Disabilities/Special Needs Family

Unique Service

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I worked in the Travel and Tourism field for many years, for the airlines and hotels, before working in Ministry.  Both good customer service and unique service was always something that would be a big draw for customers.  Who doesn’t like to be treated special, in a unique way…. to feel like you have been hand-picked to have this service done just for you?  If you walked into a hotel and they greeted you and knew your name as you walked in and then led you to the desk, carried your bags, checked you in, offered you some special accommodations, and maybe even a unique special gift for just coming…how would that make you feel?  At first, I think I would assume they have the wrong person and start looking around for the right person….after which when they tell me it was really for me….I would feel that I was unique and special even for that moment in time.

I remember when we walked into our church a few years ago and we were greeted in a manner that made us feel like they had been waiting for us to arrive.  They had never met us….and we had never been to this church.  Week after week, we were greeted with a heartfelt hug, welcome, smile and a feeling of we belong.  How special that after two years of being there….there is never a time when we arrive that we are not treated with this same feeling.

Is this unique?  YES, it is….where can you go and get this greeting these days?

I am reminded of a verse when I enter this church found in Matthew 20:28

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

If the Lord came to serve, who are we to do any less? If you are not sure who to serve, when to serve or where to serve……then ask for WISDOM (see James 1:5).  His words are perfect and truth.  He will direct your path and steps and lead you into serving at the perfect moment.

I have been reminded a few times in the past few months about how to serve in a humble way….I am proud to say that I work with many wonderful people herein ministry that walk with the Lord daily and serve with a humble spirit. Let me share a few examples with you…

We had a rather larger person who could not tie his shoe….I watched him pace the floor and then finally asked one of our staff men to help him tie his shoe.  Our staff member knelt down and tied his shoe and as he did he started talking about a sports game….in a way that turned that embarrassing moment for a guest into a “by-the-way type conversation” and removed the awkwardness.

I also watched as a staff member, on his way to a coffee shop… spotted a homeless man and purchased a coffee and sandwich for him.  When the staff member gave it to the man….he asked for his name and then told him how Jesus loved him.  He didn’t just hand it to him but made him feel special by asking for his name.

I also watched a guest check-in with her luggage which happened to be a cardboard box.  She was on a limited income and had a family to take care of ….so her personal needs were put on the back burner.  Another staff member saw this and got together with me to put together a set of luggage for her.  We gave this to her anonymously so that she would not feel awkward.

Again….He did not come to be served but to serve.  The Lord served in a loving and humble way.  As I write this devotion…my eyes are filled with tears remembering these stories and my heart is challenged by these servants to get out there and serve someone today…how about you?

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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  • At Home with Lynn Wilson

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Living with Autism #Autism Awareness

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We as a family live with Autism everyday and have for about 18 years. Life is different, life is crazy and life is full of Joy. We have learned how to navigate this journey, how to make a life full of successes and how to teach our son to be the best he can be and to be the person he was created to be. Come hear our frustrations as well as our JOYS that we have experienced. This month of April is Autism Awareness and this video can help if you have Autism, live with someone with Autism or if you just want to get to know about this unique life.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Autism…. Learning about the ”WE” and not the “I”

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When you have a special needs person in your life, it is always a learning experience. As the saying I use goes, ”I found my new normal and it’s a moving target.” Our youngest son is now seventeen and it took me about twelve years to finally start to understand how he thinks. The funny thing is, once I started to get the ‘we not I’ way of thinking, it helped me understand why some of my extended family members act and react the way they do.

Let me explain a little. The bottom line is this, when you say to someone with Autism, ADD, ADHD or something similar that they need to be to bed earlier since they woke up so early that day, usually you get a fit and a large argument. But if you say that we all woke up early and we should all go to bed early, that one individual seems to calm down and agree with you.

In our home we have learned to be creative and use we more than I. Yes, some might say that we are giving in, but we say why have an argument when you can just change the wording and make life a little easier?

Do you struggle with a special needs family member? What have you been able to do with changing one or two words?

