More About My Life - My Son with Special Needs

Now that I've gotten my feet wet with my Introduction, I thought I'd share a bit more about myself.  I majored in Commercial Art at U.S.C. in the 1950s when we drew with paper and utensils and not computers at the University of Southern California, USA.   I designed the logos for Tishman Construction in Los Angeles, Ca. and Harbor UCLA Medical Center.  I created Harbor's logo in June of 1981 when I was an O.T., and it won over hundreds of applicants.  It is very gratifying to see the results of your work still in use today, almost thirty years later!
 
I was a Technical Illustrator for Gilfillan in L.A. and the first female draftswoman for the Wall Street Journal - Dow Jones & Company, Inc. in South Brunswick, New Jersey in the 1960s.  Computers took over drafting and I returned to U.S.C. to become and Occupational Therapist in 1972. I was a therapist for 35 years, mainly as a hand therapist.  I am now retired.
 
I have been oil painting for 6 years, and also volunteer with my husband as a docent at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, which is one of the most respected zoos in the United States.  This is such fun working with the public, educating them about the animals.  My O.T. experience has been very helpful in my work at the zoo.  For example, observing the children with autism react to animals, as it is very calming to them.
 
I have an adult developmentally disabled son who is 41 yrs old.  I adopted him at 3 months of age, not knowing that he was disabled.  Through my O.T. training I was the one who initiated the process of getting him diagnosed as being mentally retarded due to brain damage, around 3 yrs. of age. This was confirmed through an MRI evaluation.  There is much with just that portion of the process which I would like to share here in the future if it will be of interest and help others.  Tom was fortunate to be treated by Jean Ayres, OTR, PT, PhD for sensory motor integration therapy in her clinic in Torrance, CA.  She developed SMIT, which is now being used for many diagnoses, such as autism, M.R./DD, etc.
 
I was told that my son would have to be in an institution when he grew up. His I.Q. was 59. I refused to believe this and fought for years. to get him funding for a special school for people with developmental disabilities in Santa Barbara, CA. He got years of specialized therapy and I also "therapised" him.  Major problems occurred when he became an adult. Mardy and Karen both had worked with Tom when he was learning how to drive, as they both were specializing in Colorado Springs in driving rehabilitation at the time.  Karen was the initial consultant and felt he was not yet mature enough, and later he came through the program Mardy, and later Karen, headed at a private, innovative driving school in Colorado Springs which utilized progressive stratigies to increase brain/body efficiency.  However, the complexities involved with additional difficulties with focus and attention when life's challenges would have him emotionally upset lead to our deciding to have him stop driving. I didn't realize how important the emotional component to driving was until after he had a couple of incidents and we looked at the reasons for crashes, and Tom made that decision together with us.  He and I both now notice many occurrences around us on the roads where people appear to not be in a good 'state of mind'.  So his years as a driver have made him a much better passenger and contributed to his continued maturation in his middle life, as with most people, he continued to learn and grow.

After many years in host homes, Tom is now living independently in an apartment within short walking distance of my home with assistance from an agency along with my husband and I. Tom has worked for 2 yrs. at a nationwide 'big box discount store' as a cart pusher.  I handle all of his shopping and banking.  My biggest lesson of having a son who has DD is being his loving advocate and encouraging him to reach his goals.
 
Three yrs. ago, I learned that I am gluten intolerant and have had to completely change my eating habits.  I have also learned that many mentally disabled and differently abled people have this condition, so I am starting to investigate this area for my son.
 
It is amazing to me how life throws you curves and the curves turn into opportunities for growth.  I understand as of now you can find me on facebook at the following link: www.facebook.com/profile.php

Links For Your Information:  Cheyenne Mountain Zoo www.cmzoo.org/ ; Colorado Springs Visitor Information: www.visitcos.com/

If you were interested in what I wrote here about driving, please find Karen's Korner, a Forum here in the Occupational Therapy/Function Forum area at Lumigrate.  The link is:www.lumigrate.com/forums/integrative-medicine-parts-make-whole/therapy-occupationalfunctional/karens-korner-driving-th