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.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
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!
Friday, March 30, 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
So... Where have I been?
Well, it's been about five months since I last updated, and given that so many people are still reading this, and commenting, and sending me messages, I think it's long overdue that I filled everyone in on what's going on and give some kind of explanation for the extended hiatus.
Short version? I was really busy for a while, and it's gotten very difficult to find the time to get back into the habit.
Long version...
From January through March of this year, I was actually taking an art class. The idea being that I would learn some new techniques and improve my drawing here. Unfortunately, the class was on Monday nights. That was unfortunate because, being that I'm the way I am, I always put off doing the homework until Sunday night. Which was usually when I would otherwise be drawing the comic. So... for three months there was like... What? Two updates? Anyway, that's how it started.
So class ended in at the end of March, but we took a cruise the first week in April. GREAT Vacation. Western Caribbean. We really needed it too. BUT... that was two more weekends with no comic.
A couple of weeks later I went to Germany on business. (One more weekend away.) And a couple weeks after that (in June) I was in Boston for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday. (Another weekend down.)
Now, I'm not trying to make any excuses here, there were still a lot of free weekends left (and I'm sorry, but I just can not do these during the week. This is definitely a week-end thing.) But for the first six months of the year, we're really only talking about 7 or 8 that we really free. And I'll be honest: I just fell out of the habit. And I truly apologize for that, especially in light of all the comments you've all been leaving during that time.
Moving forward, I do NOT plan to stop the comic permanently. There are still a few strips I'd like to do, although the list of ideas is not as long as it once was and as the kids get older the stories that I have resemble our current lives less and less. Which is a good thing, even thought it a bit of an inspiration-killer for the comic. Add to that that the new material does seem to come as quickly (which is both a good thing and a bad one, at times) and it's been very difficult for me to get back in the groove.
The real tell-tale for me that I had gotten so far removed from this came a few weeks back when I pencilled and inked the next comic... and then never scanned, colored and posted it. And that was over a month ago! And it was part one of two, so the next one was pretty much already written!
So... I DO intend to put those up, and I would like to get the rest of the strips drawn and posted. I can't say when that will be, and I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep, but I'm not ready to call it's quits, for good, just yet.
In anycase, we're all doing fine. And I appreciate everyone's comments and notes and words of support. I hope that everything is OK with all of you, and that we'll be able to share a few more stories in the near future.
Thanks so much for all of your support,
Scott
Short version? I was really busy for a while, and it's gotten very difficult to find the time to get back into the habit.
Long version...
From January through March of this year, I was actually taking an art class. The idea being that I would learn some new techniques and improve my drawing here. Unfortunately, the class was on Monday nights. That was unfortunate because, being that I'm the way I am, I always put off doing the homework until Sunday night. Which was usually when I would otherwise be drawing the comic. So... for three months there was like... What? Two updates? Anyway, that's how it started.
So class ended in at the end of March, but we took a cruise the first week in April. GREAT Vacation. Western Caribbean. We really needed it too. BUT... that was two more weekends with no comic.
A couple of weeks later I went to Germany on business. (One more weekend away.) And a couple weeks after that (in June) I was in Boston for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday. (Another weekend down.)
Now, I'm not trying to make any excuses here, there were still a lot of free weekends left (and I'm sorry, but I just can not do these during the week. This is definitely a week-end thing.) But for the first six months of the year, we're really only talking about 7 or 8 that we really free. And I'll be honest: I just fell out of the habit. And I truly apologize for that, especially in light of all the comments you've all been leaving during that time.
Moving forward, I do NOT plan to stop the comic permanently. There are still a few strips I'd like to do, although the list of ideas is not as long as it once was and as the kids get older the stories that I have resemble our current lives less and less. Which is a good thing, even thought it a bit of an inspiration-killer for the comic. Add to that that the new material does seem to come as quickly (which is both a good thing and a bad one, at times) and it's been very difficult for me to get back in the groove.
The real tell-tale for me that I had gotten so far removed from this came a few weeks back when I pencilled and inked the next comic... and then never scanned, colored and posted it. And that was over a month ago! And it was part one of two, so the next one was pretty much already written!
So... I DO intend to put those up, and I would like to get the rest of the strips drawn and posted. I can't say when that will be, and I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep, but I'm not ready to call it's quits, for good, just yet.
In anycase, we're all doing fine. And I appreciate everyone's comments and notes and words of support. I hope that everything is OK with all of you, and that we'll be able to share a few more stories in the near future.
Thanks so much for all of your support,
Scott
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
On the Spectrum #100!: Sharing
(click to enalrge)
Oh, my god! I've made it to 100! I never thought I'd make it this far! (Yay!)
OK, back to the strip...
Believe it or not, Jacob really is every bit as cute as I draw him here; much more so actually. That being said, he can still be a real brat sometimes! LOL.
The above story actually came from his teacher, during a Paerent-Teacher conference, late last year. She told me what happened, and I immediately thought, "I've got to use that!
Oh, my god! I've made it to 100! I never thought I'd make it this far! (Yay!)
OK, back to the strip...
Believe it or not, Jacob really is every bit as cute as I draw him here; much more so actually. That being said, he can still be a real brat sometimes! LOL.
The above story actually came from his teacher, during a Paerent-Teacher conference, late last year. She told me what happened, and I immediately thought, "I've got to use that!
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