Nick – Page 21 – Down Syndrome with a Slice of Autism

Blog #89~ World Down Syndrome Day

Posted on March 24, 2014March 16, 2015 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #89~ World Down Syndrome Day

The United Nations official recognition of World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st. “Each year the voice of people with Down’s syndrome and those who live and work with them join together to focus attention on what it means to have Down syndrome and how those with the condition play a vital role in communities across the world.” Click on the site below to view events to raise public awareness to create a single global voice @www.worlddownsyndromeday.org.

According to Wikipedia, “Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, being universally present across racial, gender or socio-economic lines, and affecting approximately 1 in 800 live births, although there is considerable variation worldwide. Down syndrome usually causes varying degrees of intellectual and physical disability and associated medical issues. The date for WDSD being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.”

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon said on 21 March 2012, “On this day, let us reaffirm that persons with Down syndrome are entitled to the full and effective enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Let us each do our part to enable children and persons with Down syndrome to participate fully in the development and life of their societies on an equal basis with others. Let us build an inclusive society for all.”

World Down syndrome Day.org gives this message on it’s website, “People with Down syndrome face many challenges as children and adults which may prevent them enjoying their basic human rights. Many people often fail to understand that people with Down syndrome are people first, who may require additional support, but should be recognised by society on an equal basis with others, without discrimination on the basis of disability.”

Big Guy, Nick 🙂

My son Nick, is a young adult who has Down syndrome. He has so much to offer and has brought so much joy to the world. He’s made me a better person in the process. If you would like more specific information on Down syndrome click here @https://nickspecialneeds.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/blog-26-down-s…wareness-month/

Please help me spread the word about World Down Syndrome this week on social media. That’s what is in my noggin this week. 🙂

~Teresa

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

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

Posted on March 3, 2014March 3, 2014 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.

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……

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…….

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…

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 22^nd 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

Autism, Down syndrome, Government/Legal Matters Related to Special Needs

Blog #79~Reboot 2014

Posted on January 6, 2014January 7, 2014 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #79~Reboot 2014

The New Year gives us a clean canvas to start over. It’s an opportunity to paint a fresh picture. The past year was full of many challenges and changes. I am ready to re-boot and here’s why……

2013 started out good until Nick’s birthday in February.

The heater broke……. We had to bundle up for the celebration….. Here I am with Nick’s grandparents Jim and Theresa….. Brrrrrrrr 🙂

The first task was to tackle the annual report for “Continuance of Guardianship” of Nick. It’s a two page form along with a yearly expense report. As long as you submit this a month before the hearing, there is a good chance it will be approved. Then, you won’t have to appear in court before the judge. So far so good…..but not so fast…….

Bam!!!!!!!!

I got a notice from the State Department of Illinois stating that Nick’s benefits would end on his 19^th birthday. I would have to switch over from the child waiver (94 case) and apply for an adult waiver (93 case). Somehow the PAS agency that I work with failed to inform me ahead of time. The application process was daunting and the paperwork alone practically killed a whole rain forest. Nick’s funding was lost for several months which meant we had to pay his respite workers out of pocket. It took awhile and a lot fumbling through the red tape but eventually the adult waiver was approved.

See Blog #44 located in March 2013 archives for more about this debacle.

During the course of doing all this, I applied for SSI for Nick. SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is available for persons who have a disability. Nick has Down syndrome and autism and certainly qualified for this aid. The application procedure was straight forward, done online and much easier than the process for state funding. Again, it took a few months and a scheduled phone interview before Nick was able to receive funding. What I have learned through this past year is that you have to stay on top of things when you are managing an adult with special needs. It’s definitely more time consuming to handle his affairs now then when he was younger.

Early spring brought on several upgrades to the house including a new roof and siding. Then in April, the Chicagoland area experienced major flooding. The sump pump couldn’t keep up and the water poured over submerging the basement.

It took several months to get everything back in order. The garage and dining room became the “catch all” in the meantime. One word…….. “Mayhem!”

In May, Nick graduated from high school, what a milestone for big guy!

During the summer the dry wall was restored, walls freshly painted and new carpeting installed in the basement. I was thankful for my in-laws, Jim and Theresa who helped out with putting things back on the walls, shelves and in the bar area. They were instrumental many times helping out in 2013.

Vacation was spent in the Outer Banks, NC, it was just what we all needed. Upon our return, Miss Mellie our beloved cat of 17 years was in poor health. We had to say goodbye to her.

Rest in peace Miss Mellie……

In the fall, Hank returned to Northern Illinois University and moved into an apartment.

Nick started the post-secondary transition program called STEPS, which he will attend until he is 22. During the fall, new carpet was installed in the rest of the house. A fresh coat of paint was put on both the boy’s bedrooms. Twelve years and two boys, uh….. let’s just say they needed a complete overhaul! Carpet installation is quite an ordeal. You have to pack everything up and clean out all the closets much like moving out of a house.

Fresh paint and carpet, sweet! Nick approves……

Within a week after the carpet was put in, Al was scheduled for shoulder surgery. 40+ years of hard core tennis had taken a toll and the USTA Sectionals in August really did it in. The surgery was lengthy and the recovery was painful. The worst is behind him; his arm is out of the sling with 6 months of rehab before he can pick up a tennis racket.

2013 was challenging, painful and filled with many changes. The house is restored and things are nearly put back together. I am ready to re-boot and greet the 2014 with a clean slate. Mostly, I am looking forward to settling down, seeing what the new year will bring, and get back to writing about Nick’s world without interruptions. That’s what is in my noggin this week. 🙂

~Teresa

Autism, Down syndrome, Fun Side of Nick

Blog #78~Christmas Past

Posted on December 16, 2013December 15, 2014 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #78~Christmas Past

This week; a look at Christmas past with Nick and his older brother, Hank. Having a brother with Down syndrome and autism requires patience and understanding. It’s not always easy with Nick yelling, dropping things, stimming and giving us all a run for our money. I give Hank a lot of props for putting up with it all these years. Here are some of their special times together at Christmas.

Christmas in Texas, no pants required 🙂

Family gathering back at my parent’s home. I love Nick’s toothless grin!

Christmas at GMA Theresa and GPA Jim’s house in Chicago. Here’s Nick with his cousins Anna and Sam. Looks like Nick got a new musical toy 🙂

Christmas and Bears game time!

They’re getting bigger!

My high school boys…..

I hope that you enjoyed a look back at Christmas past. I treasure the many fond memories of my boys over the years. May your Christmas be filled with joy, love and peace.

~Teresa 🙂

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Autism, Down syndrome, Speech and Occupational Therapy

Blog #69~Down Syndrome, Autism and Speech

Posted on September 23, 2013November 5, 2018 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #69~Down Syndrome, Autism and Speech

I am often asked about Nick’s ability to produce words given the fact that he has Down syndrome and autism. He does have a vocabulary including a few expletives that he picked up from us somewhere along the way. I find it interesting how he can say those words pitch perfectly. This week I have a very special guest blogger. Brian Sabella is Nick’s speech therapist and shares his perspective on working with Nick at Suburban Pediatric Therapies:

Speech-Language Therapy and Nick

By Brian Sabella, CCC-SLP

I have been providing clinic-based speech-language therapy for Nick for over four years now. I feel fortunate for the experience for a couple reasons. First and foremost, he absolutely cracks me up—every week. There’s something about his brand of adolescent, slapstick humor that just resonates with me as a fellow male. Additionally, Nick’s family and support system are a pleasure to work with. They hold very high expectations of his communication abilities and understand communication takes other forms besides the spoken word. Nick uses a multifaceted system that includes spoken words, printed pictures, and electronic devices to communicate throughout his day. And as a speech therapist, I love it. For Nick, progress in “speech” means being able to communicate more effectively; it isn’t just about talking!

For those curious about the speech Nick does work on, here is a sample of some words we have practiced and continue to practice: help, Sprite, plate, shower, taco, pasta. With many of these words, Nick is not expected to articulate them exactly as you or I would, but rather, to produce them in a way that a listener would be more likely to understand. The idea is that Nick will probably be handing his conversational partner a picture of a taco anyway, so the spoken word is meant to enhance the communicative exchange. With this specific word, Nick will often produce aco, omitting the t. During our drill practice, I will call attention to my mouth and ask Nick to say it like I do, annunciating that missing t sound and providing a visual cue (such as pointing near the area of my mouth where the sound is produced). After a correct production is established, Nick is encouraged to say it again a total of five times. Performing a high number of repetitions is always the best way to learn a new movement pattern, whether that movement is a golf swing, a pencil stroke, or a spoken word. Admittedly, speech drill is not one of Nick’s favorite things to do, so his good efforts are always rewarded with a bit of praise or even a small morsel of food. You know, just to stay on his good side.

Most of my time spent with Nick in therapy hasn’t actually been focused on improving his speech. Some of it has. But I’m actually more concerned with improving Nick’s ability to communicate through other means. The reason for this is because, like many other individuals on the autism spectrum, Nick shows a strong preference for pictures. He also presents with apraxia of speech, which further complicates matters. This is why at home and at school, Nick’s uses a picture exchange system that helps him communicate during everyday activities.

Teresa carries around with her a set of pictures of Nick’s favorite fast food restaurants. When they are out running errands and it’s time for lunch, she shows Nick the pictures and he points to the logo of the restaurant he’s in the mood for. If he requests Taco Bell (which he usually does) he can then flip to a page that shows pictures of their menu items and he can indicate which ones he wants to order. Much of our time in speech therapy has been spent working on expanding his comprehension and use of these pictures.

Then there’s the Bored Board. As readers of this blog, you know that when Nick is bored, he finds ways of wreaking havoc in extremely creative ways. Picking up on these signs of boredom before Nick decides to dump fajita seasoning on the cat or spill an entire bottle of cooking oil on the floor will allow his parents to redirect these behaviors to something less destructive. The Board Bored shows Nick pictures of more appropriate objects and activities to request: DVDs, computer games, an iPod, a whoopee cushion, Flarp noise putty, a (fake) bloody Halloween hand, a sound effects toy that makes burping and glass-breaking sounds, etc. Nick and I have spent hours working on requesting with the Bored Board so that he can more effectively use it in a time of need.

Recently, our sessions have been focusing on having Nick formulate requests using “I want.” We set up a board using an alternative-augmentative communication (AAC) iPad app called Proloquo2Go. It transforms the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch into a high-tech voice output device that helps a person communicate by typing or touching pictures. Nick’s screen displays a variety of preferred snacks and some phrases, including “I want.” Our goal was to have Nick indicate which snack he wanted by pressing “I want” then the snack item. When he does this, the device speaks the sentence “I want popcorn;” I then reward him with some popcorn. If Nick only touches the snack item without “I want” first, then I prompt him to press both.

As you might imagine, producing these sentences was initially difficult for Nick. But over time, he became very good at producing them. This graph tracks his progress and shows that Nick went from almost always needing support to produce these “I want” requests to, after five sessions, almost always producing them independently.

As you can see, speech therapy is not always about speech. For Nick, speech therapy is about helping him communicate effectively, even if it means doing so with pictures or electronic devices. With an alternative system of communication in place, Nick’s life is a little easier. And his pets are a little safer, too.

Brian Sabella and Nick working at Suburban Pediatric Therapies 🙂 ……

Special thanks to Brian Sabella, CCC-SLP for sharing his insights this week. For more about Suburban Pediatric Therapies check out their website at http://www.sptherapies.com. As you can see there is much more to communication then just speaking words. That’s what is in my noggin this week. 🙂

~Teresa

Follow Nick on Social Media:

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism

Instagram @nickdsautism

Twitter @tjunnerstall

Autism, Autism Safety and Wandering, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism

Blog #60~Wandering and Autism: 7 Prevention Strategies

Posted on July 1, 2013April 15, 2019 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #60~ Wandering and Autism: 7 Prevention Strategies

HEADLINES……

“Car hits, kills 11-year-old autistic boy on the Katy Freeway”

“Body found in pond is missing autistic child”

“Autistic boy found dead, face down in a lake”

A lost child is a parent’s worst nightmare. Sadly, the headlines above are just a sample of instances involving wandering/elopement and autism all over the country.

Much like the wandering behaviors in seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s, children and adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are prone to wandering away from a safe environment. A study done by The Interactive Autism Network through the Kennedy Krieger Institute found this: “49% of children with autism attempt to elope from a safe environment, a rate nearly four times higher than their unaffected siblings. Two in three parents of elopers reported their missing children had a “close call” with a traffic injury. Thirty-two percent of parents reported a “close call” with a possible drowning.”

I understand this fear all too well. There have been a several occasions where Nick has wandered, taken off at the pool and bolted down the street. Nick is 19 years old and has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD). He has deficits in the areas of language and cognitive function which limits his understanding of safety. He has no concept of danger.

One day when Nick 11 years old he was on the swing set in the backyard. His Dad stepped inside to grab a baseball hat for a second. Something made me stop and put down the garden shovel next to the flat of flowers. I walked around to the backyard. He was gone.

Al came out the patio door. I shouted to him, “Did Nick go inside?”

“No, I just came in for a second to grab a baseball hat.”

I felt a hot wave run through my body as I climbed up the burm, the slow crested hill that separated the backyard from the busy street.

Al had recently ruptured his Achilles tendon and was wearing a therapy boot. He hobbled up slowly behind me. There was nothing but a stream of fast-moving cars pacing the road behind our house.

I called out to his older brother, “Hank, go to the front and check with the neighbors and see if anyone saw him okay. Do it now!”

My neighbor came over, “I saw him a few minutes ago. He got off the swing and started chasing a bunny.” He pointed his finger left, “He ran that way.”

In the Midwest, the yards blend from one to the next in a seamless row like football fields connected one after the other. I squinted hoping to see some movement. There was nothing, just eerie silence. I took off running. A dozen houses down, nothing. Over ten minutes had passed since he had gone missing. I was in panic mode, my body was shaking and legs began to fatigue. I kept sprinting but there were only five houses left before the subdivision entrance. Suddenly, I saw a small figure running. “Nick stop now!”

He just kept going. My strides turned into leaps. I caught up with him 2 houses before he reached the subdivision entrance. He looked at me as if nothing was wrong. We walked in silence back home. I gripped his hand tightly and counted how many houses he had run passed. Final count=20 houses!

It makes me sick to my stomach recalling that horrible day. We have since put some things in place as a precaution to keep Nick safe. What can families do to insure the safety of their child? In my research, I found an excellent website called AWAARE which stands for Autism Wandering Awareness Alerts Response Education: www.awaare.org. This site has a comprehensive list of tips, materials and tools.

7 TIPS FOR WANDERING AND AUTISM RISK MANAGEMENT:

1. Secure your home

Install secure door locks, home security systems, install inexpensive battery operated alarms on door and window to alert when opened. Place hook and eye locks on all doors above your childs reach. Fence in the yard and put visuals like stop signs to doors.

Here is what we have on our doors…….

2. Get an ID Bracelet

Medic Alert, www.medicalert.org is what Nick wears and it stays on him firm.

Another popular bracelet is called Project Lifesaver, www.projectlifesaver.org.

3. Consider a mobile tracking device

Project Lifesaver (https://projectlifesaver.org), Angel Sense https://www.angelsense.com) and LoJack SafetyNet (www.safetynetbylojack.com) services have wrist and ankle tracking devices. There are many other mobile GPS tracking systems you can purchase at Best Buy and other big box stores along with phone apps as well. See the resource page on the AWAARE website above for more information.

4. Teach your child to swim

A large percentage of the headlines for wandering and autism end tragically because of drowning deaths. Children are often drawn to water. Check your local YMCA or special recreation association for swim lessons.

5. Alert your neighbors

Make a simple handout with your name, address, phone number, information about your child (autism, non-verbal etc….) and include a photograph of your child. Ask them to call you immediately if they see your child outside of your home.

6. Alert First Responders

Provide the local police and fire stations with key information before an incident occurs. Ask your local police department if they have a data base and registration program for individuals with special needs. See the AWAARE website given above for printable handouts. There is also a free Big Red Safety Toolkit with free downloads on wandering and prevention.

7. Work with an ABA Therapist on a Behavior Plan

A BCBA certified behavior therapist can help with understanding the child’s goal and triggers that cause them to wander. The child may be trying to get to something they prefer, or avoid something they don’t want to do. When you can determine the function of this behavior, you can put supports and strategies in place to decrease wandering or bolting. If the behavior is occuring in school, address this with the IEP team and put measures in place to insure safety for your child.

Nick still requires 24/7 supervision and the house is sealed up like Fort Knox. As a family we have to make sure there is always a designated watchman. After doing this research on autism and wandering, I understand the necessity to be proactive and more responsible. Next stop: Make a call into the local police and fire stations to see what they have in place for wandering and persons with autism and other special needs in our community. Discussion of this topic needs to continue. I will be researching more tracking and monitoring devices. Look for this on Part Two of Autism and Wandering within the next two weeks.

That’s what is in my noggin this week!

~Teresa 🙂

Follow Nick:

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism

Instagram #nickdsautism

Twitter @tjunnerstall

Autism, Down syndrome, Fun Side of Nick

Blog #33~ Stuff on my Cat

Posted on December 3, 2012April 9, 2015 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #33~ Stuff on my Cat

December is such a crazy, busy month so I am going to keep the posts light and quick. I have yet to talk about one important member of the family. That is Miss Mellie, our 16 year grey tabby. She has a rough life following the sun coming into the house and basking in the glow……

When she’s not soaking up the rays she is usually on somebody’s lap. Here she is not quite a year old with Hank, age 4……

When the boys were toddlers I had an orange tabby named Woody who lived to the ripe old age of 17. Woody didn’t have much to do with the boys. Note Nick again leaning on his brother. You can see his low muscle tone which is a characteristic of Down syndrome…

My sister, Laura pointed out a great website called “Stuff on my Cat” a few years back. This site is a hoot, check it out at www.stuffonmycat.com.

For as long as I can remember we have been putting random things on our cats. By the way cat lovers, they also have a book and calendar too. We’ve had a lot of fun with this. So have Hank and Nick!

Hank put a toy cowboy hat on top of Miss Mellie. Howdy partner…… 🙂

Then he put a Superman cape on my sister’s cat, Paco……It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no its Super Cat!

Nick has followed suit with putting stuff on our cat… not always to Miss Mellie’s liking. He likes to give her love pats and he thinks it’s hilarious to sneeze on her too. Nick has Down syndrome and autism.

Poor Mellie has fallen victim to some of Nick’s dumping (Blog #3 Getting your Goat has the complete list of dumps!) Let’s see…. baby powder, fajita seasoning, PEC icons, then splat…. Head and Shoulders shampoo….

Nick thought that was so cool he gave himself a couple of dollops…… 🙂

Here kitty, hope you enjoy one of my stim toys…..

Who needs a Velcro strip, Nick just uses the cat…..

If there are no other laps available she will get desperate and settle for Nick.

Mellie is pretty lazy but there are two things she will jump up for. The sound of the can opener sends her sprinting to the kitchen. “Oh yes it must be tuna!”

The other is the dryer door closing. That means warm laundry and maybe a dryer sheet on her head………

Meow to the Easter Kitty…..

Mellie stoned on Christmas cat nip…..

She seems to be doing well despite the stuff we put on her. That’s what is in my noggin this week. Until next Monday may you take time during the holiday hustle and bustle to enjoy what makes you happy like a good cozy lap!

