April is Autism Awareness Month

I know that April is on its way out, but I wanted to post about autism and how it's affected our family.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. While there is much speculation about what causes autism, the actual cause of autism is unknown. It is estimated that 1 in 166 children will be diagnosed with autism, which is an alarmingly high statistic. If you already have a child with autism, the chances of having another child with autism jump to 1 in 7.

We have two children diagnosed with autism. Our oldest:

And youngest:

Both of our sons have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Persons with AS have many of the social and sensory issues that those with typical autism have, but the differences are that their speech is intact and they often have normal to above normal intelligence. In other words, they are generally less severely impacted and better equipped to handle most of everyday life. Many are eventually able to move out and support themselves; some even marry and have families.

However, Asperger's Syndrome comes with certain challenges.Persons with AS have a hard time discerning social cues, especially body language and the importance of eye contact. They often avoid being in large groups, and get easily overwhelmed with social situations. They tend to be unable to see things from another person's perspective, and are often unable to pick up on the unwritten social "rules" such as personal body space. Personal hygiene and grooming can be lacking, especially since they fail to see how it relates to social acceptance. Repetitive movements such as hand flapping can be present; this is known as "stimming". People with AS are often highly sensitive to the world around them; everyday sights, sounds, and even smells that you or I are able to tune out often assault their senses almost unbearably. This can make it difficult for these individuals to stay focused on things, and may cause disregulation (meltdowns), especially in children. Anxiety can be a huge issue, and a common coping mechanism is finding comfort in routines. As a result, many individuals with AS are very inflexible and have an extremely hard time with schedule disruption. Persons with Asperger's Syndrome often become quite obsessed with one idea or subject. They also tend to be very literal, and have a hard time with abstract ideas. This leads them to look at the world with a black and white perspective.

We have dealt with every one of these different issues with our sons to varying degrees. Yes, it can be difficult; however, there are some definite strengths that come with Asperger's Syndrome.

Both of our sons are extremely intelligent, especially when it comes to spatial relations and sight recognition. They both have near photographic memories; in fact, I think that Bronson is a walking encyclopedia :) They both posses advanced vocabularies, and are often able to make quite impressive logical deductions. They can be very persistent when it comes to learning about the subject they are interested in, and they quickly become quite knowledgeable in that area.

I think it's easy for parents to become sad or angry - or both - when their child is diagnosed with special needs. I know I've experienced both emotions. However, it's critical to focus on the abilities of the child, rather than the things they can't do. It takes some adjustment of the hopes and dreams you had for that child, but it is important that you keep those hopes and dreams, as well as setting realistic expectations and goals. There is so much they CAN do - given the chance. I am a huge advocate of early intervention when it comes to any type of developmental delay or disability. Bronson had a late diagnosis, due to the fact that Asperger's Syndrome was still relatively unknown when he was a young child. As a result, he really struggled in elementary school. Mathison received his diagnosis early, and we're already taking steps to try and minimize some of his autistic behaviors in hopes it will help him have an easier time in school. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around.

And the future? Of course, we hope - and plan - for the best. But until then, we do the best we can....one day at a time. In the meantime, we'll continue to enjoy our sons and the unique differences they bring to the world :)

Senior Ball

Krissia had another chance to attend a formal dance at her school; and although it was her third one this year, she seemed just as excited as the first time around :)

Of course, the night began with the exchange of flowers:



Krissia's date is a teammate of hers on both the swim and track teams. He's a sweet guy... but not all that tall. With her high heels on, Krissia is 6'2":

I'm happy to report that she's secure with her height and wasn't bothered that much by being much taller than her date :)

While waiting for her date to arrive, I asked Krissia if I could snap a few pics of her all dressed up. She soon began posing for the camera, and it soon turned into a quick photo shoot. Can I just say that she is one photogenic young lady! Here are some of my faves:







Which one do you like best?

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I just quickly want to add that this house is now officially ours!! We had the closing yesterday; it's so good to have everything finally settled. We celebrated by having lunch at McDonald's. Yes, McDonald's - Mathison had earned three "pooh pooh" stickers (still working on that end of potty training), and that was the reward he had chosen before I knew we'd be closing that day :)

Smiles Challenge

Once again, I've decided to enter a photo for the i heart faces weekly challenge. This week's theme is "Smiles".


This is my middle son - and I think he has a great smile!

I shot this photo during a family Easter celebration at my parents' house a few weeks ago. I love the fact that at age thirteen, my son still showed enthusiasm for the egg hunt and other activities :)

He's Simply "D" Best

The last few weeks have been big ones for Dixie College as they celebrated "D" week and prepare for graduation in a few short weeks.

And the man behind it all?


That's right - Dixie College's Dean of Students.

I recently had the opportunity to assist in two of the events DEl was over: the "D" Queen pageant, where I was the auditor, and the Entertainer of the Year selection committee as part of the "Dixie Awards". Can I just say how wonderful these productions were?

