Patterns of Evidence -Exodus- Review & Giveaway

My homeschooler, a teenager on the autism spectrum, has long had a fascination with all things Egypt. This special interest is one I have encouraged and fed along the years. Recently, she has become fascinated with the story of Moses in the Bible. As I allow her to chase her interests, I am fascinated to see how much other learning happens as it relates to Egypt.

When we received an opportunity to review the DVD "Patterns of Evidence -Exodus-" I hesitated. Yes, my child w/ an ASD is very visual, but she has auditory processing challenges. Information written for younger children is better understood by her. Would she watch a documentary? Would she absorb any information from it?

The answer at my house is a yes.

"Patterns of Evidence - Exodus-" is almost two hours long and we watched it in one sitting. If you have a child with special needs or with auditory processing challenges, please know that it contains a lot of spoken information and dialogue. In the first 10 minutes of the DVD, I thought we were going to have to break it into several short viewing sessions, but my girl wanted to push through and watch all of it.

She fascinates me - at times, she gives me evidence that she is absorbing much more than I think she is - and at other times, there is clearly less understanding happening - and it was no different with this DVD. I appreciate how the evidence is presented with an explanation of why that particular piece of evidence is important. I am never left wondering why a piece of info was included in the film - he systematically builds a case for the Exodus as a real event in history and he builds a case for where he believes it fits in time. Filmmaker Timothy Mahoney gives us big glimpses into how his mind works in the way he presents information, important for me as I continue to work with my child with autism on perspective taking.

I really enjoyed Patterns of Evidence - Exodus. Quite a bit of footage was shot in Egypt. The visuals are educational, informative, interesting. The filmmaker uses a several-layer visual timeline that keeps me grounded in the information being discussed - and when facts outside the Bible indicate that the events might fit withing history if shifted on the timeline - it makes sense to me. Mahoney puts together a detailed puzzle of history that draws me in. I appreciated the non-Biblical history presented alongside information from the Old Testament. The details from other non-Bible writers who documented events during the time surrounding the events of the Israelite exodus from Egypt makes the Bible stories deep and rich, it adds layers of context and meaning that I did not have before. I like that the producer of the DVD chose experts whose opinions differ - the presentation is not one sided and causes me to think and ponder.

I hope more Patterns of Evidence DVDs are produced. We will watch them. Having our first experience be about my child's special interest of Egypt creates a warm introduction and I suspect that daughter will be open to watching another and another.

We enjoyed the Patterns of Evidence - Exodus, DVD!

I have a DVD to give away! Leave a comment to enter and I will choose a winner, Thursday, August 6th, 2015.

Twitter:  @PattofEvidence

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PatternsofEvidence?fref=ts

Official Website:  http://patternsofevidence.com

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2assFIyLInE

Official Website to Purchase:  http://shop.patternsofevidence.com

Blog featuring interviews with director Tim Mahoney and an article by Anne Graham Lotz:  http://patternsofevidence.tumblr.com

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. 

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Baseball and Strep Throat

The guys are three hours away at a travel baseball tournament. I took one of the kids to the doctor this morning. Diagnosis: STREP. In the meantime, my brother and sister were able to go to my son's baseball game and have been sending me photos and giving me updates.

Born in Captivity

My kid with autism says she was "born in captivity" because she was born in a hospital. I suppose she is right. She has such a unique and interesting perspective. Yes, we were born in captivity. Pretty deep.

Shame On You aka What Not To Do at Graduation

My firstborn was graduating from high school. I found a sitter for the sib w/ autism. Finding sitters is a challenge - families with kids with special needs know how difficult it is to find a sitter so that we can be there.

My husband's sister, brother-in-law, two great nieces drove in from another state. So did my mother, my sister, and my nephew. High school graduation is a big deal!

The announcer called her name. Her senior photo was displayed on the big screen above the stage. Two jerks on the row in front of us took that at as a cue to stand up to leave the stadium at that particular moment. My mom was videotaping the moment. They ruined it. We can't get it back. The couple showed no remorse and offered no apology, and for that I am angry. Because my mother was videotaping the important moment, she caught the rude people on video. Their mug shots are below. I see my kid's photo on the big screen and the principal on stage, but that man is blocking my daughter. An apology would be nice. They should purchase the video of the event for our family.

