A Bigfoot Sighting in Virginia!

My girls have a favorite television show called iCarly. The other day an episode came on where Carly and her friends went in search of Bigfoot. It sounded like a good idea... after all, a person should know who lives in her neighborhood, right?

So among the first signs of spring, Iraq, The Skink and I went on a Bigfoot hunt!

In the event that we caught our very own Bigfoot, The Skink prepared a place for him or her to reside. We've heard they smell bad, so we certainly don't want it sleeping at the foot of Iraq's bed!

We looked high...

and low.

We climbed huge mountains...

and even performed a thorough aerial search for the elusive creature.

We looked in every corner of our round park,

but after days and days, or at least an hour, we finally had to give up and start on our way back home because it was almost nap time.

We were walking up the hill, and suddenly Iraq shouted, "There's Bigfoot!" We froze in our tracks, our blood running like ice through our veins. Our hearts pounded (it is a pretty steep hill)...

And at last, we had made an amazing discovery! Apparently Elmo lurks in the back yard of some local retirees, and he's gone green! But alas... as much as we love Elmo, he wasn't the monster we were looking for. Feeling a bit dejected, we went home, and guess what?

We FOUND Bigfoot!

A really cute one, too!

Enjoy this blog? Let me know by voting on TopMommyBlogs! 

Follow the link and scroll down until you find Adasperdown Town.

*

Aspergers and Girls, Girls With Aspergers and Everything In Between!

Current statistics suggest that autism affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys. Those are amazing findings really, spurring a lot of people to wonder about the huge "spike" in autism over the last 3 decades. Honestly, I don't believe there has been as much as a "spike" as the statistics would have us believe. It is my belief that the spike has actually been in the proper diagnosis of autism, and not a huge rise in actual cases.

Only 30 years ago, we knew much less about autism than we do now. I think that literally hundreds of thousands of people with the disorder were lumped into the "Mentally Retarded" or "Mentally Ill" categories just a few decades ago. In fact I know a 25-year-old man - the son of some very close friends - who couldn't be more of an "Aspie" if he had "Aspergers" tattooed on his forehead and bore the name Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory), yet he was diagnosed as ADHD with a possible personality disorder throughout his school years. He struggled, but never received special help since he was clearly very intelligent. His poor parents heard no end to the whole "He just needs to apply himself better" song and dance from doctors and school officials.

The statistics also suggest that far more boys are in the autism spectrum than girls. Although this may be true to some degree, I also believe that currently girls are less likely to receive a correct diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder. In fact, we waited years to get a correct diagnosis for Iraq.

Why are girls less likely to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder than boys?

This goes back to that age-old problem of medical science placing the vast majority of resources into studying males and simply assuming that females would obediently follow along in their presentation of medical disorders. This is why there is a push right now in the medical community to publicize emerging facts that heart attack symptoms are *different* in women than they are in men. The symptoms are different? It's freakin' 2011 and we're just telling people this now? Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women, but it took us this long to figure out that the symptoms in men and women aren't the same at all?

Welllllllllll...  The same thing is true for diagnosing many issues, including autism spectrum disorders. While some doctors are privy to this enlightenment, there are still many who are muddling about in the dark ages of demographic diagnostics. Here is a *very* simplified and brief list of differences:

Because females are wired to be far more emotionally and socially aware than males in general, the differences in the way autism spectrum disorders manifest in females can be rather remarkable.

From the time Iraq was a small baby, we told her pediatrician that we though something was amiss. The doctor who happens to be one of the best pediatricians in the North Dallas area would reassure us time and again that Iraq was well within "normal" parameters and was likely just 'sensitive."

When Iraq was 3, we took her to a specialist who slapped a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiance Disorder on her and showed us the door. When Iraq was 4 we moved from Texas to Virginia and took her to another specialist who felt she was ADHD. He insisted he did not see any of the "typical" signs of an autism spectrum disorder because Iraq made eye contact. (Don't you feel better knowing that an ASD in girls can be properly diagnosed based upon ONE symptom mostly present in BOYS?) Yeah... didn't think so!

When Iraq was 5 we took her to a different specialist in a different town. A female specialist. A female specialist who did her homework on the difference between boys and girls. To start, she gave us a diagnosis of PDD or Pervasive Developmental Disorder which is a rather non-committal term for a person showing some symptoms of being in the spectrum. At least we were finally on to something!

