My 8 year old son wrote a story

[FMluvswater]

I'm very proud of my son. He's an amazing child. He was diagnosed with autism at 19 months old.
He didn't start talking until he was 3 (39 months according to our journal entry). There were times
I despaired he'd ever communicate socially or creatively. He's come a long way. :smile: Many people
are surprised to learn he is autistic, because he presents on first impression as a typical 8 year old boy.
He still has a few challenges but he's really doing great. :smile:
He's in an integrated classroom in third grade and has a special student assistant to help him throughout
his day at school with any difficulties that arise. Jacob also has a developmental co-ordination disorder.
The combination of the two challenges has made handwritten work a very frustrating task for him. He
labors so much over the formation of each individual letter that he loses his creative train of thought. As a
result, much of his handwritten works have been short, terse sentences, often unrelated to each other and
bearing no indication of inner thought processes. Recently, Jacob has been granted the occasional use of a
computer to complete some of his written work. The difference between what he wrote at a keyboard compared
to what he typically writes with paper and pencil floored us all! :supp:
I'm so impressed I wanted to share his story with you all. :smile:
Jacob okayed that idea (his goal in life is to be famous, lol! :D ) He's on his way to that already too; his story
appeared in his school's June newsletter as a space filler. One of only two stories that did. :cool:
The following note (from Jacob's in-class student assistant) was stapled to Jacob's printed out story and sent
home with him.
Take a look at Jacob's writing. I think it's terrific! Jacob definitely finds it easier to do written work on the computer.
Jay
Wed May 18 '05
Here is the story transcribed exactly as it was written by my son ...
Jacob's Zoo of Fabulous Amazing Animals
I have 4 animals I take care of. I have one set of Sea Monkeys (brime shrimp), 2 cats, Samantha and
Gordie and six snails in 1 container (only the snails are in the container I was talking about). Here are the
profiles about the four pets I have:
The Sea Monkeys:
The sea monkeys start breeding at 3 to 5 weeks old. Right now they are 4 weeks old but are small. I know
that they will problarery grow a little big.
Samantha:
Samantha is a bit of a nasty cat. Although she is a bit of a nasty cat she is rather a sweet cat as long as you
don't follow her around and/or pick her up(else she will hiss and scratch at you(she always hisses at you
least 11 times before). She is all black and has yellow eyes.
Gordie:
Gordie is nice cat. He doesn't like being picked up, although all he'll do about it is minow at my zia. Gordie
has long, vanilla white fur. He always looses his fur and leaves it behind wherever he goes. Gordie is a bit
skinny. He loves dry and wet cat treats, the wet ones come in small cans(the treats in them are all fixed
together in one) and the dry ones come in medium sized bags of little treats.
The Six Snails:
I have six garden snails. They are milti colored: black, yellow and brown are the main colors. the snails
feed on grass and clovers. They live in a small container ( big compaired to them) that sits in my bedroom
on top of my bookshelf. The cats do not get at them.
All in all my most favorite animal is Gordie. Gordie is so nice, he will let me pick him up and put him on
my stomach. I do enjoy all my animals but Gordie by far is my most favorite pet. That is it, my zoo is
complete.
Jacob, age 8 1/2, Grade 3
FYI : minow is Jacob's phonetic interpretation of "meow" and
zia is what he calls his step-mom.
Did I mention I'm proud of him? :D

[Rexone]

That's very good FM and its amazing (and fantastic) he can do that on the computer but not by hand.
I'm kind of hoping Tom Brown doesn't pick up on the Sea Monkey part though. :eek:

[FMluvswater]

That's very good FM and its amazing (and fantastic) he can do that on the computer but not by hand.
I'm kind of hoping Tom Brown doesn't pick up on the Sea Monkey part though. :eek:
Mike, by hand it takes him close to 10 minutes to print a three word sentence. He typed that up in less than an hour. :smile:
I hear ya about Tom, he'll be so disillusioned once he reads the facts about Sea Monkeys. :( Poor Tom. :(

[promod]

god bless him, he must be real smart to do that in less than an hour its only going to get better

[My Man's Sportin' Wood]

Wow!! I am so happy that they found a way to help him write his thoughts out. That is great news. He must be thrilled.

