Autistic Interpretations ®
Sharing a Joyful Life
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Food Focused Blog Posts
Food – planning, prep, and eating pretty much defines our days.
Why do we Blog & Vlog? After having to quit my job, I felt such defeat and self-imposed shame. The reason I started blogging was to defend how hard I had tried throughout Jessica’s life to get her the best education, services, and training along with appropriate placement. Looking back, I can see that my early posts were all about making sure everyone who took the time to read it would know how hard I tried – that I hadn’t just given up.
Through those blog posts, I was the one that learned. As I did my research and read my own writing, I was reminded of the depth of my perseverance, my effort, and my strength. I also realized that blogging is therapeutic for me. It allowed me to connect to many wonderful people. The many supportive and encouraging messages that I receive from our followers fuel my sense of purpose.
Over time, the purpose of my blog morphed into being a place to share our every day life experiences as a family living with a dependent adult. My goal is to help other families gain insight and awareness of what everyday life experience can be like when living with a dependent adult-child with special needs, and to take some of the mystery out of what it will be like when special needs children grow into special needs adults. I want to let others know that this life can be good. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Val is sitting on a couch in front of a bookshelf. She has a pensive expression and is looking away from the camera.
Jess likes some cold cereals, but is often resistant to eating them. The reason is because of her sensory processing issues. Even cold foods that she likes, she struggles with sometimes. She much prefers hot food to cold. Listen as I working on getting her to accept eating cereal versus tyring to force or insist. By addressing this issue in this way, it gives Jess some control while also choosing something with better nutrition than crispies or nuggets.
As Jess matures and continually shows growth and development, it’s wonderful to revisit tasks that have been too much in the past and see such progress. The idea of maximum independence is a major motivator for her. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jess is sitting at the bar in her PJ's. There is a bowl of cereal in front of her. She is holding a jug of milk and pouring the milk into the cereal.
Bedhead alert! Just sayin’ I realize that some things seem so simple, like putting Jessica’s hair up. Sometimes though, there’s a lot more to it than that. For example, this morning, I was trying to get Jess to get out of the house with Hannah for a change of scenery. Jess was reluctant to go. If we threw in stipulations about her ability to go, she probably wouldn’t have gone. I wanted her to start her day doing something besides being in her room by herself playing cards for hours before she interacted with us. I think she’s also in the clothes she slept in at least part of the night. It’s not what she went to bed wearing, but it’s what she woke up wearing. In other words, we just slipped some sandals on her and went out the door. Sometimes easy is important.
Link to full video in story. It’s time for another Q&A! Have you ever noticed a voice change when Jess self talks? Today I answer the question, “Does she talk to herself as another person.”
Jess is autistic and has sensory processing disorder. Even tiny cuts or a little loose skin bother Jess a lot. Those can become big sores because Jess also has a skin picking disorder, aka dermatillomania. We’re trying something new in place of bandaids, which Jess struggles to leave on also because of the sensory issues. I think our new system of pretend casts may work better because they feel more secure than bandaids.
I have tried wrapping in the past and it didn’t go over as well. Maybe this is another example of maturity making a difference.
Video of the morning! Here’s an example of the kinds of things we do when Jess isn’t here. Often, when Jess is away, we use that time to do things it would be more difficult or more stressful to do with her here.
Don’t forget we’ll be live this afternoon at 1pm eastern on YouTube! We hope to see you there.
We are very excited to announce a special promotion of For the Love of Autism Book. Starting today, June 29th through July 1st, you will be able to download the eBook on Amazon completely free! This is a unique opportunity to get this incredible book at no cost. This is the first book of its kind showcasing the amazing stories of our community. You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity! Link in story.
Good morning #goodonesfam ☀️ Jess seems happy hAppy this morning!
Here’s the next part of J’s sleepover at Mama Jo’s! In this video, Jess meets Marlow’s mom for the first time! Conley and Chris both asked for their faces to not be on camera, but were fine with Marlow recording these conversations. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jess is sitting at Mama Jo's house. She has her hands up at her face and has a happy expression.
Jess had a sleepover with Marlow and Mama Jo last week! In this first part, Jess and Marlow arrive at Mama Jo’s and have lots of fun chats with MJ. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jess and Mama Jo are sitting in recliners at Mama Jo's house. Jessica has a big smile, and MJ looks confused and amused.
Video of the morning! Mom is on a little getaway, so Jess slept in her bed with Zoe last night. This is the first time Zoe has slept with just Jess, and it went great! I was expecting to get up with them during the night, but they slept all through the night. I think this is a great first step to Zoe sleeping with J in her bed sometimes, when mom is here, to help calm J when she’s upset.
This morning Jess asked me how to play with Zoe. I explained that Zoe doesn’t play with a lot of toys but that she would probably play ball with her. I got the ball out and then Jess asked me to make a video of her playing ball with Zoe. 😊 I think they both did a really good job.
Here’s part two! Jess and Marlow get Sonic for lunch. Jess is perked up from the chocolate & because of getting lunch out. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jess is sitting in the car. She is smiling and looking down and to the side.
The girls are out to run some errands - buying noodles and getting lunch out. Plus, Jess and Marlow try a brand new kind of M&M’s! Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jess is sitting in the car. She has her eyes closed and seems to be reaching for something in her lap.
Jess and Marlow head home from MJ’s. These car vlogs are some of my favorite videos! I love to hear the conversations these two have. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jessica is sitting in the car. She is looking towards the driver seat and smiling.
Here’s the next part of Jess & Marlow’s visit at Mama Jo’s! After swimming, the girls headed in for lunch and chats with Mama Jo. Link to full video in story.
#accessibility Image Description: Jess is sitting at the table at Mama Jo’s house. Jess is looking towards the camera and smiling.
Independence is everything for this woman. She asked me if I would help her with breakfast this morning, then proceeded to
make it herself because she can. About these mitts, they are grilling mitts to meant to protect hands and arms from the heat of the grill. They don't work exactly like potholders, so she can still feel the heat
from the pan. That's why she's saying hot hot hot hot hot, careful careful careful careful. Jess is 33 #autistic #blind.
#cooking #ovenmitt #grillingmitt
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, stepdads, granddads, uncles, brothers, moms, grandmoms, coaches, mentors, etc., who have been there in that role for someone they and care about.
Per request, I’m going to start showing some of Jessica’s art work. She hasn’t painted in a long time, but I do hope I can get her back to it one day. When she started painting it was therapy for her as she was dealing with a close family member with a serious illness. Having a story to tell was the key to her interest in the activity.
The piece in this video is titled “Disney Vacation Plan” 💜
