3 meals each, plus she put another meal directly in the crockpot) and the links to the recipes:

 We made two types of Teriyaki Chicken. One recipe is here: http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html

We also made Honey Sesame Chicken: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe.html

We also made a Honey Garlic Chicken. I'm not sure of that exact recipe- we modified it to our taste.

And... My little sister (she's 10) and I made some fudge today! She's our little experimenter! I think she'll definitely be either an amazing cook when she gets older, orrrr a cook that no one wants to try her concoctions lol. *pic below*

What did you guys cook over the past week??


~LaKrystal~

Scratched and It Hurt!

I was scratched this week... I've been scratched before, no big deal. But this time it actually HURT! I was scratched by a student of mine. Now, I'm not angry or upset. Yes, I would like for the scratch(es) to heal without a scar BUT I am not mad. Here is a picture of the scratch: (it's difficult to see but it actually broke the skin and there was blood -not dripping- but there was blood).

 Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you why:

The student that scratched me is a student with Autism. He is also a student who is classified as "nonverbal". This confuses some people, so I will try to explain it. This student, let's call him Samuel*, does not use verbal/spoken words to communicate. He uses sign language, touching, pointing, pictures and/or occasional sounds. He is very smart. The student is new to my classroom (joined my classroom in January, right after winter break) but he is not new to school. He is in the 2nd grade and has been in this school for all of his schooling. 

SO... what does all that have to do with me being scratched... Let me enlighten you: 

I believe that it is our responsibility to teach our students our expectations of them. For my students, all of whom have Autism and/or other special needs, it is even more important that I teach them expectations of different environments. It is important for them to know the difference between what is expected/allowed at school, at home, at the store, and other places in the community. The reason I believe this particular student, Samuel, still grabs/scratches while grabbing others, is because he hasn't been taught an appropriate replacement behavior. OR in other words, he hasn't been taught an appropriate way to get someone's attention/tell them something that doesn't require using talking verbally- since, as I mentioned earlier, he is a "nonverbal" student.

Because I've only had this student for about 2 weeks, this is something will take some time to teach him. I am excited about his learning and excited to watch this process. I love my students and it is SOO COOL to see them do things people said they can't do!

In the past (it appears) this student hasn't been reinforced for using his words (in the form of sign language, pointing, touching, etc.) when he wants something. I have observed him in the past 5 months and he was definitely reinforced for having inappropriate behaviors with the grabbing/scratching, screaming/running. What I mean by that is, he was given LOTS of attention in the form of yelling, reprimanding and physically moving him to a time out chair, in the past. This attention may have reinforced his behavior and reinforced his escape from his work. Every time he engaged in one of these behaviors, he was yelled at and put into time out--- thus allowing him to escape his work. AND let me tell you, this kiddo is SMART! He totally knew it :-)

Anyway, I got scratched this week, it hurt. I am still working to determine the exact function (the why) of the grabbing/scratching behavior. We did switch this kiddo to a new classroom, mine, and a new teacher, me, AND new paras, and teaching procedures. I did tell his parents to be aware that his behavior may get a little worse before it gets better, since we have changed his environment in so many ways.


One more cool story about this awesome kid: Yesterday, a little girl (who happened to have a learning disability) saw Samuel and I walking down the hallway, I was holding his hand. She asked me- What's wrong with him? I asked her, What do you mean? She says, Why can't he talk? I told her, He does talk, just not always with his mouth like you do. Sometimes he uses his hands to talk and, sometimes he uses his sounds. It's cool that he can talk with his hands isn't it? She looks at me thinking and says, Yah, that is really cool! 

I share this with you because I think life is determined by the way we perceive it. It's our job to help others perceive and view how Awesome and Amazing our kiddos with Autism really are! They are not weird, and they don't have anything wrong with them. They may grab or scratch you sometimes, but it's not because they want to hurt you. They simply are trying to tell you something and may not have the verbal words to do it.

In summary, I love what I do. And I even have some battle wounds to prove it :-)

*All names are changed to maintain confidentiality*

Alpha Kappa Alpha--- January 15

Over 6 Years Ago...

 I was blessed enough to join an amazing sorority: 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

I must say... throughout my years in this wonderful Sorority, I have shed tears, felt pain, joy, and felt a bond like no other.

Soror- my sister, my friend... 

Joining my Sweet Kappa Pi was a mixture of emotions... but one stands out the most... TIRED... I don't think I've ever been as tired as I was then... Lol. However, my lovely LS and I were so excited to have a probate (coming out show) since we were the first to have one after our chapter came back from being suspended... And... let me say, our show was low-profile, like 30 minutes long... maybe even 20. The Best Part was... my cousin, a NUPE, drove all the way from KC to see it/me!! Also, I will say that all of the neos from my chapter have had amazing probates since then... what can I say, you live and you learn :-)

Now... what most of you don't know... I did my research. I was ready to join AKA a month after starting college. I was soooooooo excited and ready... or so I thought... lol. It hurt my heart that most people didn't want Freshman to join due to maturity and other issues. However, I was so blessed to join as a Freshman. Not many get to say they got to experience being "Greek" all of their years of college. 

More you don't know... Alpha Kappa Alpha has taught me so much. I know that I love my Sorors, and I definitely appreciate every single one. But, Alpha Kappa Alpha has also taught me to value and cherish Family and God first. I've seen women"leave" their Sororities because they say it took them away from their faith... and I've also seen women, even some in my own chapter, worship the sisterhood more than their faith, more than family. Although the sisterhood is an amazing part of my life, I know that God and Family are first. Always.

To all my Sorors: Happy 105 Years! I love you all so much.

PS... To my prophytes and my LS--- I love you ladies more than you know!!! You are absolutely a crucial part of me growing up to be me... I love you and am so blessed to know you ladies...


Skee- Wee My Sorors!!!
SKEEEEEEEEE-WEEEEE!!!

Last week's cooking: Jan 13, 2013

Hi everyone,

This past week, I didn't cook much, but I finally cooked a decent meal. I've been a little busy here lately with getting back in the routine of work, classes, and life :-) I think this past week's dinner menu looked a little something like this:

• Sunday- spaghetti
• Monday- no cooking, Wendy's
• Tuesday- leftover spaghetti 
• Wednesday- no cooking, Panda Express (used a gift card from Christmas!)
• Thursday-  I cooked a delicious meal, just because I hadn't Really cooked in a while. Pecan crusted salmon, sweet corn, rice, scalloped potatoes, and cornbread muffins.
  *pic below*
  
  
  
  And my cousin helped me bake some fudge brownies with chocolate fudge frosting. I'm actually not a gigantic chocolate lover, but these turned out delicious!!!  *pic below- I didn't get a before pic, this was the halfway gone stage lol*
  
  
  

  
  
• Friday- leftovers 
• Saturday- egg and ham breakfast casserole *pic below*
   

I love cooking! I even went grocery shopping yesterday and did some meal planning for the next couple of weeks! What's your meal plan look like for this week?



~LaKrystal~