It's PSG Time

Yesterday was PSG (Peer Support Group) time again. There were a few things to go over this time around. Miss G & two of Brodie's aides were there.

Brodie has been getting a bit behind with his TAFE work as well as his Math stuff. Since I'm not that crash hot with Math the school & I thought it was best if he did his Math homework during his study periods at school. That way he would have someone on hand if he did need help.

The hospitality stuff from TAFE was a different story. That one I do feel comfortable with & I am able to help him out at home. His TAFE work sounds really interesting! There's a few assignments that need doing although there is a little bit of time up our sleeves before they need to be handed in. The mocktail assignment sounds like fun & should be delicious where Brodie needs to create & make a drink. He's designing a chocolate mocktail which he has called Death By Chocolate. He also has a coffee assignment. I'm not too sure what that one involves yet. I'll check his worksheets later.

We spoke about the behaviour issues the school has. Pretty much the same ones we have at home. Although I have a feeling that Brodie might be a tad better behaved at home but not all the time. I'm thinking we need to do some more work on what behaviour is appropriate in mixed company. He gets awfully carried away sometimes and forgets that there are females present. Perhaps some role-playing might be in order.

I noticed that Brodie seems to be louder at school than he is at home. If that was ever possible. He is constantly getting reminded about using a quieter voice at home. I guess it might be working better at here but its not working at school. Poor kid probably thinks we are nagging him.

We also spoke about how Brodie was thinking about not doing an extra year at school. He had it in his mind that he would have to do extra VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) subjects next year & that he wouldn't graduate this year. Once Miss G explained to Brodie that he still graduates this year and can go to the Year 12 dinner with his friends he seemed to be okay about it. I also explained to him that he gets to do all that fun stuff next year too if he wants too.
Miss G also told Brodie that if he did return next year he doesn't have to to any hard VCE subjects. He can do VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) instead and he can do fun subjects like Art if he wants too. If he chooses not to go back then the school will help prepare him for the 'real' world and make sure that we know of places that can help him work out what he will do after his school life is over.

For now we are going to concentrate on getting his work up to date and Brodie will think about what he is going to do next year. I can't believe that he is almost finished school ...

Our PSG

I had a meeting up at Brodie's High School this morning. And boy was I glad today was a school day. Brodie had a four day weekend this time round and I was so over it by lunchtime yesterday. Not that I don't love my boys but having to spend that much time with them can drive a person to absolute distraction.

Brodie & I had a PSG (Program Support Group) this morning with the special ed co-ordinator and his integration aide. Basically it was about what sort of things Brodie will be doing next semester & possibly for the rest of his VCE.

B is super keen to drop his Biology class (he's not that keen on the subject & he says he finds it too hard) which means that he would get 4 extra study periods a week so that he can 'catch up' with his work & he wont have the need to do as much homework (not that he really does much school work at home any way). The thing was we (the teacher & I) wanted B to do a third VCE/VCAL year to make up for the subject he wants to drop. If he can spread it out over three years it will mean less stress for him NOW. My goodness do you know how hard it is to convince a 16 year old that it would be a great idea to do a year 13 at school??? It wasn't all that easy.

I suggested to Brodie that he talk with the student who is currently doing a Yr 13 at his school. This boy is currently going to school for one day, TAFE for one day and then working the remaining weekdays. I think that sounded more appealing to Brodie who probably thought that it meant going to school full-time. Something that he definitely doesn't want to do.
At least this way if he does Yr 13 from school he will have support at TAFE with one of the integration aides going with him. If he stops going to high school he wont have that support & I feel he gets so many more benefits when he has someone there to help him out. He gains so much more out of it.
So far B has agreed to do Yr 13. He really does need to keep his options open by finishing high school.

All we need to do is wait for an email letting me know what will happen in regards to Brodie dropping Biology. Chats with the Physics teacher & the Careers teacher needs to happen before everything is finalised. Hopefully we will get the okay for what we talked about. I don't see a problem but you never know - so I am crossing my fingers for now.

PSG - Medication Review & Yr 11 Subject Choices

I had a PSG at Brodie's high school on Thursday afternoon. The main reason for the meeting was to discuss how Brodie was going on his medication, well not on his meds but rather how he was going now he no longer used the Attenta (Ritalin) tablets.