It took 5 more doctors of different specialties (the same awesome female specialist mentioned above sent us all around town) and another year before we landed on an diagnosis of Aspergers! Whew! What a ride!

Of course now Iraq is 7-years-old and we can really see the ASD behaviors now we know more about the diagnosis and what to look for.

atypical use of toys - lining up instead of make-believe play

The moral of this story is that if you are not satisfied with one doctor's opinion, get 10 more! Don't assume a doctor knows everything - especially as new information comes out every day. Don't assume that if you read a list of symptoms that any females were used in the study that determined what those symptoms were.

 Social issues

After all - it has taken us this long to make it publicly known that the symptoms of the leading killer of women - heart disease - are different in women than they are in men. Autism is not a leading killer, so it is safe to assume we still have a long way to go before autism spectrum disorders are properly diagnosed in girls as quickly as they are in boys.

Like my blog? Vote for this blog at TopMommyBlogs!

*

Weekend Getaway!

That's right, folks! Just when you're getting tired of winter, what could be more fun than an indoor water park in February?

On Thursday we put the kids in the car as soon as they got home from school and drove down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We do have friends down in the area, but as a number of family members have just been recovering from the flu, we decided against sharing our germs with people we actually like.

I tried to get some pictures of the water park, but...

The lens fogged up in the humidity :(

The suite was beautiful! Two large bed rooms, a full kitchen and living area and an ocean view too! Just the kind of place that makes you want to lick your plate...

 and find all kinds of neat, new hiding places, like this one:

 And this one:

And this one:

And this one:

And this one, again:

When you're on vacation it is like an unwritten rule that you should try new food combinations!

And it is absolutely mandatory to sleep late at least one morning.

And when you are awake and in your suite, don't forget to enjoy the view!

Aside from a couple of us fighting post-flu sinus infections, we all had a wonderful time! We all spent hours in the water. Iraq rode the huge water slides at least a hundred times, Broadway found other teens to play water basketball with, and The Skink loved trying to swim with Mommy or Daddy supporting her under her chest. In short, none of us wanted to leave, but the kids had to be back in school on Monday.

Speaking of school, The Skink must be paying attention. The other day I gave her a pencil and some paper to keep her busy, and she wrote this:

While to some it may look like some scribbles on a piece of paper, Mommy can tell you that she WROTE HER NAME! Yup - totally bustin' with pride here!

*

Weekend Stuff

This weekend we...

made walking in high heels look fun and easy,

made walking in Hello Kitty sparkly flats look even easier,

discovered that shadows dance just as well as small children,

and look really funny when you bend over and look at them upside down.

We wore matching sweatshirts,

and listened to the gravel crunch under foot.

We decided that turkey buzzards look ugly sitting in trees,

but that they are rather pretty when they soar.

We discussed the warm sun with the shadow,

and the shadow with the warm sun.

We learned that squirrels think playing under a car is fun. Almost as fun as watching goofy squirrels play under a car!

And we enjoyed how beautiful the lake looks on a February evening,

even in black and white...

and that if you look at this picture sideways, it looks like a chalice.

Then on Sunday night we left Mimi and Pop's house and met Daddy down in the sticks somewhere. He rented one of those creepy-looking vans with the darked-out windows to drive down to Pawpaw's (Daddy's dad's) place in Georgia. Unfortunately Pawpaw isn't doing very well, so Daddy and Uncle B. are moving his stuff out... but since the idea of being left alone with all 3 of my kids without any help at all for a few days seemed incredibly daunting to me, Daddy kindly offered to take Iraq with him!

So - now I'm temporarily down to 2 kids, and one has a fever today. Although fevers are no fun, its the really cuddly kid that has the fever, so I'm getting all sorts of adorable little snuggles :o)

*

Do Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Twins Have Down Syndrome?

I went to the grocery store today and had the misfortune to see the cover of the latest issue of Star magazine which shouts to the world that they have the "Truth About The Twins." Apparently a person who claims she used to be a nanny for the celebrities fraternal twins states that she thinks the twins might have Down syndrome.

Are you kidding me?

OK - it's not that I don't think it's possible that one of the twins could have an extra 21st chromosome, but the way the story is presented is very disappointing! The magazine states that there are rumors the twins could be "afflicted" with the "horrible mental disorder."

