Celebrating The Boy

First of all, just to make it clear, I am not the boasting type, and don’t really go in for all that gushing boasting about ones’ offspring that some people do. I am aware that not everyone will feel the same way as me about my child, and that sometimes there is nothing more boring that having to listen to someone drone on and on about their children to the exclusion of anything else.

But I am about to make an exception. While my blog is not a ‘mummy-blog’, and I generally don’t use it as a place to write about The Boy or my parenting, I feel like writing about him right now.

These last few weeks have been quite big ones, with regard to The Boy, and I’m going to start of by sharing something he made (this is a blog about things that have been made, so strictly speaking it’s quite relevant). For homework his teacher set the class a project. The project was simply to produce some piece of work about space. The children were left to interpret this as they wish and choose what to do. The Boy decided he wanted to make a film, and went to work writing a storyboard, while I did some research on open source software for stop motion animation.

Before I write any more, I would like to share the film with you:

I downloaded an open source programme called Helium Frog Animator that The Boy used to take all the stop motion photographs (thousands and thousands of them) and then used Windows Movie Maker to edit the frames, add music and narration, and add the title and credits.

The Boy probably spent at least 40 hours, over the last two weeks, making this film. Every day after school he would work at it, clicking away, at the dining table, and then I helped him edit it and put it all together. I am really proud of him for working so hard and so diligently, and for putting his all into this project (more often that not homework is a time of battle in this house).

What I am really proud about too,is his clear speaking when he was narrating. He can quite often slur all his words together and speak too quickly, making it hard to understand him if you don’t know him, but since starting drama club in September his speech has really improved and the film really highlighted this to me and Mr. B.

I have some other good news to do with The Boy, and that is that finally, after years and years of meetings, writing letters, observations and assessments, and fighting with the system, we have got a Statement for SPecial Educational Needs through for him, as well as a formal diagnosis of ASD/Aspergers/High Functioning Autism (no one can decide what to call it). I am relieved to be honest as the process has taken so long. His school has been providing for his needs for quite some time now, but it is still good to get a Statement and a formal diagnosis, as now I know he will continue to get the support he needs when he moves up to secondary school.

On a more creative note, this weekend The Boy and I made wooden Christmas Snowflakes to go on the Christmas tree. Aren’t they cute?