Tag: Fire Alarm Pulling

Posted in Autism, Down syndrome, Education and Special Needs

Blog #103~Vocations for a Person with Special Needs

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #103~Vocations for a Person with Special Needs

Some 20 years ago when my son was born with Down syndrome, I wondered what kind of job Nick could do when he became an adult. I found myself gravitating to the checkout lines with the baggers who had Down syndrome.  Like a stalker I watched them work and interact with customers.   I’d ask for a carry out so I could chat more and offer up a huge tip.  I found a lot of hope in such moments.

Those dreams were crushed when autism ravaged my son’s mind and body. His speech would not come as it should have.  His behaviors were strange with all the stimming and worst yet, they became unpredictable.  Autism robbed his chance of being the best that he could have been with just Down syndrome.

Hope came back while Nick was in high school. In Blog #57~Community Jobs and Nick,  I wrote about what jobs he held out in the community. The link is @https://nickspecialneeds.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/blog-3-getting-your-goat/

Nick working at Re-Store (Habitat for Humanity)…..

Nick packaging door knobs_Habitat_4 (2)

Nick takes a lot of pride in his work.  Okay so, he might have pulled a fire alarm at his vacuuming job at a nursing home (woopsie).But for the most part he participated well in all his jobs.

Nick working at Tabor Hills 🙂 ………..

Nick tabor hills

Fast forward to the present, Nick finished high school and attends a post-secondary transition program. In this program the students work in house on job skills, are employed in the community, and some take college classes.  While Nick participates in production and vocational work in the school building, he no longer works out in the community.  His unpredictable behavior, especially the fire alarm pulls (30 since third grade) put him at too much risk to hold a job.  Reality has sunk in. 😦

I’m not going to lie. It’s a kick in the gut. The daunting task now is to come up with a plan.  How will Nick occupy his days once the bus stops coming to the door (at age 22)? I reached out to some of his teachers from high school awhile back.  (Originally I planned to make Blog #100 to be “100 Cool Things About Nick” That was way too ambitious and long.)  But here are a few things they sent to me that fit nicely here:

From Mrs. Hunt (his primary teacher and case worker):

“Nick has great functional skills! I’ve seen him help with a variety of chores and complete personal care routines better than some typical teens! Nick is a hard worker and loves to vacuum. Nick has a hilarious sense of humor! His laugh and smile are contagious, even when he’s being a stinker- which makes behavior management even tougher. Nick is clever and perseveres. When he’s determined, he’s going to have his way. Elbow bumps- this is how I know who has a good relationship with Nick. His elbow bumps make a person feel awesome.  I love that the last time I saw him, he still gave me one.  I love that Nick is a typical young man at heart- burps and fart jokes so funny.” 

Being silly with Ms. R, his aide in high school 🙂

Devil horns

His vocational teacher, Ms. Stoodley offered up some ideas for possible jobs for Nick: 

  • Dancer
  • Happiness Creator
  • Adult Education Educator (all of us that he has taught and made better)
  • Vacuuming expert
  • Fire alarm Coordinator
  • Siren Director 
  • Professor of Dumping
  • Screw Sorter Assistant

 

I am slowly digesting the fact that Nick may not be able to work in the community. We need to look at his strengths, then create a meaningful day for him where he is productive and happy.  He is a “happiness creator” even in the midst of creating chaos. So yes, there is uncertainty regarding his future.  We have 17 month to figure things out.  Stay tuned……

That’s what is in my noggin’ this week,

~Teresa

Posted in Autism, Behavior/ ABA, Down syndrome, Fun Side of Nick

Blog #86~Down syndrome and Autism…Boy to Man

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #86~ Down syndrome and Autism… Boy to Man

I find it mind blowing that my son turned 20 years old.  What a strange dichotomy.  In many ways he is much like a child.  Nick still watches Thomas the Tank Engine DVD’s and plays with kiddy toys.  He needs prompts with grooming, dressing and navigating throughout the day.

nick and stuart little

He is small in stature, and at first glance you might mistake him for a middle school aged student.  But if you take a closer look, there are signs that he is indeed a young man.  His voice is deep and you can see the visible razor stubble on his chin.  That, and the fact that he likes to sneak a gulp of his Dad’s beer on occasion.  🙂

Bottoms up Nick……

nick drinking beer

At Nick’s conference last week, a poignant question was raised.  What are his barriers for increased independence?  For Nick it is his impulsiveness.  It’s that need to push buttons, in particular those big red buttons. He can never be left alone.

For those of you keeping score at home, the current count is 30 pulls since 3rd grade…….

firelite-pull-station

In the Down syndrome and autism support groups we all scratch our heads at the antics that our kids come up with.  The reoccurring theme is that impulsiveness.  It’s uncanny, the things they come up with to mess with us.  So often, our stories are similar.  Maybe it’s throwing a shoe out the bus window, coming in like a seagull and swiping something off your plate, opening up the car door while you are driving 50 miles an hour, stripping down buck naked, throwing an iPhone down the toilet, turning the TV volume up to 99, blowing a snot rocket and wiping on the flat screen  or pushing the microwave and phone intercom button repeatedly.

Or dumping an armful of hangers into the washing machine…

hangers in washing machine

Hardy har har Nick, good one!  There are a lot more pictures in Blog #3~Getting Your Goat, located in the April 2012 archives.

