Christmas wishlist making tip for nonverbal kiddos

The holidays can be very fun and very stressful for parents of children with autism. There are crowds and noise, blinking lights everywhere, and lots of music. Getting your shopping done takes alot of planning, timing, and patience.

My son has very little trouble finding his words anymore, but I remember when getting him to put a sentence together was a test of patience for me. When they're already excited, getting your kid to list off what they want can be hard. When Brandon was small, Christmas shopping was pretty much a guessing game. I didn't really know what exactly he wanted, I basically just stuck with his favorite characters. This year, even though he is having no trouble at all letting me know what he wants for Christmas, he has come up with a fantastic, nonverbal way to make a Christmas wish list, and I want to share it.

I wish I had thought of this 7 years ago.

Basically, it's just a visual list. I take him for a preliminary shopping trip, with the understanding that we are on a mission...and, should he choose to accept it, we will not be buying anything. This is for research only. (He loves to research)

Brandon gets my phone, or a digital camera. I set him free and follow. When we leave, I have a clear, exact list of what he wants. Then the pictures go on the laptop for review. We've done this 3 or 4 times so far, and it works like a charm. He has a ton of fun. We really only do this for fun, but it occurred to me that it would have been nice if we had done this when he was non-verbal.

So...that's all. No big revelation, no tricks. Just bring a camera and let them go. :)

What's with the name?

It took me a long time to decide on a name for my blog. I chose "Our Lives in Regressive Progression" because it suits my life and the life of my family. I was told my son Brandon had autism when he was three years old. He is nine now, so the shock has worn off, and we've been working with this for a while. When he makes developmental jumps, there is always a regression in his behavior, among other things. This has been the way since he was three. He regresses, then all of the sudden, he makes a jump, in some way. It can be in behavior, language, comprehension...you get the idea. Basically, he takes one step back, then takes two steps forward....regressive progression.
My life is the same way. It seems that things get to me, and build. It gets to the point that I feel like it can't get any harder, then amazingly, everything is better. The kids are happy, Brandon has made a jump, etc. I think that most people can identify with that term. Everyone goes through regressive progression, in some varying way.
I'm very passionate about raising awareness to autism and attachment parenting. AP parenting has helped me take care of both of my kids the way they needed. I am so happy I have always followed my gut, and will continue to do that and encourage others to do it too.
I have this blog to ramble about various things, be it autism, parenting, or just daily life. Hopefully it will reach someone that can get something out of it.