When is it just to much?

I am always thankful for those who follow our story and support our mission to create awareness. Our goal from the get go was never to get pitty or to make others feel sorry for the cards we were dealt . In fact we hope to inspire and help other families above all. However sometimes our mission gets marred when others take advantage of support blogs/pages. It is sad but there are those out there that unprofessionally diagnose their child, create symptoms for diagnosis's that aren't really there and exaggerate and elaborate on details to get that huge "Oh you poor thing." factor. Those folks tend to put the rest of us in a negative light. 

I never in my wildest dreams thought this journey of my last born would turn the way it has. While our start was a bit rough and a bit scary, again I really thought that would be the end of it. Minus our breathing issues. Autism and all that has come with it was the furthest from my mind. However I can recall one instance sitting in my class in my second semester of college when the thought of Autism came into my mind. A friend of mine, co worker, babysitter, had been talking to me about H and his struggles with speech etc. She had asked about Autism. I said if things didn't improve we would take that route but until then it was just delays due to premature. That was in the winter of 2012. Later that spring is when our lives started to change. Evaluations and testings in its early stages would start to reveal the delays that I was hoping were just in my head would not actually be factual. 

Even with all that we started finding out, our mission was always clear in our head; AWARENESS, AWARENESS, AWARENESS!!! If H actually had Fragile X we wanted to be as informed about it to learn more and start spreading the word on creating awareness. However after two different genetic testings, despite his physical and developmental markers for the disorder, H did not have Fragile X. We still remain apart of the support page as we made some great friends and learned a whole lot about it all. Then we heard the words Autism and Sensory Processing. We went into it with caution and research, we had already been through the stress of one disorder so until we knew without a doubt we kept cautious of what we were dealing with.

Once we we knew what H was dealing with of course our mission was clear. Spread the word, raise awareness and do anything and everything we could to help him. Let me make this clear we didn't/don't want pitty. We want to help him and our other friends we have met along the way be the most successful they can be. I won't embellish details, put things in that aren't there, be deceitful to gain services we wouldn't otherwise qualify for. Sadly we have come across these types of people and it is sad because essentially they are taking away from the other families that aren't able to because the time and therapists are being taken up by those who really don't need it. 

I know as a parent we want to do what ever we can to get our child all the need to succeed however when is enough, enough? When is to much, to much? When is it considered overboard? I have encountered families that have actually lied to get more for their children to create things that aren't really happening to get more out of therapies and out of people. Some would ask "What type of person wants something to be wrong with their child?" " What could one possibly get out all this needy deceitful antics?" At first I am sure they get what they want and then as time goes on hopefully those around them start to see the truth and realize some people are in this for the attention apparently there is some sort of glamour in the disability world. 

I ask those who follow our story to know that what I post is 100% accurate and true. I share the good, the bad, the ugly and of course the unexpected. I try to give a good balance so that the real picture is shown. Autism is not the end of the world, in fact it is the start of a new one for us. Autism has opened our eyes to so many things and in a way we are grateful to this. Its taught us to slow down more and appreciate things we wouldn't have in the past. We have learned to see things in a whole new light.

Autism isn't always this downer and horrible things. There are some wonderful moments we have encountered. I encourage those who follow pages like mine to be leary of those who constantly post the downs, the whoa is me posts, the things that just seem off. There are just some people out there who want some form of attention and its not about their child its about them. Of course most of those who follow support pages like mine aren't familiar about the diagnosis. Utilize that as a time to learn on your own what it is to form more educated thoughts and opinions. Ask questions to the people you follow. You can learn a lot about the people you follow by asking the straight forward direct questions without coming off confrontational and rude. Do this especially if you plan to give monetary donations and such. I would hate to see that someone got scammed. In the past when we have been provided monetary donations we sent proof of purchase to those who donated so they could see it was put to good use then when we were able to show pictures of H utilizing what ever it is we might have purchased with donations. 

I know this is not the typical post I share but after some recent situations and information I have been seeing I feel this is important especially with that holiday season upon us and people are feeling more inclined to give and reach out. Speak up of things seem off. I know that there is a person I have encountered on this journey that has pushed the limits and made others scratch their heads in wonderment. It has really taught me how to read people and situations more so that I can make a more informed decision on who to support and follow ourselves on this journey.  

Don't be sorry....

