November 2009
Jimmy is excited about graduating from high school in June. He is talking about getting a job after school. Likely he will join some of his other brothers participating in the SUCCESS Day Program. Jimmy will participate in a variety of volunteer work experience and community activities with SUCCESS. I think it will be a good match for Jimmy.
Jimmy is looking forward to all of the holiday activities coming up. Jimmy enjoys any opportunity to dress up and meet new people. Hard to believe that he was once so standoffish that he would become very aggressive if out in a social situation. Now Jimmy is the life of the party. I know there is no real cure for autism, but sometimes it seems that my boys' once diagnosed with autism are able to improve their social interactions over time. I do think this is a positive aspect of belonging to a large family. It is hard to be autistic when all of your brothers want to interact with you.
April 2008
Jimmy had a wonderful 21st birthday party. He planned the party for months. Jimmy was so happy he could hardly wait for his special day. Everything was to Jimmy's specifics. First of all, Jimmy greeted all of his guests with a "golden ticket." Throughout the party guests were able to turn in their golden tickets for candy bars. Next Jimmy had a DJ who not only played the current hits but also played many of Jimmy's favorite Disney hits!
Finally Jimmy had a bar-b-que lunch with cake and ice cream for all of his guests. By the time that the party died down, Jimmy had over 100 guests show up! It was an awesome turn-out. Thanks Shelley for making this very cool party happen for Jimmy!
November 2008
Jimmy continues to do well at school. His daily behavioral reports show that Jimmy is usually compliant and an eager participant in the classroom. It is rare for Jimmy to have an aggressive behavioral episode any more, in fact Jimmy is mostly a very sweet and charming student. Jimmy even has friends at school and two girlfriends (even though we have told him that the rule is one girlfriend at a time!). Reflecting on the past few years we have noticed how much Jimmy has changed. When he joined our family Jimmy behaved very much like a person with autism. Jimmy was withdrawn and "in his own world." Jimmy was very physically and verbally aggressive when we tried to get him to join us on activities or when we encouraged him to be an active part of the family. Today Jimmy is outgoing and social both at home and in the community. He seems much happier and content, We attribute Jimmy's social progress to multiple opportunities to socialize, especially in our family. I would say that it is almost impossible to be autistic in our large family, it would be like jumping into a swimming pool and trying to stay dry! We are certainly happy with Jimmy's progress and looking forward to watching him become a young man.
September 2008
Jimmy spent a lot of time with his younger brothers this summer. He made numerous trips to Universal Studios, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and Wild Rivers. Jimmy also went to many movies over the summer. Jimmy loves being in the community which is a far cry from when Jimmy was first matched with our family. With adequate support Jimmy almost never has significant behavioral issues. In the past Jimmy's behavior was so erratic that it often became unsafe to have Jimmy in the community especially where there crowds. Its amazing how much Jimmy has changed. He no longer presents as a person with severe autism. Jimmy can be quite social and reciprocal in his relationships. This change makes us very proud Jimmy and thankful for those in his circle-of-support who have put a lot of effort into Jimmy over the years.
May 2008
Jimmy enjoyed a trip to Las Vegas with a few of his brothers, his roommate
and his dad. Jimmy isn't old enough to gamble but he
did enjoy the various buffets, of course! Jimmy
continues to do well behaviorally. He does have his
moments where he will simply refuse to participate
in a social activity but for the most part his
overall participation in group activities has
improved. Jimmy even went to a school mate's
birthday party earlier in the month. Jimmy loved
shopping for the birthday gift and said he had a
wonderful time at the party. Just a year ago Jimmy
would never have participated in such an activity.
We are thrilled with Jimmy's on-going progress in
his social development. As Jimmy has progressed
socially, he behaves like a much happier person in
all environments.
February 2008
Jimmy has been in an exceptionally pleasant mood for the past several months. He still retreats into his fantasy world much of the time but at least the dialogues he has with himself are not violent anymore. Jimmy is also able to participate in activities with his peers in bowling and other activities without stressing out. Jimmy also continues to do well at school. He is becoming friendly with the other students and even has a girlfriend or two! Slowly but surely Jimmy is becoming a more social person despite his diagnosis of autism.
Jimmy will be celebrating his 20th birthday at Hooters with his friends and family. Jimmy is actually very flirtatious with the Hooter waitresses. We will definitely be taking pictures at this big event!
November 2007
Jimmy has really shown improvement with his bowling skills. Last year when he started on his bowling league he didn't like it too much. Jimmy's scores were in the 30-40 range and he could really care less about his turn. After participating in the league every Saturday for over a year, Jimmy has come to enjoy bowling. He now scores in the 100-120 range every game. He recently scored three spares in a row and received a "Chicken Award." Jimmy enjoyed the attention when everyone in the league clapped for him when he went up to receive his award. We are delighted that Jimmy is finding a physical and social activity that he enjoys.
