Thursday, November 17, 2016

“What are you doing different?” Asks Dr. Sam Tan’s yearly eye exam in 2016?

First let me explain that my son is special.  I mean that in an “AWESTRUCK AND ASTONISHED” manner. Let me exclaim that I am not the only individual to notice this or these features of the characteristics called “Autism,” “Autisitc,” “On the Spectrum,” and often having “ADD” with this. An adult with “ADD” is a diagnosis I have after a journey with my son.  Growing up I have a reputation with my siblings and parents as “Sandra has to do it her way!”
Recently, my son and I were eating out at “Chili’s,” his favorite resturant, in the town we live in here in Oklahoma.  Tanner, my son was asking the waitress about recent menu changes.  I hadn’t noticed but in addition to the mouth watering “Molten Chocolate Cake,” there is a new addition to this with a twist, the “Salted Caramel Molten!” It has a caramel center. Instead of chocolate ice cream it has vanilla and caramel sauce and salted caramel pieces on top.

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This is from Chili’s Menu…a new lovely item..at my son’s favorite restaurant @ this website





“May I ask…I don’t mean this in a bad way.  But are you Autistic?” Asked the waitress that has attended to us with great service at this Chili’s.
My son at first scrunched up and you can tell he was frustrated.  If you haven’t read my blogs. One can better understand this reaction by reading this post “Obvious Trouble with Current Accepted Disability Advocacy; Pointing Out What is Wrong!”@ .  It explains that he felt being called “Autistic”was like calling him the MR word. I tried to explain. Now I understand. It only came across that he was different or less than.  Anyone that has ever felt peer pressure or like an outsider knows this feeling.    My friend of over thirty years from college didn’t tell me she had CP until 2013.  I wondered why.  It didn’t matter but it was the same reason.  My mother has a clubfoot and one leg shorter than the other but she never went around explaining she had a disability.  Actually ever doctor visit when asked tall she was she like to play with people and say she average five feet.  This was met with confusion and blank stares.
“I say this because Autistic’s notice details and change with attention to details more than most!  I have admiration for those with autism.” Explained the waitress.
As she went on to state she had three siblings with autism. Saying she was quick to defend them when people were not polite or rude to them in public.  Further along in the conversation I found out she was from Wisconsin; not too far from where my father grew up.
Tanner’s expression began to change as the waitress Scan 4complemented those with autism and their great memory, attention to detail, honesty and other characteritics she admired.  I told her thank you and again reaffirmed that he had taught me a lesson but that there was a positive side to the term autism.  One that I can mention is that there are plenty of people known to be very smart that have been found to be Autisitc or have autism.  This doesn’t mean that everyone or person on the spectrum has a high IQ but many do.  I think my son is growing…has at least average to above average but his anxiety and nerves or other learning issues have made  him hide his true presentation from the world.  He keeps telling me that doesn’t mean he is that smart or that he will always remember something.
Don’t fear.  I am happy if he is below average, average, or above average in what society terms IQ. Although, I disagree with how this magical number is arrived at per tests as it is currently arrived at per formula’s.  Trust me I am vehement about this.  Reproducing drawings is one test and other such nature.  I have always been bad at this.  Now that I take ADD meds I have actually started drawing.
Oh well.  Put this another way and I love her for it, my son’s current psychiatrist said, “Tanner’s anxiety may cause him to function at MR level!”
Now I know we all hate MR as a word and what it means.  Yet, this wasn’t another undegreed or unmeasured scale adjective word that therapists, teachers and other providers had used for years with me to help me understand Tanner’s crippling anxiety.
Back to the question, “What are you doing different?” Asked by Sam Oliphant Developmental Doctor of Optometrist, Samuel C. Oliphant, O.D., F.A.A.O. see more at this link http://www.afeyecare.com/Categories.aspx?Id=Staff. He practices at Advance Family Eye Care here in Oklahoma City.
Oliphant has been Tanner’s eye doctor for many years.  We owe Oliphant a great deal.  In a way he has been a case manager for Tanner  helping direct me to the therapies most appropriate to his development and with what we could afford even though my husband is a pharmacist as I am (but I worked part time to work with my son extra time).  Also, knowing Tanner for so long, he is well qualifed to expound on noticing a vast difference in my son to comment in it.
Let the video’s give you the answer to the question first then I will explain some of the difference seen in Tanner my son of twenty years now.
Letham Stables website Letham Stables webstite

Here 2535afad-700c-47a4-af56-daee3e62bfee
The Letham Stables Mailbox!
John and Debby Letham have had the stables in Yukon not Piedmont, Oklahoma as i mistakenly stated above, “for over thirty-five years!” Both the person that takes my son, Melissa Andrews (http://linkedin.com/in/melissaaandrews  A person specializing in working with special needs/mentoring, youth employment, job coaching and more) and my cousin in Wisconsin that have extensive horsemanship knowledge are very impressed with John.  Heidi, my cousin, (riding since age 2 and has two horses of her own) said John had his horses considerable well trained after watching a video I sent her of Tanner working with the horse in the arena. Tanner had to learn to command the horse to trot/walk/lope and turn on a dime.  The horse responded to John’s voice and the whip (only an instrument of direction not used to hurt the horse I promise) instantly.
This is giving my son confidence and learning to pay attention and teach an animal to respond. Thus, helping with communication and confidence. Plus, the bond that happens between animals and humans, seemingly especially those with special needs such autism (at least to me) gives added emotional response of love and reassurance to Tanner and those like him or really any person that is a human!
John Letham is outstanding in his ways of working with people.  I doubt he changes when he is working with people of a disability or age or gender.  I expect John adapts his tact to meet the needs of his customers is all.  You can tell John loves his horses, customers and introducing each to the other.  John has facilitated a bit of a miracle in Tanner’s life with a lot of help from the horses ove the last year.
Therefore, Dr. Oliphant, to answer your question., “What are(am) I doing different(with Tanner)?”
That has caused Tanner to grow by leaps and bounds in his mannerisms, expressing himself and confidence is giving him riding lessons at Letham Stables.  Below is the address and phone number for contact info.  The website has already been posted.  I want to say I am sure part of this is his age and growing up development. However, I attribute plenty to the riding lessons, the horses as well as John’s input. Some may not like this part of what I know is a big deal in the mix…God.  His plan for Tanner is just that….his plan.  The lessons people learn from Tanner’s life are many.  I know I have learned plenty. God gave me more than the gift of a child in my son Tanner.  He healed me in many horrors of my own anxieties.
Here is the address of Letham Stables.
John & Debby Letham
Letham Stables
Yukon, Oklahoma 73099
(405) 373-1133


Thursday, November 3, 2016

Praying For Our Nation This Election! Choice? If You Call It That. Compare and Contrast is all I ask.

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Hello,
First, I want to ask that you seriously pray for our country. I fear the standards for Presidential candidates has continual been going down hill. I do not expect these people to be angels or perfect. However, most of you that I am mailing….I consider basically to be honest, ethical and moral upstanding citizens.. but not without blemishes or sins… That said…repeated..aberrations or deviations from a moral or ethical code? What does this say? Or, is the old adage….rules and laws are great as long as they don’t apply to me.

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Is Trump perfect….well I won’t say he is….womanizer….well I think he has a history of cheating on his wives…child out of wedlock….Business man….yes…gone into bankruptcy? Well the government keeps writing red ink all the time….Trump did come back from bankruptcy…not paying taxes…these are the legal laws.. if show loss don’t have to pay taxes… he knows how to make others feel inferior….my first choice…notta. Hot temper..maybe…could be an act… Point he mad about Obama’s birth certificate….I am sure he is smart enough to know where Obama was born didn’t matter because his mother was an American…as long as one parent is an American…the offspring is a full American citizen with rights and privileges (think about missionaries, those serving overseas in the military or just employed by multinational corporation). Point during debate I wish journalist or Hilary had made to educate our children/other. Media has definitely had a field day pointing out Trump’s short comings. Like I said he has plenty..and some are continual running themes…Do I believe that all the women that came forward about his unwanted attentions are lying? Are telling the truth? No I don’t think all are lying and I don’t think all of them are telling the truth. Politics make me think some must be politically motivated. Can I doubt all? He has a history of cheating…I can’t just make snap judgements…
But consider that the press seems to be considerably more less aggressive towards painting a picture of Hilary Clinton’s behaviors.
Consider starting with her marriage.
Hilary Rodham was her pick. Nothing wrong with deciding this is the way she wants it. People do change their minds. Personally, (I know…plenty of my family will give me heck for this…) I have changed my mind on the death penalty(being anti death penalty–I understand people have a right to their opinion to be pro if they choose as I have a right to be anti).
Yet, it feels that changes in Ms. Clinton’s life tend to be at times when it is also politically convenient to do so. When her husband was forfeiting ground in the Governors’ race, she decided Hilary Rodham Clinton was better.

