Spectrum Tech, Trade School, Village, and Training Center

Before and after flight. Basking in during our

A great day The crew is phenomenal and Stephen had a blast

Had a great time in New Holland Pennsylvania yesterday taking the factory tour at the New Holland Agricultural Plant. We saw hay balers being made. It was a fascinating process. We saw some robotic arms at work making parts but a significant portion of the process is still completed by people. 👏👏👏 You need to wear a vest and safety glasses during the tour. How do you make it through a 2 hour tour with an autistic person with sensory issues? You use a logical neurological approach.
Many autistic people report a disconnect between their auditory and visual systems. You may have seen posts that say something like “I can pay attention better when I don’t have to make eye contact”. This disconnect between systems is sometimes caused by a processing delay. Like a foreign film ( for me the 1970s Godzilla movies from my childhood come to mind ) where the moving lips do not coordinate with what the actors are saying, this can become distracting and overwhelming. Since our visual system is our first trigger in the nervous system for fight or flight - causing heightened sensory overload, we took this into account. We knew there would be intense visual sensory information coming in, so we opted to have Stephen listen to his iPod music on headphones a calming experience for him instead of using the headphones provided so that you can hear the tour guide. We wanted Stephen to be able to take in the visual experience without overloading his system by trying to listen to the tour guide. This is especially important during a first visit in any environment because the nervous system is heightened to scan for threats, even more so for a person with anxiety.

Back in the car after another wonderful day at See that smile on Stephen- that my friends makes my day and keeps me pushing through.

Thank you Bob and for your generous donation to our upcoming wine tasting, tricky tray, and autistic art festival. As you can see this is one of Stephen’s happy places. We love it here.
Stay tuned for event details.

The broccoli is booming. Started these around Mother’s Day and didn’t realize it would take so long. Our hat’s off to the farmers in the good old days when you could not go to the store to supplement what you grew.

With my favorite people today. So excited because Stephen has wanted to drive a tractor and he did. Also did some excavation, crane work (he grabbed the item on the first try) and I got to be a passenger and a back-seat driver on some rides. A little sensory overwhelm but we got some cold water and shade and we were raring to go again. #2023

Wow the water was chilly today but Stephen still went in. Must’ve been the storm stirring up the cold water. Still our happy place though. Stephen took some great pics. Look for them in the next post.

Pepper after the rain. The peppers are finally growing. This green one will be ready soon.
Making a is a great way to introduce your autistic loved one to without the pressure of eating them. Digging in the dirt and being outside can be a wonderful positive sensory experience for most of us. Remember we want the nervous system to feel safe with vegetables so in the future we increase the possibility of tasting them.
When the nervous system feels safe it is calm and in rest and digest mode and can digest food properly. In fight or flight those mechanisms shut down which can result in GI symptoms.
Since we know there is a prevalence of GI issues in the autistic community, this should have us questioning why? These co occurring conditions need to be investigated. That is why research needs to be led by actually autistic people so doctors don’t say things like “Well the reason he has those GI symptoms is because he has autism , it is a behavioral need for control”. (True story) We know better, so let’s do better.

So incredibly for the beautiful day at Pop Pop was throwing Stephen in the and Stephen was loving it. The bigger and stronger the better. They were so much fun I got crushed and lost my sunglasses 🕶 I will miss them but it was so worth it!

Stephen was very excited that the Red Queen of Hearts was in his and she is now sitting on the shelf with his other

Time to get Can’t wait to eat our sweet

What’s up Doc? Bugs Bunny would be proud of our first carrot.

Enjoying the beach again. The water was cooler because of the storm but still managed to catch some waves. It was low tide so Stephen had us far out. I think he forgets that mom is the shorter one now LOL Hope all of you are enjoying the day with the ones you ❤️ Remember no matter what life throws at you sometimes you need to ride the wave, slow down, and focus on what really matters. Life is what you make of it. Never give up. No matter what the odds sometimes if you really want something you have to fight for it anyway. Someone very near and dear to me taught me this lesson

Incoming storm.

Almost ready to harvest some purple beans. Never had one before so I am curious how it tastes.
Many autistic people tend to shy away from certain colored foods, or like Stephen stick to the white/beige colored food family so things like rice, bananas, bread, crackers, potatoes and processed foods. Why you ask.???