Not only did I witness the finished result, but also got to see the other side - all of the hard work and long hours that went into it. My husband was often up before dawn and home quite late during preparations. DEl loves the students, and it certainly shows through his efforts in making their time at Dixie a special one.

I hope Dixie realizes just how special their Dean is. In my opinion, he's simply "D" best!

Baby Benson

It's been raining babies in the Gubler family.

There have been three births since the middle of January, and two more girls are expecting babies this year.

My youngest sister, Shawnee, asked if I could shoot a few pics of her son, Benson. He is such a cute boy and has the biggest blue eyes! I was able to watch him yesterday while Shawnee had a doctor's appointment, and I decided it was the perfect time to once again trying my skills at photographing a newborn. Here are a few of the pics I've been able to work on so far:

Qualified!

Krissia had another big track meet over the weekend, and it was her last chance to qualify for the BYU Invitational held the first part of May. She has been so close in the 800 meter, only needing to shave off a couple of seconds.

I'm happy to report she did just that on Saturday! Here she is, leading a pack of girls towards the finish line:

Krissia also ran in the 4x400 meter relay, where she was the third leg. She ran it very well, taking the team from a distant fifth place to nearly third when she handed off the baton. Here she is, preparing to pass the 4th place runner on the last stretch:

It's been so fun to watch our daughter move out of her comfort zone of swimming and try something new. Krissia has worked very hard, and we're so proud of the progress she's made :)

On the Ball

It only took three tries, but we finally ended up with a boy who is crazy about about any kind of sport which involves a ball.

Mathison's sport of choice is basketball, but he also enjoys baseball, football, and soccer. He's got quite an arm, and can throw the balls really fast and hard. One has to be careful while playing catch with him, though - Mathison has been known to throw balls at people when they aren't looking. He'll then yell "Catch!" just as he releases the ball. It certainly keeps you on your toes :)

It will be interesting to see if Mathison keeps this passion as he grows older; I think it would be really fun to cheer on one of our kids in a basketball game!

A First

Last Saturday, I did something I've never done before.

I ran in a 5k.

This was a huge event for me. I love to run, but at one point in my life, I had to give up running due to health problems and wasn't sure that I'd ever be able to return to it.

After a 10 year hiatus, I finally became healthy enough to begin running again. I began SLOWLY about a year ago, but I've been able to bump up the training the past six months and recently felt ready to compete in a race. Krissia's track team was hosting a 5k as a fundraiser for uniforms, and I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me to make my running "debut".

The race went well - I placed first in my age group, and second for the women overall. I also hit my goal for time.

But most importantly, I proved to myself that with hard work, time, and a lot of patience, many things are possible to achieve!

Tis the Season

'Tis the season....for track.

I love it!

I love watching the meets outside in the warm weather, and I love the fond memories it brings back.

We have been busy watching two of our children compete. Krissia has still managed to remain injury-free and is a strong competitor in both the 400 and 800 meter runs:



Jefferson has also been participating in some local meets held for 6-9th graders. At his first meet, he competed in three events. Here he is in the 100m dash:


Trying long jump for the first time:

Nearing the finish in the 300m hurdles:

Hurdles can be tricky. Jefferson had tried them once successfully in practice and decided to run them at this meet. Well, his heel clipped a hurdle about halfway through the race, and down he went.

Hard.

I was torn between running out on the track to see if he was okay, or waiting to see what would happen. I chose to wait, and after a minute or so, Jefferson struggled to his feet. Although shaken, it was clear he wasn't seriously hurt. To my surprise, he began running again. There were four more hurdles between him and the end of the race, but he cleared them all....and finished the race. Many people in the stands were cheering for him as he crossed the line; I was so proud of him! I was so proud that he was able to pick himself up and finish what he had set out to do, even though he was hurt and embarrassed. I hope that this determined attitude will carry on to other areas of Jefferson's life; as he experiences disappointments and other "hurdles", I hope he will remember that he can always pick himself up, dust himself off, and continue to carry on.

Because that's the only real way to win the race.

Easter 2010

Each year, we celebrate Easter on Saturday with both of our families. Traditionally, the Beatty's head out to Grandpa's ranch for lunch; however, those plans were changed this year due to bad weather. Rick and Kelli were generous enough to host the BBQ at their house instead:

The food was very yummy, and it was fun hanging out with the family:


After lunch, we headed over to a nearby school for the egg hunt:

All of the kids searched diligently for the golden egg, which had five dollars in it:

Larsen was the lucky finder this time!

A few hours later, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Gubler's house. Again, we had an Easter egg hunt:

Grandma really spoiled the "big" kids (aka Bronson and Krissia) by preparing them baskets and treats as well. I think they enjoyed the pampering:

All in all it was a fun, but exhausting day. We love it when we get to spend time having fun with our family!

Trip to Temple Square

Last Sunday, we decided to stop by Temple Square prior to driving home from Salt Lake City. It was a beautiful day, and the temple grounds were freshly groomed and planted in preparation for the upcoming General Conference. We had a very nice time and were able to capture some fun photos of the visit: