After our Castaway Cay Island adventure we walked back to the ship to get ready for Amin’s private party, given by the “Make a wish” foundation. The kids were full of energy, despite all the activities we had on the island, and they were looking forward to participate in the party.

Captain Gus visited the deck to say some nice words to all the kids  who were enjoying the Wish foundation’s hospitality.

After the captain we had another special visitor…  it was Mickey Mouse.

The kids were in cloud nine, and it warmed my heart to see Amin  and Safiyya enjoying themselves. I do not think I can ever thank the Wish foundation enough  for this wonderful gift. After the snack and fun, we left to have more fun, and to prepare for the “pirate night”.  We enjoyed a great night with full of fun and laughter, and declared that this was probably the greatest vacation we ever had. It was sad packing up to leave the next morning, but as everything else, nothing lasts forever. We had our last breakfast at the Enchanted garden restaurant, and said our good byes to our waitresses with mixed feelings.

As we were leaving the ship, we were talking about our adventures, little that we know, that our biggest adventure is just began. As we left the ship, we had to turn in our “world card” where they scan it, and let you go to customs. Apparently we were profiled and singled out due to our religion,(which they admitted downstairs) and we were abruptly sent to the side, and sternly told not to move, and stay there until a guard comes up to escort us where they want us to go. Here we are shocked and in disbelief, yet I am trying to hide my disappointment, fear, and trying to reassure the children that everything is going to be OK. The person who was “guarding “us until the armed guard came  was not anything of reassuring. I knew my kids were frightened, and I know my heart was racing a million beats  a minute.  I tried to replay the whole vacation in my head, and see what we might had done or said to deserve such a treatment, but other than having fun I could not pinpoint anything. My autistic son grew increasingly anxious, my typical daughter started to be scared and asking questions I could not answer. I found myself unable to comfort my own kids, I just did not know how, and what to say. We were silent and scared.

Finally the armed guard came to escort us downstairs. This young man was actually a nice human being, and started to talk to the kids to ease their fears. He made a joke , that this is a good thing what is happening to us, because this way we do not have to stand in a long line to go trough customs. I guess that is one way to look at the situation to keep ourselves sane, but this “friendly” encounter did not last  too long. As he dropped us off in some secluded room, behind all the counters away from everyone, our passports and all form of IDs were taken away from us. We did not exist at that point, and the feeling was frightening. I watched this type of stuff on TV before, and I heard about it, but it never happened to me. I never been profiled, as I am a white person, and I never experienced any kind of discrimination from authorities. There were questioning, and some ugly statements being said. My biggest fear was that my son will have a meltdown that can put us in more difficulties. I knew that he had to go to the bathroom, and I was afraid to ask the agents for a bathroom break. Than I realized if I do not stand up for my kids even if it is a bathroom break, than I am not even worthy of being their mother. So I asked them if they would allow us to go, and after some convincing we were able to go with an escort. I had to explain  my son’s behaviors over and over again. Why he is not telling his age, why he is getting anxious, and why he is so uneasy. While they were making copies of  every page of our passports,  ID, and credit cards I wondered how I will explain this to my kids. I know Safiyya understands everything, but I was not sure how much Amin will understand. I was searching in my head what word should I use and how to reassure them, and take away their fear. I was completely helpless, and I was completely unable to reassure anyone. This whole experience did not make any sense.

I want to make it clear to everyone, that I am always been an advocate of making our country safe and secure. So for me to go 2 hrs before my plane leaves was never an issue, and I never complained about being scanned. My complain about the Border Patrol agency is the way they went about this procedure. We were treated like criminals, escorted with an armed guard in front of thousands of people into some hole in a wall secluded from civilization, made ugly remarks in front of minors, taken all  of our rights away, including our identity. I realized that federal agencies desperately needing of education about autism, so they can see that one doesn’t hide anything from them, it just comes with the  disorder that these kids have.

