Hand-made book

Austin made a book at Academie Duello, out of wood, paper and string. He bound the pages together with the string, and has decided to turn it into an art book of monsters.

Here are a few pictures of his creations:

In the Island Squid drawing, Austin has provided an idea of scale in a "Measuring Box" to the lower left of the drawing. He compares the squid to an island. Must be a very giant squid!

He has drawn an electric fish that will zap anything that comes within 3 metres of it, with 250,000 volts of electricity. I noticed that Austin wrote out "two hundred fifty thousand," and 200 50,000. He's very good at leaving out "and" when saying numbers (ie. two hundred fifty, instead of the common mistake: two hundred "and" fifty). The "and" is meant to be saved for notating a decimal place in a numeral. I asked Austin how to write the number, 50,000, and he said, "fifty, with three zeros after it." Then, I asked him how to write 250,000, and he said he doesn't know. I asked him how to write 200,000, and he said, "two hundred, followed by three zeros." So, we came back to 250,000, and I think he has a better understanding of how to write it now. He said, "two hundred fifty, followed by three zeros."

"Marinas" is a monster that I drew. Austin asked me to contribute a drawing to his monster book. So, I drew a sea monster with a lot of teeth. Austin recommended adding a semi-circle to the top of the creature's head, for its eye. Good suggestion. Marinas is an eel-like monster, covered in scales, with a small fin on its back and a large tail fin.

In the dragon picture (the monster is named, "Dracna"), Austin demonstrated to me, how to draw wings. It was really neat to see how the wings took shape as he drew the lines, with curved lines joining them. It lends a sense of depth and dimension to his drawing.

Tliskion is an alien creature with two eyes at the top of its head.

Swamposaurus looks like a cross between a Spinosaurus and Therizinosaurus (one of Austin's favourite dinosaurs).

Austin's birthday cake

Austin designed his birthday cake as an almost life-sized drawing of Captain Rex. I used Austin's drawing to decorate his cake with blue and black icing.

Here are the photos.

CPR Training

Skye completed a Wilderness First Aid course last week.

We had a discussion with Austin, after watching a video of a swimmer being dramatically rescued in Australia. This video shows an excellent example of agonal breathing, a muscular reflex that looks like breathing, but isn't.

Austin's observation of CPR, is that perhaps the quick, short breaths maximize the oxygen content of the out-breaths. His theory was that, if the air doesn't spend enough time in the lungs, it is less likely to be converted to carbon dioxide, so the air going into the patient will be oxygen-rich.

Skye also had a recent discussion with Austin, about First Aid. Skye noticed that Austin occasionally shows an interest in anatomy. More from Skye, later ...

Yes Man

Austin and I watched Yes Man (with Jim Carrey as "Carl") together, on Friday night. This is a light comedy (rated PG13) about a guy who has been leading quite a scripted life. He's very compliant, not overly ambitious, and certainly not adventurous. He works in financial services for a large U.S. bank, and has the authority to broker loans to entrepreneurs who try to "sell" their ideas to him, in order to qualify for financing. He's been passed over for promotions a few times, has been in the same job for five years, and just missed his best friend's stag! Just before Carl's life began to change, his best friend yelled at him, that he will die a lonely man.
By a series of spontaneous events, Carl ended up at a seminar which promoted saying "Yes" to all opportunities that are presented to him. So, Carl began accepting opportunities that he never would have accepted in the past. He had some unfortunate experiences, but each one led to something good.
At the end of the movie, Austin remarked, "I think there's a message to this movie." And Austin decided to start saying, "Yes," and to try new things. I would ask Austin to clear his place at the table, he would say, "Yes," and do this willingly and right away. Gemma would ask Austin if he would like to join her to pick up Aidan from school, and Austin said, "Yes," and had a great time playing with his brothers.
Last weekend, Skye was taking a Wilderness First Aid course. We picked him up from Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, around 5:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Skye was running late on Sunday, so the boys and I went for a hike on the trail. We heard an owl in the woods, and Austin was the first to spot it. Then, Austin and Aidan happily skipped up the trail, hoot-hooting away.
Austin said, "I've had an amazing two days, because I decided that these days would be great!"

Now, I will be trying to say, "Yes," more often. Poor Austin has tried it on me a few times ... "Mom, will you play Lego with me today?" Oops ... too busy with tax returns and year-ends for my clients. Actually, "Why not???" Let's go have some fun. :)

OT Session with New Therapist

The April 12 session at Sense Ability didn't go very well. Austin had a disappointing day.

