Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Feb 28, 2010 in Brian, Videos
Years back some of you may remember when I finally got my answer as to what was going on with my son Brian’s learning. He was diagnosed with APD. When the Dr. read to me the common characteristics of these kids, I felt like she knew my son almost as well as I did.
Finally I had answers, and set forth a plan which allowed my son to thrive in school. Kids like my son with APD do not have a loss of hearing sensitivity, but have a hearing problem in the sense that they do not process auditory information normally.
This meant that everyone was now a tutor Brian, from my mother, my ex-husband to me. As I worked with Brian to help him come up with modifications to assist his learning (like always sitting at the front of class) I felt his APD was also more of a way he looked at the world, and a way in which he thought about how the world around him works.
He hates to write, but can tell stories. He loves Math and excels at it. He loves Honors Science and is fascinated by space. Reading bores him, but he can win a new video game in 24 hours. He likes computers, music, weight lifting, building stacks of things and drawing. He loves to work on comedy and is always trying to twist comebacks into something that gets a belly laugh. He has an amazing ability to memorize entire movies right down to quoting what was said. He likes anything that is new that challenges the way he thinks.
Sometimes his thoughts move faster than he can get them out of his mouth. His father and I have to remind him to take a breath so that is lips can catch up to the story he is sharing.
He is always in his head. It must be an amazing place.
Through all these years I have tried to understand why his mind works the way it does, and the other night I began to watch the new TED video releases from TED2010. By happenstance I clicked on one called, Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds.
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. She talks about how her mind works in this video. She shares her ability to “think in pictures,” which helps her solve problems that neuro-typical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.
HBO has produced a full-length film on telling her story. She fascinates me, and gave me the answer to how my son’s brain works. After watching her video, I asked Brian how he sees problems and solves them. He casually answered, “I see them as images projected side by side or as random patterns I pull together into a clear picture.”
Oh.
My son thinks in patterns and pictures. No wonder he hates to write. He is not a bad writer, he just hates it.
This week instead of my usual parenting humor, I am sharing the TED video, because the world needs to understand how different minds work, especially those of our emerging children. And if you are struggling with your child in school, maybe this video will help you open up a conversation about how they view the world, and you may be lucky enough to gain an understanding of how their mind works. Trust me, you are in for a fun ride.
She is brilliant.
It gives us hope for the future. How I love TED videos.
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Sep 20, 2009 in Brian
There are 4 drafts of posts just sitting in the back-end of this blog, waiting for me to finish them.
I just haven’t had a free moment. My son has given me much hilarious teenage fodder for this blog, but time has not been my friend in allowing me to complete my posts.
Just to give you an idea of what my life has been like, I leave you with these -
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Mar 3, 2009 in Brian
If you ask me what type of man I would like to see Brian become in the next four years, as we wind down the last months of middle school, I defer to my favorite online video of all time:
Brian is at his weekly ballroom dance as we speak.
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Apr 28, 2008 in Brian
Thirteen years ago today, Dr. Beldon induced labor and I was preparing to welcome a boy into the world. Brian was actually due on April 15th. Being the Brian who is never in a hurry, he decided he liked my womb and was not in any hurry to leave.
EVER.
He was probably looking for his shoes back then too…
My ex-husband Terry and I kicked around some Irish boy names and were contemplating Brandon, Bret, Brendt and Brian. All that day, as Brian refused to budge (even with the help of Petocin) we still couldn’t decide on his name.
Back in 1995 VH1 played music all day and then at 5:00 pm switched to the Comedy Channel, a precursor to Comedy Central.
At 5:30 pm Brian finally decides to co-operate and allow himself to be coaxed out into the world as VH1 switches from music to comedy. Twenty minutes later, while in the middle of some major pushing and swearing, small voices can be heard saying:
“Brian: I’m not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand? Honestly! Girl: Only the true Messiah denies His divinity. Brian: What? Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah! Followers: He is! He is the Messiah! Brian: Now, fuc* off! Arthur: How shall we fuc* off, O Lord?”
My doctor turns around, looks up and says, “What in the heck is that? Do you want me to have it turned off?”
I look up and notice it is Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
“God no! Are you kidding me?” I respond, “It’s perfect.”
I sigh, “His name is Brian.”
Thus Brian was born during The Life of Brian.
However … we prefer to tell him he is named after Brian Boru.
One of his little friends did the trick. His mother told me that last night before falling asleep, his friend said, “….and God, please help my friend Brian make weight…”
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Apr 1, 2005 in Brian
The Pope is in the beginning of his next grand adventure of the ultimate test of his Catholic faith. Do you think he will write? Wouldn’t it be a bummer for him if the atheists were right, or reincarnation is correct and he gets to come back as a flea? Can I go to hell for that?
I was 18 when Pope John Paul II became il papa. Disco and the band Journey were still popular, and my own father died August of that year: 1978.
I think it is kinda cool that the Pope will go out in the middle of March Madness. Is that a sign for the NCAA?
Speaking of contact sports-
This week my son got into his first real fight. He lost. The other boy is 12. He’s got a nice shiner on his left cheek. When my ex husband called and told me, then handed the phone to my son, I sucked wind. I probably inhaled my carpet. I’m not sure. It’s the call you never want to get – even if he is a boy. Nothing was broken, except some of his pride. He’s 9 going on 10, so yes, that whole male-pride thing is beginning.
He was upset, but to my surprise fairly ok. This must be one of those great guy-club secrets. Because girlfriends, if some witch bruised my cheek when I was 9 I would have found a way to get even later – even if I was 65. I just think, as women, we don’t roll the same in this arena.
I asked my son if he was scared when it came down. The boy had pushed him, and Brian pushed the boy to the ground. When the boy got up he came with a running punch to the face. It knocked Brian down. That must have come as one hell of a surprise.
Brian sighed, “NO! I was really mad. I don’t like being shoved for no reason from a kid that’s being mean.” “Ok”, I thought, “Neither do I.” I realized at that moment Brian was somehow different. His voice sounded older.
Fast forward to today and he wears that bruise like some sort of badge of honor. In his head he is not the loser of the fight. He was brave. He even tried bossing me around today.
I gave him a get out of jail free card this time.
I dropped him off for a sleepover at my brother’s girlfriend’s house. Her sons are 10 and 14. It’s a boy’s house and I like her. The boys ran up as we parked – glad to see Brian. As the three walked up the driveway they were inspecting the bruise and exchanging old fight stories and injuries. Brian had just become a member of the boys fight club.
I bet that fight story becomes like mens fishing stories.
Now don’t get me wrong – I am not in favor of violence. It bothers me that he was punched in the face. I would much rather someone use their head over their fist – every time. I also understand the laws of nature. I understand this type of thing is a part of a boys growing up.
This week seemed to be about stages. The Pope moves on to his next stage. We move the clocks forward to the next stage of the year. Brian moved to the next stage of boyhood. And, I’ve started this new stage of writing again after 25 years of silence.
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Rain is still a boy’s favorite thing:
