Fathering Autism #34 With each new vlog the lies get bigger, so do the rolls on P's figure

[Kimmied]

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Oh thank you! Back in the day of AOL, I couldn’t use my name as the combination of the letters were considered “ offensive” according to them.

 

[Sweetums]

They should teach her the sign for "please"

And she needs to learn "I peed my pants" so that she doesn't have to sit in it all day.

 

[Kermy]

They should teach her the sign for "please"

What I don't get is they've shown Abbie eating veggies and they teach her the most important word in their vocabulary...donut
Once again all I can say is IDIOTS

 

[Snoop_E41]

If singing is beneficial to her communication, why don’t they all sign? I’m sure she would have picked up even more if they communicated with voice & asl.

 

[sachairiah]

Watching the vlog and I'm a little annoyed. He makes a big deal about increasing her vocabulary and how it avoids tantrums/ meltdowns.

He chose donut. They chose DONUT out of all the words she could really use. (They never will but this girl needs the word stop. I personally think its more important than polite words like please or thank you, although those are very good words as well)

Personally i would work more on ipad use. A lot of her signs are very difficult to see and most are modified. Not many know sign language at all, but they would personally need to know Abbie's signs to understand her.

When my child seemed to be showing that he might be nonverbal, i started signs. But not long after, i decided on PECS because so few know signs and i want him to be understood by as many people as possible.

He is speaking some now (scripting, echolalia, and sing song type talking) and I'm very grateful. For me my main concern with not being verbal was if he was assaulted- he would never be able to tell anyone.

Kay, time to finish the vlog i guess ha

 

[RocketQueen]

One of my favourite moments - Abbie pushing P away while laughing:

View attachment 175493

And watch Abbies hand. She isnt just pushing, shes giving that roll a squeeze and a shake LOL

 

[SpiritofSalty]

Ok, I am going to warn you this is going to be long. I want to repeat were my opinions are coming from ( as I am still new and my introduction was relatively brief. I have autism myself, I studied Psychology and neuroscience and I work as a researcher and therapist (not ABA!!!) for People with autism and other disabilities and their families. I am not pretending that I am the absolute authority on all things autism, but I think I have a reasonable foundation.
First, I did enjoy this videoformat more than those snoozefests they sold as vlogs until now. I could actually finish a video for the first time in months. Assas Voice is annoying, but oh well. Baby steps.
Cut to him explaining that they learned her body language by being around her and that she doesn't need to communicate emotions (what? you just said that she does) and that she doesn't have the capacity to understand the need to communicate them. Hard disagree! She might not understand the need now, but that is something that can and should be taught. It would benefit her to learn more abstract signs. Start easy with good/bad. From everything i've seen, they misunderstand and disregard her feelings, wants and needs constantly. Clear signs would help everyone. Abbie actually resorts to signs she knows like the ever famous 'bathroom'. Also 'all done' and 'help' is pretty abstract.
Assa mentions scrolling. What he shows isn't scrolling though. Abbie never deviates, it is bathroom, bathroom, bathroom. My theory is that she wants something specific and bathroom has the outcome that most closely resembles what she wants. Does that make sense? I am bad at describing.
Next is the IPad. Asa says that they are pushing it more and more (When? We never see it. In all the vlogs it is Abbie signing) because it is more universally understood. Yeah, thank you smartass. That could work if you a) actually disregarded the signs in favour of using the Pad and b) taught her more things than just food items and golf cart.
Cut to signs that Abbie knows. This is just sad. Barely two dozen signs and only a handful are secure in reproduction? And most of those is food? I know that Abbie is obsessed with food, because it is her only reinforcement (Boo! Don't do that!) and therefore learns those signs quickly. But that can't be the basis. No wonder her communication is deadlocked.
A says that the IPad is not just for communication, but also for fun. He mentions that Abbie always watches or listens to only three seconds. That is fine, butI would actually work on longer timeframes. Concentrating is something we have to learn and it is a use it or loose it. Studies show that the attention span in most societies has drastically shortened due to modern technology and everything competing for our attention.I'd wager that making the experience a little less fun for the moment would make Abbie enjoy it more in the long run.
It is the parents primary focus to make Abby happy and therefore help her communicate. Very good, but they don't do that. Communication isn't an one-way road. Constantly disregarding Abbies wishes, talking over her and being inconsistent (there it is) is not communicating, it actually discourages her from trying. Listing every snack known to man is not communicating. And spoiling her doesn't make her happy. Not really. It just makes it (seemingly) easier for you.
Finally, the new uberawesome sign is 'Donut'....I can't even

 

[Katie.kate.kate]

It’s just a load of bullshit. He’s only doing this vlog because people have complained about lack of content of Abbie. To be fair she knows very few signs and him talking about lack of muscle development in her hands, she doesn’t have a problem when she is grabbing food and shovelling it in her mouth.
I just don’t believe anything they say, it’s just damage control . She is no more advanced than she was two years ago.

She only knows a handful of signs and he decides donut is a necessary one? She’s not potty trained but can now request a donut. She usually runs through every sign she knows before she gets to the one she wants anyway so I’m not sure how effective it is anyways.