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Ms. Clinton had a job in the investigation of Nixon during the Watergate extravaganza. It seemed to me I remembered this and stories. I found this link
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/04/01/hillary-fired-for-lies-unethical-behavior-from-senate-job-former-boss/
This talks about Jerry Ziefman, Chief Counsel to House Judiciary firing Hilary for unethical behavior wanting to deny Nixon representation. Checking snoops get this:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/zeifman.asp
Of course, snopes.com total denies the complete thing…. going here
Get that he didn’t fire her…couldn’t but that his opinion was not very high of her and that she did work on a brief or documents to deny Nixon representation or his lawyers complete access to that which was legally his right. The basis for this is that there is no precedent for procedure in impeachment. Which this is wrong see this link on the first impeachment of a president…President Johnson:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/john_chap_08.asp
Besides, this is the United States…it is basic to be able to have a lawyer present…even at a basic administration hearing….

Now let us consider the emails. Unless Hilary is less educated, had a head injury or just plain stupid, as Secretary of State, I am sure she knew having a private email server was huge violation of law and a security risk that she should have checked with CIA/FBI/DEpartment of DEFENSE and the JOINT CHIEFs of staff….if NOT HER BOSS COMMANDER IN CHIEF..OBAMA and if she did ask..well we have bigger issues to check into.
She served on the Watergate investigation…Nixon guilty of obstruction of justice? Most likely…..Treason? I doubt it.
Hilary guilty of Treason? What is the definition of Treason?
Treason – https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2381 “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres (closely attached) to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Treason&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS691US691&oq=Treason&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j5j0.3922j0j7&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Synonyms ” treachery, disloyalty, betrayal, faithlessness; sedition, subversion, mutiny, rebellion; high treason, lèse-majesté; apostasy; literary perfidy”
Here is a quote from the first investigation..
“Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.
For example, seven e-mail chains concern matters that were classified at the Top Secret/Special Access Program level when they were sent and received. These chains involved Secretary Clinton both sending e-mails about those matters and receiving e-mails from others about the same matters. There is evidence to support a conclusion that any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton’s position, or in the position of those government employees with whom she was corresponding about these matters, should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that conversation. In addition to this highly sensitive information, we also found information that was properly classified as Secret by the U.S. Intelligence Community at the time it was discussed on e-mail (that is, excluding the later “up-classified” e-mails).
None of these e-mails should have been on any kind of unclassified system, but their presence is especially concerning because all of these e-mails were housed on unclassified personal servers not even supported by full-time security staff, like those found at Departments and Agencies of the U.S. Government—or even with a commercial service like Gmail.
Separately, it is important to say something about the marking of classified information. Only a very small number of the e-mails containing classified information bore markings indicating the presence of classified information. But even if information is not marked “classified” in an e-mail, participants who know or should know that the subject matter is classified are still obligated to protect it.”
It is clear that one in top government should be expected to protect clearly classified information even if for some reason it wasn’t correctly marked classified….as I stated…she was Secretary of State….she should….or I suspect she is smart enough to know using a private server is a no no for emails that might contain confidential material or emails from other countries ..individuals that want to keep things out of public know….
I will not go into all issues…can’t but check the Wikileaks Clinton emails
Brought out how addressed Wall Street telling them what they want to hear.
On Hilary think how she would even consider working on a document that limits representation to counsel…would leave emails vital to the United State’s well being or relationships with other countries in question…come on….she didn’t know using a private server was not allowed or a problem?
Is it okay for her to participate in obstruction of justice but in her youth she investigated Nixon for this….thinking there was no precedent for his representation? Yet, she deleted evidence and may have even passed on confidential information? Not knowing the law is an excuse for breaking it? How many people in prison today wish they got that get out of jail card? And, they aren’t even lawyers? Do I think she could be considered for a treason conviction? Did she pass on any information that hurt the United States? Caused military person or such to be hurt? Think? Our economy?
I am not telling you how to vote. This is only asking you to consider this things. PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY. I am serious. I am taking this serious. My vote will be for the person that will limit freedoms the least.
I think it is sad that our choices are ….
Respectfully and sincerely,
Sandra
PS As always if you have proof positive all of the above is wrong…send it….I will consider it! PROMISE.