Greetings Everyone -

I know many are preparing for the Thanksgiving Holiday here in the US. I am making sure I have enough food, wipes and soymilk stocked up so we don't have to deal with the grocery store late in the week. Thursday is our laundry day so we will have to move that up one day as well. There are a lot of adjustments to make to prepare for a Holiday, which also means a school break and no services for a number of days.

This past week my homeschooled son Nicholas who is 12 started having some serious tics. His whole body is shaking and twitching. This hurts his stomach and is quite visible. I am glad he is being homeschooled so I can keep an eye on his changes as he goes through puberty. This started when he was crying over the Math and History work. During the meeting with the Virtual Academy teacher the other day he was doing it a lot as well. He also never made eye contact and was starting at the table while answering the questions. I never noticed this before and am a bit concerned about this as well. Anyone who has gone through this please contact me with any guidance.

A neighbor suggested he may be stressed over being homeschooled and missing classmates. Another thought is to get his eyes checked. Luckily both my kids are getting their annual physicals at the end of the month so I can also get a referral to the Neurologist. We still need to get an Ortho consult for the braces and then his cavities filled. Just not sure which takes more precedance at the moment.

Here are some holiday articles I have on the site for your perusal:

Holiday Hints
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47638.asp

Adopt a Family for the Holidays
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art18842.asp

Along the same premise I have shared recently about a site I have been on granting some wishes. I would like to share a few with you to see if anyone has encouraging words for these families or can offer any kind of help. Also a search on autism will bring you to other families in need on this site. Feel free to join and post a need if your family is in a bind this holiday season - http://www.wishuponahero.com

This Mom is seeking a weighted vest for her 4 year old daughter. Their house burned down the day she gave birth to a baby in September -

http://www.wishuponahero.com/wishes/?id=4794

This Mom has a little boy who was born with dislocated hips and has a walmart wishlist posted -

http://www.wishuponahero.com/wishes/?id=4492

This Mom needs help getting some equipment for her daughter with CP:

http://www.wishuponahero.com/wishes/?id=5145

This Mom could use some support

http://www.wishuponahero.com/profile/?user=collegemommy25

Here is my wish for SNOW in Los Angeles. If anyone decides to join the site a vote is what I could use.

http://www.wishuponahero.com/wishes/?id=5550

Thank you for taking the time to read the wishes of these Moms and seeing if there is anything you could do to help them in the holiday spirit. By all means join the site if you are also a family in need and let me know your ID.


Here's the latest article from the Autism Spectrum Disorders site at BellaOnline.com.

Hidden Curriculum in the One A Day Calendar
A review of this unique calendar for those on the autism spectrum to gain insights that will help their daily living skills.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art54038.asp

Please visit http://AutismSpectrumDisorders.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Autism Spectrum Disorders.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Autism Spectrum Disorders located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=365

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Bonnie Sayers, Autism Spectrum Disorders Editor
http://AutismSpectrumDisorders.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com