From what I was told most of Brodie's teachers found that he took longer to settle once he got to class, is more restless than usual & that he was more likely to be distracted by the other kids especially if the weren't on task. Although one of the teachers said she finds him confrontational and more erratic than usual.
I was emailed a copy of the teachers remarks. I'll definitely be showing the paediatrician, Michael, when we go and see him at the end of this school term. If the school finds that Brodie's behaviour declines I'll even send Michael a copy of the teachers comments much earlier.

The second part of the meeting was to discuss with Brodie what subjects he would like to do for next year when he will be in Year 11. Now there is a choice of VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) or VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) and there is a VET (Vocational Education and Training) component for either preference.

I was going to provide a link which explains them better than I can but it didn't work so I'll give it a go. VCE is like Matriculation when I was at school. It's a set syllabus where your years worth of work is assessed along with an exam to get your final scores.
VCAL is like an apprenticeship of sorts. Where things are more hands on and you are able to spend one day a week at TAFE studying things like Hospitality or Multimedia. There are other choices but they are the only ones I know of.

VCAL is more flexible than VCE and I'm not too sure that Brodie is ready for school to be less structured. He loves structure and predictability. So we have gone for the VCE option and if we find that towards the end of next year that Brodie will be able to cope with VCAL (he wants to be a pastry chef and VCAL is probably the best option for that) he can change to that for year 12.

I'm crossing my fingers for him as there needs to be enough kids to do Food Technology which is one of the electives he has chosen to do. The course outline looks so promising. He would learn so much that would help him become a chef like he wants.

I'm not sure when we will find out if the choices he made are in fact the ones that he will get to study but I am hoping that he gets the ones he wants.

Autism/Asperger Syndrome Seminar

Last Friday (the 13th ~ not that I am superstitious or anything !) I went to a Tony Attwood seminar in Morwell. I am so glad that I went. I learnt so much! Tony was great to listen to and worth listening to. I recommend to anyone that has the chance to attend one of his seminars to go. He is brilliant!

I would love to list all the points that I learnt while there but there are too many. I did explain to Brodie's High School on Monday when I went up there to talk to the Student Welfare Coordinator that I went to the seminar and that I have learnt a few things that would be helpful for Brodie. I was asked to write them up in an email and send them to the school. I did that yesterday afternoon and I know that the teacher I sent it to (a different teacher to the one I had the meeting with on Monday) will read it and implement the ones that are relevant. In fact I have a PSG this afternoon with her and Brodie's aide. It would be an interesting meeting.

