running watch velcro band image
soragne
M 7 yr old is autistic with very limited verbal language. Both we and his teachers are at a loss to figure out how to stop this as it is, obviously, a safety issue. He has no sense of danger and would run right into traffic. So far we've been able to just strap him in a stroller or have a tight hold on him but he IS getting older. I don't want to have to tackle him when he's 12 and older! If anyone knows of a way of dealing with this (seriously... ignorant *bleeps* need not answer) it would be greatly appreciated.
Answer
My little brother "B" (now an adult age 41) had the same problem. He is autistic and non verbal - since he sees the world differently, I don't think he has ever really appreciated the danger of running into traffic. I can tell you what worked for us ....
We had great anxiety about streets because we lived on a busy street, B was also ADHD (we are talking off the charts) and he was facinated with cars too.
Our first action as a family & extended family was to pray, we believe that children like B are gifts from God (like all children) and that God loves him even more than we do, so we prayed for his safety and knew that God was watching over him - and we have hundreds of examples of times when a neighbor or family would discover his absense and find him just in time and catch him.
Even when in the stroller, we used a harness. It was designed with backpack like straps and had a "leash" attached. It was comfortable and he liked it. We seldom got negative comments but would explain that we would rather use this than have him run into the street and would calmly ask the one making the comment what they would prefer - they always looked a little embarassed and agreed with us, we would say we understood and that we appreciated their concern for children. For my daughter, I used a "hand-holder," which consisted of two soft & comfy velcro straps for our wrists with what looked like a coiled telephone cord (but no wires, softer & lightweight) attaching "my bracelet" to "her bracelet" when she was a toddler -- this gave me freedom to shop and pick things up in a busy store while reminding her not to stray further than about 3ft.
As B got older and recieved more help outside the home (this was before currents laws & services), he was trained - using behavioral techniques (rewards & lots of practice) - to consistently hold someone's hand whenever going anywhere. Currently he still holds our hands or links arms when walking together or taking us to show what he wants or where he wants us to be ie. sitting next to him.
Depending on how your son percieves his world, you may be able to use a harness or "hand holder" to accomplish initial training, then gradually substitute matching velcro wristbands as a sensory (visual & touch) reminder to stay with you. At intervals you could reinforce the awareness of a wristband by making a playful connection of touching your wristbands together and sharing a secret word or phrase "go Billy" or "walk proud" and sharing a treat - a little mint or "M&M"
When your son gets older he can graduate to a cloth banded watch or a masculine style bracelet to remind him to watch where he is and use safe rules and stay with others.
Try out something that works with your instincts - ask sibling too if he has them, I was sometimes more insightful with B because I had grown up with him since I was 3 and no other expectations of him than just being who he was. We are still very close, I am his guardian, and I can pick up on his feelings and moods quickly.
Looking toward the future, you should know that there really is help available, always ask other special families and research what experts say.
FYI - My brother "B" now lives in a CLA (community living arrangement) with two other special needs adults and 24 hour supervision on site. He attends a sheltered workshop during the week and visits with us at least 2 days/month during weekends. For us this was the only way to provide staffing 24h - 7days a week -- but it has been great for him socially and emotionally as he gets treated like an adult and respected as such, while getting special needs met.
I wish you & yours well - may God bless you with wisdom and protect your family.
My little brother "B" (now an adult age 41) had the same problem. He is autistic and non verbal - since he sees the world differently, I don't think he has ever really appreciated the danger of running into traffic. I can tell you what worked for us ....
We had great anxiety about streets because we lived on a busy street, B was also ADHD (we are talking off the charts) and he was facinated with cars too.
Our first action as a family & extended family was to pray, we believe that children like B are gifts from God (like all children) and that God loves him even more than we do, so we prayed for his safety and knew that God was watching over him - and we have hundreds of examples of times when a neighbor or family would discover his absense and find him just in time and catch him.
