Before and After

Hubby taught Rayyan the concept of 'before' and 'after' and he is grasping the concept pretty well :))

Gym Ball

Rayyan has a gym ball at home and he likes to sit on it.  I feel that with the gym ball, he can focus better as he is always kept on his toes.  Also, when he sits on the gym ball, he doesn't jump around.

But of course, I do not let him sit on it all the time.  He still has to learn to sit on his chair quietly.

Here is Rayyan reciting numbers.  He can recite numbers to 100 but still needs to work on pronunciation.  He will still pronounce 'Fourteen' for 'Forty', 'Fifteen' for 'Fifty', etc...

And here, I am working on his reading and pronunciation.  He has definitely shown a lot of improvement in his pronunciation.  Go, go Rayyan!!

Laughter

Last Friday, we went to Airport T3 and Rayyan requested to do wheelbarrows at the big empty space.  Then he wanted to do bear walk and Hubby took the opportunity to get him to do cross leg exercises and we ended up playing catch there!! lol 

The airport used as an exercising ground :)

When we play catch, we are usually the catchers (Rayyan has difficulty taking on the role as the catcher) and whenever we play, Rayyan will usually run a bit and then allow us to catch him! Haha... But yesterday, we ran together..  When I became the catcher, Hubby would lead Rayyan and they would run together.  Then Hubby would guide Rayyan and get him to catch me.

We had loads of fun.  In fact, Rayyan's melodious laughter is still ringing in my head till now.  Rayyan was having such a good time and I was truly happy.  My boy has come a long way.  I am so glad that yesterday, he was laughing along with us and not laughing on his own, for no rhyme or reason.  Well, he still does that sometimes, giggling at something in his head but yesterday, he was totally with us.  And nothing can take away the joy I felt.

Sometimes it just takes an empty space and hearts full of love to make us truly happy :) 

Spectrum

Hubby and I were just discussing about the kids with autism that we know and we were lamenting over how some of them are faring better than our boy, that it is so much easier for them to do certain things and pick up certain skills and so difficult for Rayyan to do so.  Maybe this is not fair to our boy, that we shouldn't compare him to others but with his IQ assessment around the corner and we are still unsure which  school he will move on to next year, well, we couldn't help ourselves.  We are just extremely worried..

We keep telling ourselves that autism is a spectrum.... those in the spectrum can be anywhere within the spectrum, whether at the higher or the lower end.  Fortunately for those at the higher end, they pick up skills pretty easily... talking, writing, following instructions, etc, they don't require as much coaching and guidance as the ones at the lower end.

We know of mothers who have never sent their children for any therapies or classes (their children only attend EIPIC and a mainstream kindergarten) and yet, the kids are doing so wonderfully well.  At the same time, we know of parents who sent their children to many different therapies and classes, who provided so much support at home but these parents are so frustrated because the children are progressing at a snail's pace.

So at the end of the day, what does it come down to?   ACCEPTANCE.  This is a reminder to myself and Hubby that we cannot expect our boy to be someone else, that we have to accept his limitations, that we have to accept him for who he is.  I am not saying that we should withdraw him from all his classes or just let him do whatever he wants at home.  As parents, we must try our best to guide him, support him, teach him and simply do our best to help him.  In fact, in our case, we have to work harder than other parents.  

We should aim for PROGRESS rather than perfection.  We should always focus on his STRENGTHS and not his weaknesses.  We shouldn't strive for Rayyan to be just like those high-functioning children we know, instead we should strive for Rayyan to reach his FULL POTENTIAL.

Ten, twenty years down the road, we want to be able to tell ourselves that we have done our best...  The rest is up to God...

Party in School

Overdue pics of Rayyan's party in school about two months ago...hehe..  Anyway, even though we had a party for him at home, we wanted to do another one in school because we know that many children have their parties in school too and we want him to have the same experience.  And we were really glad we did it :D

It was great to see him surrounded by his classmates.  When I came, many of them came up to me and told me how much they like him.  They are aware that he's 'different' but they still accept him, love him and the best part is, they PROTECT him.  It was so heartwarming to see how loving and non-judgemental these children are.

