Fun time at camp

PORTSEA

(and I'm back, but I don't know for how long)

So, it's been a while huh? Well since then, I finished the project and I received awesome marks! So that happened. Another exciting thing that I did was going on an organized camp by Amaze Victoria to Portsea. For those that don't know, Amaze Victoria used to be known as Autism Victoria. And this camp was for 11-18 year olds who had a sibling on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, whether that be Autism, Asperger's or ADHD. So the camp went from the 18th of October to the 21st of October.

On the midday of Friday, all campers were to meet at Southern Cross Station with Amaze Victoria where there would be two coaches taking us to Portsea Camp. Admittedly I spent the 2-3 hours listening to Coldplay and mostly ignoring the smaller kids around me... which is a great way to make friends. I then started to think that maybe there would be no-one my age on this camp and that would be the biggest bummer. Arriving at the campsite, we had a safety talk before heading off to find our cabins.

After two laps of the campsite, I finally found my cabin where I was sharing with four other girls who were to become some of the best people I have ever met. We then headed down to the Portsea beach was beautiful and spent some time there where I got to know more about the girls I was going to spend a lot of my time with.

Portsea beach

That night, dinner was served and there was a trivia night. Our team 'Yoloswaggers' came 3rd which was disappointing considering we were beaten by the boys team. I'm quite sure they were cheating anyway, googling the answers.

The 2nd day was when the real fun began. It started with a group session with one of the camp leaders where we talked about our siblings and what was similar and different between them. It was a very different environment because these were the people that understood what type of situation I was in and could relate. The group sessions helped us understand ASD with better knowledge. After that was Raft Making which was quite an experience. Franeiss was a former scout girl so she did most of the knot tying. Considering it was 10am the water was quite cold so everyone was hesitant in going to the water. The next activity we did was the giant swing which I believe was 25m high. Everyone had a go which was good and the view from up there was pretty good. The third activity was kayaking in which Franeiss and I partnered up and were quite the pair. We lead from the front and had an awesome day. That night, a movie was on but the older teens left and went to hang out in the cabin (with the boys). We just chatted and had a pretty good time. A few games of UNO were played and I can happily say that I won!

The 3rd day was another day filled with activities. Although today was mostly indoors. Drama, cooking and arts and craft were all completed. I made some pretty nice cookies with Alicia and shared them around with the group. We got to know each other further with hang out session with everyone. Talent search was held that night and some AMAZING performances from Alexia with an improvised contemporary dance piece; Levi and his talented voice and ukulele; and we can't forget Porky (Zac) with his comedy stand up. A disco was held that night and some pretty snazzy dance moves were pulled out that night. The older group huddled into the boys cabin to hang out and sing and we also discovered Samuel was asked to be in the QANTAS choir at the age of 7 with quite the voice.

The feeling of waking up on the last day of camp and knowing so was a pretty bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I had made these amazing group of people that I'll be friends with for life, and on the other, this might be the last time we be at this camp together, with some getting past the age bracket for the camp. That morning, we packed up our stuff, and moved to the movie room where Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was shown. And then the dreaded moment of hoping onto the bus and making the 3 hour bus ride home. Arriving at Southern Cross station, there were tears shed and hugs and goodbyes were said.

The camp was one of the best things I've ever done in my life and I'd like to thank Amaze for putting on the camp and the leaders that were there over the weekend. And more importantly, I'd like to thank the friends that I made there: 

Back row (left to right): Alicia, Hannah, Vicky, Jorden, Levi, Cameron, Shannon, Zac

Middle row (left to right): Franiess, random, Samuel, Daniel

Front Row (left to right): Myself, Alexia, Olivia

Farewell

ENDING?

So, as most of you probably know, this blog started as my product for my school project. Now that the due date for this project is looming, I have to evaluate my product before handing it in. Which could mean the closing of this blog, which completely sucks.

This blog was for the most part, was an outlet. A place where it was okay to rant or to let my voice be heard. It was a place where I could share both happy thoughts and negative thoughts about my feelings towards my brother. It was a place I can show the successes and the proud moments of my brother. This blog helped me to become a better person through reflection.

Since this blog began just under a year ago, the improvement in Dong has been monstrous. To see him grow and blossom into a ball of energy as a 5 year old boy is something I'll treasure and will continue to treasure as he continues to grow. As a sister, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing that smile everyday. And to think that he recently turned 5 as well! We went to my old primary school the other day to get some papers to enrol Dong for primary school next year and I really can't believe it has gone so quickly! I remember a few days after that visit, he kept on saying how he wanted to go to the big school again. It seems that  he's excited about it just as much as I am.

