The Gangs all here! - Part 1
Categories: Family
Tags: Family autism cerebral palsy deaf auditory neuropathy
I was thinking that if I want you to
get to know us the best way for that to happen would be to introduce each of
us. There are a lot of us so this could get a bit lengthy. I have broken the introductions into several posts. We are all
charming people and I'm sure you'll remain interested.
I'd like to first introduce myself and Kurtis.
My name is Lori-ann and the giggly boy with me is Kurtis. I am a SAHM, short for stay at home mom. I have had a very
eclectic work background from being a life guard and swimming instructor in my
teens to office work to running a daycare out of my home for 14 years. Then I
moved on to waitressing and cooking and finally took a job in retail, working
my way up to assistant manager prior to the birth of my youngest son, Kurtis. My
favourite “job” has always been the role of Mommy.
Kurtis was born at 26 weeks. He made a
traumatic entry into the world in the front seat of our car on the way to the
hospital. I am a firm believer in “everything happens for a reason” and we
didn’t have anything on hand to clamp the umbilical cord with so he remained
attached to me while we waited for the ambulance to arrive. After all of the
research I have done in the past few years I think that might have been the
best case scenario for Kurtis because he was still getting oxygen from me
during that time. Of course we can never really know for sure but I suspect his
birth trauma would have had a bigger impact on his life had that not been the
case.
Kurtis has Cerebral Palsy, Autism and
is deaf. We use a few different modes of communication. Kurtis' primary
communication takes place using American Sign Language or ASL. Kurtis has
developed good reading skills so we use paper and pencil or more often at home
we will use a white board. He has also been taught how to use PECS or picture
exchange communication symbols. We have found that depending what is going on
on a particular day or situation one method may be more effective than another
for Kurtis to gain understanding. From the time that Kurtis was diagnosed with
Auditory Neuropathy it has become very important to me to find a way to
effectively communicate with him. It's been a long journey and when you add the
complications of Cerebral Palsy and Autism into the mix, it has been a real
challenge. We are fortunate to have a really great team that has worked with
Kurtis to develop his multi-media approach to communication.
This picture was taken summer 2010 in
Richmond, B.C. Kurtis and I took part in a Flash Mob dance. You can see the
dance on YouTube. Click here for the link to watch the Flash Mob dance which was a great summer project that we were able to do together.
The learning opportunities were so good for Kurtis. These included Social
skills development, following directions, focus, and memory. Not to mention the
thrill of performing and the adrenaline rush that comes with the applause from
the spectators.
Next up....The Dad
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