Here's a copy of what I put in the email to the High School

1. AS kids don't like praise. They think it is like a 'put down'. You need to acknowledge their maturity and intelligence instead.
2. Rules and requests need to be logical. If they think it makes no sense at all then they will not even consider following either the request or the rules. They have a logical mind and are not empathic. Changes to rules and routines should be accompanied with an explanation so that there is a better understanding.
3. We need to remember that AS kids are not selfish they are self-centred.
4. AS kids know that they are clumsy and are very aware that others think of them as different. This leads to things like Brodie leaving his sports gear at home.
5. AS kids sometimes lack motivation, they think why bother doing something that I know I am not good at. Which Brodie has shown that he will quit doing things when he feels this way.
6. AS kids are often the last person to realise that they need help. They will sit there and not work without realising that they could be asking for assistance to complete a task. They need to be shown options.
7. It was suggested that timed tasks should be avoided as much as possible. It would cause too much stress and they will be less likely to complete a task.
8. Questions may need to be rephrased but be aware that due to their thinking process it may make them go back to the beginning, especially when interrupted, and take them longer to finish something.
9. Keeping Brodie at the front of the classroom will help him filter out background noise. They have trouble focussing on one voice. Sensory clues are picked up long before any social skills or clues.
10. Lists are great ways to help Brodie with instructions. If they are written down he will have more success especially when he can refer back to his 'TO DO list'.
11. AS kids need closure before they can begin the next task. They have a one tracked mind but can be distracted by their imagination.
12. Aspie friendly teachers can make all the difference to learning & understanding.
13. A Year 11 or Year 12 buddy should be around for the newer AS student. To help explain the unspoken teenage rules at school so that they 'fit in' better and don't stand out as much. (not so much for Brodie now but it would come in handy for any prospective students).
14. When going into new places or situations it helps to be familiar with the geography of the place so that they are not overwhelmed. They take in all the physical features of a place first before they notice the people.
15. Brodie is often very black and white with his thinking. He needs to be encouraged to think outside the box and provided with alternative strategies to help him work out solutions to problems.
16. Due to time management difficulties and lack of organisational skills it is recommended that any homework (or work in general) given should take approximately 30 minutes or less or even an exemption from homework altogether. Success is more likely if work is set in smaller more manageable sizes. That teachers allow for draft copies of work to be done in order to create more opportunities for success with the final piece of work.
17. AS kids work harder during the day than we realise. They work hard all day to try and decipher facial expressions & school work/rules etc which means by the end of the day they are exhausted. They need alone time to collect themselves, relax, think things through or just chill out.
18. Brodie may come across as arrogant, depressed or angry. These are his way of trying to deal with the day to day situations he faces. AS kids can't self-reflect and have great difficulty at times trying to work out the best way to deal with things.
19. Apsie kids don't always know where to look or when to look. They aren't being disrespectful or rude.
20. Social stories (role play) helps a great deal when trying to learn a new concept/rule or even about emotions & how to recognise them.
21. Apsie kids often come across as oppositional and defiant. They don't always recognise others perspectives and priorities. They have eccentric perceptions.
22. Brodie puts people into one of two categories: Nice or Not nice.
23. Brodie has his special interests like Stargate, Star Trek, Dr Who etc. These interests often act as a thought blocker. When things get too hard or confronting for him he will change the subject to something that he feels safe with like his special interests. At times these interests may seem a little obsessive - and he may not realise that he might be boring others. Also changing the subject to his special interests may help stop unwanted behaviour like aggression.
24. Apsie kids are often in flight or fight mode. Sometimes they just need to burn off some of their emotions with physical activities. Since Brodie can't always communicate his emotions effectively getting him to run an errand/message helps him to 'calm' down a little especially if he is angry & frustrated. Allowing him to doodle/draw, play with blu tack can help him deal with his emotions a little better too.

What a Week .. ..

I cannot believe the week I have had and it isn't even over yet!! Goodness let's hope the rest of the week (and the weekend) is uneventful!!

Monday was relatively normal, thank goodness. I can't remember too much of what happened so it must have been a good day rofl.

On Tuesday however the sh*t hit the fan. Brodie had an appointment scheduled for the afternoon at Monash Medical Centre (MMC) in Clayton. We decided to keep him home to make things easier on us (and the car) so we didn't have to travel an extra 40 kilometres. All we really had to do was take Angus to school and then wait until it was time to leave and head off to the MMC.

Well it wasn't that easy and why would it be where the boys are concerned!! You see the boys started off with a water fight with their drink bottles - indoors no less!! I asked them to clean up the water. So Brodie got the mop to start cleaning up. I then told Brodie (and Angus too) that I did not appreciate what they had done. Well I am guessing I said the wrong thing. Next thing I know is Brodie is throwing the mop onto the floor in a huff. I told him to pick it up to which he then told me to shove the mop up my a**e! So of course I ask him to pick it up again and he repeats the exact same words only much louder this time!! I then told him that he would NOT be going to Young Men's tonight as he didn't deserve to go. Of course he said the exact same thing a third time.

Next thing I know Mark comes inside, he was out the back in the shed, Brodie runs our the front door. Mark heads closer to Brodie. Brodie is holding the front door beginning to mouth off at Mark. He waits until Mark gets closer and begins to flee outside but before he does that he pushes Mark up against the wardrobe that sits near the front door. Mark holds out his walking stick to keep the security door open and its almost as if Brodie is waiting for Mark to come closer and he slams the door on him breaking the walking stick in the process. Brodie is swearing and carrying on during the whole thing!

I don't remember exactly what happened with Mark but I went out the front door after Brodie. He's still swearing at me. I reached out to grab him to try and stop him from running off. It didn't work and he takes a tumble on the concrete and disappears out of the driveway. I decide it's not worth trying to chase him and I check on Mark and Angus.
Poor Angus us terrified by this time. And that isn't unusual in itself. He tells me later on as I am driving him to school that there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't at some point feel scared of Brodie.