September 2007
This is Jimmy's favorite time of the year. He is already talking about Halloween. Jimmy hopes to be invited to a few costume parties so he can dress-up as a "mad scientist." Jimmy still loves to dress-up. He would wear a cape every where if we would let him. Its nice that this season gives Jimmy an appropriate time and place to wear his costumes. Jimmy spends quite a bit of time in a fantasy world thanks in part to his autistic behaviors. We can only support his dressing-up at home and of course at the Rocky Horror Picture Show! Fortunately much of Jimmy's aggressiveness from past years has subsided and much of the time he is happy and almost giddy during his fantasy play. The question has always been how to you support someone to be who they are...all the while encouraging social appropriateness?
July 2007
Jimmy has enjoyed summer school this year. He was involved with the swimming program and also a cooking class. Jimmy loves to cook so we asked the cooking teacher if he could help Jimmy focus on cooking and eating healthy. It takes a lot of coaxing for Jimmy to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, but after much work at least he doesn't gag on healthy food anymore. :-) Jimmy also loved the swimming program. We are thrilled that he likes to swim and play in the water as it is difficult to get Jimmy motivated to exercise. Over the rest of the summer, Jimmy will hang out at the beach and local water park. He will also continue with his involvement in Special Olympics bowling. Of course, Jimmy is looking forward to seeing all of the recent blockbusters at the local movie theater!
April 2007
Jimmy continues to be interested in Super Heroes. He loves all of the comic book characters. When not drawing cartoon Super Heroes or reading about Super Heroes Jimmy loves surfing the Internet, especially EBAY, looking for different Super Hero items to purchase. Jimmy loves to collect costumes. Sometimes it hard to find adult (size XL) costumes so far away from Halloween, which is very disappointing to Jimmy. If you are ever throwing away your old adult costumes and accessories please consider sending them to Jimmy, it would definitely put a smile on Jimmy's face!
February 2007
Jimmy celebrated his 19th birthday at Jerry's Deli in Costa Mesa. Jimmy enjoyed having his brothers and his friends in supported living attend his party. Jimmy received lots of nice presents including new clothes and lots of Star Wars collectibles. Jimmy also received some money which he will use to purchase various adult costume items from EBAY. Jimmy is also looking forward to a overnight adventure at the California Science Center. This is a special event called "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination." Jimmy will be attending this event with three of his brothers and his helper, Shelley. There will be all kinds of exhibits including Star Wars memorabilia , working robots, and an opportunity for Jimmy and the boys to meet their favorite Star Wars characters! This is an opportunity of a lifetime for Jimmy, he can hardly stop talking about this upcoming event.
December 2006
Jimmy is really enjoying the holidays. He enjoys dressing up for the various parties and he especially loves all of the treats that are served around the holidays. For Thanksgiving we all celebrated with a big brunch at Mrs. Knott's Restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm. Jimmy loved all of the food choices and especially because everything was presented buffet style. In December, we have had several Christmas parties at Soup Plantation. Even though there are lots of vegetable selections at Soup Plantation, Jimmy---the anti-vegetarian-- found enough other food items to keep him satisfied.
October 2006
Jimmy is having a wonderful school year. At a recent teacher meeting, Jimmy's teacher discussed how Jimmy has really improved his school skills, especially with the female students. Jimmy can be such a gentleman opening the doors and pulling out the chairs for female students and staff. Many other students on campus say "hello!" to Jimmy now and he responds appropriately. While Jimmy still prefers to be by himself most of the time, we are excited to see Jimmy reaching out to his peers.
July 2006
Jimmy is enjoying summer school through the end of the month. In August he may be going on a road trip with his friend, Shelley, and brother, William. Jimmy's ability to tolerate long drives and new places has really improved over the last several years. Jimmy is also much better at accepting a change in his schedule without much anxiety. Despite his diagnosis of autism, Jimmy is also learning how to respond to his peers in a positive and social way. We are excited to see all of the progress Jimmy had made in the area of social skills. We often attribute this progress to his membership in our very large family where he has multiple opportunities to practice his social skills in a warm and accepting environment.
March 2006
Jimmy just turned 18 years old. Hard to believe he is officially an adult. Jimmy had a nice birthday party at "Wing Nuts" restaurant with his friends and family. Jimmy received many nice gifts. He especially like the idea of gift certificates for local stores. Jimmy loves to shop, especially for himself! Jimmy was also pleased with all of his new clothes.
Jimmy really likes to look nice when he goes to school so he was thankful for a nice new selection of school clothes. Finally, Jimmy will certainly make good use of the movie passes, especially on the weekends and spring break.
January 2006