I am thankful that I somehow managed to get a photograph of my daughter shaking the principal's hand. I was at the very left of our row and the couple obstructed my view last of all our family.

SHAME ON YOU:

Autism Gets In the Way

Autism and its sibling, anxiety, stole from me my firstborn's last high school concert ever. I hate what autism has stolen from us.

Here is where we should have been instead, the concert we had to leave. At least I could sort of hear the music from the other side of the property. *sigh*

 

Fail With a Capital F

Dear Church That We Have Been Attending:

We have been tag team attending church. One of us stays home with the teen w/ autism while the other goes to church. You should have noticed that the teen w/ autism hasn't been there lately.

Big Sis was part of senior recognition Sunday. The high school seniors are preparing to graduate. You make that day very special for the graduates. You recognized them in every service, you created a beautiful brochure featuring each student, you honored them with a luncheon. Nice.

But you failed with a capital F.

F

Siblings of kids with autism often get the short end of the stick. They do without. Often. My graduating senior told me not to sign up for the event. She didn't want to be there with just one parent while everyone else had entire families there. She said it was too hard for her. My heart broke. So I did everything I could to get all of us there. And you didn't make it easy.

When you minister to a family that includes a child on the autism spectrum, your radar should be high. "What can we do to make it so you entire family can attend this event?" should be asked early and often.

You didn't ask.

When I asked for a sitter during the luncheon, you said "NO." Why? You offer sitters during other luncheons. Why not this one? Are some families more deserving than others in your eyes? I went around staff to another parent of a senior, also an autism mom, who has been there longer, who knows the people there. She found yet another autism mom to hang out with my child - and that adult is also an autism mom. Autism moms taking care of one another. Why is no one else helping? Why no child care for us?

I tried to ask about the food served at the meal. I was given terse, short emails in return with not enough information. "Stuffed chicken, vegetables, salad, fruit, rolls, dessert" is not enough information to a family in our difficult situation. Going anywhere with food is challenging. You could have made it easier. The harder I tried to get information, the more put-off I felt. On the day of the luncheon, I was surprised to arrive and see NUTS in both the green beans AND the salad after I mentioned our long list of allergens. How dangerous to serve nuts at church.

Thank you for ultimately offering to bake the gluten free dairy free everything free chicken nuggets I brought.  However, getting there was way too difficult. You offered to bake a plain chicken quarter w a gluten free seasoning for her - except she is much more than gluten free and I needed to see all the ingredients. Additionally, I am not sure she would eat your chicken quarter and I needed her to actually EAT. My kid is more regulated when she is not hungry. We would have a higher chance of getting through the event if she has actually eaten. That's why I wanted to bring something I knew she would eat.

I felt as if I were pushing to try to get answers, that I was irritating the church staff, so I stopped. I backed off. And I should not have.

I was royally disappointed to arrive to find we'd been assigned to the table in second row in the middle of the room. A table on the edge near the back would have been better. You put my kid w autism up front for everyone to see if she was having a rough moment, and you crowded people around her. We arrived early, found our table, sat down - and when the last worship service ended and people began filling in the tables around us, my kid began to recite movie lines, began to screech, a sign of her anxiety. Thank goodness that Mama Catherine was standing by ready to hang out with my girl in another room so that the rest of the family could stay together for the luncheon honoring the seniors. However, I would have loved to have done everything I could to try to maximize the moment so my girl could have lasted longer in the luncheon.

The events were lovely, especially the luncheon. Thank you. For that, I am grateful. I am grateful for all of the volunteers who have worked with the youth in the four years since we moved here.

In the end, everything worked out, but with much stress for me, stress that didn't have to happen had you only asked the question, and meant it, "What do we need to do for your whole family to attend together? What can we do to make that happen?"

I hope this post isn't seen as a passive aggressive attempt to air my frustration. I write this for other churches who may be searching the internet for how to help a child with autism in a church setting. I don't think you would hear me. You didn't hear me as I was trying to plan for the event. And the search for a church for the whole family continues.

