HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOST FANTASTIC, MOST BEAUTIFUL, MOST INSPIRING, MOST PASSIONATE SOUL, MY MOM.  I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL AND FUN NEW YEAR.  YOU DESERVE NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN YOUR LIFE. YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRING WOMAN.  I AM THANKFUL TO HAVE SUCH A FANTASTIC MOM.  I LOVE  YOU SO MUCH.  SO MUCH THAT WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THE AMOUNT OF LOVE I HAVE FOR YOU.  THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS LOVING AND BELIEVING IN ME.  I APPRECIATE THAT SO MUCH.  YOU NEVER GAVE UP ON ME.  YOU NEVER STOPPED BELIEVING IN ME AND THAT THERE WAS MORE IN ME THAN I LET YOU SEE.  SO THAT MAKES YOU A WARRIOR MOM,  I AM HAPPY I HAVE A WARRIOR MOM LIKE YOU.  MY SISTERS ARE LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING ROLE MODEL FOR THEM.  MY DAD IS LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING WIFE AND SOUL MATE.
I KNOW THAT LIFE HAS BEEN CHALLENGING SINCE YOU HAD ME AND DEALING WITH AUTISM.  YOU NEVER SHOW HOW DIFFICULT THINGS ARE.  YOU ALWAYS HAVE SUCH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT SITUATIONS AND ALWAYS HAVE GREAT ADVICE.  YOU ARE THE BEST MOM ANY KID COULD ASK FOR.  YOU HAVE THE MOST BRIGHTEST AND COLOURFUL COLOURS AROUND YOUR BODY.  I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY.  I FEEL LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING FAMILY.  THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR ME, MY SISTERS AND DAD.
I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT.
LOVE YOUR ONLY SON
BRAYDEN
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT RPM

I CANNOT EXPRESS MYSELF USING MY MOUTH.  I HAVE SOME MOUTH WORDS BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT IS VOCAL STIMS.  IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING TO WANT TO SAY SOMETHING BUT JIBBERISH COMES OUT INSTEAD.  THEREFORE, I SHOULD NOT BE PERSUMED THAT I HAVE LOW INTELLIGENCE BASED ON THE FACT THAT I CANNOT SPEAK WITH MY MOUTH.  I HAVE BEEN THOUGHT THAT I HAVE LOW INTELLIGENCE BECAUSE I CANNOT TALK WITH MY MOUTH BUT I DIDN’T HAVE A WAY TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW SMART I WAS UNTIL I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD WHEN I LEARNED RAPID PROMPTING METHOD (RPM).  NOW I CAN SHOW PEOPLE I AM SMART. 

I HAVE NEVER BEEN TAUGHT AGE APPROPRIATE ACADEMICS IN MY WHOLE SCHOOL CAREER UNTIL I STARTED RPM.  MY MOM TEACHES ME AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL I AM TAUGHT GRADE LEVEL WORK.  THE SCHOOL THIS YEAR IS TEACHING ME GRADE LEVEL WORK BECAUSE MY MOM ADVOCATED FOR ME.  I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THE SAME PRESCHOOL WORK FOR SIX YEARS.  HOW BORING IS THAT?  HOW SAD AND DEPRESSING IS THAT?  CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING TAUGHT THE SAME PRESCHOOL WORK FOR SIX YEARS IN A ROW?  PEOPLE THINK THAT YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR LETTERS, NUMBERS OR COLOURS.  IT IS SUCH A HORRIBLE LIFE WHEN YOU CANNOT EXPRESS YOURSELF AND CANNOT SHOW HOW SMART YOU ARE.  THAT WAS ME BEFORE RPM.  BUT THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW THAT I RPM.  I AM BEING TAUGHT GRADE LEVEL ACADEMICS AT SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME.  MY MOM TEACHES ME ABOVE GRADE LEVEL ACADEMICS AT HOMESCHOOL.  I AM ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE.

I THINK RPM SHOULD BE USED ON ANY AUTISTIC THAT CANNOT EXPRESS THEMSELVES OR FULLY COMMUNICATE THEMSELVES.  THIS WOULD INCLUDE SPEAKING, MINIMAL SPEAKING AND NON SPEAKING AUTISTICS.  I HAD NO FRIENDS UNTIL I MET ANOTHER RPMer.  I HAD NO WAY TO TALK TO PEOPLE.  I HAD NO MEANINGFUL FRIENDSHIPS.  I WAS SAD I HAD NO ONE TO TALK TO AND NO FRIENDS.  IT WASN’T UNTIL I STARTED RPM THAT I STARTED HAVING FRIENDSHIPS.  I FOUND TRUE FRIENDS THAT I CAN TALK TO ABOUT AUTISM AND ANYTHING WE WANT.  WE ACCEPT EACH OTHER FOR WHO THE PERSON IS.  WE DON’T JUDGE EACH OTHER.  WE ARE PATIENT WITH EACH OTHER.  WE ALL HAVE THINGS IN COMMON.  WE ALL RPM.  

UNCONTROLLABLE BODY

I HAVE BEEN SKIING FOR TWO SEASONS.  I REALLY ENJOY SKIING.  I AM GREAT AT BALANCING MY BODY.  I CAN FEEL EVERY PART OF MY BODY.  IT IS SO INTERESTING TO BE ABLE TO FEEL EVERY BODY PART.  I CAN THEN TELL MY BODY PART WHAT TO DO.  THE ONLY THING IS MY BODY DOESN'T LISTEN TO ME MOST OF THE TIME.  IT IS SO EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING TO LIVE WITH THIS OUT OF CONTROL BODY.  I HATE THAT I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER MY BODY.  I AM PERCEIVED TO NOT BE INTELLIGENT BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE I FLAP, MAKE VOCAL NOISES, MAKE LITTLE EYE CONTACT, I DON'T SPEAK WITH MY MOUTH OR LAUGH AT THE RIGHT TIME.  THIS MEANS THAT I HAVE A BRAIN AND BODY DISCONNECT.  IT IS EASIER TO UNDERSTAND NOW THAT I RPM TO EXPRESS MYSELF.  I CAN TALK ABOUT THINGS RELATED TO AUTISM AND I CAN TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT THE REAL AUTISM.  AUTISTICS HAVE THINKING MINDS JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.  I AM HUMAN TOO.  I JUST CAN'T TALK WITH MY MOUTH.