"I am so sorry", " I don't know how you can do it."," You must be a very strong person.", "Do you ever just wish it was different?"  As a special need parent these are some of the most common things we hear. They are usually from well meaning individuals, family, friends and strangers alike. While I realize they probably mean no harm in their statements it just becomes unnecessary and awkward. 

We aren't sorry for the child we were given. We do it because we are the parents, it is our job our duty our RESPONSIBILITY. We do this the same way would we would raise a typical developing child. I don't feel I am any stronger than the next parent to do what I do. I think or I would like to think that any other parent in our place would do it, I know however in reality this is not the case but I always believe that this is how it should be. Never, ever ever do I wish this was different for us. This is how it was suppose to be so why would I want to change it. There are days that it gets to me but then again I think regardless of what my child is diagnosed with I am sure I would wish the that things were different. However this is how my child is, this is who are family is, this is what our lives are now. Nope no need to change it. 

My mom called tonight. We speak once a month or every six weeks. Gasp and tell me what a bad daughter I am but I have my reasons and do not need a lecture on how I am a cruel daughter for my estranged relationship with her. Anyways she had just had a friend over with her 6 year old Autistic son. Gathering from the tone of voice and the call he has to be much more severe than my child. She hasn't seen H since he was a newborn so she really has nothing to base anything off of unless my family has mentioned his behaviors and diagnosis to her. She proceeds to say how sorry she is over and over. I reassure her I am fine and that really its going to be ok. At this point I feel awkward because she honestly has no idea what we endure day in and day out.

After she tells me about the visit I have to start the explanation that he is a lower functioning Autistic. I only assume this from the behaviors and the lack of potty training etc. My mom was baffled that I knew so much about this child I had not met. Hmmm lets see everything she described, my own personal knowledge and now training in I think I have it covered. She seemed so amazed by it. She still actually has no idea what our daily life entails she just thinks she does because of a visit from her friend today.

She asked all sorts of typical questions that we get from people who don't know us well or have no idea the variations of this spectrum disorder. My mom is old school and not hardly capable of using a computer let a long a smart phone so her knowledge base on Autism is very outdated and very Rainman esque. I explained his quirks as you will and she seems to be grasping more that my child is nothing like the 6 yr old who was at her home today. 

Once I finally got my mom to actually listen to what was being said she started to grasp what we deal with on a daily basis. I told her you meet one Autistic child you have met ONE Autistic child. I said while yes these two share similar quirks and such that they are both on opposite ends of the spectrum. Regardless it is a social disability that effects social skills, cognitive and some motor skills. Again since she has not seen H since he was a newborn really has no idea what he is like. She kept wanting to talk on the phone with him and I had to explain this was not going to happen as he has no face to put with the person and will not answer her questions unless they are his desired topic, she finally understood this. 

After she and I ended our conversation, H was running around outside of our destination climbing and getting very excited, I really started thinking more about her call. I know she was prompted to call because of her encounter today. I can only assume she felt genuine concern of us because of what her friend endures on a daily basis. I know she wants for this relationship with him and myself. I however am not sure I am ready for it. I don't want the relationship out of pitty and feeling sorry for us. We get along just fine and I don't need her to give the tone of the "oh woe is me" to all of it. We are not dwelling on this at all. We embrace it and claim it as our normal life. I never want H to think we should dwell on this or that its his fault at all.

So please if you ever encounter a family who has a child with a disability don't pitty them, feel sorry for them or make them think their life should be different. Help them embrace it, encourage and support them. This was the hand they were dealt and they are making the absolute most of it so you should also. 

It could happen to you...