Anyway I phone up MMC and reschedule Brodie's appointment, which is now in March. There is no way that Mark and I are now prepared to take him on such a long drive towards the city when he is in such a horrid mood and with such feral behaviour. I also phoned GCAMHS and of course no one is there. I then phone triage and while I am talking to them GCAMHS phone back. They weren't much help I'm sorry to say. In the end after I get back from taking Angus to school I just tell Brodie that he is going to school after all. I will NOT have him home at all after this episode! Needless to say that by 10:30 am he was at school. I hope there are No more meltdowns like that one for a long time if ever again.

And that was just Tuesday morning!! Now for the rest of the day... ... ... I was not having a very good time for a while. I felt awfully down in the dumps. Mark's back was hurting a lot due to being thrown/pushed into the corner of the wardrobe. Since I took Angus to school and was back in town after 9 am I went straight to the chemist and bought some codeine tablets and a walking stick to replace the one Brodie broke (and the cost of this will be coming out of his points!!). After I dropped Brodie off at school I went to Aldi to do some grocery shopping.

Poor Mark's back was hurting him ALL day. Even more than it normally does which I was not surprised with because of the force Brodie used. He took several codeine and a valium. It took the edge of a little but not much. Later in the evening after dinner he took some more and an ibuprofen and went out into the shed to talk with his brother on the phone. I went out to check on him and though that he had been crying as his eyes were all puffy and red looking. Mark came indoors to check on his eyes. This was around 9:30ish. I kept an eye on Mark and noticed that his eyes were becoming puffier. So at around 10:15, after trying to see if this new clinic in town had a locum that would come out to the house but they closed at 10 pm, we left for the hospital.

Mark initially wanted to go to bed and see if sleeping it off would help. I am so glad that he didn't. We knew of course that he was having an allergic reaction to the ibuprofen and told the triage/admin nurse when we got to the hospital at 10:30. While we were waiting to see the doctor Mark's symptoms got worse. Not only were his eyes puffy still his top lip was swelling and beginning to tingle. They then took Mark to a cubicle. He has had some phenergan when we got there to see if that helped (almost for got that bit) but it didn't. They then placed a shunt in his arm and gave him 100mg of hydro-cortisone and we waited to see if that helped. That was around 11 pm I think. Finally by 1:30 am Marks' eyes had started too look almost normal, his lips stopped tingling and he was feeling much better. It was only then that they allowed us to leave.

I am so glad that on Tuesday morning while making all these phone calls that I made one to our Dr's clinic to make an appointment for Mark. Not only will we talk to the doctor about what we originally wanted to see him for we now will need to talk to him about getting mark to an allergist and about organising an epipen. Mark has several allergies (Tegretol, bees and now ibuprofen - not to forget some washing powders and mangoes) which are life threatening. I just don't want to risk anything anymore and the sooner we can get the epipen the better .

I was going to add more but I think I have typed enough for now. Maybe tomorrow I'll add some more. Especially after the PSG at the High School.

PSG

I had my first PSG (Parent Support Group) meeting for the year and I got to meet Mike (his aide) in person. It was a really quick meeting too which made for a really nice change. I guess I was just used to the meetings we have when I am collecting Brodie up for a suspension or a meeting that's called for when he comes back after a suspension.

Anyway we basically met so that we could clear up a bit of confusion that Brodie has with his timetable and the lessons he is meant to be doing on Monday & Friday afternoons. Brodie wishes to continue with PE and not do Health Ed. I think that there will be many benefits if he does do Health Ed. I believe that he needs to do this subject just as much as he needs PE. So we've come to an agreement. He will be go to Health Ed for at least the first lesson of the double lesson he has on Friday afternoons to see what its like and hopefully give it a decent go. With Mike's help he should come fine. Then at the end of the first lesson they will leave so that Brodie has some catch up time with the rest of his subjects.
I think that this is fair but I still would like him to have a really good try at staying in Health lessons. Especially since Mike said that they will be learning about social skills and Brodie needs all the help he can get with interpersonal relationships. I'll cross my fingers and we shall see at the end of the week how things went!