I dropped Austin off at OT, then drove directly to Toys R Us in Richmond, intending to purchase the Lego Star Wars Republic Gun Ship, as we had been told that it was in stock, there. They were actually sold out, so I returned to OT, empty-handed, to a very sad boy.

The session hadn't gone as Austin would have liked. Jane is new, and Sumanta had reviewed Austin's progress with her, before he left. Sumanta explained that he had focussed on gross motor development with Austin, and had spent hardly any time on writing. So, the message that Jane understood, was to pay attention to writing and get Austin onto a program of writing practice.

Jane met me when I arrived to pick up Austin, and gave me a sample of writing exercises for Austin to practice at home. She wanted him to work on the magic "C" (c, d, g, a ...) letters and the diving letters (n, m, p ...).

Austin wasn't interested in returning to OT the following week. It was a struggle to get him out the door, and we ended up arriving 10 minutes late to the April 19th session.

I met with Jane before the session. She was very receptive and positive. I explained that I don't think Austin is ready, yet, for formal letter formation practice. He was very upset after the April 12 session, and refused to practice the letters at home, all week. Jane understood why Austin didn't complain to her, directly. She knows he is sensitive and doesn't want to hurt her feelings.

Jane resolved to put Austin on a progressive writing program which would be more challenging for him. I responded with a suggestion that she focus on building relationship with Austin before trying to get him onto a writing program. I also shared with Jane, my observations that the gross motor work was generating positive results in all areas of Austin's life.

His self-regulation has improved immensely. He is making better decisions in social settings. He is choosing to write, to convey messages to others, or to remember things he has learned. These developments are taking place, without formal writing practice. I'm amazed and pleased. The occupational therapy has been wonderful for Austin.

Jane is making a solid effort to build a good relationship with Austin, and I can see him warming up to her, every week.

Snowboarding with Uncle Brett

Today, Uncle Brett took Austin snowboarding on Cypress. They arrived at the slopes around 11:00am, and by noon, it was a bright, clear day. The good weather stayed with them.

I asked Austin how the day went, and he said it was the "awesomest!" Brett said that Austin was doing some good turns, and spent a lot of time on the edge of his board. Austin practiced a few jumps, and even "caught some air" on one. It sounds like he had a few spectacular wipe-outs too.

I picked them up around 5:15pm, so they got in a good day of exercise. Austin had really worked up a sweat. It didn't take any encouragement from me, for him to have a bath as soon as he got home. He was cold, and soaked right through.

Adventures with Nana & Papa

In recognition of Austin's 11th birthday, he spent two nights (April 8-9) with Nana & Papa on their acreage in Aldergrove. Boy, was he a happy lad!!

Here are some notes from my mom, about the highlights:

Day 1: Austin and Papa are off to do a garbage run. A1 wasn't so sure but I assured him the place was clean. Then we are all going to the library to see A. Donna - he'll be surprised! We had such a good day - so hope the weather will hold so he can mow. Last night I asked him where he wanted to sleep. He said in his own bed but the light must stay on. I said the light in the other bedroom could stay on but not one directly over his face. Then we had a discussion about the night noises he could expect to hear and what they were. I hadn't been in bed more then 10 secs. when the door opened and "Nana, what was that noise?" I explained it was the freeway traffic - then said would you like to sleep in here? "YES" So Papa and he exchanged places - but I said all lights had to be off and that was fine. Then we had a discussion about why Sally (Mom & Dad's "adopted" ginger tabby) was feral and why she lost her mother when she was so young - which led to a discussion on coyotes - then to what other wild animals we had, with the conclusion that you guys probably had more dangerous wild animals than we did even tho' you lived in the city. His last comments were, "I wish we could live in a place where there was nothing bad that could hurt you." I said that would be Utopia. - which of course led to another discussion on what Utopia was. By this time I was answering with 1 word replies so we could get to sleep. He slept until 8 AM so had a good night. The Meccano (Austin's birthday gift from Nana & Papa) worked well but the plastic parts are not as strong as they should be - anyway he's satisfied and doesn't wish to take it apart so he could build another model - he said it was hard!! I said GOOD.

Day 2: We watched Pink Panther 2 - slap-stick comedy (mindless).

A recommendation from my mom, to invite Austin to read fantasy: Perhaps if Austin knew what he was listening for, fantasy would be more interesting - it sure brought it to life for me. Basically there is a quest, lots of challenges, an enemy. Good must always triumph over evil. There is usually a map outlining the quest - and of course, magic. Very similar to Sci-Fi only their magic must have some scientific principles that make sense!!

Austin made a point of telling Nana that he must get in one hour of exercise every day, and dad says he has to work up a sweat. Austin exercised by mowing the lawn (only part of it, of course - they live on 5 acres!), playing ping pong (apparently, he is getting quite good at it), and foosball (sp?).

