When John was young, he was involved in an individualized music therapy program which improved both language development and attention span. Playing the drum just a bit longer than he wanted, did
indeed, increase the amount of time he could attend to tasks.
We have been able to implement these same principles to our chores
with the alpacas. We now own six animals, and the daily routine of
haying is the perfect activity to achieve this objective. Each alpaca consumes about a sheaf of hay a day or one bale a week. We use plastic baskets to carry this out through the pen.
Irish Rose and Alameda, the breeding females, assert their dominance
in the herd and place themselves at the front of the wagon. The six month-old crias, Sooleana and Kimi, burrow under the brood mare
quality hay to suck up the precious chaffe. Princess Nomian and Kaboom are left to fend for themselves. John can immediately
recognize his importance in this endeavor and finds it very rewarding.
Raking up the fallen hay, however, is not as much fun. We fill a wheelbarrow and take it to the tractor's bucket. Knowing that we are almost ready for our "break", I ask for just one more trip. We have
been able to add more time to this chore very gradually, and our progress is not always consistent. But, the trip to the fast food drive thru
for lunch has never failed to motivate!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Self-Confidence in the Snowstorm
As we were snowblowing the foot of snow in the alpaca pen yesterday, I was watching John among the animals. He made his way from the barn door to the gate in order to see his father clearing paths to the "poop pile". The females backed away allowing him just enough room to squeeze up front. They mull around slowly, which is important for our son. He is startled by quick movement and has trouble perceiving the nearness of moving objects.
Alpacas have designated areas for their manure. As soon as the area was cleared, Irish Rose led the parade of females to that part of the pen. Using the fence system, John confidently carried his shovel to help with his job of "bean clean-up". He enjoys dumping the scrapings into the large, blue tub we pull behind us.
Focusing on the tasks at hand, he shows none of his usual concerns: fear of the slippery footing
or open space. This takes more than an hour....an hour of exercise and fresh air. All tangible, concrete activities that build self-confidence!
Alpacas have designated areas for their manure. As soon as the area was cleared, Irish Rose led the parade of females to that part of the pen. Using the fence system, John confidently carried his shovel to help with his job of "bean clean-up". He enjoys dumping the scrapings into the large, blue tub we pull behind us.
Focusing on the tasks at hand, he shows none of his usual concerns: fear of the slippery footing
or open space. This takes more than an hour....an hour of exercise and fresh air. All tangible, concrete activities that build self-confidence!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Christmas Stressors
The Christmas season is full of extra stressors in an autistic person's life. Words like "going to", "wait", "can't" seem to be popping up constantly. John can immediately sense our concern about the amount of time we have left before the 25th. As it is, he needs at least fifteen minutes to understand and accept an unexpected itinerary for the upcoming day!
So this "Christmas talk" begins to build anxiety instead of expectancy. The alpacas are our pressure value here at Alpaca Shack.
As we begin the day with a "to-do" list in hand and a preoccupied demeanor, John is ready to blow. Ticing and shouting unacceptable words (Tourette's Syndrome characteristics), we head arm and arm out to our alpacas. Distraction is key to defusing these types of situations. The more we react to his behavior, the more it escalates. With verbal cues, John enters the pen. I am always amazed at the immediate change that comes over our son in these events. Within seconds I can hear the softness in his voice as he starts to interact with Alameda, one of our out-going females.
Once into the morning's routine, John navigates the entire day-completed by lunch with our 90 year old uncle.
So this "Christmas talk" begins to build anxiety instead of expectancy. The alpacas are our pressure value here at Alpaca Shack.
As we begin the day with a "to-do" list in hand and a preoccupied demeanor, John is ready to blow. Ticing and shouting unacceptable words (Tourette's Syndrome characteristics), we head arm and arm out to our alpacas. Distraction is key to defusing these types of situations. The more we react to his behavior, the more it escalates. With verbal cues, John enters the pen. I am always amazed at the immediate change that comes over our son in these events. Within seconds I can hear the softness in his voice as he starts to interact with Alameda, one of our out-going females.