The Adventures of Stretch More

One of my favorite professions, Ross Greene, Ph.D., has co-authored a book for children with Tina Epstein, Psy.D. The Adventures of Stretch More (list $18.95) is a 132 page book of "pick-your-path" stories for children and teens.

I adore Dr. Greene! I had the opportunity to attend a presentation about "Lost at School" in Michigan several years ago. Ross Greene, Ph.D. "gets" our kids. He reminds us again and again, "Kids do well if they can."

Stretch More is a kid made of a rubber band who is rigid and is learning to be flexible. The stories in the book are written about common events that happen in all our lives. Each story is broken down into parts where the reader is allowed to choose how he/she would respond in that situation and then the reader is directed to a new page to read material that follows up on that chosen response.  

The Woodbine House promotional materials describe the concept of the book very  well: 

This is the first children's book to demonstrate Collaborative & Proactive Solutions, a therapy method that presumes kids act poorly because they lack the skills to deal with challenging situations. Together, parents and children learn how to defuse the tension and build a more supportive approach to improving behavior. A perfect book for kids ages 8-13 who have ADHD, Tourette's, OCD, or Asperger's that also includes an information section for parents."

My homeschooler and I dove right in. We read about the botched breakfast. Almost immediately, my girl found a way that she identifies with Stretch.  We talk about how she is like Stretch, how she is different from Stretch. And of course, we don't read just the ending she would choose; instead, we read all the endings. The stories give us fuel for discussion later - something I am seeing more and more. My girl needs a long time to process a concept, and we revisit situations and the endings again and again as she processes another bit here or there. The stories themselves and the format of the book is very kid and teen friendly.


Peek inside! An excerpt of the book is here.
Table of contents is here. 
 
Disclaimer: Woodbine House sent me a copy to review for you. I was not paid for this review and am not obligated to provide a positive review.

GO!

My new pet peeve is a social media post that asks for references or opinions and ends the request for help with, "GO!" I hate it. If I see "GO!" at the end of a request, I ignore it. I feel manipulated and I don't like that feeling. Twice, I have had rare experience in a topic and I chose to go outside the social media post to share that experience. I don't like it at all.

Costco Let Me Down Again

I don't understand Costco, especially the Costco here (in my 'new' town).

My local Costco often fails to have in stock an item I regularly need/buy. I did not have this problem at the Costco in Michigan when we lived there.

My Michigan friends tell me what a wonderful selection of gluten free items their Costco has. Ours has a couple of those items, but not as many as my Michigan friends have. I don't understand.

Last week, as I prepared to take a child for surgery, I spent a lot of time on the phone with medical staff in preparation. The day before surgery, I was told that my child would have to consume clear broth and crackers before she was allowed to leave the hospital. I knew I would have to bring with  me to the hospital all of the food for a child with a long list of allergies. I had to wait until someone could sit with my injured child before I could head out to shop. The night before surgery, I headed to Costco for boxes of organic chicken broth - all allergen free and safe for my child. COSTCO. WAS. OUT. OF. CHICKEN. BROTH. AND. DID. NOT. KNOW. WHEN. THEY. WOULD. HAVE. MORE.

I have lost count of the number of times something similar has happened. Costco is like a glorified dollar store - you can't count on any item being in stock, and for reasons I do not understand, Michigan stores carry a better variety of all-natural, organic, and allergen free food items than the stores in the middle of the country.

Frustrating.

Pink

A week and a half after ankle surgery, the girl moved from a temporary soft splint to a hard cast, today. She chose pink.

The doctors at the bone clinic are always running behind. Hubby waited in the car with the girl until her name was called, then we brought her inside. She stays much calmer that way. The staff members almost make up for the extreme wait. They are excellent with autism. I appreciate that. I like the visual aid offered to my daughter to allow her to choose a cast color:

I still don't understand why any sane or intelligent person would choose to build a bone clinic on a steep hillside. The parking lot is not friendly to folks on crutches or in wheelchairs or using knee scooters.