That was a lively discussion on the post about including kids with special needs in mainstream classes (and all parts of life). The winners of the Including Samuel DVDs are Mary and Melanie. Congrats! Contact me at lovethatmax@gmail.com and I'll pass your e-mails along to the director (Samuel's dad), Dan Habib. He's awesome.
This weekend was absolutely bee-yoo-tiful. We were outdoors a lot; Max rode his tractor, Sabrina was on her bike. It was hard to get him inside—transitions unnerve him. So, yesterday, I made his lunch (ravioli and sweet potatoes, the kid can't get enough sweet potatoes), and Dave plopped him in the car seat and fed him in the car.
Over the years, we've learned to adapt to Max's sensitivities and needs in all sorts of ways. Clothes, for example. He is often insistent on wearing pajama tops out. I've figured out that if I start talking nonstop about Max going on an airplane, I can distract him enough to get on an actual top. And when he gets agitated or upset about something, I can calm him down by scooping him up in my arms and running back and forth and back and forth, jiggling him. When he's in a new place and hesitant, Dave puts him on his shoulders; being able to watch the world from up there soothes him.
I don't bend over backwards to appease Sabrina like this because I can reason with her (well, mostly). Max doesn't yet understand reason; he understands the simple joys in life, like sweet potatoes, airplanes and getting a ride from Mom or Dad. And so, that's what we give him.
What special accommodations have you been making for your kids lately?