Once into the morning's routine, John navigates the entire day-completed by lunch with our 90 year old uncle.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Time of Day is Important
Saturday morning we did the deworming procedure again. Because we have no studs, we do fecal exams immediately after our breeding females return to Alpaca Shack. This exam revealed tape worms: a parasite which C. Norman Evans, D.V.M in his Alpaca Field Manual ,describes as "more upsetting to the owner than the animal". He recommends a three-day deworming program.
John totally enjoyed the often comical production of squirting the thick white paste into each animal's mouth; a completely different reaction from the previous day. He was out in the pen with "the girls" while his brother gave a dose to our gelding, Kaboom, showing none of the negativity of the previous night.
I am convinced that this is directly related to the time of day. John is less able to handle
unexpected situations as the day progresses. He is much more comfortable coping with stimulation in the morning and being able to choose his degree of involvement in the afternoon.
Often our days are culminated with a visit from our farm neighbors down the road. We sit around the kitchen table and discuss upcoming weather predictions and such. As the day winds down, John welcomes the predictable: dinner, an hour of musical duets on the keyboard, and a bag of popcorn with his Dad before heading to bed.
John totally enjoyed the often comical production of squirting the thick white paste into each animal's mouth; a completely different reaction from the previous day. He was out in the pen with "the girls" while his brother gave a dose to our gelding, Kaboom, showing none of the negativity of the previous night.
I am convinced that this is directly related to the time of day. John is less able to handle
unexpected situations as the day progresses. He is much more comfortable coping with stimulation in the morning and being able to choose his degree of involvement in the afternoon.
Often our days are culminated with a visit from our farm neighbors down the road. We sit around the kitchen table and discuss upcoming weather predictions and such. As the day winds down, John welcomes the predictable: dinner, an hour of musical duets on the keyboard, and a bag of popcorn with his Dad before heading to bed.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
HANDLING THE DEWORMING ORDEAL
SETTING THE TONE
We have discovered that often setting the tone is invaluable in the success of John's activities. Often pointing out how much he enjoys certain aspects of an activity changes his whole attitude.
When the atmosphere is positive and upbeat, we can count on our son to also mimic the mood. John seems to personalize most of his experiences...even if something isn't directly affecting him. He mirrors the tone of the situation. We parents are not so even tempered that each day is a happy easy-going series of events. But the alpacas have very few disturbances in their daily routine. Prefacing the day with references to the alpacas and their anticipation of our arrival at the barn definitely sets us off on the right foot. "Here comes Johnny!" we call out, as we make our way to the wheelbarrow and broom.
However, this afternoon the alpacas need deworming medicine. John often feels nervous about the interaction of his father and older brother handling these necessary procedures. Does he identify with his animals to the point of thinking that he, too, is going to be dewormed? I wouldn't be surprised.
Late in the day, when tolerance for any irregularities in John's schedule is at its lowest, is usually when these activities are scheduled. It is quite obvious by John's behavior: asking his brother to leave and hugging him, that he is not up to this today. We remain in the house and distract his anxiety with the preparation of dinner. Once the ordeal is over, we are back to our usual routine.
We have discovered that often setting the tone is invaluable in the success of John's activities. Often pointing out how much he enjoys certain aspects of an activity changes his whole attitude.
When the atmosphere is positive and upbeat, we can count on our son to also mimic the mood. John seems to personalize most of his experiences...even if something isn't directly affecting him. He mirrors the tone of the situation. We parents are not so even tempered that each day is a happy easy-going series of events. But the alpacas have very few disturbances in their daily routine. Prefacing the day with references to the alpacas and their anticipation of our arrival at the barn definitely sets us off on the right foot. "Here comes Johnny!" we call out, as we make our way to the wheelbarrow and broom.
However, this afternoon the alpacas need deworming medicine. John often feels nervous about the interaction of his father and older brother handling these necessary procedures. Does he identify with his animals to the point of thinking that he, too, is going to be dewormed? I wouldn't be surprised.