1. There is a prevalence of GI issues in the autistic population. (Stephen is diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, which took years of fighting with doctors to get a diagnosis btw. Once we addressed this, behaviors significantly decreased so I always say check for any underlying medical issues first.) Anyone who has had a stomach bug knows the BRAT diet of bland foods they put you on, so this could be a reason for sticking to only bland white/beige foods because they are safe to eat and do not cause exacerbation of any GI symptoms. I believe even if you solve these GI issues the body will feel “safe” with these foods and continue to gravitate to them because the GI pain was stored as a trauma in the body.

2. Many processed foods are beige/white. These foods are deemed “safe” because they taste the same every time vs. a fruit or vegetable which may taste different every time you eat one depending on the ripeness.

Basically it boils down to the familiar because for the body familiar is equal to safety. Even if the familiar is not good, you still know how to handle the people, places, or things and the body feels that this is the safer option than the unknown. We all do this in different areas of life depending on our experiences.

Spectrum News Summer 2023 Edition is Out Now.

Had a great lunch at Sonny’s Grille today in for our fundraiser. Going back for dinner tonight the food was fabulous.

At one of our favorite today. Stephen loves and jumping the .

I know friends who have never taken their autistic loved one to the beach. They tell stories of trying once when their child was young and all they did was chase the seagulls. Our first visits to the beach were trial and error too. Stephen needed more movement when he was younger, and loved to walk down the beach until he couldn’t walk any further and would need to be carried back through the sand. The first season we went, we were happy if we could make 45 minutes there until he would be overwhelmed and we would leave. We were careful not to force him to stay, knowing that eventually because we did not make it a chore and we followed his lead, his nervous system would start to regulate and we would be able to increase our time there. It happened and has been one of our favorite places for a long time. It gives him a lot of joy. Autistic joy, there is nothing like it and it has taught me how to appreciate the little things in life, how to make the ordinary extraordinarily special. I am blessed to have such a wise teacher as my son. Today I celebrate how far we both have come on this journey we call life.

It was a tie. A great day with my first and best fishing buddy. It has been too long of a time since we have been able to have a father daughter day.
As caregivers we tend to ignore ourselves and relationships, but time stands still for no one, so don’t put off taking the time to see the people you care about. Caught some fish, lost some fish, and had to relocate because double trouble skunked us, but it was an amazing day and so grateful for it. Back to work tomorrow to get ready for our next fundraiser.

Most people know about autism and sensory differences, but do you know about autism and interoception differences?
Interception is the ability to sense what is going on inside our bodies, for instance the ability to know when we are thirsty, or to differentiate between the sensation of thirst compared to that of a sore throat. All programs should take these differences into account and develop strategies to address these.

Well it’s official my fishing partner chose Double Trouble State Park as our rendezvous-we’ll see where we go from there. So grateful to be able to do this on Thursday. Let’s hope the weather cooperates because the contest is on. Who will catch the most fish? Tune in to find out.
Remember all you caregivers out there- give yourself a self care day. I know it can be difficult but we all need to recharge. Quantity of time you spend with someone doesn’t matter if it is not quality time. Your child can feel if you are engaged or if you are bare bones tired and are disconnected, even if you don’t think they can. Too many people today are so burnt out they don’t show up, they are always thinking of the next to do item, or their heads are buried in their phones, or work. It is all about balance and being present with everything you do, in the long run you will be more effective and efficient.
Coming soon, parent workshops. Subscribe to our website to be the first to find out when.

Lots of new and baby . Apparently purple beans have blossoms. We have green beans, cucumbers, and black cherry tomatoes, basil, pepper blossoms, and a lemon tree, and since we sustainably harvested our romaine lettuce and left the root, it is growing leaves again.

Now is the time to support programs like ours visit the link in our bio or our website to contribute to our Go Fund Me Campaign. We need to be able to get up and running quickly since we do not use ABA and most schools do. Support Autistic Education. Donate Today.
https://www.spectrumtechtradeschool.com/post/the-tide-is-turning-american-medical-association-considers-rescinding-support-of-aba-for-asd

The Tide is Turning -American Medical Association Considers Rescinding Support of ABA for ASD We have always supported the Autistic Community in speaking out against Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy and have often been questioned by those touting ABA's "evidence-based practice". We have even been denied grant money due to the fact that our methodology does not have basis in ABA. We....

