Google Sightseeing

Google now provides satellite images for most of the world. Sites like Google Sightseeing have popped up to display some of these images. Take a look at the few I found and if you find any other intertesting sites, post them in the comments.

Mt. Kilimanjaro - the tallest mountain in Africa. As the mountain rises out out of a savannah, the cooler temperatures create a forested landscape. The top of the mountain is covered with snow.
Alcatraz - The former prison located in San Francisco Bay was the home of many notorious criminals including Al Capone.
The Washington Monument, Washington D.C. - Scroll around and you can see the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials as well as the Smithsonian.
Empire State Building, NY - Towering over the center of Manhattan... look closely and maybe you can see King Kong.

Road trip

We went to Baltimore yesterday to see Dr. George T. Capone at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. We have been seeing Dr. Capone for several years but it had been awhile since the last trip down because of Michel's illness. The trip should be between four and five hours but we got caught in traffic on the way down. Every cop in Queens was racing to investigate the shooting of a cop right off the Belt Parkway and they had a couple of lanes blocked off right in the middle of rush hour. We thought we had left with plenty of time to spare but we ended up getting there 15 minutes before the appointment. That is cutting it close!

Dr. Capone thought that Mikey may be experiencing anxiety. This could explain his hostility to environmental changes and his desire to do things like shake a sock for long periods of time. His obsessive behaviors may have a calming influence on his anxiety. Dr. Capone suggested some alternate medications to try and he also wants the school district to bring ABA into the house. Friday, Michael will get some blood tests and then we can start the new medication. Should be an interesting weekend.

Party like crazy!

It was a party weekend for Beth. Two of her friends had Bat Mizvah's this weekend. Her and her friends danced all day Saturday and Sunday. Beth complained that the boy's were all boring because none of them would dance. The musical high point was Saturday when the DJ played the Ramones, "I want to be Sedated". All in all, Beth has a much more active social life than her dull parents.

Compare this picture to the picture taken two weeks ago during the school trip. We have gone from a freezing spring to a broiling spring. Today was in the 90's and it is expected to stay that way at least until Friday. Summer is still eight days away.

Mikey Graduates!

Mikey's graduation was Thursday. Here he is at the graduation party with his teachers. Two graduation ceremony funny moments... The kids put on a little musical number. Mikey was the only one who was really into it. He was dancing like crazy and really shook it up on stage. When they called Mikey up for his diploma, he got a big ovation. I think Mikey is very well known at the school. Anyway, when the applause started up, Mikey gave a huge smile, turned and tossed his diploma into the crowd.

Mikey is still attending the school and will be attending through the summer. We are still trying to work out where he will be in the fall.

15 minutes and counting

My blog got a mention in the NY Daily News today (page 36). Dawn Eden, who wites their "Blog On!" column in the Sunday paper and is a friend of cousin Kevin, had written me on Thursday with a few questions. She didn't use any of my answers but that is OK. Sometimes you just don't know where an article will go until you start writing it. Also, I don't think I gave her the pro-blogging kind of answers she was looking for. I told her that I have had more response from my website than I have ever had from my blog. The one thing that bugged me about the article was the expression, "Down syndrome kids." Arghhhh, I hate that! It's "kids with Down syndrome,"... people first! Oh well, we can't expect everyone to get it right.

The Headbanger's Ball

Mikey has recently developed a new behavior. When he gets frustrated or angry, he bangs his head on the floor. He has been walking around with a big knot on his forehead for the last month. Behavioral intervention with ABA has all sorts of methods to use to stop bad bahaviors and increase the occurence of good behaviors. In fact, ABA can be used on any child as a way to improve behavior. Most of the methods for stopping bad bahaviors involve ignoring the child and not responding to the behavior. However, you can't ignore a behavior that could cause injury. Some might think that the child wouldn't really injure himself, but that doesn't take into account that children with autism often feel pain differently than other children. Our ABA book has exactly one paragraph on the subject, suggesting that responding to the behavior may increase the liklihood of it re-occurring. Thanks a lot for the wonderful advice. At this point we are a bit perplexed as how to stop the behavior.