So although this chapter ends today, another one will open and soon, we'll start the journey of primary school together. I think I'll be more nervous for him than he will be for himself when the time comes.

For almost a year, this blog has been running.

For almost a year, I've been posting.

For almost a year, you've been reading.

For almost a year, I thank you every time.

The amount of thank you's I say will not be enough to show you my gratitude that you've been putting up with this blog.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

Nhu Q.

xx

Movies/Books

ASD IN MOVIES/BOOKS

As you may or may not know, the whole reason I chose "Living with an Autistic Brother" as my topic for this project was because the book: "The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon. In this book, Christopher (our protagonist) is a teenage boy who has Asperger's Syndrome. The book is based around Christopher's life and the way he thinks. This was only one of the two media forms that involved a character with an Autism Spectrum Disorder that I had encountered.

The other being the movie: "The Black Balloon" which is an Australian film directed by Elissa Down. The basic synopsis from Wikipedia: "Fifteen-year-old Thomas Mollison and his family move to a new home in the early 1990s. He is anxious because he has to start at a new school, and make new friends - all he wants is to do is fit in and be regarded in the same way as everyone else. However, it seems he struggles to achieve this goal. Although his family appears to be a fairly happy one, Thomas often feels isolated; it seems as if his mother only dotes upon his brother, Charlie, and does not pay any attention to him. Thomas, however, is devoted to his brother and shows affection for him. Charlie is Thomas's older brother who lives with autism, as well as Attention Deficit Disorder." (x) This movie definitely connected with me mainly because of what Thomas (the sibling) goes through. I remember there's a scene in the movie where Thomas ends up crying in the bathroom late at night because of his conflicted feelings about Charlie's disorder. Sometimes I find myself thinking about that which only leaves me with a strange feeling of extreme guilt because Dong can't help the fact that he has Autism. The movie is definitely something that expresses the life with living with an autistic family member is like. I recommend you all see it because it'll help you understand and shed a few tears.

Thanks for reading,

Byeee

Time

TIME

Living with an autistic brother sometimes requires the best organization skills within the family. There are places to get to. There are appointments to attend with speech pathologists, therapists etc. A lot of family time can be spent in the car or in waiting rooms. Sometimes, even as the sibling the blank walls of a waiting room can get annoying.

A lot of time has to be given so Dong can go his speech therapy sessions and it's my parents that take him there. They sacrifice a big part of their day caring for Dong and making sure that he's okay and that he is progressing well. Sometimes, I try to pitch in say about half an hour to an hour each night just to sit with him or ask him about what he did at Kinder or at his speech session. But as the work load of being at the higher level of high school becomes heavier and more important, trying to find time for that is tough.

Maybe that's something for all siblings as well. Especially with younger ones, where time has to be managed and organized so that there is time for us to talk and be social with each other.



Thanks for reading
Bye

Knowledge

KNOWLEDGE

In 2002, one in 250 children were diagnosed with Autism. In 2012, those numbers have changed to one in 88 children children being diagnosed. As a result, people have now heard the word 'autism' more often, but some don't really know what that means. The increasing number of diagnosis means that there is a higher chance that someone might know or is related to a person that is diagnosed under the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Before my brother was born, I had never heard of the word autism let alone knew what it meant. It wasn't until my brother was three that the word became familiar and I had gained knowledge about the disorder. We had studied a book called 'The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time' in English that year and that novel was about a boy who had Aspergers Syndrome. He was our protagonist and we went on a journey with him about his life with his dad, and his ups and downs as to finding out more about why his mother left him. This was my first ever interaction in the area under theAutism Spectrum.

Autism falls under the Autism Spectrum umbrella, which also includes Aspergers, PDD-NOS, childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome. Autism (along with the others) usually effects the development of a child/person. An easier way to see it is, everything is completely the same, it's just their brains are 'wired differently'. 

For me personally, I'd like to think that a lot more people in today's society would be more accepting of this disorder because of the increase in diagnosis. And that's a comforting thought in a way because it means that more people will eventually learn more about Autism and be more aware of it. That's probably something really selfish to say but I'd just like people to understand the disorder and maybe that's what I'm trying to get it. I want more people to gain knowledge and pass on knowledge so the world could be educated.