I am so thankful that he has classmates such as this boy by the name of Alden who is always looking out for him.  When I came, Alden told me how much Rayyan likes to hug him and indeed, Rayyan keeps hugging him!  Hubby told me that even during naptime, Rayyan is always with Alden.  I am glad that Rayyan has found a good friend in school.

There is also this girl by the name of Sharlene who helps Rayyan a lot, making sure Rayyan does the tasks given and that he follows instructions.  She is such a responsible and helpful girl and I can still remember the conversation she had with me when we were there...

Sharlene : Rayyan's mummy, I love Rayyan you know.

Me : Is it?

Sharlene : Ya, I love him but I don't know if he loves me or not...

Hahahaha... Isn't she cute???!  

I pray that Rayyan will always be loved by his classmates, teachers and those around him.  I pray that as he grows, people around him will understand and accept him, autism and all.  I pray that he in turn, will be a good friend to those around him. Amin...

The theme for his party in school... Angry Bird!

Teachers and Daddy getting the kiddos together

Rayyan's lovely classmates

And yes, that is Alden hugging him like a big brother!

All couldn't wait to sing the birthday song..

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!

Time to blow the candles...

But oh wait, they want to sing the Chinese version too! haha

Finally, he can blow the candles!  And I just burst with pride everytime I see this photo :)

Alden couldn't help giggling when Rayyan accidentally touched the cake!

Good friends :D

And this is the girl who loves Rayyan, Sharlene.. ;)

Surrounded by the roses...  

One hugging him, one holding his hand... Rayyan is a ladies' man! lol

The cute, little gentlemen

And how can we forget the teachers?!! Hehe  

Thank you teachers for taking good care of him :)

Rayyan distributing his party packs

He is such a big boy now... *emo mode*

And Rayyan darling, we hope you had a good time.  I promise that as long as I can, I will make every birthday of yours fun and memorable... Love you so, so much!!

Big and Little

Rayyan reading his 'Big and Little' book.  Pronunciation has improved and we are also buying books of a higher level now for him to read.  Thank you, God!!

And to you my boy, you will always be Mummy's and Daddy's pride and joy...  Love you, baby!!

The Dragon

We would like to wish Happy New Year to all our Chinese friends.  May the dragon year be a good year for all of us, a year of progress, great happiness and pleasant surprises :))

I have been inundated with work, which explains why this blog has been 'dead' for a while.  There are so many things that I have not updated.  I realised that I have not even posted Rayyan's birthday party pics and that was like 2 months ago!  I really must do that soon because this blog serves as a chronicle, a record of the important things that happen in my dear boy's life and I want us to be able to look back and reminisce one day..

Anyway, we went on an impromptu trip to Malacca during the CNY hols.  Really impromptu because we just decided to pack up and go on the day itself!  Made the hotel bookings, packed our bags and we were on our way!!  And like many unplanned trips, of course something will go wrong... We forgot to bring our pouch containing MYR, forgot to top-up our Touch n Go card and ended up paying toll of SGD50!!  But you know what, in the end, we got back our $50 (they actually kept our money and return it to us on our way back!) and we brought home many other sweet memories :)

Rayyan thoroughly enjoyed himself... swimming in the hotel pool, playing at the indoor playground (yup, found one just opposite our hotel!), eating his fav doughnuts and experiencing his very first trishaw ride!  He enjoyed it so much that we took the trishaw twice! lol

And the good thing was, he was very well-behaved and cooperative.  I was very interested in the history of Malacca and we went to many museums and historical sites.  And I was really happy that Rayyan didn't throw a tantrum when we were at the museums, he didn't throw a tantrum when we climbed up the long flight of stairs to see the remains of St Paul's church, he didn't throw a tantrum when we visited the mausoleums.  Mummy and Daddy are so, so proud of you, darling!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Exploring Malacca's streets

Both of us at the iconic Christ Church

My boys with the cannons at Malacca Fort

Where shall we go next??

Reading up on Malacca's history... like real only! lol

The boy who loves hotel rooms and always the first to test the bed!

Pool Time with Daddy

Another famous site.. Fort A Famosa

Old tombstones at St Paul's Church

Samudera Museum where Rayyan learnt about ships

Captain Rayyan on board!