I want them to learn that fear tactic will create an unmeasurable anxiety in autistic individuals, and they can not control their actions while they are put in a hostile circumstance. About a few weeks ago, one of the person on twitter posted how some state agencies getting educated about autism. I was so happy to see that they taking the initiative, and I was so sad that our government does not require federal agents to learn about these disorders, so they can better understand these individuals, and they can  treat them with respect and dignity.

After a while they let us go, without explanation, and a sorry excuse from one of the agent that they are doing their job. Also, he told us that we should not be so sensitive, because when he is driving he is profiled  many times. I am not sure if this is supposed to make me and my minor children feel better, but honestly I do not care. What I do care about is our life was destroyed with their arrogance, ignorance and inhuman treatment. My children are scared, and could not sleep until we actually had to leave the country. I had to leave my home, my country, so the children can rest and not to be scared that they will be escorted away with another armed guard. I feel cheated by my government who allows these agents to oppress people like myself and my family. There is a way to do things, in a human respectable way, and the inhuman arrogant way like I was experiencing back in November.

So as they said our “Disney Dream Vacation turned into a Nightmare”…   not so fast people. I was raised to always look at the positive side of things, and that is how I raise my children too. For a while we did not look at the pictures or discussed anything about our vacation. Now, we started looking at all of our pictures, talking about our adventures, and talking about the ignorance of the federal agents as well.

We moved from our country where we were citizens, and now we are living in a place where we are called expatriates. My son has no services here, no school, no therapy. Some say it was a rush decision, but the people who knows me what I do for my kids can tell you that if I made this decision, it was for a very good reason. I never made rush decisions regards to my kids , but this was an absolute necessity. I pray, that no other autistic child will experience this kind of treatment, and I pray that our government will wake up soon, and require their agents to educate themselves about disorders like autism, so they can treat these individuals and their families with respect, and without suspicion.

I would like to think that one day we will go home, and we will never have to worry about being profiled and discriminated because of our religion. My son and my family has enough to deal with, and the people who should make us feel safe should never impose fear on anyone. I hope soon all state, and federal agencies will make it mandatory to learn about disabilities so they can serve their citizens better. I do not feel angry, but I do feel great sadness for what happened.

We sailed out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon from Port Canaveral.

A wonderful person named Antje the “Make a Wish Hostess” made sure that our trip is going to be enjoyable beyond our dreams from the beginning to the end. She presented Amin with a beautiful basket, full of fruits on our arrival, waiting for us at the cabin. 

Amin certainly was walking on clouds,  perhaps I should say water? He was very alert, interested in everything, and anxious to try to experience all the wonders on the ship. He got a bit overstimulated after we had our lunch, but  returning to our cabin to change our clothes helped him to recuperate and get more energy.

I was more nervous about how he will react to all the people, the loud music, and all the other stimuli he was exposed to, but as time went by I realized he is coping just fine, and I am the one who needs to relax and enjoy the time with my kids.

We attended the party when the ship was pulling out to the sea. The mood was elevated and very happy. He participated in all the dancing activities,and enjoyed himself fully.

I decided that I am not going to worry what could or will happen, I am just going to enjoy the moment, and if any situation arise, I will deal with it than. I am still keeping that policy since it worked for me so well on the boat. For many years I deprived myself of so much fun and enjoyment, because I was always stressing out what could or will happen. Things did go wrong in the past regardless I was stressing out or not, and I am sure this might even apply to the future as well. The bottom line is only preparation makes a difference. Usually I was prepared to combat many possible difficulties with Amin, and good preparation, and some foresight that I developed over the years, helped me to decrease the severity of problems.

The first day was great, the first night with a nice dinner at the Royal Palace restaurant was absolutely fantastic. We all got dressed, and enjoyed a great meal. As usual, the kids got the royal treatment, and adults too.