All in all, it was a productive couple days, and I'm sure Nana & Papa were plum tuckered out at the end!

Integrating Lessons in History

As Austin and I drove to Academie Duello together today, we had an interesting conversation about history, intermingled with present-day events and human behaviour.

I told Austin about the recent news story of a South Korean oil tanker seized by Somali pirates about 690 nautical miles north of the Somali coast. When I read about the desperation that drives some Somalian men to become pirates, it seemed similar to the desperation that drove some Norsemen to become Vikings. They needed to find a means to provide for their families, so some resorted to violent attacks and raiding.

Austin's view was that people need to do what they're good at, be it diplomacy or violence, to keep their Empire alive. He went on to explain that not only did the Vikings choose violence and surprise attacks, but they were good at it, too. He explained that the Persians used diplomacy to expand their empire, because they were particularly good at that.

I talked about how modern-day Persian leaders may not be viewed by the world, as diplomatic. For instance, the president of Iran wants to do nuclear testing and build nuclear arms. Austin feels that world powers may be against Iran doing these activities, only because it could make Iran stronger. I said, "Yes, they wouldn't want another nation to be more powerful." Austin interjected, "Unless they are an ally..." and I countered, "No, even if they are an ally, the United States wants to be the strongest world power." Austin expressed an opinion that the United States is the modern-day Roman Empire.

Austin told me about the Persian "immortal" army of 10,000 men. Anytime a Persian fighter was killed, he would be immediately replaced. Aynsley (teacher at Academie Duello) explained that Austin has remembered correctly, what he learned. Aynsley described it like a machine. The Persian army was always 10,000 men. No more. No less.

Austin explained that when the Persians employed democratic means to grow their empire, they would invite other groups to join them. If the other groups declined (opted to keep their religion and culture), the Persians would attack. The other groups were not aware that this would be the result of their decision not to join the Persians.

I asked Roland (teacher at Academie Duello) about the claim in Austin's Barbarians book, that "the Thing" was the earliest known lawmaking body in Europe. He feels there may be a distinction between "legal" matters and "theological" guidelines set down by the Church (which would have been in place earlier than Viking laws). Europe was not a region yet, during times of the Roman Empire, so Austin's inquiry about Roman laws being in place prior to "the Thing" makes sense.

Aynsley was impressed by Austin's statement about the U.S. being the modern-day Roman Empire. He laughed, saying that they hadn't taught that in class, and he can't say he disagrees with Austin ;)

Aynsley and I talked about the Viking settlement at the northern tip of Newfoundland, at L'Anse aux Meadows. It sounds like a great place to visit, and I am very keen to find out if there is any way we could go there this summer, when we are visiting the maritimes. This would be a trip spanning several days, however, and could be quite expensive.

Final OT Session with Sumanta

Sadly, we had to say, "Goodbye," to Sumanta this week, on Wednesday. This was Austin's final session with Sumanta. Next time, Austin will be with Jane, who seems very nice and has already indicated that she is favourably impressed with Austin.

Sumanta told me about the progress he has seen in Austin - improved endurance and upper arm strength. He also feels that Austin's motor planning is significantly better, and sensory processing is much less of an issue.

Sumanta has made a note in Austin's file, about the changes coming up for Austin, that may challenge him (see the post, "Preparing for the Perfect Storm"). Despite the fact that Jane seems well qualified and certainly is caring, we will monitor this new relationship to ensure that Austin continues to be enthusiastic about OT, and continues to improve.

We are so grateful for this therapy - it has definitely improved Austin's overall wellbeing. He is more willing to write when he is inspired by a thought, wants to remember something, or wants to convey a message to others.

The Vikings

Austin and I were reading his Barbarians book together last night. We read about the Goths, the Huns and the Vikings. I commented that Austin is a descendant of the Vikings on his Papa's side of the family - the Swedes. One of my dad's cousins has done some genealogical research and thinks that we may be related to Erik Eriksson. My maiden name is Olson (changed from Olsson in the late-1800s, when the family immigrated from Sweden to Canada).

Skye was listening in as I read the book aloud, and drew our attention to the possible route the Vikings took, to the "New World," or North America. Skye showed us that if we change our perspective of how we look at the globe, from looking at it with the north pole at the top, and viewing the distance between Scandinavia and Greenland across the Atlantic Ocean, to looking at the globe from "above," ie. looking down at the north pole, it doesn't appear to be as great a distance. Particularly, as Skye pointed out, if there are significant stretches of ice to bridge the gap.

