Category Archives: autism

Getting In Synch

Kids with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to be out of synch with the rest of the world and even with their own bodies. One of the things that fascinates me about autism is that it is more than just a mental problem, many of these kids have physical manifestations of their disorder also. They may have verbal or physical tics, they may “toe-walk”, many of them have quite pronounced sensory issues (the whole world sounds, feels, looks like fingernails being scraped on a chalkboard) many of them are not very well coordinated, they cannot play ball or other complicated activities as well as “typical” children can. They participate in rocking motions or other repetitive motions. Some of them flap their hands when they get excited.

Many have problems with fine motor skills like writing or coloring.

All these things are a directly tied to their disability. This is something you never hear about in the magazine and newspaper articles, television shows or other accounts. These well documented physical characteristics make autism a definite medical issue as opposed to a “mental” issue. I cannot tell you how many conversations I’ve had with insurance company respresentatives where they say they cover “medical” problems, not “mental” problems.

All these issues can be addressed to when extent or another with occupational, physical, or speech therapy. Followed up be the parents working with the child at home.

SuperPizzaBoy, as you may know, has a variant of autism named Asperger’s Syndrome. He has been flogged with all sorts of therapy for his various deficiencies and we have seen a definite improvement in many areas. He has turned into a great swimmer for instance, he loves playing soccer and jumping on his trampoline, and playing video games.

He is still behind his “typical” peers but is constantly improving.

We had a breakthrough during a family walk this past weekend. Sweetie and I were walking the dogs and SPB was riding his Triton (a high tech tricycle that steers the rear wheels with two levers). His Mom walked off from us a little bit and I asked SPB if he was willing to try his most complicated coordinated multi faceted move so far and he readily agreed. I had my camera to document the event.

He did it!!

He did a high speed sharp turn on his Triton, while picking his nose, and passing gas! Note the steering lever in the right hand, the left finger up to the second knuckle, and the subtle left cheek raise (facilitates the hydraulics on farting). I, as an assistant den leader for a patrol full of wild hellions, I can say that in these skills SPB is almost up to par with his peers.

I am so proud of the progress he continues to make. I know that the various therapists that have worked with him would be proud of him also.

Road Trip Chapter 3 or Back to Work with an aside about Temple Grandin.

Days 4 and 5 on the road trip. The Daves met up with some of the other guys from Tuesday and toured some of our plants. I had been doing the commercial work for the plants for several years and had never been there so it was pretty interesting to me.

We had to wear Nomex lab coats so it looks kind of funny.


At lunch both days I participated in presentations at lunch for the field guys. I got up and told them what I did and how I did it. They were very polite. They kept the yawning down and only a few went to sleep.

We spent the night at a hotel in a town that had the most feed lots and beef packing plants I’ve ever seen. We had dinner with our local managers. We got out late, around 9:30 pm. I went geocaching. I didn’t find any skirt lifters but I did find one cache that I thought was pretty cool.

It was a post office box in the driveway of a fruit stand. I thought it was very creative.


After lunch the last day, we drove the 377 miles back to Tulsa. We stopped at Braum’s at the Blackwell and had the usual. Large chocolate mix with heath bars.

Got home about 10 pm. Great to be back. Gone to long.

As an aside with an autism angle. The national poster person for Autism and Asperger’s syndrome in particular is Temple Grandin. Ms. Grandin, who is an agricultural engineer, has Asperger’s syndrome and has been a great advocate people with autism and has published several books and magazine articles.

In her chosen field of designing packing plants she is also famous. She has some sort of empathy with animals. Her most famous innovation is the inlet ramp from the yard to the killing area. She designed them to be a ramp with a continuous curve that narrows gradually. Somehow the cattle stay calm as they are driven into the wide inlet that goes up at a slight angle and then turns, all the while getting narrower.

I saw a couple of those ramps on this trip. It is very eerie watching the cattle moving very calmly in line to their doom. It is almost enough to turn me into a vegetarian, but not quite.

The whole mysterious thing is like at the crux of Asperger’s Syndrome. Very high intelligence and a different way of looking at things combined with a strange sense of empathy with a total lack of sentimentality. She sensed the cattle were nervous so she determined how to alleviate that while still facilitating their deaths. I cannot quite get my head around it.