Drenka, and Sofia was great fulfilling these two “monsters” requests, and they even did it with a smile. While we enjoyed dinner, our wonderful stateroom host Healine  opened their beds and left  some chocolate there for the kids. I have to tell you that Healine was just a wonderful human being. She had the medical alert on her paper regarding Amin, so she inquired about him. After I talked to her about Amin’s condition she went out of her way to make our stay comfortable. Even when we were just leaving the room and she was at the hallways, she made sure we know where to go, she constantly updated us about all the activities, what might be interesting for the kids. Also, she made sure that my work is much less with the kids while we stayed there. Amin and Safiyya just loved her, and they both loved Sofia and Drenka as well.

We had a wonderful restful night, Amin slept trough the night without any problems, and early morning he was ready to tackle Nassau, Bahamas.

That morning my worry instinct kicked in again, but it took me a few seconds to get rid of it, especially when we looked out the window, and saw the beautiful shore. The verdict was made, after breakfast we are getting off the boat, and going to explore the island.  Needless to say, all three of us had a blast. Amin interacted with locals, like they were always his neighbors, Safiyya wanted to buy everything in sight, and I was holding onto them very tight so I do not loose neither of them. Amin loved the music, and I had a hard time to pull him away from the live band. He always liked the island music, and I used that as a reinforcer many time while I was teaching him.

After a full day of exploration, we returned to our boat, to have more fun in the pool and on the aqua-duck. If any of you wonder if I put Amin in this water-slide.. Oh yes, I did. Safiyya had to go by herself, but she wanted to be on it so much that she forgot about being scared riding it alone. I was probably more scared for her than she was concerned about being alone in the raft. I was riding with Amin. He seemed a bit concerned at first, but from early age, he was used  to trying out new things, and me being right behind him was some comfort for him too. So we went to the first ride, it was awesome, and he did not want to get out of the raft at the end. So we went on again, and again, and again. Even at night-time, 10 pm we were regular visitors there. Those were the good times, because the line was very short, and our wait time was reduced to few minutes only. I must say I am so happy that my kids love the trill just like me.

So our second night was a success as well. We had our dinner at the Animator’s Palate, and we all enjoyed the show and a wonderful food. After the dinner we went to the 14th deck to play a little golf, and yes we visited aqua-duck again, and again. WE got back to our room late, very tired but the kids had a big smile on their face. In the cabin Amin had a gift  from Antje again, presenting him and his family with the ticket to Castaway Cay.

After a very quick shower both kids were fast a sleep, smiling and happy. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to God, and all the people who were involved making my children so happy.

Amin had another great night sleep, but got up bright and early to get some breakfast, and to go out onto Castaway cay Island. 

This day was going to be very busy for us, because after the island adventure we have to return a few hrs early to attend a special party that was arranged for the “Make a Wish” kids.

On the island we went to the water-bike first. Little that we knew, that our bike’s navigational system did not work. When finally the lifeguards realized that we are out there just floating around, they came to rescue us and towed us back to the bay. The kids loved the speed, and wanted more, but we had to work our own speed up later on. After this adventure we went to feed the sting rays. This activity was really exciting and hard too. Amin loved the sting rays, touched them feed them,  but Safiyya was absolutely terrified.  As you can imagine, one kid is pulling me into the deep water, and under the water to catch the stingrays, and the other puling me out of the water screaming and being terrified. By the end of the 90 minutes they both wee pulling me into the deep water chasing the sting rays. I was very tired by than, yet grateful seeing my little ASD son being so happy, so open and very verbal. We eat some lunch at the island, and after that we went to the beach to swim. By that time everyone was really tired, and we had to head back for the special party.

Regretfully we had to say good-bye to this wonderful island and we were looking forward to another great evening on the boat.

(Continue in part 3)

As I wrote in a previous post about “A Wish For Children“, Amin was granted to receive a wonderful gift from the New Hope for Kids foundation. He was granted a dream vacation by Disney Dream cruise line.