Since the start of the year it has been filled with up's and down's. More so than any other year I can ever recall. This says a lot because I have gone through a lot in my adult years but this one sure is one for the records. While it has not been the picture of perfection it has given us a lot to be thankful for and a lot to learn from. 
At the start of the summer life had become tough, so tough we had no idea where we were going to end up and what was going to happen. Good people, LOTS of good people were looking out for us and helped pull us through that very tough time. Thankfully those tough times have been put behind us and we move forward once again. Those tough times however brought to light things we needed to focus on and helped us realize what we need to do make sure that we don't encounter this again. 
With that said this year has been full of pleasant surprises and lots of good news. In March I was nominated for employee of the quarter not only for my center but for my squadron, group and the overall base. I ended up receiving that in each category. I have been told this puts me in the running for employee of the year for my category which would be even more awesome. In April we were granted money to obtain several things for H. We got his riding covered along with much needed therapy items. H also got into the PPCD program at Head Start which we were very thrilled about because we knew he needed extra help and this was exactly what we had hoped he would get. Just recently I took on a lead preschool teaching role and I have been so excited about the opportunities it has given me.
I think however the icing on the cake for all of this was the phone call I received this morning. I generally put my phone on airplane mode when I am at work to preserve the battery. As I flipped my phone back into working mode I noticed a VM. I assumed it was Sean's school notifying me of the schedule change etc. However it was a lady from KTXS tv station here in Abilene. I at first thought this was in reference with stuff I am doing with TLC so I just sort of backed out of my parking spot and proceeded to get my lunch. However as I continued to list I realized this was not exactly about TLC this was about ME! 
It turns out someone, possibly my husband, nominated me for WTU Electric volunteer of the year award. I am now one of the five finalists. They talked about my work with TLC, Reach and my own group The Spectrum Connection. How I work full time, go to school and have my own special needs child and give my time to help those in the community all at the same time. I started crying and shaking. I had never before ever been nominated or considered for something like this so to be a finalist to me is HUGE! 
I spoke to KTXS this evening and we discussed a tentative plan for next week. They want to come out to TLC see what we do, meet my family and see what it is I do. So I will know by Thursday what exactly will be going on. This segment will air a few times till the winner is announced. They will have all of us on sharing our story. I have no idea if this is a voting process or what but still I just feel honored to be top 5 right now. 
So what do I get if I win you might ask? I personally get nothing. The Legacy Complex will get a very much needed $5,000 award. That to me is enough of a prize so I am perfectly ok with that! TLC has done so much for our community I am excited to know that they very well could be given this award me. 
So now that I am starting to come down from this amazing high I need to start focusing and thinking about what I am going to do next. I want this to be the most amazing interview that captures everything that I think matters to myself and my family. I want to make sure our special needs community is given the recognition it needs. This is something I don't think in a million years I could have ever dreamed could happen so for now I am just going to relish in this moment!

Doctors VS Schools

September 14th was my last update. So needless to say life has happened since then that has kept me away from my blog sadly. However not all of that is for a bad reason. I have taken on a full time preschool position, H has been busy in activities along with Seanman and between all of us in school we just need to prioritize. 

Over the last few weeks I have been posting about the schools results on what they believe H will be labeled as disability wise. Hold on, you say, "wasn't he already diagnosed with PDD-NOS and SPD and APD?" Sure of course he was after two days of testing with other testing sprinkled in there by trained doctors and neuropsychologist. So basically I have taken their word as gospel at this point because well this is what they went to school for this is what they are certified to do. However the PPCD program feels they must do their own evaluations and testings on him to ensure the Autism diagnosis. I wonder if those who are deaf or whom are intellectually challenged have to go through this same series of testing. I mean seriously how many times must a child, a family endure this testing? 

When I posted on H's page late last week about meeting with the school to go over their test results most people who responded were baffled that he needed to be tested despite what doctors, trained professionals had already diagnosed him as. I was warned of this from ECI prior to going through our initial meeting and our ARD. I was worried because what if they happened to catch him on a good day and they say he is fine and that I am crazy? I still would stick to what the doctor had said and just continued to fight our fight for him. When he was accepted I was so relieved and thought most of this was behind us. 

Several families said that when their child entered the special education program all that was needed was the actual doctors diagnosis and all the results that were given. Makes sense right? I mean I know their job is to base our IEPs off of their lacking abilities and to get a clearer picture of the child's needs. However while I respect that as it is very needed to help my child succeed I feel that they are trying to over ride everything we have spent countless hours obtaining,  the mucho money that was spent and all the time we had to travel. Today for example a friend of mine here in Texas received a call from their child's school stating since their child had the best penmanship in the class and was so very smart their child was not Autistic. This was by far the most insane thing I had ever read! Granted my child does not have much in the way of penmanship he certainly is super smart. I am sure hoping in this instance it was a very unqualified teacher calling and not someone who is trained and qualified who made this remark to the parent. 

If you have seen one Autistic child then congrats you have seen ONE Autistic child. This is spectrum disorder. There are various levels of this disorder from severe, minimal to no self help skills or communication skills and lacking even the most basic in coordination to moderate/mild, more self  help or fully functional skills, communicating and fully coordinated. Does that take away at all from what the underlying disorder is? NO not at all these children all lack the same thing social skills and the basic ways to properly interact with others around them. That on top of other things is what this disorder is about. 

