Mirrors; Seats, Autism, But Not in That Order

I recently bought some new things for my Sunday school classroom. I'm sure the younger kids will love this stuff, the problem I have is finding things that Middle and High School boys like to do.

I've purchased a tablet and put a few games on it, I have a CD player with headphones and some music... but nope. They just want to hang out. They all have autism so if you have any ideas of what 12-20 year old boys with autism like to do, please let me know! I've asked them but all they want to do is veg out. I've asked their parents but English isn't their first language. Help!

Our church has just about finished remodeling our Sanctuary. It's been going on for a month and we're so grateful to the men and women who have been working so hard to lay carpet, rebuild the platform and put the seats back in. 

This is the view from the balcony with the old, orange carpet. Now everything is blue/gray. Cool colors. 😎

Sharaya and Allie recently went to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. It's done with mirrors and it looks amazing! They had a great time.

I've been away from the computer for a week and I really missed you. I thought about all of you a few times and wondered what you'd been up to! I hope you've all had a great week!

The Young Mom Nodded Yes, But I Know She Didn't Agree With Me

Earlier this year I was asked to help at a MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) program that meets at our church. MOPS reaches out to young moms and gives them a break away from their kids for a couple of hours. They have breakfast, do crafts (really nice, adult, hang-in-the-living-room-worthy crafts!) and spend time talking with other young moms.

A few months into it, I was asked if I could come and help out with MOPPETS. That's the childcare that happens while MOPS is meeting. There's a 4 year old boy M, who has autism and he's becoming too much for the teachers. The class he's in has 13-15 kids and the teachers are struggling to teach and try to help M at the same time. Poor mom was being called out of MOPS time after time because he was throwing tantrums and screaming and sending the rest of the class into chaos. They didn't know what else to do so could I come help and be a one-on-one with M?

Absolutely!!

So back in January I began helping in the classroom, assisting M when needed. He wears headphones to help lessen the noise, but he still would become overwhelmed when the noise level escalated. I was able to take him to our sensory classroom, where he would instantly relax, quiet down and begin to play with the various toys. After a few minutes, we'd head back.

Every other week for the last 6 months, M and I would discover new toys, read about bears and practice playing with other kids. When M was alone, he was an absolute doll, but put him with other kids and his senses just became so overwhelmed he would have a melt down. That's when I stepped him, removed him from class for a few minutes and allowed him to take a breath and relax.

Each week he became more tolerant of the noise level and he stayed in the classroom for longer periods of time. I absolutely LOVED watching him grow and expand his ability to handle stressful situations. Mom would come to pick him up and with tears in her eyes, thank me for allowing her to stay for the whole meeting. One time she told me that M was such a handful at home and she didn't get out much other than MOPS so she looked forward to it every time they'd meet. I could tell she was so overwhelmed with caring for him.

A few times I had to go get her due to a poopy diaper and as we would walk into the room, her face would sink, her smile would disappear and she would look at me like I had punched her in the gut. Then I would tell her that he just needed a change and her face would brighten and she would bounce up from her chair, "Oh! Let me grab my bag!" As they'd come out of the bathroom, he would pull away from her and run back to me, "Let's go see my friends!" A smile would spread across her face and she'd head back to her friends!

I'll tell you, it was exhausting, but I loved doing it so much!! Seeing him change and knowing mom was getting a break, it really did something in my heart.


(This is what I'm supposed to do with my life. Not just MOPPETS, but for families. The Lord has put such a desire in my heart for families with children who have special needs. Specifically those at our church. We not only need to minister to the kids, but also to their parents. We need to offer them friendship, time away, and peace of mind. We need to let them know they are loved and that they're not alone on this journey. This has become such a passion for me and I know I'm e-x-a-c-t-l-y where the Lord wants me.)


Well, Monday was the last MOPS meeting for this year and as mom came to get M, she thanked me again, for allowing her this chance to rest and be with other moms. M was trying to squirm from her grasp and becoming frantic that he didn't have his papers and craft from our class. His voice was getting louder as mom tried to tell him that she had everything and it was time to go. I reached into her bag and pulled out his papers, "See M? Mom has them! It's okay to go home now." He immediately calmed down and got into the back of the stroller. (His baby sister was in the front.)

With tears in her eyes, she looked back at me and said their family was moving to another state. (I had wondered if he would be back next year.) I told her I would miss them and she said, "Yea, now he will be someone elses..." and she paused.

I said, "Joy. He will be someone else's joy."

She pursed her lips and nodded yes, but she didn't say anything more.

With that, she turned and the three of them headed down the hallway to the elevator.

"They Remind Me of Me"

Our Sunday school class was really full this passed weekend, we had 6 students and 4 teachers! We had one 5 year old and the rest were 12, 15, 20, 21 and 30.

We had a teachers meeting last night and one of the things we talked about was possibly needing to split the class into two, younger and older. There are 2 other preschool / Kindergarten aged kids plus a 5th grade boy (I'm SO thankful they all didn't show up on Sunday!) so separating the students would give us two relatively good sized groups.

One of the teachers asked what Beth thought about having such a diverse group each week. I'd never thought to ask her so this morning I did. She was eating her bowl of Cheerios and I asked her if she liked having the different age groups in our class. She said no, that she only liked having the little kids. When I asked her why she didn't want the older kids in our class, her response surprised me. She didn't hesitate in her answer, "They remind me of me."

I'll admit I was a little stunned. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind and then Chuck asked from the living room, "Beth do you like the little kids better because you feel more like a teacher with them?"

"Yea."

"And with the older kids, you feel like you're just a part of the class?"

"Yea."

At that point her bus arrives so I wasn't able to ask her any more, but I've been thinking about this all day. They remind me of me. I wonder if it's like watching yourself in a mirror as you go about your day, seeing everything you struggle with played out right before your eyes? Like when you watch yourself in a video and see all your inadequacies?

Do any of the other kids feel like this? What can we do to change it?? I've got to find a way to help them see themselves the way God sees them, amazing, caring, beautiful people with gifts and talents that He wants to use to bless others.

Special Connections

Here are a few pictures from our Sunday school class. I don't have permission from the parents so I won't be showing the boys faces.

The boys we had this day all have a form of autism. I pulled out the parachute for the first time. Oh my word, they loved it!! There must be something about the way it feels on their skin and about the whooshing sound it makes that really calms them and brings out the laughter!

Sometimes we have them lay on the floor and we pull the parachute up to the ceiling, then down on top of them. Then back to the ceiling with a huge gust of air! Here they're sitting in the middle of it while we.... 'billow' it around them. (Not sure how else to describe it.)

The kids love it and the teachers are gettin' some cool biceps!! :)

Dear Reader

I need your help. Your advise. Your expertise.

Chuck and I teach a Sunday school class for kids with special needs. We have kids with ADHD, Autism, one child has a seizure disorder. Our daughter has Down Syndrome. We know Down Syndrome. We've lived with it for 25 years.

What we don't know is Autism. Or ADHD. Or seizure disorder. We've talked to the parents and they have given us some good ideas. You know, my child likes to color. Or our child doesn't like loud noises. I've been on-line reading about classrooms and each of these (disabilities? Needs? Not even sure what to call them nowadays) but haven't had a lot of information to go with. I'm also considering meeting one on one with each parent, maybe go out for coffee and just let them talk.

Anyway, today I was thinking of all of you. We don't know these disabilities, but you might. If you do, would you be willing to leave a comment giving us some advise about these incredible kids? What makes your child relax? What causes them stress? When are they the happiest? What have you learned to do or not to do?

Tell me about your kids.....