[MagicMtnDan]

FM, it's great that you found out about your son's ability to express himself using the computer. I hope he can continue using it to overcome his limitations with handwriting.

[riverbound]

Wow....That is good to hear that your son is doin gso well. At first I thought I was going to read soemthing about 3days and the price of fuel again :wink:

[Itsahobby]

This is fantastic!! You must be great and proud parents!
I, too, have a son with autism. It is amazing what these children can do, if givin the right tools.
Great job!
Hobby

[bunny 166]

He is on the right track!! What a great job he did! His teacher sounds very positive and encouraging, and understanding of his diagnosis. Keep those upbeat folks around--they will do wonders for your son! Good job Mom!! :p :p

[Blown509Liberator]

FMluvswaterbabe:
They are amazing are they…. Kids with autism. I married Paula who has 2 sons with autism. The 13 year old is Asburgers and functions very well. And will be attending High school in the fall. The youngest one (8) we see improvements every day. His speech is getting better, yet he still can’t hold a normal conversation with you. His communication is very limited. But this kid can sit at the computer and out type most adults…… We have 6 kids among us Paula with 3 boys and I have three girls. I feel lucky to have ALL of them. And love them ALL the same
MikeW

[barbigrl]

FMluvswaterbabe....I can totally relate to you here!! My brother was diagnosed with Autism at age 3 as well, I was only 8 at the time. He is now 21 years old and finishing the speacial Ed program offered at our local community college. He is am amazing person!! He has a very mild case of autism, which I am asuming your son does as well, since he writes so well for his age!!! My brother was not even at that comprehension level at that age. He is probably at the same level as your son is now at 21! That is great!!! :D

[unleashed]

Man, that is so great to hear...Awesome work Jacob!
Deano
Unleashedclothing (http://www.unleashedclothing.com) :devil:

[pixilatedpussy]

Conratulations!!!!! That is so awesome! Way to go Jacob!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[topless]

How wonderful to hear his progress! I remember you telling of his difficulties a couple years ago. Kids are truely amazing. He sounds like an inspiration to kids who don't even have the challenges he has to overcome. You must be soooooo proud just as I would be. Keep us updated on Jacob's progress. ;)

[CandyA$$]

Well congrats, at least there is effort being put out. I have seen some families who don't even try.
Not to knock this off base, but what are sea monkey's?
:confused:

[barbigrl]

Well congrats, at least there is effort being put out. I have seen some families who don't even try.
Not to knock this off base, but what are sea monkey's?
:confused:
Uv never heard of sea monkeys :confused:

[FMluvswater]

I'm so going to show him this thread! He'll be right tickled by all the praise! :D
Carrying on a spoken conversation with Jacob doesn't differ much from how he writes at the computer. He often interjects with asides and further explanantions of whatever he's telling us, just as he has in his story. :D
btw riverbound you made me laugh out loud! :D Uhh no. :D
I had no idea there were so many here whose lives have been touched by someone with autism. :smile: Jacob was initially diagnosed moderate to severely autistic. With early interventions and programs, that have given him tools to communicate with the world around him better, he is now considered higher functioning/Aspberger's on the autism spectrum. :smile: They told us to expect that he would "probably never" do so many things but I guess nobody told him cuz he's already done a great many of those "probably will never" 's. :cool:
He's a really cool kid. I'd like him even if he wasn't mine. :wink:

[FMluvswater]

Well congrats, at least there is effort being put out. I have seen some families who don't even try.
Not to knock this off base, but what are sea monkey's?
:confused:
Here are some action figures of what was advertised as Sea Monkeys in 70's/80's comic books :D
http://www.zaldiva.com/images/ACTION%20FIGURES/SEAMONKEYS/seamonkeys_all_pic1%20(WinCE).jpg
This is what they really look like
http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/yasuhara/photographs/amazing-live-sea-monkeys.jpg
http://www.netfysh.com/images/learning/eyespy.jpg
This is the same set up Jacob has
http://www.javier-gonzalez.com/img/sea-monkeys/1.jpg

[Chromegorilla]

Way to go Jacob! Great story! Thanks for sharing it.
FM you should be proud, I don't have kids yet and can't imagine what it takes as a parent on your part in the hand life has dealt your family. Your son is an inspiration.