Here are some practical tips we use to help the day a little better:

Things to do and say:       

  • Include yourself and talk as if you are a group.
  • Speak clearly and only use the facts.
  • Smile and be kind.
  • Make eye contact and smile.
  • Use kind speech and words.
  • Respect them as you would anyone.
  • Remember God created them unique.

Things not to do or say:

  • Don’t single them out.
  • Don’t use figures of speech
  • Don’t joke: jokes to them are insulting (even the most simplest joke is not the same for them)
  • Don’t expect the same in return when it comes to eye contact. (eye contact for them sometimes can be overstimulating)                                                                                                   
  • Don’t yell or use harsh words (a soft voice goes much further with them)
  • Don’t treat them with disrespect….they are people too.           
  • Don’t treat them like they are weird.

We are all unique in our own way and have been wonderfully made. Your uniqueness might make you just as strange to someone else as they are to you.  Remember to be kind and respectful to each person you encounter. Most of the time we can navigate life much better that way.

Lynn A.C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

 

Welcome to my home and life…

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Life is definitely a journey and an adventure if you know anything about me. Every day brings new and exciting things and also some overwhelming moments. For the past two weeks my husband has had two major falls from having seizures which led him to be in the chiropractor’s office 2 to 3 times a week plus having to have physical therapy and wear a back brace.

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Because of this we decided to take a quick weekend away that we called a Saturday vacation. While on this vacation he had a seizure, his scooter that he uses to get around in large places died in the middle of the museum. This led to us having to push it out of the museum, to loading it in the car manually, and causing me to be completely overwhelmed and having to have a good cry.

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If you asked me is it all worth it I’d say 100%. If you asked me what I marry this man again I would tell you absolutely 100%. He is the man of my dreams and if he comes with an extra package called epilepsy …I wouldn’t change a thing. Now having said all that… I have stated over and over it many times that I have found “my new normal and it’s a moving target”. so what does all of this mean, for me there is no normal, normal is only for a moment and that changes again. And I am OK with that. I’ve had to learn to be OK with that… Otherwise I would not have survived life and all that has been part of it.

This is made me in the long run realize how precious life is, it is giving me the desire to encourage other women and their walk and their journey, it is also encouraged me to invest in peoples lives whenever I can.

But having said all that… I have a new journey in life and an adventure and that is my YouTube channel. Come and join me and come and visit me and see what this crazy life entails. I hope you will find encouragement along the way, maybe some new ideas that you’ve never thought of before, maybe a few laughs, but most of all I hope that you leave feeling a little bit better about yourself, a little bit more encouraged than when you first started to visit with me.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

YouTube Channel name: “At Home with Lynn Wilson”



“Menu” Math for special Needs……what is out there for basic teaching material?r

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We are a homeschooled family and love to learn new ways of teaching just about anything.  Having someone with special needs and teaching them has been interesting and also challenging at times!!!! One of the uniquenesses that our son has (or as we like to call them) is Autism and ADHD.  Now he also has a few other uniqueness….and roll them all together and you never quite know what you will have when you try to teach him.

Trying to teach the simplest things can be a big hurdle and we need to look around and always find new and different ways to approach things.

Our one goal has been as he gets closer to adult age is basic life skills.  How can he function the best he can in the “real” world as he get older? When he wants to be with his friends….how can he maintain as “normal” of a life as he can?  What can we do to assist him in learning how to feel like he can fit in?

We needed to make a list of areas in life where we needed to help him fit in the best he could.  One area we thought of would be when he goes to a restaurant.  I think we take things for granted and just maybe assume that reading and understanding a menu is the “norm”.  Well in fact I found out that it is not.  So in my search around I actually found math workbooks called “menu math” and we just love them!!!

Real life math…..with real life restaurant menus, it doesn’t get better than this.  We choose places that we frequent to make this as real and normal as we could.  Chick-Fil-A, MacDonald’s etc.…. here a few samples of what we choose below.  Stay tuned as to how we apply these in our homeschooling in my next blog.

