Our Son-Rise Journey

Why Son-rise you ask?!

15/02/22 at 11.02pm   /   by sdcarlson   /   0 Comment

Raun Quote

This quote from Raun Kaufman’s (CEO and recovered child of the Autism Treatment Center of America) book says it all.   I remember yelling something to this effect once in an IEP meeting at the school.  We were arguing for more social goals and time in the general education classroom with his peers.  I remember almost yelling something close to the following, “You can teach him all the facts in the world and he will learn them, but what good is it going to do for him if he can’t speak or relate to another human being!”

It was in this meeting that I realized something so basic in what we were trying to accomplish for our son and academics just wasn’t it.  Put another way…..If a parent had to make a choice on what they would really, truly want for their child, would it be that their child is the smartest person in the room or that their life is full of love and relatable experiences with those around them, essentially full of L-I-F-E.

It was after this that my husband and I sought out a program that emphasized this and of course we thankfully found Son-Rise!  Son-Rise does not diminish the importance of things like academics, self-help skills, etc. but believes that our children will have a much better basis for learning when they are able to socially relate to those around them and understand the “whys” of learning this information.  We couldn’t agree more.  We are now 6 months into this program and we are never looking back!  Below is a video of one of these beautiful relatable moments that this program is fostering on a daily basis.

http://youtu.be/GQvk9KHka-0

 

If this doesn’t say it all!

15/02/15 at 2.27am   /   by sdcarlson   /   0 Comment

Quote

I love this statement!  I feel as if it really speaks as to how we feel about our son and so much of what we are experiencing through the Son-Rise program.

This week, our sweet Lucas spent some time in the hospital due to some of his gastrointestinal issues.  He is thankfully home and recovering, but some remarkable things happened last week and especially while we were there, regardless of the circumstances.

One…he engaged his sister at the breakfast table  during this past week, even though he was not feeling his best.  He actually reached across the table, touched her hand, and smiled at her.  They had close to a 15-minute interaction between the two of them, initiated by him!  It was so unbelievably beautiful!!

Two…while in the hospital, he had several tests done (an experience in the past that would’ve been excruciating for us to get through as a family…. full of tantrums and hitting).  Amazingly, even in a stressful time, we were in awe of the amount of communication and language that Lucas used with us and the staff during our stay.  He even said, “ouch,” once when he felt pain.  Again, this may seem small to many, but previously pain would’ve resulted in a full-out tantrum of hitting and screaming.  He verbalized his pain.  This was something both Brad and I noticed immediately.  This was just one example of many that happened that day in the hospital.

Lucas is a fighter and is such a wonderful, loving, beautiful little boy full of so much to share with us and the people who are lucky to know him.  Brad and I are certain that this program is the reason for all of this!  Even during a hospital stay, we were cognizant of the amazing evolution of his ability to relate to those around him and his willingness to trust so many….when the past has not always been a good indicator of being treated kindly by those that didn’t understand him.

We know that this program and the evolution we have taken as a family and as individuals is the reason for his happiness and willingness to reach out.  I think the biggest thing that has come out of this program is his ability to trust the people around him and most importantly us.  We haven’t had that in a long time.

There is just a different feeling we have around him since starting this program.  It’s as if he finally understands how much we love him through our actions in this program, and this alone has allowed him to open up and grow.  It is a noticeable difference and we are forever grateful for what Son-Rise has and IS giving us!

Just a short clip

15/02/07 at 6.30pm   /   by sdcarlson   /   0 Comment

This week we had Susan, the Son-Rise child facilitator, come again and play with Lucas for a few hours.  We then had the opportunity to ask questions about her session with him.  I was specifically interested in seeing what sort of games she would initiate with Lucas while he was laying down.

Lucas has been pretty lethargic because of the effects of the Intro stage of the GAPS diet (which is a good thing….It means it is helping with all of the bad bacteria in his gut).  Considering Lucas has historically been a VERY active child in the playroom, we really wanted some more ideas of how we could interact with him while laying on the floor.  Susan had so many great moments and ideas, but I thought this particular clip was was so sweet and to the point.

The amazing thing to note here is how present Lucas is during this interaction.  Since going on the diet, he is so much calmer and able to focus.  It’s amazing what  medicine food can be for you body.  Susan mentioned several times while she was here that she noticed an incredible difference in his eye contact and interactive ability in Lucas.  Prior, on an exceptional day, we would have had about 1/2 the session isming and 1/2 interactive (which was an amazing accomplishment in itself!).  However, since implementing this diet, Lucas tends to be present for close to 80% of the session with very little isming, truly enjoying his time playing with his friends.

In this video, Susan is working on clarity of pitch and tone of Lucas’ voice so he can be more understandable in his requests and communication (one of our goals).  Again, she pulls this opportunity for growth into the interaction when Lucas is highly motivated in the game.  You will see her requesting him to say, “blanket up!”.  First she models the phrase while playing the game, getting him interested and when he is really motivated, she tries to inspire growth.  Notice, even if he says just a part of the phrase, she gives him more of the game to show him that his words are powerful and always get a response.  She celebrates all attempts to communicate and holds the biggest celebrations as his communication gets stronger.    I hope you enjoy his little squeals of laughter!

 

 

Our First Week on GAPS Intro Diet

15/02/01 at 4.59pm   /   by sdcarlson   /   0 Comment

So, Lucas had a pretty tough week.  We started a pretty intense diet regiment to to really provide the best environment for his gut to heal in supplement to the treatments he is on, and he really has been weak and lethargic, which is common, as a result of it.

What is truly remarkable is that our entire team showed so much compassion, patience and persistence!  Honestly, it was one of my favorite weeks watching them in the room with Lucas, because it truly showed that no matter the circumstance their dedication, compassion and willingness allowed for some truly beautiful moments regardless of the circumstances.

Lucas is never low-key!  So, the team really had to adjust the way they treated green lights and be sensitive to Lucas’ needs at the moment.  They did extraordinarily, and  the amazing thing is that we saw no gap in interaction times. The entire team had some great moments!  I couldn’t just pick one so I am choosing to highlight three of my volunteers this week.

The first I am highlighting is one of our newest volunteers. He spent a very long time joining Lucas on the floor, being in his world, and his commitment to being with Lucas on Lucas’ terms really allowed for the interactions that followed!  In the first video, I just show the small transition in how he was able to take a small green light and turn it into a coloring session on the floor.  This interaction was 40-minutes in entirety.  The second video of him is also finding a way to engage Lucas while on the floor playing drums and singing a song he knows Lucas loves!

http://youtu.be/sNtc4KFe-A4

http://youtu.be/vwJ5HGh39N8

The second set is of one of our volunteers really using her energy to lift Lucas up.  In the first video you will see her enthusiasm, excitement and energy in response to Lucas telling her to pick up the blanket.  She was able to get Lucas off the floor and engaging with her infectious, happy attitude (which is THE Son-Rise key element to this program)!  She did an amazing job.

I also particularly enjoyed the second clip of her responding to eye contact.  If only everyone did that when I looked at them, the world would be such a wonderful, joyous place all of the time!  She pulls out a HUGE celebration for this eye contact and really just focuses on really giving and entertaining Lucas.  Not placing demands on our children is a huge part of this program.  When we ask our children to grow (pull in goals), it is FUN and only when they show us they are ready for them.  This balance of entertaining and giving is another important component to showing our kids how fun interaction and we as people can be!

http://youtu.be/d-tC3DIaLUs

http://youtu.be/vmMEsB2qRUg

The last set of videos is one of our volunteers getting what I think may be a very first non-initiated real hand hold (fingers clasped around her hand)!! The first video is her joining him at the blanket, then interacting by hitting chew tubes with each other, and then Lucas requests a hand hold of not just one hand, but both!  You can see her compassion and caring nature just by watching and it is definitely felt by Lucas.  Truly beautiful to watch!

http://youtu.be/Tn5pooVZVpQ

http://youtu.be/72eRBeCHGoQ

I hope you enjoyed these!  It is amazing what a little bit of love, persistence and attitude can do!!  More intensive videos to come!