A big thank you to for supporting autistic empowerment. Come join us on Thursday July 27th in from 11am until 8pm at 821 Belmar Mall Plaza. 20% of the proceeds to benefit us. 🏝

Wow some great shots after dinner tonight at

Self care is so important in allowing us to show up at our best. Looking forward to some Got my fishing license and a map so I can explore some places in Stay tuned to find out who my fishing partner is. This will give me an opportunity to explore these locations in advance for future hikes with Stephen. I always try to learn as much about a place that I am going to take him beforehand. This way I can pack appropriately, and give him an idea what to expect. Autistic people often have heightened nervous systems and could easily go into fight, flight, or flee in unfamiliar situations. Being prepared makes it an enjoyable experience, instead of a stressful one.

Some flowers from the yard. Next I want to get a lilac bush. My favorite. My maternal grandmother had them growing in her yard and they remind me of her, as do lily of the valley. She is the person who taught me to cook, bake, crochet, and knit. Many fond memories of spending time with her.

The corn is getting ready. Can’t wait to taste the sweet and only

Pictures from a walk around

https://www.spectrumtechtradeschool.com/post/welcome-our-new-board-member-and-secretary

Welcome Our New Board Member and Secretary We are excited to announce and welcome to the Board of Directors of Spectrum Tech Trade School, Village, and Training Center our new Secretary -Jessica Joudrey. Jessica graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. She also earned her teaching certification from...

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/feOahiaOI?languageTag=en

New Blog Post Welcome Our New Board Member

We beat out the rain today on our walk at In

at today though we were racing the The were out flying about and our captured this

A picture from our excursion this weekend at How do we work on these skills you may ask? We first started with flash card apps and noticed that Stephen liked the boats, particularly kayaks (he even knows the Chinese word for kayak), so we started more simply and took him in a 3-person canoe where he could get used to being on the water and we could control the outcome. This was a few years in the making. I also worked on land with our board therapists on the action and motor planning required to paddle. Stephen practiced this. We graduated to a two person kayak, then to a one person that was towed so that he could get used to steering but not be totally on his own. Now he is controlling his own kayak with me parallel.
Many steps but not impossible for those autistic students with dyspraxia and motor-planning difficulties. You have to remember to break skills down into easier steps and progress at the individuals pace. We want this to be fun, not so difficult that they give up.
Remember labels are for soup cans not people. Just because Stephen doesn’t speak like a neurotypical person doesn’t mean his experiences should be limited. Check out his skills in motion in our reels and support programs like ours that let autistics like Stephen reach their potential and live life to it’s fullest. Donate today-link in bio.

Loved that we were able to get out today and take a walk at Picked the red and yellow trails today and got to see a blue heron. Very exciting.

A difficult day here all around in New Jersey. Not being able to the last couple days because of the air quality has caused a lot of dysregulation We needed a lot of sensory strategies and co regulation practices to make it through. We did it but both of us need some rest. Change is difficult, scary, and overwhelms the autistic nervous system and that is why motor-sensory-language trauma informed care needs to be the norm not behavioral based interventions. Think about it this way, when you are angry or upset how would you feel if someone said to you “You just need to calm down”?

Usually I am in the Spectrum office on Tuesdays and Fridays but this was a topsy turvy week so work will need to wait until tomorrow. So to go with this theme we took or favorite Hidden Creek trail at Shark River Park in reverse. No snakes today just beautiful flowers. The honeysuckle reminded me of when I was a kid. We had almost an acre of property and the wild honeysuckle grew in the backyard near the pool. The smell reminds me of swimming on warm summer evenings. Check out the pictures Stephen took in our reels

https://www.spectrumtechtradeschool.com/post/welcome-our-new-board-member-and-secretary

Welcome Our New Board Member and Secretary We are excited to announce and welcome to the Board of Directors of Spectrum Tech Trade School, Village, and Training Center our new Secretary -Jessica Joudrey. Jessica graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. She also earned her teaching certification from...

I finally got to try this burrito at featured on And was right It’s Off The Hook. Come on down today and enjoy one with me. A percentage of the food sales will go to our nonprofit and help us reinvent the autism education system and amplify autistic talent.