School Trip

I chickened out. Beth threatened me with bodily harm if I did anything to embarass her so I remained on my best behavior. We went to Blydenburgh Park in Smithtown where they have an exhibit of colonial industrial life. The Blydenburgh's had dammed a river and made what is now known as Stump Pond for their mills. In addition to the Blydenburgh's house, the site contains a carpentry shop, a blacksmith shop, a cook house, and a grist mill which are working today as exhibits. We saw a demonstration of cloth making using several materials including wool, cotton, and flax. The blacksmith let each of the kids make an "S" hook using a piece of steel that he heated in his furnace. In the cook house, the kids made apple pancakes which were quite tasty. The weather was cold for this time of year but at least it didn't rain.

Michel is home

Michel came home yesterday after having a catheterization. Nothing that should have caused her symptoms was found, so they decided to kick her out of the hospital and send her home. They don't do the procedure at Michel's hospital so they had to move her to Manhasset. Anyway, it will be a few days before Michel can go back to work.

Meanwhile, Beth's Social Studies teacher, Mr. Gordon, called me at work today. I had volunteered to go on a class trip next week and he was calling to confirm. It is all set for Thursday. So the question is, should I act real goofy so as to embarrass Beth or should I be on my best behavior? What do you think?

Mikey is in the newspaper!

Mikey is in Newsday. Go to the second page where the article talks about Mikey. The article is about music therapy but Mikey is given a good piece of the article. I have reproduced the part of the article that discusses Mikey. I apologize to Newsday but I'm afraid that the picture and article will be removed from their web site at some point.

Eight-year-old Mikey Paul has Down syndrome and many features of autism. He doesn't speak. Every Wednesday he gets off the school bus at home in Plainview and signs to his mother that it is time to get in the car. Wednesday is his music therapy day at the Rebecca Center at Molloy College in Rockville Centre.

"He's got a lot of emotion that we never saw," said Michel Paul, his mother. "Who would have thought music therapy would open the door for him? It's been amazing."

She says he is now using sounds approaching words. And he's noticing other people, which she said he never did before. She has also learned many things about her son, that he loves the Ramones and Louis Prima. His music therapist, John Carpente, writes songs for Mikey and weaves the types of music he likes into the melodies. They produce sounds together.

A year into Mikey's weekly treatment, Michel Paul noticed the first signs of independent and imaginative play. "He took a can and turned it into a drum," she said. "It was the first time I saw him playing with a toy like a typical kid."

Arghhh!

Just when things start to go well...

Michel wasn't feeling well at work so she is now in the ER. She was complaining of chest pains and with her medical history she could cough and everyone jumps. Anyway, I am hoping that she is just over-tired. She hasn't been sleeping well lately and there is a possibility that she might have something like sleep apnea.

On the good side, I took Mikey to see Dr. Modlin (the ENT) and Mikey did well. Modlin put him on an antibiotic for his runny nose and slight inner ear inflammation but he said it was nothing too serious. And Mikey passed his hearing test with flying colors.

Ordinary World

And I don't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive
--Duran Duran

Betsy Ross Paul

Aunt Tina will be proud!* Beth is taking a course called Home and Careers (what used to be called Home Economics back in the old days) this semester. One of the things they are learning is how to sew. Beth made a cookie pillow (as seen in the picture). She did a great job on the sewing and the pillow is soft enough to be comfortable while still being fluffy. (Beth told me that there was a tendency in her class to overstuff the pillows and make them too firm.) The pillow is, of course, a chocolate chip cookie. The dark brown bits are chocolate chips and the light brown bits are nuts. The colored rectangles are sprinkles. The cookie itself was machine sewn but all the other parts were hand sewn. Beth also made a little volleyball pin cushion to hold her needles and pins. Beth is having a great time in school this year. Once again she made the honor roll so that is the third consecutive semester on the honor roll.

Aside: Did you notice Beth got new glasses? And the braces may be coming off this summer!

* Aunt Tina is the family sewing expert.