Even when in the stroller, we used a harness. It was designed with backpack like straps and had a "leash" attached. It was comfortable and he liked it. We seldom got negative comments but would explain that we would rather use this than have him run into the street and would calmly ask the one making the comment what they would prefer - they always looked a little embarassed and agreed with us, we would say we understood and that we appreciated their concern for children. For my daughter, I used a "hand-holder," which consisted of two soft & comfy velcro straps for our wrists with what looked like a coiled telephone cord (but no wires, softer & lightweight) attaching "my bracelet" to "her bracelet" when she was a toddler -- this gave me freedom to shop and pick things up in a busy store while reminding her not to stray further than about 3ft.
As B got older and recieved more help outside the home (this was before currents laws & services), he was trained - using behavioral techniques (rewards & lots of practice) - to consistently hold someone's hand whenever going anywhere. Currently he still holds our hands or links arms when walking together or taking us to show what he wants or where he wants us to be ie. sitting next to him.
Depending on how your son percieves his world, you may be able to use a harness or "hand holder" to accomplish initial training, then gradually substitute matching velcro wristbands as a sensory (visual & touch) reminder to stay with you. At intervals you could reinforce the awareness of a wristband by making a playful connection of touching your wristbands together and sharing a secret word or phrase "go Billy" or "walk proud" and sharing a treat - a little mint or "M&M"
When your son gets older he can graduate to a cloth banded watch or a masculine style bracelet to remind him to watch where he is and use safe rules and stay with others.
Try out something that works with your instincts - ask sibling too if he has them, I was sometimes more insightful with B because I had grown up with him since I was 3 and no other expectations of him than just being who he was. We are still very close, I am his guardian, and I can pick up on his feelings and moods quickly.
Looking toward the future, you should know that there really is help available, always ask other special families and research what experts say.
FYI - My brother "B" now lives in a CLA (community living arrangement) with two other special needs adults and 24 hour supervision on site. He attends a sheltered workshop during the week and visits with us at least 2 days/month during weekends. For us this was the only way to provide staffing 24h - 7days a week -- but it has been great for him socially and emotionally as he gets treated like an adult and respected as such, while getting special needs met.
I wish you & yours well - may God bless you with wisdom and protect your family.
Marine Corps boot camp?
Cali's Onl
particularly females but males are welcomed to contribute.
1)what do you really bring? i know there is a list the recruiters give you but i know you don't bring all of it.
2)what was the trip like from your home to boot camp. like what was going through your mind the whole trip there?
3)what was you thought when you got off the bus and onto the yellow foot prints?
i only have a few months left so you can trust that you'll be seeing some more questions ;-)
Answer
Wear comfortable pants, shirt, tennis shoes, socks and underwear. It takes a day or 3 before you get processed enough to get issued your uniforms. Extra underwear and socks for 2 or 3 days. In a nutshell, what you are wearing when you step off the bus you may end up wearing for 2 or 3 days.
Don't wear a shirt with ANYTHING on it. It won't matter what it says, you will catch flak for it. Don't wear tight pants, you want them to be comfortable. Cargo type pants are good. they are loose and comfortable. You are not there trying to impress a date or the other chicks at the first day of school. A durable sports watch, velcro/nylon band, stay away from the metal bands. Keep it simple. Your DI may or may not allow them.
The tennis shoes you wear in should be your running shoes. You will need them and it is better to wear them than have to carry/pack them. Plus, you want something comfortable on your feet.
Keep the jewelry to a minimum. If you are not married, no rings. No necklaces. Earrings, if allowed at all, will only be small ball studs. Hoops and dangley things are a no-no.
Don't get off the bus wearing sunglasses or a hat.
For at least the first week you will be thinking "Oh crap, WTF have I done?"
Just hang in there. The DI's will purposely give you 3 minutes to do something that should take 5. They will keep your sleep to a bare minimum.
Here's a very important thing to remember. When you are issued your rifle MEMORIZE THE SERIAL NUMBER BEFORE YOU EVEN GET OUT OF THE ARMORY WITH IT. And don't ever forget it. I remember the first night in the barracks after being issued our rifles. (2nd summer of PLC). The DI had everyone at port arms (held in front of your chest) and went down the line and asked everyone what their rifle's serial number was. In a squadbay of about 50 guys, I was only 1 of about 6 who knew. the DI just started at the begining of the line (I was first). He took my rifle and asked for the serial number. I told him, he moved to the next guy. I could see the panic of the guys across the squad bay as they wanted to look at their rifles but could move. (No peeking allowed). By the time the DI got to the end of the line, everyone but me and the 1/2 dozen or so other guys were on their faces doing push-ups.