Last night we went to a friends house for a Halloween playdate  and to have dinner. My friend has a son who is a little older than H and he is on the more severe end of the spectrum. While he was more severe than H they both had similar quirks about them. Another little boy who was just a few months older than H came who was just diagnosed on the spectrum was more along the same lines of H as he was more verbal and same hyperactive but he was not as into climbing as H, and he had more meaningful speech, H had a lot of scripted speech last night or using phrases that he had heard us say and was using them. All three boys on the spectrum all three boys with various strengths and deficits.  Up until that last half hour we were there it was the quietest playdate I had been to in a while as they boys didn't interact much did their own thing or were engaged in the movie. 

I completely understand the school wants the full picture of what is going on with H. I mean who doesn't? However no matter what they come back saying it isn't going to change what we were told back in January. I am already a little leary of what will happen next week when we meet for our ARD meeting to discuss his results and his new IEP. I was told last week no OT was needed! He was in OT twice a week up until school started and that was only dropped because it was going to conflict with school.  I plan to address this as WE (our team) fully believe he needs OT at school. Especially when it comes to the oral part of it. He sensory seeks this way and we want to make sure that his needs are being met with his chew tube and or Z-vibe, even being able to use his vest during those times help. 

Before my naysayers jump in and tell me that I am being to hard on these educators I believe I am entitled to feel this way. I know what it means to be an educator. I am one. I do observations and assessments of young children all the time. However these are brief snapshots of their abilities and weaknesses. Does this mean I am qualified to tell a parent that their child is to disabled or just so far above the other children. I simply tell the parents of the red flag I see and encourage them if need be to get more help to ensure their child stays on track. I know that PPCD is for those with special needs so their qualifications are of course different, however sometimes I feel that they have become so immune to what we as parents have gone through with our child to reach the point we are at. They only see their aspect of it and forget that we are the ones that have endured this day in and day out and gone through the hell and back we have to get them all they need to help them do better. 

Earlier this month Reach went to the AISD school board with our proposal to get more Autism awareness/education in the classroom. I am hoping that when this is approved these educators can really see more of what us as activists and families go through to help all these amazing, brilliant children who are such an important part of our lives. I am truly holding out hope that this will be the push we need for them to start seeing that regardless of what their papers say these are who these children are and no matter what level of the spectrum they are at they still need their help to get to where they need to be and meet or surpass those goals set in place for them. 

A opportunity to teach!

I enjoy my role as an early childhood educator. I have spent a lot of time educating myself and attending as many trainings as I can to stay up to date on what I need to know. When I am skilled enough I enjoy teaching and sharing with others my knowledge. I want others to have the same info as myself so they can in turn help those around them. Its how we as educators operate. 

In January of this year I went to my fellow ASD moms, the ones I knew were wanting to spread more awareness, educate and share their knowledge. After some talking I said I wanted to put together a group a special support group to help other families, to help others and to create awareness. We created a page shared our stories, tips, therapies, helpful info and other news stories relating to topics we had discussed. I have been so proud and excited to be apart of this. Every time we came across another family we would guide them to our page so they could meet other local families in the same boat. Since most of us are military affiliated this has been a big thing. 

About six weeks ago a lady was on our FB page and emailed us about speaking at her church preschool. I wanted to write back at first and respond that we couldn't do that, that we are not qualified to help these preschool teachers. As I was typing it out I was thinking to myself " Dummy! Who better than us to talk to these teachers and help them better understand!" I wrote back that I would like the opportunity and asked what would she like to have discussed. I began mapping out and asking the other parents if they wanted to help. Unfortunately due to scheduling issues etc no one but myself and another mom were able to help. I was still thrilled at the chance to really finally get to share my knowledge of everything I had learned thus far. 

This morning I ended up flying solo for this event due to last minute glitches with my friend Stephanie who was going to help me with this project. Luckily I was prepared to do this so I got up early organized my material and headed out to my destination. I was excited and nervous. This was my chance to make an impact with these teachers and really tell them all I knew and all I could do to help them! This was my chance to make the difference to be the difference. Now to make sure I could do this for the next two hours and I would be good to go!

I stoop up briefly shared about the spectrum connection and how we came about, I also mentioned about being with Reach for a Difference and how we go out into the community and really do what we can to be the difference. I also shared about our journey and how this has been a huge learning experience but that hopefully the information I have brought them will help them see what exactly it is these teachers need to be doing. 