Amin worked very hard in the past years, he advanced a lot despite all his health problems, which was still not resolved till this day. He spent many hours in school, in therapy and doing his home work. We were thinking that, he  deserves a break  from all that, with much-needed fun, and excitement. He was presented with  tickets to go on the cruise to the Bahamas, and Disney Castaway Island.

Amin loves boats, and water, so this  was definitely a perfect  gift for him.  We left on a Sunday, and came back on Thursday. The preparation was exciting, yet nerve wrecking too.

As you all know from previous posts Amin has a medical condition (other than the autism), when he just stops breathing all of a sudden.  So far no one was able to figure out the cause of this. He had stopped breathing three different times in the past, and I had to perform CPR on him, as well as he ended up in ICU, intubated for days. Last time the doctor told me to prepare for the worst, because there is a good possibility that this will happen again, and it might be irreversible.  At that time I went into a complete preventative mode, but I had no idea what was I preventing. Lived close to a hospital and first responders station, carried bunch of medicine in the backpack, O2 sat monitor and everything you can imagine. Looking back those days, it seems  foolish, but I guess it comforted me. Every day I dropped him off at school, which is 30 minutes  away from my house, I made sure he got lots of hugging, and kisses because of what the doctor said, ” it might be the last time I see him alive”. Over the months I realized that I am driving myself insane, and started allowing him and myself more room to move around. Meaning, if we wanted to go somewhere, I do not necessarily need to explore the road to the nearest hospital, carry two backpacks for things we might need in case of another hospitalization.

Applying for a wish for him was a big step toward more independence for us. We left on a beautiful sunny day from Port Canaveral, with much anticipation and the friendly crew of the Disney Dream Cruise ship. Once we stepped onto a the cruise ship, all the activities and possibilities took my mind off of what it might happen.

Amin and Safiyya was in dreamland for the entire time of this vacation. I had a hard time to fight back those happy tears watching my kids enjoying themselves, laughing and being carefree. From the beginning till the end, we were treated like royalty. Disney really goes out of their ways to please all of their customers, and the Wish Foundation representative certainly there to make the special child’s stay even better than anyone can imagine.

You all know that I am the biggest advocate sticking to the schedule for Amin. This time there was no room for schedule, and everything was random, spontaneous, and really fun.  I can not really say that Amin was not affected by it, but most of the time he was able to deal with the changes by attending, and participating in many activities. My little boy was happy, and my little girl was excited in so many ways. Little that I knew, that this vacation will result in  a major life altering event for all of us.

(next post I will be sharing pictures of our adventure)

Mercury is a metal that has been used in products. Although quite useful, mercury is also poisonous and can contaminate the environment if it is not disposed of properly.There are several forms of mercury.

The “Elemental” mercury can be absorbed into the body through vapors.

Organic mercury is soluble in lipids, and cross the blood brain barrier, and placenta easily.

Inorganic mercury  is used in medicines. 

Different mercury affects people in various ways, but  the bottom line is, all forms of mercury can be detrimental to the individual’s health.

People can be exposed to mercury by breathing in mercury fumes, eat food (like fish), or drink water that is contaminated with mercury, and it can be absorbed through the skin.

Levels of mercury in the body can be checked by blood test, urine test and hair testing.

Mercury affects the nervous system by targeting and killing neurons in specific areas of the nervous system, like the visual cortex, cerebellum, Dorsal root ganglia. 

Mercury is highly toxic for all people, but it has  a severe effect on a developing brain of the fetus, and children.

I am happy to announce that, just yesterday, the Obama administration announced strong limits on mercury emissions from coal plants. This is a huge step for the health of all Americans and the priorities of health over profits.

Families with special need children have an extra dose of stress.  A simple picnic can be a few days of planning for some of us. Vacation is another difficult task,  which some families can not even dream of due to so many special needs, and severe financial strain due to medical or other  bills. All children deserve to be treated special regardless their disability.