Note: We ended up with about 32 guys in our graduating Senior PLC class. They had a pretty high washout rate in those days. Don't know what it is now.
When you make your rack (bed), keep a one dollar bill squirreled away if you are allowed. If not, have a 6" piece of string. You will find it invaluable in making your bunk and keeping your locker squared away. If you use string, fix the ends so it doesn't unravel. You will use this handy little measuring device every single day. (trust me).
Keep a small pair of fingernail clippers on you at all times. First of all, you should not show up with long fingernails. You will keep them trimmed short and keep them clean. Plus, you will use the clippers to constantly trim the little strings that keep popping out all over your camies.
Don't get too feaked. You will be thinking "I can't do this" but in fact, 10s of thousands HAVE done it before you.
Show up in the best shape you can manage. Run every day. Do sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups. The better shape you are in, the better you will handle the stress.
Good luck.
Wear comfortable pants, shirt, tennis shoes, socks and underwear. It takes a day or 3 before you get processed enough to get issued your uniforms. Extra underwear and socks for 2 or 3 days. In a nutshell, what you are wearing when you step off the bus you may end up wearing for 2 or 3 days.
Don't wear a shirt with ANYTHING on it. It won't matter what it says, you will catch flak for it. Don't wear tight pants, you want them to be comfortable. Cargo type pants are good. they are loose and comfortable. You are not there trying to impress a date or the other chicks at the first day of school. A durable sports watch, velcro/nylon band, stay away from the metal bands. Keep it simple. Your DI may or may not allow them.
The tennis shoes you wear in should be your running shoes. You will need them and it is better to wear them than have to carry/pack them. Plus, you want something comfortable on your feet.
Keep the jewelry to a minimum. If you are not married, no rings. No necklaces. Earrings, if allowed at all, will only be small ball studs. Hoops and dangley things are a no-no.
Don't get off the bus wearing sunglasses or a hat.
For at least the first week you will be thinking "Oh crap, WTF have I done?"
Just hang in there. The DI's will purposely give you 3 minutes to do something that should take 5. They will keep your sleep to a bare minimum.
Here's a very important thing to remember. When you are issued your rifle MEMORIZE THE SERIAL NUMBER BEFORE YOU EVEN GET OUT OF THE ARMORY WITH IT. And don't ever forget it. I remember the first night in the barracks after being issued our rifles. (2nd summer of PLC). The DI had everyone at port arms (held in front of your chest) and went down the line and asked everyone what their rifle's serial number was. In a squadbay of about 50 guys, I was only 1 of about 6 who knew. the DI just started at the begining of the line (I was first). He took my rifle and asked for the serial number. I told him, he moved to the next guy. I could see the panic of the guys across the squad bay as they wanted to look at their rifles but could move. (No peeking allowed). By the time the DI got to the end of the line, everyone but me and the 1/2 dozen or so other guys were on their faces doing push-ups.
Note: We ended up with about 32 guys in our graduating Senior PLC class. They had a pretty high washout rate in those days. Don't know what it is now.
When you make your rack (bed), keep a one dollar bill squirreled away if you are allowed. If not, have a 6" piece of string. You will find it invaluable in making your bunk and keeping your locker squared away. If you use string, fix the ends so it doesn't unravel. You will use this handy little measuring device every single day. (trust me).
Keep a small pair of fingernail clippers on you at all times. First of all, you should not show up with long fingernails. You will keep them trimmed short and keep them clean. Plus, you will use the clippers to constantly trim the little strings that keep popping out all over your camies.
Don't get too feaked. You will be thinking "I can't do this" but in fact, 10s of thousands HAVE done it before you.
Show up in the best shape you can manage. Run every day. Do sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups. The better shape you are in, the better you will handle the stress.
Good luck.
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