[CandyA$$]

Ok, I know what they are now. I guess I never heard someone call them sea monkey's. Sorry.
Where would I go to learn more? That would be something neat for my daughter.

[spectras only]

I'm kind of hoping Tom Brown doesn't pick up on the Sea Monkey part though. :eek: :rollside:
FM , reading Jacob's writing was more entertaining than
some of the guy's :argue: over at bench racers :D .

[Tahiti350]

Several years ago I was dating a 3rd grade teacher back home, and always admired her dedication and focus to whatever she was doing. After dating for a couple of years it got pretty serious between us, and in one of our deep conversations she finally told me she was mildly autistic. Needless to say I was suprised. I even talked to her parents about it after that, and got some of the facts that she wouldn't tell me. This family did a great job overcoming this (i hate to use the work "problem") temporary setback. The only thing I ever noticed was that she was a little bit "closed" with her emotions, but then again so am I so I didn't think anything of it.
She went to college, and got her teaching certification, so she could help others. She is well liked in the area, and very intellegent, once she sorted things out and learned to express herself life was great. Our relationship didn't work out, but it had nothing to do with her autism, more of a distance/time issue.
I guess my point is that, God willing, Jacob can live a very normal life, with just a little help, (and lots of love and support) from those around him. You have my prayers, and admiration. :) :cool: :cool:

[FMluvswater]

Several years ago I was dating a 3rd grade teacher back home, and always admired her dedication and focus to whatever she was doing. After dating for a couple of years it got pretty serious between us, and in one of our deep conversations she finally told me she was mildly autistic. Needless to say I was suprised. I even talked to her parents about it after that, and got some of the facts that she wouldn't tell me. This family did a great job overcoming this (i hate to use the work "problem") temporary setback. The only thing I ever noticed was that she was a little bit "closed" with her emotions, but then again so am I so I didn't think anything of it.
She went to college, and got her teaching certification, so she could help others. She is well liked in the area, and very intellegent, once she sorted things out and learned to express herself life was great. Our relationship didn't work out, but it had nothing to do with her autism, more of a distance/time issue.
I guess my point is that, God willing, Jacob can live a very normal life, with just a little help, (and lots of love and support) from those around him. You have my prayers, and admiration. :) :cool: :cool:
Thank-you so much for sharing that. :smile: It's our hope that Jacob will be able to be independent and successful when he grows up. I can't help hoping his future will also include wife and kids (like when he's 30! :D ) - I'd be a good grandma I think and not too much a rotter of a MIL I hope, lol! :D

[Tom Brown]

Hi Jacob.
You rock, buddy. I like your writing.
Try to keep your Mom out of trouble.
Your friend,
Tom :)
:rollside:
FM , reading Jacob's writing was more entertaining than
some of the guy's :argue: over at bench racers :D .
I'm thinking the next cat will be called Rice Boy.

[JustMVG]

FM you must be so proud and well you should, Jacob, Way To Go, well done keep it up.
hope you will share more of his writings and ramblings :D , It would be neat to see just random thoughts from him, see what life looks like to a kid.
MikeVG

[CandyA$$]

hope you will share more of his writings and ramblings :D , It would be neat to see just random thoughts from him, see what life looks like to a kid.
See random thoughts, hell hook him up to his own boardroom. He could have convers interaction with everyone. Well I guess that is if he is good with the computer and internet.

[JustMVG]

See random thoughts, hell hook him up to his own boardroom. He could have convers interaction with everyone. Well I guess that is if he is good with the computer and internet.
Well i guess if his mom can get him here i'm sure he'd fit right in, might even teach us adults a thing or two!! :D His mom is a very prolific wrier too!!! Write FM?!! :D Ooops Right!!??

[FMluvswater]

Well i guess if his mom can get him here i'm sure he'd fit right in, might even teach us adults a thing or two!! :D His mom is a very prolific wrier too!!! Write FM?!! :D Ooops Right!!??
Someday Mikey I hope both Jacob and I will get to visit you all. That'd be cool. :cool:
Prolific? Hmm. Not so sure about that. Other than post ho-ing I don't write much anymore! :D Jacob wants to be famous and I think he'll make that happen whether through writing or some other way. :cool:

[FMluvswater]

Not to knock this off base, but what are sea monkey's?
:confused:
Hi this is Jacob talking :lightsabe Did`nt I tell you that Sea Monkeys were brime shrimp? :D From Jacob

[Debbolas]

Congrats FM!!
That is great, my friend at school has an autistic child, she can't get him off the computer, LOVEs computer games...one day I was his "shadow", where I follow him around during lunch, play with him if he wishes, sometimes he acknowledges me, and sometimes not, refers to me as "him" lol :D

[hoolign]

Hi this is Jacob talking :lightsabe Did`nt I tell you that Sea Monkeys were brime shrimp? :D From Jacob
Hey Jacob!..Hoolign here ( you can call me Jeff ...don't listen to your mom on this one) :D
Great job on your story!
I had those sea monkeys when I was your age too.. but mine didn't last to long after I put them in with the oscars! :(
So what's your ***boat name going to be?? If you have any ideas.you make sure you run them by Tom and myself..( we''ll surprise your mom!....or not :p )
So your going to be famous! if there's one thing in life you'll need to remember ..Jeff gets half :D fine...25 % it is :D
When is the next story due for release?
Good luck and have fun!
Jeff.

[Kim Hanson]

Hi this is Jacob talking :lightsabe Did`nt I tell you that Sea Monkeys were brime shrimp? :D From Jacob
That was a great story Jacob, your mom knows me--sort of :cool: ........( . )( . ).........Computers are the chit Jacob, master them and its free wheeling from there! :)

[FMluvswater]

Congrats FM!!
That is great, my friend at school has an autistic child, she can't get him off the computer, LOVEs computer games...one day I was his "shadow", where I follow him around during lunch, play with him if he wishes, sometimes he acknowledges me, and sometimes not, refers to me as "him" lol :D
Thanks Deb. :smile: Jacob is very into the computer also but he is limited to only one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. He recently purchased a computer game with his own money and he was showing me how good he has gotten at it. I was duly impressed cuz I'm certain I'd suck at the game. I kept telling him he was amazing and he kept saying, "I know." :D
Hoolign and Sugar - Jacob is now in bed but I'll be sure to show him your posts later. :smile:
The first time I tried to show Jacob this thread he wouldn't pay attention. It was only when I showed it to my ex that Jacob get curious enough and ended up reading over his Dad's shoulder. :D First post that got a reaction from Jacob was the one he replied to and that's pretty darn close to what he actually said out loud - he was laughing when he said it. :D I prompted him to identify himself but other than that the post was written by him. :D Does he ever love the smileys! Halfway through posting he started testing them all to see what the text command was for each, lol. He also was very interested in knowing how the "member is online/offline/invisible" indicator worked and I explained it. Then he wanted to see what happened if I went invisible so I did that too. Didn't stay that way though (unlike certain stalkees). :wink:
I couldn't get him to post any of his other reactions so I'll mention a few I recall:
barbigirl - Jacob LOVES your current sig line "I'll make ya famous!"
Tom - Jacob laughed hard at the idea of a cat named Rice Boy. He approves (and no he doesn't know from whence the term comes but it still amused him, lol) and he believes he'll name a cat of his that someday - only if it's a boy cat but if it's a female he said he'll name it Rice Lady instead! :D He wasn't too sure about the keeping me out of trouble comment so I asked him if I was a trouble maker and he started to giggle and said "No!" (so there :p says I!)