There is a wonderful organization in central Florida called New Hope For Kids where special children’s wishes being granted. This is the place where dreams come true for families with special needs children. This is the organization that takes the worry off of the children and parents for a while, so they can all experience and know that they are all worthy and special in so many ways.

Their founding comes from charitable donations, and over 90 cents of every dollar goes toward to grant a wish, or help families with special needs children. https://www.caldiasecure.com/newhope/secure_donate.php

This organization made dreams reality, and put a smile on these wonderful kids face.

I personally had a pleasure to meet Ms. Rosie who interviewed me to grant a wish for my son Amin.

Ms. Rosie has a group of helpers from UCF . These group of business students organize a party for the kids before their wish is being granted. The application process is simple, and not degrading at all. The encounter with Ms. Rosie and her volunteers are an amazing experience, and the end result for the children is almost unimaginable.

If  any one wants to do a good deed, this is the organization you want to get in contact with. http://newhopeforkids.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130&Itemid=115

There are many ways to help, one can donate money or volunteer, or just call them up and ask how can you help. This is the charity that will always stays with a person, because the reward is great. Once  you see  the happiness on these families face that sight will engrave itself into your heart. Giving is always a great feeling, and knowing that all your hard work, and  hard-earned money is going to the right place. There is a difference between giving charity, or giving from your heart. The people at New Hope for Kids  are giving from their heart and soul.

I contemplated if I should write about my sad experience that happened to me a week ago.

Some said I should do it, others discouraged me a great deal, some even went as far as making fun of me.

So, here it is in complete display, and you can go which ever group you want to belong to.

I felt it is important to address this issue, not because it happened to me, but because it happens very frequently to people who cares for autistic children, or other special need children.

Also,  my hope is to open people’s eyes to see the lives of these caretakers, and children who are struggling with simple task that others taking for granted.

My desire writing this post is NOT  attention to myself, or feeling sorry for me, but understanding, and getting rid of PRECONCEPTION.

So what is preconception? According to the dictionary …An opinion or conception formed in advance without adequate knowledge or experience, especially a prejudice or bias.

Unfortunately, we human beings  carrying this false  sense of “normal”, and anything that doesn’t fit into that bracket, we seem to judge and disregard. Most of the people have a hard time to think out of the box, and accept the difference amongst us, and see the positive in it as well. If you ask me, there is positive in everything, but  we notice the negatives first, and forget about trying to discover the good.

So here is my story and I hope it will never happen to any of you.

One weekend I attempted to attend a lecture, that a family member was giving in a different town. As usual I packed all the tools and food and everything that can keep my ASD 8 yrs old son occupied and content.

When we got there we stayed in a back of the room, all settled in, took everything out onto the table, so we do not have to make any noise during the lecture. We started his Ipad and put it on silent mode so he can entertain himself and not disturbing anyone. Things were  good  as far as I can see. It was a community that did not know me, nor I knew anyone there except one sister.

As the lecture started, not more than 2 – 3 minuteswent by, this one guy got up, walked up to our table, and very angrily, abruptly yanked the IPad out of my son’s hands. ( now most of you who has an autistic child knows abrupt behavior results in severe behavior)

I did not wait for that to happen, I grabbed the IPad out of his hands, grabbed everything  including my son, and went out to the car in a dark parking lot. I sat him next to me on the front and allowed him to play. That moment I lost it completely, which doesn’t happen too often. I cried uncontrollably, remembering every single  insult, physical and emotional pain that others inflicted on me and my two children. Like a flood of water I was completely consumed by the pain that I knew will not going away anytime soon. I felt hopeless, powerless, and very alone. I felt guilty that I could not even stand up for my child in this situation. Two sisters came out to invite me in, and take  us to the children room.