The book explained that the Vikings traded furs and hides, wax and amber. I wondered what amber is, and Skye described it as petrified sap. It is sold/traded as a jewel. We discussed how it would have been likely for amber to be found in regions where they found coal deposits. Skye explained that coal deposits are found in bogs, and Austin has some understanding of bogs. Austin suggested that large trees would be able to live in regions of decaying biomatter.

One internet definition of coal is: "the world’s most plentiful fossil fuel. It is a mineral formed from the remains of land-based plants buried hundreds of millions of years ago and subjected to tremendous heat and pressure."

Austin made several observations while I read the section on Viking Beliefs and Law. The illustrations are rich with detail on "The Nine Worlds of the Norse Universe," and Austin was intrigued by some of the names ... "Gimle," "Asgard," "Midgard," ... and how they reminded him of names appearing in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Skye and I agreed that Tolkien was influenced by Norse mythology. When I read the claim, however, that "'the Thing' -- the governing group of freemen that met to create and discuss laws" was "the earliest known lawmaking body in Europe," Austin immediately challenged this. "But what about the Romans?" he asked. "They had laws." The Viking era took place between the years of 793 C.E. to 1066 C.E. Austin will bring this question to his history teacher on Tuesday. As luck would have it, Austin knows they will be learning about the Vikings in the next class!

Austin was interested to learn about a famous battle, "The Battle of Stamford Bridge," which took place in England in 1066 and marked the end of the age of the Vikings. In the battle, the King of Norway (King of the Vikings), Harald Hardrada, was surprised by the King of England, Harold Godwinson. Skye had known about this battle, and remembered learning of a huge Viking who single-handedly held back the English forces on the Stamford Bridge, allowing time for the Vikings to run back to their camp, gather their weapons, and return to fight. The only way the English were able to win against the huge Viking, was to attack him from beneath the bridge, from a boat.

I've noticed that Austin enjoys learning about history most, when he can learn about specific historical characters (Alexander the Great, Christopher Columbus, Napoleon, Queen Elizabeth I...), so this book is quite engaging, as it includes stories about individuals in history, among the general overviews of life and events of those times.

A suggestion from Katie: The Code of Hammurabi

Spore

Yesterday, I was treated to a lesson in how to play Spore. Forgive me for some disjointed reporting - I was frantically trying to keep up with Austin as he deftly navigated around the computer game.

Austin showed me the star Dando, and the system of planets. Austin explained that he can't colonize gas giants, but you can colonize a planet with a solid surface. I asked, Q: "Why do you need gas giants in a star system?" A: "They suck in all the comets."

Planet Marinus is a "T0" planet, so it has no terra score. It's a very hot, erupting planet. I asked Austin if it is inhabited, and he said there is a colony on Marinus, and they built their own atmosphere.

Now Austin is going to visit some special spice planets. Spice is traded like money. You can also trade Sporebucks. A colony needs a factory to make spice for trading. Some spices are more valuable in planets or colonies outside the place where they were manufactured. A1 is going around to other empires to see which ones will pay the most for green spice.

Message: ecosystem collapse! Austin is going to save the ecosystem. There are infected animals and he has to go and kill them.

Empire = colony

Maxor is A1's home planet. When he's on his home planet, he can recharge for free.

A species develops from Tribal to Civilization to Space.

A1 is placing an Embassy on an alien race's planet. He says, "They will slowly start liking me." Then he asked for a ship, and they gave him an allied ship to use.

Austin is going to put some working buildings in his Empire. He invited me to design my own factory, so I built a factory and designed it the way I like best.

Sketching

[Note: you can click on the pictures to see them larger]


On March 18, Melissa and I (Austin) sketched for hours, side-by-side at the dining room table.

Here are a few examples of my creations that day.

I drew several monsters that were all sea creatures.

In another drawing I have created a planet with bridges or elevators to the five moons.

In the bottom right corner I have created a planet devourer and on the top and bottom left and right are super laser eyes and in the middle
there is a planet devouring mechanism and around the two planets there are rings.

In the last drawing there are 2 double cannons on the wings, 2 rocket launchers are on the left and right side of the craft body. The craft carries 2 fighters which I had copied from a Battlestar Galactica Viper Mark 2. On the top of the craft there are 2 missile launchers and a cockpit and cabin.
On the nose of the craft there is a drill that is designed to cut through the toughest armour. On the wings there are, if you look closely, little teeth that are like chain saws and can cut through the toughest armour. Last but definitely not least there are three engines or thrusters. They look alike but one on the back is bigger. There are two smaller engines on the wings ..... That's it for now.

Written by @u$+!^