A Two-fer

My older two children seem to finally be awakening to SmallBoy. I posted for you LargeBoy's paper on an "Aspergian Utopia", which he wrote for class after reading Curious Incident. Girl had a chance to do some extra credit for her English class (she didn't want "just an A"), so she decided to write a paper on Asperger's. She did the research - seriously, I have my own little library collected - and edited as much as she could to make it easy for her classmates to understand without putting in TOO much information. The second part of her paper talked about SmallBoy. I want to share that with you. She told me not to cry - and I didn't till the end.

My brother SmallBoy has Asperger’s Syndrome. Being his sibling can sometimes be easy and can sometimes be hard. It is hard to deal with him when he goes into a fit about the littlest things going wrong, especially when it is in school, or when I have to babysit him. It is also hard when I have to comfort him, and just do not know what to say.

Even though there are things that my brother does that are hard to handle, he also has some great qualities to him. My brother is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. He can name all the EL stops down to the city, before we even get on the train. He can remember all the turns and streets we take to a certain person’s house.

Things to do to help people with Asperger’s are making routines and schedules, and sitting down and taking the time to explain things slowly to them so they understand. My brother needs to have the same routine every morning and every night, or else he gets upset. If there is a change made, you cannot just throw it at him, you have to tell him before hand. At times I have to explain even the smallest things to my brother over and over again so he can understand what I’m trying to tell him.

There is nothing wrong with having Asperger’s Syndrome or being Autistic. Some Autistic children can function exactly the same way that children who aren’t Autistic do. They can still go to school, they can still get a good job, and they can still play sports. I will admit, that yes, at times my brother can be a handful because of the Asperger’s, but he can also be the same annoying little brother everybody else has. I still have the same treatment of having to wrestle him to the ground or beat him up when he takes something of mine, or him tattling on me for doing something wrong. We still make fun of each other and call each other names. But we also have those great sibling times when we play games together, or when I give him advice on all the different teachers at school.

My brother has very unique characterisics to him. Some may say he’s weird. Some may say he’s a “cry baby” or that he has a weird imagination. But he is my brother and I admire him for everything that he has gone through and will still have to go through later on in life. I know that he is going to face many hard challenges later on, and I know that people will not know how to treat him the way he needs to be treated. Even though my brother is smaller than I am, I will always look up to him for being a strong, tough kid, and being a great example for all other Autistic children.

Isn't she amazing? Ok, ok, so now I have to share, a little egotistically, the blurb from the article in this week's local paper. I'll just share with you the part about ME (cuz, you know it IS all about ME....LOL), but if you want to see the entire article (no pics of me, of course), click HERE.

Web Posted 5/23/2006 10:00:00 PM
By JOHN RICE
Article :

FitzGerald's Main Stage will be the site when the "Danza Viva & Wednesday Journal Talent Search 2006" reaches its dramatic conclusion, as 12 performers in four categories face off in the finals. But the audience will not just be treated to great amateur performances. Danza Viva's One World Dance Theater will also take the stage. There's a cover charge of $10 per adult, $5 for children and the dancing and singing will kick off at 7 p.m.

"Talent Search 2006" began more than a month ago at FitzGerald's Side Bar. That night, contestants were hoping they'd survive the elimination rounds to return to the Berwyn nightclub. Only three made it in each of the four categories-Youth Dance, Youth Vocals, Adult Dance and Adult Vocals.

Among the survivors in Adult Vocals this past weekend was MommyGuilt. At 36, the Oak Park resident is also the oldest performer in the contest. When she's not working her day job, MG sings with her band Code West with husband PC on lead guitar. When MG performed in the semi-finals at La Piazza's jazz club, Sotto, PC made the mistake of leaving his seat. The club was so packed he found himself standing the rest of the afternoon.

MG thrilled the Sotto audience with her bluesy voice on "The Chokin' Kind," a song selected by her father. "The crowd was insane," MG said, "and the venue was wonderful." The judges thought MG was wonderful, citing her "confidence and conviction." They loved how MG made the song her own.

Singing solo is quite a bit different for MG than fronting a band. "There's a sense of urgency," she said. "You really have to bring it. There's more leeway with a band; you don't have to showcase your voice."

During auditions, MG showcased her voice on "The Star Spangled Banner," a song she had also done at U.S. Cellular Field. Later, at Slaton's Supper Club, she raised the room temperature with "At Last," an Etta James number. "It was quite an experience," MG said. "Nothing compares to it. Not even the White Sox game." She wasn't just excited by the crowd's reaction, she was happy that the black dress she wore cost only $5.

MG has been singing the blues since she soloed on "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in fourth grade. Although singing is a hobby, she'd like to make a career out of it. As for the contest, "I could use the money, but I'm in it for fun."

So the last paragraph is a little..um...well, wrong....I sang "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" when I was, like 4 or something, and it was into a microphone my parents had to record into their 8-track player (somewhere I have that tape and have to get it converted). In the fourth grade, I did my first solo, but it was a Christmas song which I performed in my yellow robe, slippers, and stuffed Mickey Mouse. If you look at the article itself, the writer only used my first name once - the rest of the time I was always called by my last name - much to the delight of my dear friends K & J Whatever. Also, I did say I could use the money, but I'm in it for the exposure - hell, I ain't getting any younger! Win or lose tomorrow night, I can't wait for this to be over. I need to sleep!