As I was sitting there with him in the dark parking lot almost 2 hrs, and glanced at him in between my crying spells, I wondered if he really understood what happened. He seemed very content with his Ipad and its games. That point I really wished for him not to be aware of his surroundings, and what is happening with us. How ironic!

I’ve been begging God to allow him to break out of that shell he is in, and now I want him to piece that shell back together to protect him from the cruelty of this society. I guess this is when” ignorance is a bliss” comes to practice… but do I really want that?

As I continued to cry, and at one moment  he reached over with his little chubby hand, and grabbed my hand and squeezed it while he was still busy making his puzzle on his pad. It dawned on me, that this little boy is trying to comfort me, the very person, who is supposed to comfort him. That was a blessing in itself. I made some calls to get some human contacts, and pour my heart out, and By God’s mercy I realized that I have allies and some do understand. Here is another blessing to count too.

After the lecture, I went inside so he can use the bathroom, and we walked up to the speaker. When the person who was so mean to us  realized that we have some sort of association to the lecturer, he came to apologize to us. Here is what he said ” I didn’t know you guys are associated to the speaker, and I did not know he is sick. I just did not want a child  not to listen to the lecture, and you just allowed him to play. Sorry.”

That was a stab in a heart again. This is the community that doesn’t know me, but this person is so quick to jump into conclusion and determinant that I am an ignorant bad mother. Despite another blow to my emotions I was able to squeeze out a smile, and told him not to worry about anything. I was broken that night, and I cried a lot.

You see these things are almost every day occurrences in different shapes and forms. Rejection, preconceptions, degrading comments and treatment, discrimination is part of my life and many others as well.

To be honest it is making me strong as I go along, but there are times when all this spills over, and along my spiritual  needs I am wanting some human support as well. Many times I do not have that option to lean on someone’s shoulder, and just cry and let all the hurt out.

I want families and friends to know (not just mine, but all the autistic (special need chilren’s) that there are times that we can not be strong like you all expecting us to be. Sometimes the smallest situation can bring floods of emotions out, and maybe that is the time you all can spend  some extra effort to comfort the person. Sometimes we the caretakers need to cry it out to keep our sanity, and belittling our feelings with harsh words, and expressing  disappointment toward us will not help, it will break us more.

Also, the people who thinks its funny, has to fear God for further oppressing these people whose life is not so ordinary as many others.

As I said before everything has good in it. I am not bitter nor  angry of the person who did this, I actually thank him for this. Why? This gave me an opportunity to see who I can rely on, and who to avoid by all cost.

Furthermore, I am able to write this post, and if just one person think twice before they judge, well I contributed to something good. You see, looks can be very deceiving, and before we jump into any conclusion we need to see the REAL picture. So next time you have this preconception about someone or something, dig a little deeper, and discover the answer to the  “WHY?”

This was a real eye opener for me as well. My son is the bravest little boy. This child wakes up every single morning and ready to face this world, the very world that doesn’t want to face him because of his autism. My son gets up with the smile on his face every time  he falls to tackle this world, the very world that doesn’t want to acknowledge him because of his autism. So, please tell me who is better than that?

Here is the link for a very powerful movie discussing vaccination and its effect. It shows both sides, and real facts so please be open-minded watching this movie. It is important for you all to watch it in its whole entirety to be able to understand and draw conclusion. Please share this link.

It will be up, and running for free till November 5th 2011. Please do not miss this opportunity to be well-informed, so you may take a stand for a greater good’s for our children.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Important! The producers of this powerful film are allowing a full and FREE preview through November 5th! Please tell everyone you know to watch this film in its entirety through November 5th, 2011. Please support THE GREATER GOOD’s Community Engagement Campaign by purchasing a Limited Edition DVD for only $10!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/30/the-greater-good.aspx

Ever since Amin learned to use, and manipulate the computer mouse, he wants to be on the computer a lot. We found him several different programs to use, but eventually he gets bored with it. Those were the times when we took some time off, and did other things on the computer, but I wanted him to have a program to use where I can monitor him, his learning, advancement,  and to see where his skills are.