Within the framework of the “barrier question” above, it becomes increasingly obvious that these behaviors need to be controlled and contained.  Best case scenario, maybe Nick needs to express his funny side in a more appropriate fashion that is less invasive.  There is no way he could survive in a group home pulling such pranks.

We have two more years in the post-secondary transition program.  On the day of his 22nd birthday the little yellow bus will stop coming to the door.  So, the IEP goals for Nick need to be focused on global independence both in the community and at home.  It’s a bit daunting but then again, so was toilet training him. Somehow we survived that.  I look forward to the IEP next week and seeing how his program can be shaped to foster a more mature adult version of Nick.  That’s what is in my noggin this week!

~Teresa

Posted in Autism, Behavior/ ABA, Fun Side of Nick

Blog # 10 Nano Second!

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Last Friday, Nick and I celebrated the end of school with a trip his favorite eatery, Taco Bell.  I like the one off 75th street in Naperville because there are no fire alarms in site for him to grab.  Yes, Nick has an obsession with fire alarms.  Since 3rd grade he has pulled 25 of them total.  For the record he has only got me twice and it only took a nanosecond!  Nick is always looking for the opening, that one moment when you aren’t paying attention.  That is the instant when he will strike.  The first fire alarm pull on my watch happened as I was fumbling to get my keys out of my purse.  He lunged across my body and clawed at the alarm before I could even try to block him.  Yes he’s that fast!

The object of his envy…..

So back to Friday lunch, I was glancing at the menu board to find something remotely low calorie when Nick grabbed a set of keys that a man in front of us had set down on the counter next to his newspaper.  Just before he pushed the red panic button on the remote I scooped them up.  Mom 1, Nick 0!

If you are around Nick for any given period of time you develop razor sharp reflexes. Let me put a lens on this. Here is a series of encounters that happened just this week.  On Sunday, my husband Al left Nick inside while he rolled up the hose reel. In merely two minutes he came back into the kitchen where Nick had wildly ransacked the refrigerator leaving the door wide open.  He had pulled out several things including two bottles of salad dressing.  The ranch dressing rested on the island with the cap off and was only spared because it was nearly empty.  Clearly, that wasn’t satisfying enough. But the full bottle of Asian Sesame was wrapped between his hands, turned upside down while he stood there choking it like a chicken as the rose colored liquid drained onto the floor.  Nick 1, Al 0!

A few days later while rolling the garbage cans halfway down the driveway Nick thought it would be funny to push the garage door button (again with the buttons!)  I stopped short in my tracks sprinted back and ducked under with my heart pounding just before I got locked out of the house.  I won that round, barely!

On Thursday we had a nice visit with Rob, a former teacher/respite worker.  Incidentally, Rob carries the esteemed title of being #20 on the fire alarm pulls.  About halfway through our visit I began to hear the sound of running water from upstairs.  Moments later the pitter patter of Nick’s footsteps followed by what I can only describe as a dastardly laugh  as the vein popped out of his forehead.   Clearly he was delighted. Rob offered to go upstairs and see what was going on.  As he came around the corner back into the kitchen he stood there holding his flip flops which he had politely left by the front door. They were dripping wet!

Nick and Rob….

Oh and let me not fail to mention that Hank left his bathroom door unlocked. I had just mopped the floor…. Cue the sound of the glug, glug….glug of Crest Fluoride rinse spilling over the banister.

A few hours later… as I put the finishing touches on the master calendar…. I might have left my pen out while I put of load of clothes in the dryer….uh oh…Nick inserted his intents…

Which brings me to Saturday, what more can he possibly do?  Nick is crafty and as I mentioned before he is always looking to find your weak point.  On this particular morning I was trying to get ready to go teach a step aerobics class.  While upstairs getting ready, Nick was in the kitchen pushing the popcorn button on the microwave followed by the intercom button on the phone.  A few minutes later in the midst of putting on my lycra spandex he made a nice Jackson Pollack design using toothpaste which he squirted in a swirling and splattered pattern from the second floor….(yes, the usually dumping spot, I am thinking of putting a plastic baby pool down any day now.) Thinking that I was staying one step ahead of him I carried my coffee with me into the closet while I changed.  However I accidentally left the mug there as I went back into the bathroom and bam, that is when he emptied it out onto the collar of my warm up jacket.  Nick 4, Mom 0….

This is going to be a long summer!

Even with the cabinet door locks back on he still manages to find ways to dump.  His goal is always trying to get our goat (see blog # 3 for more of Nick’s shenanigans.) He is *nano second fast and he will get you. I would love to hear any fun stories you have of Nick pulling one on you.  Send me your experiences with Nick and I will write a follow piece with all of your perspectives. Please e-mail your encounters with Nick to tjunnerstall@comcast.net.

There are no lessons to be learned or wise words to offer this week, except to say that I know better. I should have found something for him to do while I was busy in my realm.  So this week I simply want to offer a slice into Nick’s world….the rest of us is just trying to keep up.  That’s what is in my noggin this week.  Until next Monday, may you be on point and razor sharp as you take on the week ahead.

~Teresa 🙂

* Nano Second according to Answers.com is One billionth of a second. Used to measure the speed of logic and memory chips, a nanosecond can be visualized by converting it to distance. In one nanosecond, electricity travels approximately a foot in a wire. Admiral Grace Hopper was famous for handing out strands of “telephone wire nanoseconds” to her audience whenever she lectured about technology. Holding the wire turns the unreal concept of a billionth of a second into reality.