Jen Merheb - A Day at a Time: A Journal for Parents of Children with Autism

a journal for parents of children with autism BY JEN MERHEB FOREWORD BY VERONICA ZYSK
Managing Editor, Autism Aspergers Digest Magazine This journal is not a supplement for
professional care and/or treatment. STERLING and the distinctive Sterling logo are registered trademarks of
Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
2010 by Jen Merheb
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All rights reserved Sterling ISBN 978-1-4027-7299-3 For information about custom editions, special sales, premium and
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Department at 800-805-5489 or . Trust your inner wisdom; you know your child best. Trust your inner wisdom; you know your child best.

Many a veteran parent in the autism community has offered this bit of advice to a mom or dad whose child has recently been diagnosed with autism or aspergers syndrome. Its a sentiment echoed in articles and newsletters, on Web sites and blogs. And for good reasonchildren with autism differ from one another in innumerable ways that baffle even the best-trained professionals. Calling autism a spectrum disorder doesnt begin to describe the layers of nuance that exist within this population. And therein lies the minute-by-minute challenge all parents in this community face: How do I know this child of mine, who might think in pictures rather than words; who disintegrates in the middle of the grocery store because the lights, smells, and sounds insult his senses; who struggles with communicating his most basic wants and needs, and who enters life without the brain wiring that makes social-emotional connections come so naturally to the rest of us? We bolt to our bookstore, the library, scour the internet to educate ourselves about autism or Aspergers. We seek out doctors, therapists, and programs to help with speech or behavior outbursts, or to figure out why our child sleeps only three hours a night, and only in thirty minute increments.

We fight bone-crushing exhaustion and a deeper loneliness than we ever thought possible. Some days we desperately want to run and hide, but we dont: Our child depends on us. Instead, we sob uncontrollably behind closed doorsever so brieflythen put a smile on our face and try once again to engage our child, to be his teacher, expand his world. We take it a day at a time. As any parent of a child with autism or Aspergers can testify, the experience is overwhelming. Please... can anyone tell us why? The answers dont come easily. can anyone tell us why? The answers dont come easily.

So we hone detective skills that would rival those of Sherlock Holmes. With microscopic precision, we observe the fine points: time of day, day of the week, the weather, the color or pattern of a dress, the scent of someones shampoo, the hum of overhead fluorescent lights. We puzzle over what happened just before or what is ever so slightly different today, always and in all ways searching for clues that help us better know our child. Our minds become overloaded with the millions of details we take in. We need a tool to help us sort through the small and large observations we make about our child on a daily basis. Sure, a looseleaf notebook is an option, but its no more than a sea of blank pages, without a rudder or compass to help us find our true north.

A better tool is one that helps us chart our course, see patterns, and find meaning within the chaos we often feel. That tool is A Day at a Time. The best ideas are often the simplest ones, and this book is no exceptionits handy, portable, and a time-saverand in the autism community, time is worth more than gold. This easy-to-use journal helps parents record important facts and track treatments. In a two-page-per-day format, a parent can jot down observations that quickly paint a picture of a childs mood, behaviors, skills, and functioning in several areas: waking up/going to bed, daily hygiene and self-help skills, school and play time, meals, etc. Instead of having to make specific notes about skill areas that can vary from day to day (or hour to hour), the journal provides a 1 to 5 scale to measure progress in skills such as verbal/nonverbal communication, responding to others, attention, public/home behavior, and fine motor skills.

Sections for specific notes to doctors and therapists or about treatment keep details organized and easy to find later, during discussions with professionals. Special somethings and Making tomorrow better balance the practical side of the journal with space to describe the wonders of our children and the blessings they bring to our world. A child is one of lifes greatest miracles. A child with an autism spectrum disorder can be one of lifes greatest mysteries. This journal, used on a regular basis, will help you always find the miracle within the mystery. Veronica Zysk
Managing Editor, Autism Aspergers Digest Magazine,
Co-author, 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders (Future Horizons, 2004)

Medications, Vitamins, and Supplements: Use these pages to record any medication you are administering to your child.

Our easy format allows you to keep track of dosages, physician information, side effects, notes, and much more! Treatment/Intervention Program Schedule: Use this chart to keep track of your childs weekly treatment and/or intervention programs. This fill-in-the-blank chart allows you to organize programs by date, time, and provider. Appointments and Activities: These pages can be used to help you organize your childs doctors appointments, school functions, play dates, and other appointments or activities. Use the Notes section to flag attention to special reminders. Daily Log: The daily log is specially designed to help you keep track of your childs symptoms and progress. Start out by writing of the people, places, and things you saw or did during the day.

The day-to-day observations section can be used to log behaviors, occurrences, or notes. Outlined in the Measuring Progress section are some of the most common issues parents of children with autism face. Simply enter a number from 1 to 5 that best describes that days progress (N/A might also be used if the question is something that does not pertain to your child). The blank spaces can be used to further customize this section to your childs needs. In addition, this journal is specially designed so that you can track intervention/treatment program progress, write special notes to your childs doctor or therapist, keep track of changes you tried that day, write of the changes you want to try tomorrow, and finally, chronicle those special moments. Please remember: This journal is not a supplement for professional care and/or treatment