My daughter had used the program Called Time 4 learning for 3 years now. She always loved it, because of all the animations. Amin  wanted to watch her many times when she was on her program as well.

Time 4 learning  allowed me to try out the preK 1 and 2 program with him. I wanted to see where are his basic skills stand, what needs to be worked on, and what we have to maintain only. The administration of this program was very helpful, and they gave me a limited free access to the program to see if he would even like it.

The first day after school and therapy we went home, he had his yard time and dinner, I set his program up for him. I figured he may do one or two lessons, since he had a long day and he was tired. After 16 lessons being mastered and 1 1/2 hrs later, I had to forcefully remove him from the computer. He loved the program very much. The animations, the colors, talking stories games kept his imagination and attention very engaged.

I was still skeptical, and I was thinking he might be so engaged, because he knew all those tasks that was asked of him. I figured next day, or a day after will be a breaking point to see where we stand with this program. I had 1 week to try it out, so I was not in any hurry to make any positive or negative determination.

Well the truth here is next day as soon as he came home he asked for “I want Time 4 Learning please.” That was a bit of a shock for me, but I set it up for him, and he enjoyed completing 6 more lessons. The only reason we stopped after 6 lessons is, because we had to leave the house.

Since that day we work on different lessons every day except the weekends.  He is asking for it with his limited vocabulary, and enjoys it very much.

Now we are using some of the lessons that are new to him and requires him to think and learn, and yes he is still loves it.  Amin is a visual learner, he feels very comfortable learning this way, and it is much easier for him to understand different concepts as well. He can spend quality time learning about a variety of skills, developing comprehension as well. Different tools and sub-lessons keep him engaged, and the playground option is really a great bonus.

For me, it is really a great program for several reasons. I can print out a lesson plan, and track his learning by printing out reports daily weekly or monthly. Watching him doing his work allows me to see his advancements, and weaknesses. I  am able to follow an easy, yet effective lesson plan for him that has a great flexibility, and I can alter the teaching to his level as well.

The administration for this site is very helpful, and they listen to a parent and their concerns, and gives you helpful hints how to do things. Also, this site has a parent forum where you can exchange ideas, method of teaching with other parents, or just simply  post a question, and  it is guaranteed to get a very valuable answer from someone.

Although it is a very short time that we used this program I can not see anything wrong with Time 4 Learning. I feel my son is greatly benefiting  from it. The program is very affordable, and I can choose to pay in one sum or monthly payment.

We have an ongoing support system via the administration, and if I should have any issues with the lessons, or if I need technical support, someone is always on the phone to help me out. For me this is really great. I was assured that his lesson plan can be upgraded at any time, once he reaches the end of his lessons. ( They have lessons from preschool trough 8th grade). If I want him to practice certain skills, we can always go back to those lessons without any hassle to keep his skills up and running.

Amin is still going to his great school, but this program is  a great addition to his  academic life.

I really recommend it to anyone who is interested either homeschooling their child, or just looking for a summer or after school program.

The knowledge and friendliness of the staff is very reassuring, and I am very happy that I made the decision of signing him up for this program.

If you are interested to see this program just click on the following link;  http://www.time4learning.com/

Disclosure: “As a member of Time4Learning, I have been asked to review their online education program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. Write your own curriculum review or learn how to use their curriculum for homeschool, after school study or summer learning.”

As most of you know by now that I try anything natural for my son what potentially can help him.

I found this amazing exercise a few weeks ago. The reason I did not share it with you all right away because I wanted to try it out and see if it helps, or makes any difference for him.

We encountered a little difficulty just starting this exercise, and I had to turn to his teachers for help. As always,  Ms. Carol, Ms. Stacy, and Ms. Megan came to the rescue to help me to teach this little boy how to do this exercise.  Amin is an active boy but this exercise requires a bit of coordination. Ms. Megan broke down the task into simple steps.