What? Is having Down syndrome like the plague?

The story had more holes than my spaghetti strainer. The nanny backs up her theory that the twins have DS with the information that Angie had a difficult pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. WOW! Who knew that high blood pressure late in pregnancy could cause a change in the babies at the chromosomal level? That sure is news to me! Probably news to most obstetricians and perhaps God, too!

The truth of the matter is that Down syndrome is caused by a triplication of the 21st chromosome. This genetic anomaly generally happens shortly after the egg is fertilized, and  there is no known cause. There is a maternal age correlation with the likelihood of a baby having DS, but young women can have children with DS too.

The twins are also Fraternal twins - not identical. the chances of *both* babies having DS is incredibly slim.

The National Enquirer ran a similar story In April of 2010. Both stories put an amazingly negative slant, touting the "tragedy" of having a child with Down syndrome.

It's all about sensationalism. What is "tragic" is that magazines like this would vilify that extra chromosome. That not only is Down syndrome presented as some sort of horrible mental disorder (which it is not), but that this type of misinformation is perpetuated and widely publicized on every single check-out stand in the United States. Currently more than 90% of people who learn their unborn child has Down syndrome choose to end the pregnancy. How many of those people actually know what Down syndrome really is, or what huge potential people with DS have? Negative media presentation like this only serves to influence public perceptions of people who seem "different" in one way or another. Once upon a time black people were represented negatively in the media. Now it's those with disabilities?? Shouldn't we be past that by now?

Does this look like  the face of tragedy to you?

Ultimately the story appearing in Star does not put forth any actual proof that either twin has Down syndrome. If one of their children does have Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) I'm sure eventually we will all know. The important thing for us to know now is that a disability does not define a child. If you have a beautiful child, you announce to the world that you have a beautiful child. A precious baby is a baby first and foremost. You don't have a baby and then tell everyone, "Well we just had this baby but she's a red head and we wanted a blond. She also has lighter skin than we wanted, and her nose seems a little long. Looks like she has funky toes, also." Loving parents just don't do that! Same thing if you have a child with an extra chromosome. She is a child. She is beautiful just the way she is. Focus on her beauty first, and get to know her for the person she is.

For those of you who don't know much about Down syndrome, or the potential people with Down syndrome have, here is a link to a video of The Skink reading at 3 years and 2 months of age. That's right! Potential!

Now does this look like  the face of tragedy to you? Not so much, huh?

*

Broadway Lights

Until recently, Broadway has contended he wants to finish high school and go into the military. Maybe try to get into special forces. JrROTC has been a BIG thing for him, and something that has kept him eagerly returning to school each weekday.

 That's Broadway in the middle.

He got signed up for Robotics by default.

Basically, there was a computer glitch when he signed up for courses at the end of his freshman year and he didn't get assigned a "bridge class." The high school classes rotate each day, and the bridge class is the one class allotted a shorter time period, but taken every day.

The class that was left over when he visited the guidance office? Robotics.

Some things are just meant to be!

Broadway has taken Robotics by storm. He has even joined the Robotics competitive team which travels to test it's robotic creations against those of other robotics teams from other schools. The robotics team brings in mentors to work with the kids on their projects, and Broadway has taken the opportunity to really talk to these folks. In formulating and planning the gears of the next robot, some gears in Broadway's head have started turning in a new direction.

On Friday Broadway came home from a late robotics work session with something he wanted to tell us. After talking at length to the mentors, Broadway has come up (all on his own) with a plan for the future. He has decided to take Physics in his junior and senior years of high school, and go directly to college upon graduation... for Nuclear Physics or Nuclear Engineering!

Broadway and The Skink discussing the inner workings of a nuclear generator?

To say I'm pleased with this new goal would be a huge understatement! Broadway is plotting out a number of possibilities for reaching his goal, including going to VA Western for a year or two to going directly to VA Tech and participating in ROTC while there. After getting a degree, he thinks he may join the Navy and work on nuclear submarines for a while. Of course that is still open, as he might just go straight into the corporate world, but his glee is evident as he talks about the possibilities his new goals will open up for him.

Yup - that works for me! And you better believe I'll do everything I can to see that he reaches his goals! And that he gets enough to eat... so we took them to IHOP for dinner  :o)

The Skink - working on a blueprint for a nuclear power converter.

Yes... I'm PROUD!

*