[~FM]

I'm very proud of my son. He's an amazing child. He was diagnosed with autism at 19 months old.
He didn't start talking until he was 3 (39 months according to our journal entry). There were times
I despaired he'd ever communicate socially or creatively. He's come a long way. :smile: Many people
are surprised to learn he is autistic, because he presents on first impression as a typical 8 year old boy.
He still has a few challenges but he's really doing great. :smile:
He's in an integrated classroom in third grade and has a special student assistant to help him throughout
his day at school with any difficulties that arise. Jacob also has a developmental co-ordination disorder.
The combination of the two challenges has made handwritten work a very frustrating task for him. He
labors so much over the formation of each individual letter that he loses his creative train of thought. As a
result, much of his handwritten works have been short, terse sentences, often unrelated to each other and
bearing no indication of inner thought processes. Recently, Jacob has been granted the occasional use of a
computer to complete some of his written work. The difference between what he wrote at a keyboard compared
to what he typically writes with paper and pencil floored us all! :supp:
I'm so impressed I wanted to share his story with you all. :smile:
Jacob okayed that idea (his goal in life is to be famous, lol! :D ) He's on his way to that already too; his story
appeared in his school's June newsletter as a space filler. One of only two stories that did. :cool:
The following note (from Jacob's in-class student assistant) was stapled to Jacob's printed out story and sent
home with him.
Take a look at Jacob's writing. I think it's terrific! Jacob definitely finds it easier to do written work on the computer.
Jay
Wed May 18 '05
Here is the story transcribed exactly as it was written by my son ...
Jacob's Zoo of Fabulous Amazing Animals
I have 4 animals I take care of. I have one set of Sea Monkeys (brime shrimp), 2 cats, Samantha and
Gordie and six snails in 1 container (only the snails are in the container I was talking about). Here are the
profiles about the four pets I have:
The Sea Monkeys:
The sea monkeys start breeding at 3 to 5 weeks old. Right now they are 4 weeks old but are small. I know
that they will problarery grow a little big.
Samantha:
Samantha is a bit of a nasty cat. Although she is a bit of a nasty cat she is rather a sweet cat as long as you
don't follow her around and/or pick her up(else she will hiss and scratch at you(she always hisses at you
least 11 times before). She is all black and has yellow eyes.
Gordie:
Gordie is nice cat. He doesn't like being picked up, although all he'll do about it is minow at my zia. Gordie
has long, vanilla white fur. He always looses his fur and leaves it behind wherever he goes. Gordie is a bit
skinny. He loves dry and wet cat treats, the wet ones come in small cans(the treats in them are all fixed
together in one) and the dry ones come in medium sized bags of little treats.
The Six Snails:
I have six garden snails. They are milti colored: black, yellow and brown are the main colors. the snails
feed on grass and clovers. They live in a small container ( big compaired to them) that sits in my bedroom
on top of my bookshelf. The cats do not get at them.
All in all my most favorite animal is Gordie. Gordie is so nice, he will let me pick him up and put him on
my stomach. I do enjoy all my animals but Gordie by far is my most favorite pet. That is it, my zoo is
complete.
Jacob, age 8 1/2, Grade 3
FYI : minow is Jacob's phonetic interpretation of "meow" and
zia is what he calls his step-mom.
Here are the two cats.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/FMluvswaterbabe/Personal/gordieandsamantha-1.jpg
Here's Jacob & Gordie
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/FMluvswaterbabe/Personal/kiddoandgordie01142005.jpg
Did I mention I'm proud of him? :D
Unfortunately, Gordie passed away two years ago. Jacob still talks about him with love. :) He does still have some snails (just different ones).

[Cheap Thrills]

How did I miss this back on 05 :idea:
I loved the story. Wonderful detail and a great creative effort.
Two thumbs up for Jacob ;)
T.