First she taught him to cross his arms. Once he was able to do that task easily x3 they moved onto the next step to touch his ears (while his arms were crossed). This second step was a little more challenging for him, but he managed to do it well after  many practices.

Once he is able to do this two steps easily,  we can introduce the final third step squat  down with arms crossed and holding onto his ear lobes.  We made some great progress with these steps, but still working on it.

As Ms. Megan suggested I started teaching him to squat down,  and learn that first. Now he is able to do that, and I am adding the “cross your arms, and touch your ears” task to it. We have some difficulties with it, so I get behind him and try to support him a bit, so he can do the exercise, and become more proficient of it. Now, he is enjoying to do this exercise, and asking for it as well. Sometimes he wants to do it at night as well.  I started making him perform this exercise before school, (this is hard lately since he doesn’t want to get up in the morning and we are always rushing), and he has to do it before  starting homework.  I am not sure if there is any changes at school yet, but I can testify that he is much calmer and focused doing his homework. Amin is still not mastered this exercise yet, and I am hoping  that with practice he will be able to do it very soon alone and perfectly.

This exercise makes sense, and I really hope that he will be able to perform this 100%. As  for me and my daughter, we started this exercise and doing it every day, several times a day, and I found it very helpful for both of us.

Please have an open mind, give it a try, we can never do enough to help our mind and concentration. This simple exercise  will not even cost anything. A few minutes of your life can potentially give you a great benefit, help your child in school and life.

http://homeopathyplus.com.au/poor-memory-can-be-improved-by-one-simple-exercise/

Tell us about Greenbird Books
Greenbird Books was founded by me  in 2007, after having my own family I  felt there was a need for imaginatively written and beautifully illustrated multi-cultural children’s books for readers of all abilities. I am based in London and look for resources drawn from different cultures and traditions paying close attention to promoting a diverse world.My books are aimed at  parents and educators who want to fire children’s imagination. Our focus is to create stories of cultural relevance with an educational emphasis on children of varying abilities.  All Greenbird stories carry a special message of unity and aim to offer positive role models for our growing readership.

You will publishing a short story around November titled, ‘ Where the lost words go.’
One of my aims for the business was to develop books around special educational issues for different cultures.
In order to raise awareness on subjects such as Autism in the Muslim communities, I began my research and came across this website. I was very moved when I read Saffiya’s account describing life with her Autistic brother, Amin.  I immediately contacted the site owner to discuss creating Saffiya’s story into a book.

What is the book about and who is it for?
The book is written from the perspective of an older sister, who has a younger brother with Autism.  The family are Muslim and the story highlights how important it is to care and understand the needs of children on the spectrum.  It is a gentle introduction to Autism for young family member and a way to discuss for the wider family also.
The book is for anybody wanting to introduce Autism to young children. It is also for Muslim families who need resources to identify with and educators who want to show real-life topics being dealt with in varying environments.

What other projects are you working on?
Having nearly completed this book, it became very clear to me that a book was needed for Muslim Parents, to act as a guide and source of support. The aim is to collect stories from Muslim parents raising a child/children on the Autistic spectrum.

How can we help?
The book will be called, ‘My Autistic Muslim Child.’ In respect to my colleague’s website.
I am wanting parents to provide me stories from their everyday lives. In particular I am wanting to know how Islam has helped you in raising your Autistic child.
Accounts can use any part of daily life when we have had challenges with our children or other people and how we overcame them.
All names will be changed to protect the identities of those who participate in this worthy cause. The aim will be to produce a book full of parental wisdom based on Islamic values to help all those on our special journeys with our children, inshallah. The book will hopefully bridge together many Muslim parents and lead to better informed communities when it comes to Autism.

How can parents send their stories to you?
Please send your stories to

info@greenbirdbooks.com

I will personally respond an acknowledgment and discuss further with the sender.