 

[Sweetums]

Ass-hat talking about Abbie communicating through body language and how he & P & Isaiah have really picked up on and learned that sort of communication with Abbie. He also talks about her modified sign language.
What he fails to mention is that he & P (especially him, tho) often dismiss or ignore Abbie’s signs. Especially if she’s signing for bathroom. They’ve said that she does that as a way to get out of doing something or if she wants alone time. But, what if she actually does need to go to the toilet? A&P are kind of arbitrarily deciding if she really needs to go or not. I get that there are times where it’s obvious she doesn’t need to go. Like if she just went five minutes earlier. Plus, say she is signing bathroom to get out of doing something or to get some alone time. Maybe take try to take into consideration what may be causing her to do this? Yes, some of the time it is laziness.. but I don’t think that’s true all the time. Asa says: “We really have to read what’s going around us at the time to fully understand what she’s communicating and what she’s asking for.”
“The most important thing to me is that my daughter is happy. And she’s clearly very very happy. One of the keys to keeping her happy is increasing her communication. One of her biggest frustrations and when she has her angry moments and her meltdowns, comes from her inability to communicate. So, it’s our job to give her the tools that she needs to communicate and have access to the world and stay happy.”

See, Asa knows the right things to say and theoretically he knows what he (and P) need to be doing to help Abbie out, to teach her, to work with her, and help her to progress. They just can’t seem to stick with it, put in the effort required and to be consistent with it. All of the things you talked about, Asa, don’t mean a damn thing if you aren’t actually putting them into practice and actually DOING them!

With Asa’s statement that the most important thing to him is that Abbie is happy, I actually think this means that he lets her get away with bad behaviors and not discipling her because he think’s she’s happier that way and he doesn’t want to do things to make her upset.
He does occasionally tell her no, like when she’s asking for more food right after dinner or if it’s bedtime and she’s asking for a golf cart ride. But I think there’s a lot that he lets her get away with to keep her from getting upset.

He has allowed her to become a spoiled brat by giving in to her to avois tantrums. A very slick spoiled brat. Don't underestimate her!

 

[Gambit]

I've been pondering their needs for an admissions worker to question. I'm wondering if they think Isaiah should have gotten more credits for his HS courses. Remember a few weeks back P was bragging that the test Isaiah took would "be equal to an Associates Degree" and "eliminate the basic stuff." ?? Now, I have been out of school for 19 years, but I have 3 in college right now....and there is no way that the required prereq's and electives would be enough for even an Associates. And for that matter, you cant get a general studies Associates so a hodge podge of coursework means nothing. In addition, when they rattled off the classes they enrolled him in English was one. And there ya go...prereq. I wonder if they got his results and are pissy, because something is fishy.

I agree, I think they got his IB tests results and they don’t mean as much as they thought they did. Each good test grade might be a 3-4 credit hour class.

 

[cathy77533]

Who in their right mind would pay $100 for three tiny 5 oz bottles of that tit? That’s insane to me. Even if I had a lot of money that’s just crazy. At the end of the day it’s bleeping lotion and body wash, how “amazing” could it possibly be?

I'm just getting ready to watch the vlog!!I already know it's a tit show!!All of a sudden he's putting vlogs up about Autism! I just can't with these people! Off to watch!!

 

[RocketQueen]

View attachment 175436
's face at Ab coughing!

This is what I see LOL

 

[SpiritofSalty]

Sorry, I left a ton of stuff out. I was typing as fast as I could and two thirds in my hands started to hurt. But I'm sure it will come up again. This family does not have a lot of variety.

 

[Hotographer512]

Sorry, I left a ton of stuff out. I was typing as fast as I could and two thirds in my hands started to hurt. But I'm sure it will come up again. This family does not have a lot of variety.

Thank you for your wisdom on the subject.
I agree with your assessment.

 

[Blasting]

Thanks Spiritofsalty!

 

[SpiritofSalty]

Thank you for your wisdom on the subject.
I agree with your assessment.

I don't know if it what I do is wisdom. It is just regurgitating and applying stuff I've learnt. I kept it at surface level and left personal experience out. If anyone has any questions, go ahead!
Thank you for supporting my assessment. I am honoured

 

[GrabPOPCORNnotPretzels]

I love cereal, but am careful not to eat this much, even when I’m super hungry! This quantity of cereal is certain to keep her stomach stretched out & she’ll be obese in no time. She may as well be eating a giant bowl of cotton candy.

And what is with her tarantula hand? What sort of connective tissue problem did Thilly pass down to her kids?

 

[lovesis]

From the comments I’m reading here, not watching the vlog. I prefer he and Priscilla act like idiots in the swimming pool than to give out “information” on autism and communication.

 

[SpiritofSalty]

From the comments I’m reading here, not watching the vlog. I prefer he and Priscilla act like idiots in the swimming pool than to give out “information” on autism and communication.

I honestly think Asa googled a lot of things for his little monologue. He also peppered it with long, smart sounding words.

 

[Msbullwnkl]

I agree, I think they got his IB tests results and they don’t mean as much as they thought they did. Each good test grade might be a 3-4 credit hour class.

So, I googled to see what App State had to say and found a link to more information. I think Gambit hits the nail on the head. I don't believe he scored high enough on the different tests to qualify for the credits as they expected.

Sign In - Appalachian State University

admissions.appstate.edu