2012 Autism Awareness Silent Auction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 Autism Awareness Silent Auction items

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching Gus the concept of Time

It's a new challenge and as with any new challenge it is also a sign that Gus is learning. I always try to remind myself that when Gus is making new demands on me it means his brain has completed yet another connection. Our newest challenge is the demand to know when we do what. Gus has lots of ideas these days of preferred activities that he would like to do - preferrably NOW - but since that is often no possible, I will say something like "maybe later" or "later this afternoon" and his response will be: "I want to go to the playground"
"I want to go to the playground"
"I want to go to the playground"
Over and over until we are both weary.
So I've decided that he is ready to learn the concept of time. Time to wait, time to be patient, time passing and it being time to do something specific.
After consulting with a few favorite Autism specialists and taking Gus' specific style into consideration (as a parent of a child with Autism, YOU are the best judge of that and it is the most important step to designing any system if you want it to work), I've come up with the following Time System:


This is Gus' CHOICE BOARD. We have had it for a while and until now, he would simply pick an activity from the tangle of pictures above and place it on the "I want" strip. The he would say it to me. Now when he picks something I still make him say it to me (don't forge the please, this is a PERFECT place to teach manners) and then if I say yes. We move it on to the TIME BOARD. Note: Sometimes I say NO (because we can't do something that day, although I try to make sure that the choices are doable for us (the ones that are day specific I leave off on the days it can't be done). When I say No it goes back up (or away) and he can pick something else.

Gus picked bubbles and tire swing. So we move the picture of the bubbles over to the TIME BOARD (ours is on the backside of our daily schedule, that way I only have to turn it around after we have run through our morning routine - there is only so much wall space I want to give over to primary colors and velcro)

Here is a closeup of the TIME BOARD. I printed out the words, enlarged them on the printer and glued them to the board with spaces for his pictures in between. I kept the wording simple, so Gus will understand and be able to repeat them himself.
So once we have agreed on an activity. I tell him "When the timer is ringing we blow bubbles" and we set the timer together and leave it in a place where he can check on it.
So far this has worked like a charm (and I have even cheated a couple of times and re-set it to buy me extra time. Although at first you want to keep the timeframe small so the reward is almost instant).
This has cut down on Gus repeating the same request over and over. Now when he asked I tell him to go check the timer and he does and feels assured that we are still on track to do a certain activity.

For the future, I plan to hang up this wall clock, simple with simple numbers, at his eye level next to the TIME BOARD.

Then, instead of the timer logo we will use this card and I will draw in the time with erasable marker and compare it to the clock. I will say something like "When the clock says it is Four O'Clock we blow bubbles" My hope is - and this is some time into the future - that Gus way he will learn to tell time and reading time on a clock face (after all Gus IS half Swiss and we Swiss pride ourselves in knowing time before we can read)

A cause worth begging for...