Enjoying the gorgeous sunset

Pretending to walk on space.. haha

Rayyan's first trishaw ride!!

Having fun at the indoor playground

Me and my little Sultan :)

2nd trishaw ride!

And I shall end this post with this picture of Rayyan riding the trishaw all by himself!!!  And it actually moved ok!!  Bullock cart next!! lol

Probiotics

Many parents have recommended that I give Rayyan probiotics, saying that they see improvements in their children after taking probiotics.  These improvements include better eye contact, better focus, less hyper, sleeps better at night, etc.  With all these improvements, I thought, why not?  No harm giving it a try, after all, probiotics is recommended for everybody...

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of probiotics as a natural way to restore the balance of friendly bacteria in the guts. This has many benefits including enhanced immunity, but also positive effects on mood and behavior. Many parents of autistic children have reported vast improvements in their children’s behavior with the use of probiotic supplements.
-Autism Nutrition
http://autism-nutrition.com/probiotics-for-autism

So, what kind of probiotics to give Rayyan since there are many different types and brands?  Many parents recommended those probiotics from Kirkman Labs (a very popular brand among ASD parents) but since these are difficult to get, I wanted to try something that I can find easily here first.  Went to GNC and found Multidophilus 12.  

I know some parents give this probiotics to their children and yes, their children show improvements too so I decided to read up on it a bit more before giving it to Rayyan.  I decided to give these probiotics to Rayyan during this holiday period so that I can monitor his behaviour closely.

I am really not sure if it will work on Rayyan.  We have tried GFCF before and unfortunately, it didn't work on him.  I was hoping that this will and gave him the probiotics last Saturday.  It has been 4 days and how is he so far?

I must say that his behaviour is erratic these 4 days!!!  He is more hyper than usual and he will also suddenly laugh non-stop!!  And this happens in the middle of the night too!  He has been waking up early these few nights!  He has been waking up at 2 or 3am and this is driving both my Hubby and I nuts!!  And when he wakes up, he will blabber to himself and laugh and laugh!  Goodness!  I am imagining those friendly bacteria fighting with the unfriendly bacteria in his body and wreaking havoc!

Yes, I have heard from some parents that this might happen.  That he will be out of control for maybe a week or so before everything starts to settle down.  I am praying very, very hard that's the case here!!!

Through My Eyes

This song was written by a lady, Valerie Foley, about what it can feel like when you are autistic.  It was inspired by the way her son, Billy, lives his life.

I truly love this....

'Through My Eyes'

See the world through my eyes

It changes shape and it changes size

 It's not quite the world you see

If you could find a way to look around inside my mind

Maybe you would understand me

-Chorus-

Cause I'm not blind, but I can't always see

 I'm not deaf, but things can sound strange to me

 I'm not trapped, but it's hard to feel free

Imagine what it's like to be me

Imagine what it's like to be me

It's hard for me to try to think things through or talk like you

Everything can be a blur sometimes

But if you walk along beside me,

Hold my hand and guide me

Together any mountain we can climb

 (Repeat Chorus)

I’m dreaming of my future

And it’s brighter than you know

I’ll get there on a different road

When I’m ready to go

I don’t need pity

I don’t need tears

I just need someone to help me understand my fears

Show me that you believe in me

Let me know that I’m ok

Help me feel safe in the world

And I will find my way

(Repeat Chorus)

IMAGINE SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH MY EYES…..

Guang

It's exactly 3am in the morning and I can't sleep.. I miss my baby!!  My sis is out on a short vacation to KL and I am at her place now, keeping my mum company.  My sis has been taking care of my mum all this while and she deserves this break.  

At first, my Hubby and I thought that all three of us would camp here at her place while she is away but from our past experience, we realised that Rayyan has difficulty sleeping here at night.  He just wants to play when he's here!  The fact that he has school early in the morning makes it more inconvenient so we decided that it's best that he sleeps with my Hubby at home while I stay at my sister's place to accompany my mum.

So what do I do here in the middle of the night, when sleep seems to elude me?  Well, I have been surfing the internet and found very touching videos and songs and yes, I am crying in the middle of the night watching all these video clips! 

Here's one that tugs my heartstrings..

http://www.wimp.com/guangquek/