Thanks for reading
Byeeee

Sister

The Sibling

This one will probably a much more personal post and I'm not exactly sure how to 'word it' so bare with me on this one. I guess part of this blog was to help express what I was feeling when things happen around Dong and I think this post my be a little similar to that.

Siblings with autism often feel lonely with the amount of attention that is shown towards the autistic sibling. For me, I try really hard not to feel that way because I'm old enough to know that he needs the attention and I'm capable to look after myself. But sometimes I wish that maybe there was someone my age with whom I could talk to and knows what I'm going through. I don't often like to let myself think about it too much because I feel extremely guilty because I know there are families and people going through much worse situations than I am.

I also often stress about my brother's future, things like school, friends, love relationships, careers and if he'll manage to live by himself when he's older. I even stress about my parents stress levels and how they're coping with it.

Nothing really prepares you on how to be a great sibling to an autistic brother/sister. In fact, you were never taught how to be a brother or sister at all. There are no classes you can take that tell you what to do and how to react, There is none of that and sometimes I really wished there were! I wish there was a book that I could read that has all the situations I could face with an autistic sibling and how I could react to them because sometimes I really don't know what to do.

Anyway, that was a bit of a negative post but thanks for sticking with it.

Thanks for reading.
Bye.

SCHOOL

SCHOOL

A few weeks ago, Cathy from Early Childhood Intervention visited our home to discuss the topic of Dong going to primary school. He will of course be starting next year. There's a part of me that is really excited yet the overprotective side is really scared and worried for him. I'm worried how he will cope being in this new environment with at least another 20 kids who don't really understand the concept of being on the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Betty (Dong's speech pathologist) says that Dong is capable of going to a mainstream primary school which I thought was good news. For Dong, it gives him a chance to be 'normal'. Soon, Dong will be moving into Kinder so that they prepare him for Prep.

As a sister, I want to make sure that he is OK. And nothing bad will happen to him. To keep that precious world of his as it is. But there's a side that wants him to achieve success on his own through primary school and high school.



Thanks for reading and feedback would be appreciated ♥

xx

SPEECH PATHOLOGY

SPEECH

For the past month, my brother has been seeing a speech pathologist. These one on one sessions with Betty, happen once a week. I have been attending these sessions 3 times now and I really do enjoy being a part of my brother's speech development.

In these sessions, there is a lot playing involved; this is because my brother learns through play. She has this things about 'stupid creativity' or something along those lines where she will give everyone else a card, but won't give my brother one, therefore he has to learn to ask for help. Betty says that my brother struggles to ask for help which makes this concept something to work on and continue.

My brother also does this thing called 'labelling' where he will point and say:" This is ...." What we are trying to help him with is also starting to using describing words to help him. 

Singing songs also helps my brother increase his length sentence. There's this particular song called: "3 green speckled frogs" that my brother really likes. This is also involves play so he really does enjoy it!

As of February, my brother is going to be joining a group session with a couple of other boys his age, as this will encourage him to interact with other children. He will also learn to take turns( which he is struggling to do) as all of this will prepare him for primary school!

Holland

HOLLAND

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland. - 

 Emily Perl Kingsley

I was first introduced to this piece of writing in year 8 by my English teacher whilst we were studying 'The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night time.' This writing is a very good anecdote to what I was thinking through the whole process of my brother's autistic diagnosis.

I had to come to the realisation, that I was now in Holland, and I wasn't going to Italy. And just like the Emily states, I would get to discover the wonderful things that Holland had to offer. And sure, my friends would talk about Italy and what a magnificent place it was, but it doesn't really matter, because I went to Holland, and I experienced the wonders and joy of Holland.

Maybe that's what this blog is really about. Maybe it was to keep you updated on what Holland is like. To share to you, those that were in Italy instead, or those that have never been, the ups and downs of Holland.

SUCCESS

SUCCESS (TOILET TRAINING)

DONG'S ACHIEVEMENTS

I believe in I have posted about Dong's introduction to the toilet a few posts ago, and this is just a really quick update on the fact that he is now going to the toilet by himself and without being reminded! I am extremely proud of him and that he has been able to take the step of development in his basic 'life skills'. I think he started just wearing underwear at Childcare and he refused to go back to nappies. He's even really hesitant to wear nappies during the night.

THOUGH. He's already becoming a slacker and he keeps forgetting to flush AND turn off the light. If I received a dollar for the amount of times that has happened, I'd be a MILLIONAIRE.