Untitled Page

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tip of the Month

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

School is starting! These are some suggestions from the Autism Society of America.

Getting a haircut:
Find a place that shows videos. Explain to the stylist about autism and that speed is important! Give your child lots of praise following the cut.

Helping with lunch:
Use fold-top sandwich bags that can be opened easily in packed lunches. Slightly tear packages for easy opening. Avoid too much chocolate and sweets!

Teaching manners:
Be polite and use good manners with your child and he will learn to use them too. Ask, "Are you all right?" whenever your child falls or cries; this will teach him to ask the same of others.

Getting rest:
Establish routine bedtime for your child and stick to it!

WHAT'S NEW WITH AH?
I hope you all had a great summer and are enjoying the fall season! We at AH have been busy too, planning fall activities.

We will be entering a float in the Halloween parade again. If anyone is interested in helping with the decorating and walking with us, let me know.

Grant distributions will occur again right before the holidays to help ease the stress of that busy time! Deadline for the applications will be announced soon. Please understand if criteria is not met, the application will be rejected. We are dedicated to keeping the process fair and unbiased and have established guidelines for that purpose. Thank you for understanding. Sandy

In The News....Grandparents are often the first to notice symptoms of Autism-Read more here.

Infant's Gaze May Be an Early, but Subtle Marker for Autism Risk-See here.

HEARTstrings will be a feature each month for readers to share personal stories. If you would like to submit a story for the newsletter, please send it to me at AutismHearts@stny.rr.com Please remember that this newsletter is on the Internet, so anything you say can be viewed by anyone. If you wish to submit a photo, attach it to the story. Also, I must be able to reserve the right to edit for space and content if necessary. Sandy

Note: The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the AutismHearts organization.

Aaron’s Story
Aaron Michael Trybula was born in Syracuse, NY on 6/26/99. Aaron was a beautiful, healthy baby boy although the doctors did discover a heart murmur and a slight case of jaundice but other than that, we were ecstatic to have our sweet bundle of joy!
During his first year, I began to have some concerns about Aaron. He wasn’t meeting his milestones such as: crawling, saying words, pointing, or good eye contact. He was a poor eater and sleeper and even loud noises or bright lights seemed to bother him. Aaron also was intrigued by spinning objects, water, swinging in his swing, loved being bundled up in his blanket, had no fear of the dark, and when he began to walk, he was running!! He would take off so quickly that it was difficult to keep up with him!!
My pediatrician was puzzled about Aaron’s progress but reassured me that since I was a first time mom, that I shouldn’t worry so much and that he would eventually catch up. Aaron was just a little behind. She did suggest that I sign him up for a play day so he could play with other children since Aaron was my only child. I read on a bulletin board at a grocery store about an Early Intervention Program and signed him up for that as well. I even got a speech pathologist to come to my house to do therapy with Aaron twice a week. It was then that I heard the word “Autism” for the first time from Aaron’s speech pathologist. She advised me to get him evaluated just to be sure. I was devastated because I had no idea what this syndrome or disease was. So I called an agency to get Aaron evaluated only to be put on a waiting list. The day came to have Aaron evaluated but Aaron did not test well that day so they scheduled another testing to be done in another 6 months!! I just wanted answers - does Aaron have Autism or not? Play day was disappointing because the ladies would tell me that Aaron had a bad day because he was either throwing, hitting others, emptying bins all over the floor, running in circles, dragging his head on the floor, flapping his hands up and down, or not listening. We thought he was hard of hearing and had his hearing tested several times but due to his lack of processing information quickly, many of his reactions or answers were delayed. At this point, Aaron was two and hadn’t even said “mommy” yet. His language was very limited. By 2 ½ though, my husband & I came back from a much needed vacation to find that Grandma had taught him to say mommy. When Aaron spoke it to me for the first time, I cried tears of joy!!

It was 9 months until we were able to see a doctor to get a diagnosis of Asperger’s/Autism Spectrum. We also got a second opinion by another doctor just to be sure and it was the same diagnosis. It was bittersweet to find out his diagnosis but now we could focus on how we could help Aaron to cope and overcome his obstacles.
My folks, along with other therapists throughout Aaron’s early years of life, have put in many, many hours of blood, sweat, and tears for all these years to bring Aaron up to speed. We’ve spent several years at the Memorial Hospital Outpatient Clinic attending therapy sessions and have also brought in outside agencies into our home so they could assist even more with Aaron’s progress. Aaron has had amazing support throughout the years and though isn’t completely cured and still faces some challenging situations, he has recovered tremendously. It is unbelievable how much he has achieved over the years.
So my advice to any parents that are concerned about their child’s development is to get your child evaluated as early as possible. Don’t wait…..there are waiting lists a mile long. The earlier, the better because there’s a small window of opportunity which is crucial because the brain does most of the developing in the early years.
Because we acted quickly, Aaron does speak wonderfully now, loves working with numbers, navigating and exploring new areas, and has a fascination with space. His hobbies are: bike riding, swimming, singing, camping, video & board games, and loves going on road trips! He dreams of becoming an astronaut one day.
We are so thankful for our family, friends, and people who have been involved in helping Aaron succeed in so many ways. We pray that God will give Aaron a bright, rewarding, and fantastic future ahead!!!!

Due to my husband’s job change, we moved back to my hometown of Towanda in 2002. Because of the move, Aaron did not adjust well to the change. There were tantrums, potty training issues, and sleep problems. We needed to find out how we could resolve these difficulties. We immediately scheduled Aaron to meet with a doctor to get him evaluated only to be put on a waiting list.

READERS' REVIEWS
Have you read a good book on Autism lately? If you have and would like to share and comment, send info.to me at autismhearts@stny.rr.com and I will post it for all to share! Sandy

Growing Up With Autism by Laura Shumaker

I haven't read this one yet, but it got rave reviews on line. I'm going to order it! Sandy