Here are a few links to some places where I was able to purchase some great “menu math”… Let me know if you find any other great resources in the comments below.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:menu%20math

https://www.rempub.com/menu-math

https://www.amazon.com/Menu-Math-Grades-2-3-Martin/dp/0439227259

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

“Night to Shine”….. and that he did!!!!!

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What an amazing night… What an amazing event! How many of you have someone with some type special needs and long for them to have a typical night like any other teenager could have such as a prom night? Tim Tebow foundation has created an event for people with special needs to have a prom like event for them to feel special for one night… and for them to “shine”!!!!

We were absolutely amazed at the organization, presentation, and variety of events put together in one evening. We arrived to find that girls were getting their hair, nails and make up done… while the boys were getting their shoes shined and their hair touched up. From there they went and met up with a buddy that they would have for the evening to keep them company. Then on to the horse and buggy carriage ride, and then to ride in a limousine! Once they departed from the limousine they were escorted to a red carpet where there were volunteers lined up on the carpet to root them on and cheer them on and take pictures. As our son said “I felt like a movie star”!!

Then they entered the gala… with white twinkling lights, beautiful tables decorated, a DJ, and I wonderful meal provided by Chick Fil A!

They could dance all night, they could be with their friends all night, they could feel as special as any other person ever felt on a prom night.

The final event… Would be to gather all the people with special needs and their buddies… They would be prayed over, and then everybody was crowned king and or queen of the prom with a beautiful crown or tiara.

No one was left behind and no one was left out during this beautiful moment. Everybody felt like they shined for this one special evening… our son came home feeling like he was worth something so special!!! This is one night he will never forget for the rest of his life!

Lynn A. C. Wilson– Resume of a Mother

Hands on Events for Autism….NO JUDGEMENT ZONE!!!

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Well we are here and sitting at a museum with about 200+ Autistic kids and their families. WOW!!!!! This is an adventure to be with so many family and now friends that we have made.

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It amazes me while I sit and watch the differences in each individual who has autism or on the spectrum! My son for example has changed so much that next to most of these kids he almost seems average. There are families with kids having meltdowns of all ages. Kids wearing head phones to lighten the sounds and other kids walking in circles or having stemming issues. But all in all to watch all these levels get along and come along side of each other with NO JUDGEMENT!!!!!

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YES… I said no JUDGEMENT!!! Just the other day I had someone tell me point blank to “put him on a diet”. My son is far from needing a diet….his only thing is …is that he is tall. Then only a few days later I have someone tell him right to his face “did your head fall in a bucket of paint”. Yes he tinted the top of his hair red… and I ask you where is the crime in that?

What a JOY to be part of this awesome support group here in New Jersey!! We have been part of this group for about 5 years now. Some of the events have a charge and some are FREE like this one tonight.

Tonight our kids can run free through the hands on museum designed with sensory play stations of all kinds. From a restaurant to a climbing wall, a TV station to a doctors office, a pet shop to a nature center.

Our sons favorite is the basketball and dinosaur room.

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If you are not part of a support group you need to be!!!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Surf Ups… Autism Day!

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Many people are misinformed and have a distorted view of Autism, disabilities, and what can be achieved! We have told our son he can do anything he wants… he might need to do it in a different way, but he can do it!

We are blessed here in New Jersey with several organizations that help people with disabilities and Autism. We have an organization called POAC, NJ Autism Warriors and organization that has come to New Jersey for this event in particular called “Walk on water”.

This day was created entirely for people with Autism and disabilities to have the freedom to feel the Atlantic Ocean surround them… to allow them to learn how to surf with a professional by their side… and to allow them to have the opportunity to know that they can do anything when they put their mind to it.

I have personally never surfed, but I have a few friends who have, and they said that there is nothing like riding a wave and the freedom it allows you to feel.

These kids were blessed one by one with riding the wave, winning an award, having a day set aside just for them and the list goes and on.

For one day they felt like they could be like everyone else. For one day they could feel proud. For one day they could feel like they were “all that”.

We were blessed to have such a special and awesome day for our family!!!

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