We covered so much stuff and unfortunately due to the lack of internet the videos I had set up were unable to be seen. However I did my best to tell about what we would have watched. I could tell that I was throwing out a ton of information to them and hopefully they were able to retain most of it. I talked about room arrangements, least restrictive environments, tantrums vs meltdowns, ECI, developmentally appropriate stages, warning signs, inclusion and difficult behaviors especially with children who are non verbal. They seemed shocked at the things I was throwing out there but I was getting some good feedback at the same time. 

Standing up there really made me feel powerful. I felt this overwhelming since of pride knowing I was sharing with these ladies my information my knowledge to help them better help the families they work with. It really was a rush! If I was asked again to speak I would do it in a heartbeat. Having that ability to share with others and teach them its a powerful and amazing thing. I only hope to get more opportunities like this in the future!

When is fun not fun anymore?

The last few days we have been excited about the event we were going to take H to. Mutton Bustin was supposed to be just a laid back, lets give it a shot, have a little fun. I still believe in my mind that out of the 13 riders there was about 9 of those who felt the same way. Each parent eager and excited to give their child an opportunity to try something different and fun. Most of the kids were boys two of them however were little girls. H was not the youngest either there was a 2 year old and he was about as thrilled to do this as H was. 
They packed us down in the small area each child given a hockey helmet and a giant zip up vest. I actually didn't think the vest would phase him as he wears a weighted vest, however he was not a huge fan. The helmet was not an issue until he just started becoming overwhelmed. 12 kids all standing around waiting their turn. You might ask what happened to child number 13 no my child didn't back out we wouldn't let him! the 13th child came down with a bag as big as he was, flashy blue metallic chaps and of course a freshly pressed fancy bright blue Wrangler button down shirt. The kid was 6 and apparently had sponsors. You could see it in the parents eyes their kids didn't stand a chance!  Did we tell our kids that? No we kept encouraging them and telling them how awesome they were going to do. 
After a long wait we were escorted out to the arena. I know for me it was a blur. I was standing back near another mom camera in hand waiting for my boy to exit the chute. His name was announced and over all the talking I could hear my boy screaming. At this point his boots had been kicked off and about 4 mean along with Chris and another man all around him. We both agreed no matter what he was doing this. Our friend Richard was standing there holding H by his sides. The chute opens and out he goes. I was blocked by so many I was unable to see a thing. I did see Richard however, with H in hand guiding him through the air. I guess his sheep took a giant leap out of the gate and rather than having H take a big fall he held him to prevent the fall. That is about what we had expected. 
Around that time one of the officials looked at me and said he did good, he was young and that next year he would probably last longer. I told him this might be a one time only deal, that our son was on the Autism spectrum and that this might be to much of an anxiety deal. I made mention though of how many kids on the spectrum actually come out here and participate in this though right?! He cocked his head to the side and said "Well your right not many if any kids on the spectrum come out here and do this." He went on to tell me he was on the Chair Committee for North Texas Autism Speaks! Really what are the odds? He was thrilled to see us and him doing this. 
Out of the 13 riders at least 2 didn't ride at all 8 held on but didn't make it but a foot or two outside the gate. The two year old had about as much fun as H did however he hit the ground right out and was very unhappy. The two boys we saw wearing chaps did well they made it a few feet outside the gate. The last rider was the 6 year old boy with the whole fancy get up. Suddenly this went from fun to heavy hitting competition. The parents exchanged glances we all knew what was about to happen. I felt bad for the parents of the older kids because they would realize right off what was about to happen. 
Of course being the good sports we adults are we cheered for the little boy. He rode down to the end of the arena and as he rode back he did something that bordered the line of talent and showboating unsportsmanlike conduct. That is about the time you could hear the older kids muttering the words show off and how they knew he would win. That boy sat up on the sheep and acted if he was riding a horse. He looked cocky and proud. His dad was cheering and the announcer was dropping subtle hints that he was done riding and could get off. 
The kids were told to await their prize but most of the parents begun to walk off they all knew their kid was not in the top 3. Though at that moment they mentioned a check to the first place winner. REALLY?! These kids are 7 and under! A CHECK?! What ever happened to a little friendly competition a trophy, a medal or in this case a belt buckle?? I know H does not grasp that concept like we do but I sure do know that most of those other kids there did. I could see their frustration and disappointment in their faces as they realize they never stood a chance and that this was not a friendly competition. 
There was one other family that seemed to be taking this very seriously also. Suddenly I felt on a the reality show where those crazy stage moms drag their daughters and sometimes their sons to these pageants doll them up and demand they win the big cash prize. Instead of being on Toddlers and Tiaras I was now on the show Toddlers and Rodeo Dad's! It was sad. 
I am all about some good healthy competition just like the next family. Heck my girls figure skated competitively for years at the recreational level and won trophies and medals.It was considered the professional level if you were paid for your performance. So are we out of our minds in being in utter disbelief when I saw the dad harassing one of the workers about the check his son earned? Am I out of my mind in thinking that maybe this is a first and a last for us? We want things to be fun for our son. We don't care about the place he gets but just the experience that he is getting from it. 
What happened to letting kids be kids and letting them have fun? Why does it have to be such an emphasis on winning and losing? I guess I might be the only one in this but I seriously am disturbed by what happened last night!