Legal Affairs

Sweetie and Nana (Sweetie’s Mom and SuperPizzaBoy’s only living Grandmother) met me downtown today. We walked over to a law office. Nana met with her new money manager there and Sweetie and I talked to an attorney about getting our financial affairs in order to make sure that SPB is taken care of when Sweetie and I are gone.

The man we talked to has a son with special needs who is now grown and living away from his parents but has full time caretakers. It is too early to tell just how independent SPB is going to be but I am an older parent and we need to make sure that he is taken car of properly. The attorney comes well recommended. It was obvious that he knew what we are talking about. He is living it.

He made a lot of complicated concepts sound simple. They are simple in concept but complicated in execution. This is not going to be cheap but I cannot think of anything more important.

We talked to him for a while. We have some forms to fill out and to send back to him and they he will send us a letter with some options. In the natural gas business we make people pay dearly for options. That is what is going to happen here.

SuperPizzaBoy goes for a Ride

Sweetie had a meeting to go to tonight so it was just me and SuperPizzaBoy. The weather has cooled off quite a bit so its time for the boy to go on a ride. We loaded up his Triton which is a super duper tricycle and we went to a nearby paved trail. I hate and fear traffic especially for the boy because he doesn’t always pay attention to what is going on. The paved trail is just the thing.

He has not learned how to ride a bicycle yet. We tried and tried but it just wasn’t a happening thing. We saw the Triton in the newspaper so we got him one. It is very cool. It is steered with the rear wheels by the use of levers. He really likes it.

Anyway, we had a good time. We left the dogs at home. They wanted to go but they are such a pain in the butt.

He made two or three laps of the place and then we went home.


Sweetie and I like to go bike riding. We would like SPB to be able to go with us. His next bike may be a three wheeled bicycle. That could happen next year. That would be lots of fun. My next bike may be a recumbent bike.

I think the Triton is fun also. I had this theory at one time that it would be impossible to turn it over on a corner. I was wrong. But at least I didn’t fall very far.

Michael Savage Controversy

On July 16 this year a conservative radio commentator named Michael Savage went on a rant about Autism. Basically saying that autism is the parents fault. The mediamatters.com link is here. Apparently it has caused quite a ruckus nationally with parents of autistic children really getting angry.

I don’t listen to him personally even though he is carried by a local radio station. Apparently, the insurance company, AFLAC, has dropped their sponsorship and a company in Mississippi who owns 7 talk radio stations are dropping him.

His rant is very ill informed and has provoked a lot of response from parents of autistic children and autism advocacy groups. I’m afraid that that type of response falls right into the hands of Mr. Savage. These guys thrive on controversy. I think that a low key response is best such as by the organization Autism Speaks.

There appears to be some “overspray” on this matter by supporters of Mr. Strange such as this guy. He thinks that autism is over diagnossed and that this is done by a conspiracy between big government and something called ‘big pharma” which I guess is drug companies. I don’t know. Last I heard there were no drugs that could cure autism. If there were the Yogi family would be at the front of the line. So would a whole bunch of other families we know. That same guy also says a lot of other outrageous things.

The tone of his post though seems to be that autism is turning into a political disability. Out there on the right is the good folks whose children don’t have autism because their parents discipline their kids. On the left, that is where all the liberals, who don’t discipline their kids, are blaming autism.

Mr. Savage is starting to backtrack and weasel word. His employer “Talk Radio Network” made a statement. In the statement they say, in part:

“In the context of his broader concerns, it is clear that Dr. Savage’s comments were intended to suggest his opinion that, in the vast majority of cases, most children throwing tantrums, or refusing to communicate, are not autistic. Unfortunately, by condensing his multifaceted concerns into 84 seconds of commentary, the necessary context for his remarks was not apparent, and the few words he used to express his concerns were, in this instance, inartfully phrased.”

That is just great. If all there were to autism was tantrums, life would be a lot better for the parents. I’ve seen all sorts of kids throw many tantrums at stores, restaurants, schools, churches, playgrounds. I guess the thought that only autistic kids throw tantrums never occurred to me

I used to have a boss who always told me, “Never argue with an idiot.” I think this applies in this instance.