BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Autism Spectrum Disorders Finding Adult Time

Wow Dolphin therapy sounds great. Did you have to go to Hawaii or Florida for this, or is this available in Texas? I would not be able to tolerate the outfit you have to wear to be in the water with the child. I have eczema and my skin would be ruined and itchy for life.

Did you have to be on a wait list for the therapy, did it last one session or a few? Was it partially funded through any agency?

The closest my kids got to a Dolphin was at Sea World over spring break. I wrote a few articles about that excursion and we plan to do it again next March or April. For some reason the spring break is not until mid April next year, like three weeks later that this past year!

There are many camps for kids with autism around here in Southern California. I will have to write an article about the camp. My brakes went on my minivan so we are taking a break until I get paid next week to get them fixed.

I figured though that you have to plan in March for summer camp to get funding, etc so I thought it would not make sense to write about camp now, but I think I will cover a few aspects of it.

How old are your kids and do they spend time with their father? Too bad you had to spend that free night at the ER. Were any of the Doctors nice to look at?

Hi,
I look forward to reading an article about summer camp. I really had never heard of such a camp being available. The dolphin assisted therapy was done in Sea World in San Diego. It's a LONG drive for me, but like I said, it's one of those things parents will try. The therapist that does the therapy (I have her company's name if anyone needs it), works with autistic children every Friday only. One has to schedule time long in advance since only a few dolphins are available and everyone should get equal time. The session was not cheap. It's difficult for me to remember how much exactly because I counted travel money, lodging, entrance fees, etc. into the therapy costs. As far as funding, I'm not aware of any agency that will fund this therapy. My parents read about a child in Mexico whose symptoms were diminised greatly by frequent interaction with the dolphins, so they funded the whole thing for me. I honestly don't know what I would do financially without them. My son loved the interaction with the dolphins and for a few moments, I saw a side of him that I hadn't seen before. He was outgoing, smiley, and making a connection with the dolphin and the therapist. Several of the parents that I met at the sessions had standing appointments for every friday.

I'm sorry to hear about your eczema. I guess the suit would make you very itchy. I was allowed to go into the water with my son only once because he was very uncomfortable the first time we were there. By the second time, he was totally connected with the therapist and left me easily at poolside.

My kiddos do spend some time with their dad. The post-divorce situation is getting better.

Please let me know more about the articles you've written as I'm always looking for something new to read about autism.

Good luck getting the brakes fixed. Aren't unexpected car problems just the worst?

My son would be thrilled to know they do Dolphin therapy at Sea World in San Diego. I do not drive freeways and it turned out to be a relaxing time on the Amtrak from Los Angeles to San Diego and back again. I splurged for business class and the ride down was empty but the ride back was packed.

I will work on a summer camp article tomorrow and hope to have it posted by Wednesday.

Thanks for the positive feedback on Dolphin Therapy. Are you able to do the Horse therapy in Texas?

I also have asthma and found out as a kid when I tried to ride a horse that I was allergic to them. Not too far from the Los Angeles Zoo is the Equestrian Center. We have driven through it a few times but my kids are not really interested in horses at this time.

When my ten year old was younger he loved Horses. I got him a subscription to Horse Rider and bought him a barbie computer game on Horses and then a few years ago sold it on ebay.

If you are interested in any topic specifically relating to autism please do let me know and I can write on that issue as well.

Re Adult Time

I did something for myself yesterday. My new dress for my brothers wedding got such a great reception I decided that I haven't had new clothes in more years than I care to admit , so I bought the start of a new wardrobe. 6 new pairs of pants , five new shirts , a new winter coat , new shoes the works.

I am plus size , I have a size 11 foot and I am tall ( over 5'8) so finding clothes/shoes is hard for me. I found that one of my favorite stores is now online so I thought I would share. http://www.lanebryantcatalog.com

Wow! Congratulations on your shopping. I'm happy for you that you went out and did something just for yourself. I think we all deserve that once in a while, even though saying it is so much easier than getting out and doing it. Don't stop now, next time you get a shopping opportunity, take it. I think that shopping for new things is a renewal of sorts. We, moms of autistic kids, need that constant renewal in order to stay strong for the kids. I'll share my shopping philosophy with you. If you 'like' something, wait until it's on sale. If you 'love' something, buy it now because someone else will love it to and get to the mall before you.

To answer 'Jellyfish's' question about horse therapy, let me say that our local autism society provides free horsemanship for about ten weeks every year. The free therapy just ended for the summer and the next free session is in October. My son loves the horses and when my dad saw how happy he was to ride the horse, he contacted a friend he knows who's daughter is a therapist. Together, they meet with us to give my son some horse time on Saturdays. Like you heard me say before...I couldn't do it financially without my parents. Those two would give anything for my baby.

I'm kind of sad because my summer vacation is now over. Work started this week. In fact, I have to go do some stuff for tomorrow right now. Take care everyone!

My clothes are here! I feel like a million bucks! 6 new pants 6 new shirts new non sneaker shoes a new coat * does the happy I don't look frumpy any more dance *

That is good news. I am an Advisor and Top Reviewer for the Online section at Epinions. You should consider joining and posting a review here:

http://www.epinions.com/Lane_Bryant_Catalog_Online_-_www_lbcatalog_com