Are you sure he is able to do that??

Of course I am! He is Autistic not dying! I swear if I had a dollar for every time we heard "Are you sure he to do that?" I think I would be able to quit my job! As soon as H was diagnosed Chris and I went through a phase that we didn't leave the house as much, limited what we did and altered everything. Not only did we hate it I believe that H did also. We thought that laying low and doing what we could to prevent meltdowns, eloping and just overall embarrassing head turning scenarios was the way we needed to go. However I felt I was being a bit hypocritical as I was bound to spread more awareness of what my child was diagnosed with. 
After a long talk we realized we will never be able to get him to adjust to these things if we keep him sheltered and always fear the worst. He has proved us wrong a few times and I think that is what we really needed to see to know what we are doing is actually the right thing. Then again there are situations we have been in that usually don't phase him and its been a complete nightmare.
Once we discussed and agreed that we would do our best to treat him just like a typical child his age I think we really started seeing in our hearts we were right but then we started facing more of the comments and questionings of those around us. I was reading on one of my Facebook Autism support pages about a young girl trying to get her grandparents to understand why she is so open about her son's disorder and how her grandparents say that it is no ones business and that those things should not be discussed. Most people responded with harsh comments towards the grandparents others like myself reminded these younger folks that our elders grew up in a time where being different and disabled was not ok. You were often seen as less of a person and not capable of meshing with society. Some have come around others still need more educating and understanding about what we believe to be acceptable to society now. When I say that I mean everything. I mean we are all different and that is what makes us so great. What a boring world this would be if we all hid our uniqueness and all conformed to the same standards society wanted us to be seen as. 
Just this week our son did something a lot of people felt was crazy. We let him preform a therapeutic riding demo at the West Texas Fair. We got all sorts of comments and questionings on it. My answer was the same. "How can we create awareness, educate and show others what these kids are capable of if we always keep them hidden and out of the sight of the general public?" Honestly though how would anyone really understand what we are doing for our son if I never showed him off? Is it a video that would be sufficient? A photograph or even a story? NO! First hand visual knowledge is the best and why not we are proud of H and I know he is proud of himself also. 
So now we have taken it a step further. Chris has been begging for me to let him to be a rodeo clown for Halloween  Ever since we took H to the rodeo last year he was wanting him to be something rodeo related and with his daredevil antics how fitting would this be! This whole talk was on the back burner till recently. At the parade Chris brought this up to our friend Richard and told him to get H signed up for Mutton Bustin. Yes my son will be riding on a sheep fully padded and protected. In fact I think its awesome we are doing something not therapy related and not worrying about it at all!
We want to expose H to all the things in this world we think he can do. If we limit him we might be missing something that could really have been his time to shine. We don't want everything modified for him but if it is required of course we want that for him. We want to see him succeed and do well, to find his nitch in society. If we always hold him back and keep him sheltered for fear of the what might happens, then we are really doing a disservice to not him but ourselves. 
So yes when you read/hear about us taking H somewhere, or trying something new with him just know we want to try and have as normal life as possible and we feel its best to do that by not setting limits before we see his true capabilities but using each situation as a gauge to know exactly what he is capable of and what works and what doesn't. Very much the same ways you would do this with your typical child. 
I do know I have friends who just can't do these things and I understand I just hope that one day they get to experience the things the way we do in some form or another. This journey is very unnerving and emotional so it is very important to stick together with other families on this same journey as us. Its always nice to see someone having your back and turning to. 
To those unfamiliar with what we face just know we want our kids to be just like yours. Treated the same, loved and accepted the same and the ability to do things yours do. So yes I am pretty sure he is able to do that!