~Teresa

Meow….. 🙂

Autism, Behavior/ ABA, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism, Feeding, Personal Hygiene, Toileting, Speech and Occupational Therapy

Blog #18~ A Cut Above The Rest

Posted on August 20, 2012October 30, 2017 by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #18~ A Cut Above The Rest

Haircuts are no fun with Nick, period.

I can still remember the first time they started to bother him. It was right before we moved to California in 1998. He was around four years old. I took him in on a Sunday morning hoping the churchgoers would be worshipping and the salon would be empty. We walked in and there was only one lady who sat relaxed in her chair and getting a perm. I sat him on my lap and as soon as the scissors came out, he began squirming and yelling. Next thing you know he set off the car remote I had put in my pocket. I couldn’t get out of the salon quick enough. I slapped a twenty down on the counter and got the hell out of there. That was one of the last professional haircuts he ever got.

Nick’s first haircut in 1996, this one went well……

Nick the early years. His hair was so soft and silky…..

It got to the point where we decided to get some clippers and just give him a home haircut. Nick’s new look became the buzz cut.

The older he got, the stronger Nick became. Nick has Down syndrome and autism. His behaviors became more challenging as he got older. He started putting up a big fight. In fact, if you ever wondered why his tooth is chipped it was from him flailing his body and hitting his face on the floor during a haircut. Al and I began to dread them as much as Nick did. Bribes, oh I mean rewards such as a Sprite and a shower didn’t seem to help either. He began to pitch even bigger fits and we had no choice but to pin him down. The worst haircut was sitting on the floor of the bathroom with my legs around him and my arms holding his in a basket hold. We were covered with sweat and his fallen hair felt like needles jabbing at our skin. Nick flailed and then peed all over the floor. We sat there in a puddle of warm urine and fallen hair sticking to us. Worst yet, we were only half done. Picture this, a buzz cut front in the front and mullet in the back.

As I mentioned earlier the bigger the fight, the more traumatized he became (and the longer it took him to de-escalate). We would finish these sessions and he would be shaking, red-faced with tears streaming down his cheeks. It broke my heart. 😦

As Nick got into his teen years, I worried that we were going to have to go to extreme measures. Then, there was another area of hair removal to be addressed. He was starting to grow facial hair, nooooooooooo!

Now it was already impossible to give him haircuts and clipping his toenails was no walk in the park either. It’s much easier after being in the hot tub or a long shower so that the nails are a little bit supple. How could we possibly get a razor to his face. Luckily I had a good team of teachers and aides in high school who offered both visual supports and tips to tackle this next hurdle.

I have to give a lot of credit to Rob Trefil, Nick’s aide in high school. He was able to get Nick to tolerate an electric razor and actually get in there at his chin and mustache area. We found the roller top razor worked much better than the rotary one. Introduce shaving a little bit at a time. Then, increase the time with each session and lots of praise. Having a male to model this helps a lot.

Mr. T rocks…..

Big guy shaving……

Last weekend, we geared up for another haircut session. I was worried because we had waited too long and his mop was out of control. It was going to be like cutting the lawn two weeks too late.

Pre-haircut Nick, it’s a bit scrappy?

To my surprise, Nick did outstanding. In fact, it was the easiest haircut we had ever given him. He didn’t cry or get too upset at all. Hallelujah 🙂

Post haircut Nick….. *A cut above the rest!

I think a couple of things have happened to tone down the level of anxiety and how he tolerates haircuts. Puberty has passed along with the severe aggressive meltdowns. I see a maturity about Nick now that he is a young adult. As parents, we have learned more about behavior management, and use visuals to guide him through the process. We also figured out that it’s easier to cut his hair first thing in the morning before being bombarded with sensory overload. Finally, investing in a good pair of clippers makes the cuts go smoother. Nick even helps some with it. I am so glad the days of holding him down in a basket hold and shearing him are gone. That is what’s in my noggin, until next Monday may every day be a good hair day!

~Teresa 🙂

*A cut above the rest…. It is originated from the saying “you and I are cut from the same cloth” (being the fabric of life) and that the cloth, from which you were cut… was or superior quality.

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