April is Autism Awareness month - it is also my least favorite month of the year, which considering my birthday falls into its midst, is a tricky proposition.
For one thing, as the mother of a child on the Autism Spectrum, I'm suddenly bombarded with what I consider fairly glib news coverage of the "new epidemic" or the "silent takeover" or whatever other bad cliche the media can come up with. Statistics are thrown around like confetti at a parade. One in 66 or one in 106 live births will be a child on the Autism Spectrum - depending on whom you listen to, watch or read. I feel singled out every time I come across that turn of phrase. Parents speak out in support of diets, against immunization, clamor for attention, belabor the mystery that is Autism, point fingers. Profiles of geniuses of the past, who likely had Autism, are trotted out - making me hang my head. There we go again, what am I to do if Gus doesn't want to play the piano, climb mountains or think a lot about physics?
I've never been shy to speak my mind - but April takes it all out of me. All I want to do is crawl into a big black hole and hide out until it is May. I'm no activist for the cause - I'm only a mother of a child with Autism.
To add another twist to my April-hate tale, we made the heart-breaking decision to have Gus tested for Autism - you guessed it - in April. Actually on my 40th birthday - so yes, I have no trouble keeping track of how long we have lived with the big A.
Two years. Two long years, full of heart-break, consternation, pain, hope, tears and a good portion of roll-up-your-sleeve determination.
Because in the end, that's all we have.
I'm writing this in the hope that you - friend, family member or acquaintance - can help me be a better activist for the cause that has my child at its center. I want to do my part and hope you can help me make the burden lighter.
Gus has been accepted to a very special camp this summer - a place where trained staff will help him expand his social world view through lots of activities and in an loving environment.
Needless to say, we want Gus to have this opportunity.
But a camp of this caliber is out of our fiscal range.
As you may or may not know, when you have a special-needs child (and I'm saving you my opinion of what overhaul our health care system needs) you are better off being poor and qualifying for Medicaid for your child, because no private health care provider will willingly pay - not without a fight and a lot of paperwork - for all the speech and occupational therapies, not to speak of anything that could be interpreted as "experimental."
Yes, I feel a certain level of bitterness that already saddled with a challenging parenting gig - I also have to become an expert in how to get the most for my dollar when it comes to health care and intervention services.
But enough about me. Gus - ever since he was diagnosed at age 2 1/2, has been working diligently through a variety of therapies and has much progress to show for it. He will always struggle, but he has yet to show an unwillingness to try to better himself.
In a world littered with yesterdays-self-help fad, I want to salute my tireless little child for braving what is against his nature every day and never wavering in his determination to at least try.
Imagine sending a 2-year-old to preschool and getting quarterly, depressing report cards and dire predictions via confounding tests. It takes all the fun out of childhood.
So I'm appealing to you to help me put a bit of much needed fun back into Gus' childhood.
I am collecting donations of items and services for a silent auction held at the Hobnob Restaurant April 27. The proceeds will help us get some matching funds and send Gus to camp. Whatever we raise above the required amount, we want to donate to Camp Lakey Gap, so that other children on the Autism Spectrum, in need of summer fun, can have it, even if their parents can't pay for it.
Be creative, no donation will be too small or too large for us to accept. Whatever it is that you make - as a hobby or for work - or can do. Someone will want to make a bid for it and it will help us. We have already received pledges for hats, massages, flower arrangements and pottery. We want this auction to be as representative of the many talents of the people in our community as possible - the sky is the limit!
Call or text me at (828) 384-1465, e-mail me at ghaldner@yahoo.com or friend me on facebook (I'll friend you back promise) and I'll get in touch with you. Please help me spread the word, forward this, link it, hype it, text or twitter about it to anyone, you think might want to help. Thank you for reading this far. I'm indebted to the many people I have come to know or am related to - near and far. Without you, I could not be hopeful about what tomorrow brings.

Autism Awareness Silent Auction

Gus is a 4 ½-year-old boy, who was born and lives here in Brevard with his parents, Geraldine & Jacob Dinkins. He loves big yellow construction machines, salami, helicopters, cuddles, hide-and-seek, and climbing anything precariously high.

Gus also has Autism.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. As a “spectrum disorder” it is defined by a certain set of behaviors that affect individuals differently and to varying degrees. The prevalence of autism has been increasing, and it is now estimated that 1 in every 106 children born in the United States of America will be diagnose with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness for Autism, the US recognizes April as Autism Awareness Month and offers this designation as a special opportunity to educate the public about Autism and issues within the Autism community.

In effort to bring this national cause home to Brevard and to build Autism awareness in our local community we are holding an Autism Awareness Silent Auction at the Hobnob Restaurant on April 27th. We are reaching out to local businesses and individuals with a request for donations of items for the silent auction.

The money raised from the auction will be used to send Gus to Camp Lakey Gap, a summer camp that specializes in providing children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a summer camp experience in an environment that is equipped to provide for their unique needs. Campers with autism grow emotionally and socially at camp by experiencing social success, trying new things, and being supported in a positive and loving environment.

Because of high staffing requirements, extensive training and time-consuming logistics, the cost of Camp Lakey Gap is beyond the Dinkins family’s current means. Our hope is to raise enough to provide Gus with an unforgettable week of fun and growth at camp this summer. It may take a village to raise a child, and it this case a giving community like Brevard to send a special-needs child like Gus to camp for one week.

Monies raised beyond the cost of camp tuition for Gus will be donated to Camp Lakey Gap’s scholarship fund to help provide other children with Autism the opportunity to benefit from this unique programming.

Please consider donating an item or service to our silent auction to be held at the Hobnob Restaurant, April 27, 2012. There will be wine and beer as well light hors d’ouvres and hopefully live music.

Our hope is to feature the talents of the many creative and innovative people that call Brevard home. We envision this auction to be as varied as the people who live here, so no item or service will be too small or too big – we want to be all inclusive and warmly accepting, just as we want people to be with Gus and others on the Autism Spectrum.

Be creative, if you don’t sell or make goods, offer your services. We are featuring everything from massages, to tennis lessons, to flower arrangements and even a few framed works of art by Gus himself (signed and numbered).

We will market this event in the local media and will have advertising opportunities for your business or talent at the event. We are also are able to provide documentation for your tax deductible donation.

To make a donation, please call us at 384-1465 or e-mail s at ghaldner@yahoo.com. or friend Geraldine Dinkins on Facebook. We will get in touch with you for pickup and further information.

Thank you for supporting National Autism Awareness Month in April 2012 at the local level here in Transylvania County.

And thank you for your help in providing a meaningful experience for Gus this summer.