Late in the day, when tolerance for any irregularities in John's schedule is at its lowest, is usually when these activities are scheduled. It is quite obvious by John's behavior: asking his brother to leave and hugging him, that he is not up to this today. We remain in the house and distract his anxiety with the preparation of dinner. Once the ordeal is over, we are back to our usual routine.
Obsessive Compulsive Issues
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR
Obsessive compulsive behavior haunts John constantly. When we have a very specific routine, the circle gets tighter each day and begins to strangle the opportunities of new experiences. Having some general specifics helps John feel secure and yet gives us lots of wiggle room to add new turns in his journey. After the shave, shower and breakfast part of the morning, we go outside to start chores.
John is obsessive about keeping the barn clean. Using his Shop Vac, he sucks up every bit of hay, dirt, or twine around the pen that provides shelter for the "girls". The alpacas have become accustomed to this and show no reaction to the machine as it rolls over the concrete floor and bangs against their gate. He brings his rake out with the alpacas and gathers the falling hay in the pen. If there is snow, he cleans the roof of the sheds. So many ways to be constructive and yet satisfy these urges. He expects that we follow a routine: filling the hay baskets, filling the hay bags, refilling the hay wagons, sweeping the outside pen, the inside pen, and finally the barn floor outside the pen! Closing the pen gate is an absolute necessity to John and it sure helps when we are in a hurry and rushing around and forget!
Obsessive compulsive behavior haunts John constantly. When we have a very specific routine, the circle gets tighter each day and begins to strangle the opportunities of new experiences. Having some general specifics helps John feel secure and yet gives us lots of wiggle room to add new turns in his journey. After the shave, shower and breakfast part of the morning, we go outside to start chores.
John is obsessive about keeping the barn clean. Using his Shop Vac, he sucks up every bit of hay, dirt, or twine around the pen that provides shelter for the "girls". The alpacas have become accustomed to this and show no reaction to the machine as it rolls over the concrete floor and bangs against their gate. He brings his rake out with the alpacas and gathers the falling hay in the pen. If there is snow, he cleans the roof of the sheds. So many ways to be constructive and yet satisfy these urges. He expects that we follow a routine: filling the hay baskets, filling the hay bags, refilling the hay wagons, sweeping the outside pen, the inside pen, and finally the barn floor outside the pen! Closing the pen gate is an absolute necessity to John and it sure helps when we are in a hurry and rushing around and forget!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Getting things underway!!
Hi there!
We're excited to begin to share the wonderful experience we've had with our autistic son, John, and the way his life has been touched by these amazing animals.
We were first introduced to these animals when John, our son of 33 years, was given two llamas to feed in his community- based program at Lamoille High School in Morrisville, Vermont. His contact with the animals produced immediate changes in his anxiety level and feelings of self-worth.
Alpacas are smaller than llamas, and for that reason, we chose a pair of geldings as pets, when we moved to New York State and began our farm: Alpaca Shack. The quiet atmosphere of the alpaca barn with only the sound of munching hay and low volume humming allowed our son to find his self-esteem, dignity and security,but more important-real meaning.
Our days begin and end with alpacas. The focus in the morning is to get to the alpacas....they are waiting for us.
This is a journal of John's life with these mystical animals: alpacas. Hopefully, strategies used and observations and deductions can help other caregivers to enrich the lives of their loved ones.
We're excited to begin to share the wonderful experience we've had with our autistic son, John, and the way his life has been touched by these amazing animals.
We were first introduced to these animals when John, our son of 33 years, was given two llamas to feed in his community- based program at Lamoille High School in Morrisville, Vermont. His contact with the animals produced immediate changes in his anxiety level and feelings of self-worth.
Alpacas are smaller than llamas, and for that reason, we chose a pair of geldings as pets, when we moved to New York State and began our farm: Alpaca Shack. The quiet atmosphere of the alpaca barn with only the sound of munching hay and low volume humming allowed our son to find his self-esteem, dignity and security,but more important-real meaning.
Our days begin and end with alpacas. The focus in the morning is to get to the alpacas....they are waiting for us.
This is a journal of John's life with these mystical animals: alpacas. Hopefully, strategies used and observations and deductions can help other caregivers to enrich the lives of their loved ones.
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