...And now Jacob!

Just two days ago one of teh training wheels on Jake's bike was loose. I offered to take it of and the emphatic "NO!" that came back had enough fear in it that I didn't even consdier trying to push the issue.

Tonight he rode with out them, right out of the gate.

I don't know what changed, but he also had been practicing a lot on the scooter. And I kept telling him, "Just like the scooter."  I can't say for sure that this was really the deciding factor, but there wasn't really all that much that I taught him.  So, if you're kid's having trouble with a bike, try a scooter. It seems to be a very helpful intermediate step.

More riding...

Papa Bear suggested that I put upa picture of the "kick-scooter" I was refering to in the previous post.  This is what I'm talking about:

And in other news...

Bikes last week, HORSES this week!  Here's Michael going for a trot on 'Penny,' his speech therapist's horse:




And here's Jacob:



Good times.

Michael riding his bike for the first time!

Michael (of "On the Spectrum" fame) is now 11 years old.  Until today, he had made absolutely no progress learning how to ride his bike.  A month ago (for his birthday) he got a "kick-scooter" and really took to it.  It was lot easier for him to figure out the side-to-side balancing, since he had one foot on the ground a lot of the time anyway.  Within a couple days he was gliding along with no problem at all on his scooter, and today we tried the bike again and he was going completely on his own in no time.

Obviously this may not be for everyone, but if your child is having trouble learning how to ride his or her bike, you might want to try a kick-scooter as an intermediate step. They're about $30-$40 at Target and Wal-Mart, and I'm sure you can find them in other stores as well.

A word of warning: While they are fairly easy to balance side-to-side, they are a LOT more UNstable (than a bike) back-and-forth. So wear a helmet, use caution and practice.  I take no responsibility for anyone getting hurt following this tip!

Happy riding!

A Cause for Celebration!

Hello everyone, I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything, let alone another comic, but I want to report some GOOD NEWS as starting October 1st of this year, Autism will now be covered by Insurance in my home state of Michigan, thanks to the Autism Insurance Reform Bills that passed the House Vote earlier today!

I could not be happier to report that my very first comic, now no longer applies in Michigan:

I want to say THANK YOU, so very much to everyone who made phone calls, sent e-mails, wrote letters, signed petitions, participated in the Autism walks, or in any other way lent their support to this issue and this legislation.

And if you happen to live in Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi,  Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Washington D.C. or Wyoming all I can say is KEEP PUSHING! Keep the pressure on the politicians and it CAN HAPPEN!  It's a marathon for sure, not a sprint, but progress will be made when people work together and never give up.  30 States down - 20 (+ D.C.) to go!