"I feel that way, too". You Are Not Alone!

Wow. I have not blogged in forever. Like literally forever. I've been super busy, super distracted, and super distant from Facebook and my blog. So I want to give you all an update on how I am doing.
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So I got asked the other day to participate in a "how you are doing" post for my APD fans. That made me start to think. Everybody on social media, specifically Facebook, only posts things that everyone wants to see. People post the happy pictures of their kids. The good vacations. The sunny days. Their accomplishments. They post the perfect side of them. I do it too. We all do it. Because that's what everybody hopes for.

There is no sad kids, stressful vacations, or rainy days on Facebook. Everybody finds and posts the positive all over Facebook. But that is not reality. Reality is that everybody has bad days, and everybody goes through hard times. If the only thing we are sharing with friends is the good, how is that helping the people who's lives are filled with flaws (according to social media), and the people who feel like nothing is going right? They can't relate to Facebook..the most used social media website. Everybody is constantly comparing their own life to their Facebook friends' lives. No one is sharing their bad side.

So I'm here to tell my APD fans that life is not perfect.. My life is not perfect. There is no such thing as "perfect", so take that out of your vocabulary right now. Life is hard. Life is not easy. Yes, I am a very positive person and try to be positive to help all of you, but in reality some days I don't have much hope. And I bet all of you reading this right now have felt or currently are feeling the same way. I bet most of you are getting a pit in your stomach just reading this. I am.

I've been there. I am there. I am not in school right now because I am stuck. I know what I want to do with my life.. I want to work with children and be a positive influence in the lives of little ones. But I have this big fat thing that is standing in my way. It's called SCHOOL. It's screaming at me, it's pushing me backwards, it's a heavy burden on my back. School is not easy. It takes a lot of inner strength for me to even just think about going back. I actually have to tell myself to ignore how terrified I am to go back. I am so terrified, but I know in order for me to do what I want to do, I have to finish school. And that's where I am standing. SCHOOL. In my head I hear myself say.. "I have to go back to school." "There is no way I'm ready to go back." "There's no way I will ever finish school." "I wanna go back to school." "I hate school." Just writing this makes me feel a little sick inside. I go back and fourth, back and fourth. It is exhausting.

So all of you who think I am successful in school, I want you to know that I have been successful in school, but right now I am frozen. I bet most of you reading this don't feel so alone now. Am I right? Don't you just want to quit sometimes? Don't you ever just want to yell at your learning disability and other life obstacles and tell them to go away? Right now, I am mad.. Let me re-word that.. I am pissed off that I have all of these challenges that I feel like no one else has to face. Not just APD which is a huge part of this, but I also have other life challenges, and somedays I just want to hide under my covers and disappear. Some days, I want God to take me to heaven right then and there. I feel weak all the time because I think that way.

I got a job a few weeks ago. It took a lot of energy, going back and fourth about it, for me to get a job and commit to it. Everyday, it takes so much energy out of me just to show up at work. It is a stressful task. It's not easy. Even just calling friends, and doctor's offices back seems like homework for me. Stress. And a lot of it.

I want to be the one to tell you that all of these things I feel, and all of the things you feel are completely normal. Everybody has them. Everybody.

But nobody ever shows it. But I want to show you all today that I can relate to your hopeless thoughts. I can relate to your day to day struggles. I know for me, when I see someone struggling just like me, I don't feel so alone. I do not hope for anyone to struggle, but I know a lot of struggling people have helped me to keep going. And I know from experience that having APD can feel pretty lonely.

I want to tell you that you are not alone. I feel that way too sometimes.. Let's be real. I feel that way all of the time.

You are not alone.

A Little Funny APD Story....

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is loving the holiday's this year! Won't be long until 2014 will be here! Anyways, I just wanted to share a little story that amused me.
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I haven't been home for four months, so I am trying to squeeze appointments in before Christmas arrives. I received a phone call from the doctor's office and this is how the conversation went....

The phone assistant - "Good afternoon my name is Lisa calling from Dr. Murphy's office."

Me - "Oh yes. Hi!"

The phone assistant - "How are you?"

Me - "Good, good. How are you?"

The phone assistant - "Good thanks. I am calling because I would like to see if we could move your appointment time around? Dr. Murphy has an emergency appointment after you."

Me - "Oh yes, what time?"

The phone assistant - "How does 2:45pm sound? Your appointment would be earlier than the time you are scheduled for as of now."

Me- **oh cool I have a haircut appointment right after** "Sure! That work better for me actually."  **oh wait... That's later? I was scheduled for 2:15 before**

The phone assistant - "Great! Thank--"

Me - "Is that earlier you said?"

The phone assistant - "Yes! It will be earlier"

Me - "Oh....Okay..!" **I'm confused...haha**

So then I talked to my mom on the phone the next day, and told her the time, and I told her that I was confused because she told me it was earlier, but it was really later. My mom then called the next morning to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding.... She called and told me my appointment is at 1:00pm, not 2:45pm. I misunderstood her. I seriously SWEAR I heard 2:45pm. Sometimes I think to myself... I KNOW I heard differently. I think It is so weird when this happens to me.

Usually I am able to understand when I don't understand. The most common situation where I can see my APD is when I am in a noisy place trying to hear the person or people I am with, or when I am talking to someone and get confused because they are talking too fast and my brain just can't process it. That stuff I can pick out quite quickly.

But when I SWEAR I heard something else, I am completely stumped! It just makes me laugh because I know I am wrong... Haha. You just gotta laugh sometimes! APD makes my life humorous, and I gotta say IT'S GREAT!

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I hope you enjoyed my little APD story! Happy Holidays everyone! Be safe, and enjoy!

--apdwarrior

Thanks on Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I just wanted to pop in and say thank you. All of you, my readers and fans, give me strength to keep on going. Some times everything feels impossible, but you all give me the confidence to keep going. You all believe in me, and I in turn am able to help you believe in yourself. So thank you for helping me help you! I am blessed for all of you!

-- apdwarrior17

Telling a Friend About Your Learning Disability

Wow! It really has been forever since I had blogged last. My computer unexpectedly totally broke! I was without my own personal computer for a long time! It was hard, but I now have brand new FREE computer! Not complaining. Apparently there were other people with the same problem, and those people bought it around the same time as me.. So the first thing I decided to do on my computer is write this blog, so I'll get to the point!
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So there is a few questions that I am constantly asking myself...
 "Should I tell (_insert friends name here_) about my APD?" "When should I?" I'm sure I am not the only one asking these questions.  Now that I am surrounded by new friends, and new people here in college it is a fair question to be asking. It's also a question that has been on my mind because of certain situations I've been in related to my APD.

There are always these questions I ask myself before I decide to tell someone... Can I trust them? Will they not like me anymore after I tell them? Will they exclude me from activities? Will they use this against me? Will they even understand what APD is after I tell them? I think these questions are important to keep in mind before telling a friend.

All through high school, I pretty much kept my APD to myself unless I've known them for many years and knew they would not judge me. I eventually started posting these blogs to my Facebook page. I am sure kids from my school would read some of my blogs. Everything turned out fine when I started posting them. I am sure kids also speculated when I would leave the class to take my tests somewhere else.

I am battling telling my team about my APD, just because I don't know them that well yet. I also am cautious about telling a group, because if you tell a group they could easily talk amongst themselves about it or sometimes gang up. Now this has never happened directly, but I'm sure indirectly there were some questions they would be asking like, "Should we invite her?" "Should we repeat what we just said so she understands?" I feel like also if a whole group knows about it, my "wait what?" questions would be more likely to be ignored in a certain social settings.

Sometimes I think.... By telling them, maybe they will be more understanding, and understand then why I always "hear" differently, and ask a lot of questions.

But in reality, I won't know until I actually spill the beans. There is a 50/50 chance of it going the way I would want it to go. Stuff like this is hard to judge because people handle this topic differently. Some may be fine with it or kind of "whatever" about it. Some may be totally freaked out. Some may be happy I told them so they understand me better. Some may feel uncomfortable about it. It just depends on the person. I don't think I will tell the whole group at once if I decide to... I will only tell one or two of them, but I'm sure a few of them will stumble upon this blog, too which is good :-)

So this is my advice to all of you...

1. Make sure you can trust them with this information -- This includes making sure they do not have a big mouth and tell the whole world about what you have. APD can be interpreted very very differently especially if someone has know knowledge about it. A rumor like this could go very wrong in my opinion.

I've only told three of my friends here in college. I know they understand because they also have a learning disability so they can relate. Actually, one of them has Auditory Processing Disorder! I was SO excited to finally meet someone with the same learning disability as me!

2. Try not to tell a whole group of friends all at once about your learning disability. -- If there is one person in that group that you feel comfortable with telling, tell that friend when it is just the two of you. This way, when you are with the whole group, the friend that you told knows, so he/she might stick up for you and help you out. This avoids the whole group talking amongst themselves about it, but lets one person aware of your social struggles.

4. When you do tell someone, don't scare them. Bring it up when it comes up in conversation.
So I know your friend won't be talking about APD. That's not what I mean. But don't randomly be like, "Hey guess what? I have APD" This might scare them or make them feel uncomfortable about it. Try to ease it into your conversation with a friend. Maybe you two are talking about secrets, or maybe you are having a heart-to-heart conversation. This mood and time would be perfect. Here's a good way to start telling someone about your learning disability or any information you might have to tell: "So I've been meaning to tell you something because I trust you." This way they understand that you are relying on their trust, and it makes them feel good that you can trust them. This also indicates that you don't want it to be shared with others.

5. Don't expect them to understand everything about APD. This is probably the most important advice to remember. There is a lot that goes in to APD, In reality the only person who really understands APD is going to be you. You are the only one who knows what it is truly like and what is hard. Try not to rely on them to understand what it means. Just make sure they are there for you when you are having a hard time and need a friend.

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Telling a friend about your learning disability can be a hard thing to do. If they are a true friend though, they will try to understand and be there for you when things get tough. I hope you found this blog helpful to you! As always, do not hesitate to ask any questions or comment!

College: Week One

In my blog before this, I was talking about all of the things going through my head about college. I felt excited, scared, and relieved. The scared feelings I am not worrying about anymore though! I am doing very well at school! So tonight's blog is about how I have been doing with everything so far.
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Field hockey. Field hockey is going very well. I love being a part of the team, I love all my teammates,  I love my coaches, and love playing here at Susquehanna. Before I came, I was very worried about pre season and how hard it would be, but it really wasn't that bad. I am getting more comfortable with the team each day little by little.
I do believe my APD is affecting me a lot being on the team, more than I thought it would. I don't really know everyone that well yet, so it's hard to understand what people are saying right now. With my high school team, I knew everyone pretty well so it was easier to pick up what they were saying. This might be a confusing concept to some people, but I feel as if the more comfortable I am with people, the easier it is to understand them. If I don't know people that well, it's harder to anticipate what they are going to say and how or what tone they will speak in. I don't think my APD will be as bad once I get to know everyone better, even my coaches.

Socially. Meeting people in my dorm, and on campus has been such a great experience. It's SO much better than high school socially. No one really judges (yet), everyone hangs out with everyone, and everyone is getting along with one another. In high school, cliques over populated the number of people. There's nothing like that here. You are free to be yourself, and free to be a part of as many clubs and groups as you want. Everyone is so nice. We all wave hello to one another, have friendly conversations, meet and greet one another, and I feel so comfortable.
How my APD is playing in all of this is kind of like how I was explaining earlier... It's hard to understand new people, and I really have to focus a lot more on what people are saying. It's hard to anticipate what people are going to say because I don't know them that well yet. It's hard to follow conversation, and sometimes miss what everyone is doing for lunch or that night because I miss bits and pieces of conversation, but that will always be a challenge for me no matter how well I know them.  I can definitely see how my APD is there still. It hasn't gone away, but I am having a great time despite it.

In the classroom. My classes really haven't been that terrible yet. I am taking first level spanish, perspectives, writing and thinking, and intro to society and education. My classes easiest to hardest is this right now: spanish, perspectives, intro to society and education, and then writing and thinking. Spanish and perspectives are really easy. I've already taken spanish, and we are learning the very basics of it. Our homework is super simple and doesn't take much time to complete. Perspectives is a class where my professor can basically teach whatever she wants to teach. Right now she's teaching us stuff like good study skills, how to talk to a professor, things on campus, and student life. It's a fun class so far. My harder classes are intro to society and education and writing and thinking.
Intro to soc. and ed. is hard because there is a lot of information coming at me in that class right now, and it seems a bit over whelming. Also, that's the class I've had the hardest work in, but it wasn't like it was impossible... It just took more thinking. Now my writing and thinking class is beyond my hardest class right now. We are doing a lot of logic thinking and it's very confusing. The answers aren't answers you can memorize and instantly know, it's more that you have to figure it out and puzzle it together.. that's the hardest for me. Also, my professor is a guy and for me male teachers are harder to work with. We all know how women are very open to their emotions, and guys hide emotions. It's hard for me to read people who don't show a lot of emotion. That's one thing I am good at... Reading people. When I am able to read someone it helps me understand them better, but when I can't read someone and how they might feel about something or think about something, it's harder for me to understand them and communicate with them.
I have accommodations in my spanish and intro to education class. I get extended time on tests, a note taker, I am allowed to use a recording device, and preferential seating. I also had these in high school, except have never used a recording device. I am actually using something called a livescribe smartpen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livescribe). The note taker is something I am impressed with. The learning disability services actually hires a student in my class to take clear and neat notes for me, and I get the notes from the teacher after class since I want it to be confidential. Like how cool is that?? I don't have accommodations in writing and thinking, or perspectives because those classes don't really have any exams and are more writing based classes. I wish I could have gotten accommodations for a note taker in that class and a recorder, but I will probably just have to talk to my professor about that.


Being on my own. I honestly thought I was going to get really home sick. I really like being here and independent. It's almost like being on my own has forced me to get things done more efficiently. I was assigned a research paper on Thursday, and I finished it today (Sunday) and it's not due until Friday! I am so proud of myself and never thought I could do that. I also feel confident I can go talk to my professors with no problem. It was almost like in high school I knew people would help me with this stuff, so I relied too much on other people to help me get my work done, and get help from teachers. But now, it's all up to me and it's been a success so far. 
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All in all, college has been a really positive experience and wouldn't take anything back that has happened so far. I love college!

The Next Step

It feels like I haven't blogged in forever because well.. I haven't! I've been getting all my stuff ready for college, getting last appointments in, and running my tail off for training for field hockey. You are all wondering how mentally I am preparing and feeling about college, right? Well there are a lot of feelings and metal preparation I have been doing, and would love to share with you!
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First off, I am ready for college. I never thought I would feel ready. When I was a 9th and 10th grader, college didn't even seem to make an appearance in my future. It seemed overwhelming and scary... especially with my learning challenge. Well, that's because I was only an underclassmen in high school. At the end of my junior year I was feeling much more college-ready, and by senior year I was totally ready to get out of there! I am ready to take the next step in my life and go off to college now.

I am excited for college. I'm excited to meet new friends. I'm excited to be a part of an automatic group of friends, my field hockey team. I'm excited to be independent. I'm excited that I picked such a beautiful school and area to live. I'm just excited for what lies ahead of me.

But I'm also scared. I'm scared I might get homesick and won't be able to go home when I want to go home (as Susquehanna is 10.5 hours away from home). I'm scared for the work load. I'm scared I'm not going to like my class schedule. I'm scared I might not understand a professor, or get along with a professor. I'm scared of feeling lonely. I'm scared I might fail.

And I am relieved. I am relieved I will have support out there. Support from a school counselor, my coach, and advisor. I am relieved my classes will have fewer people than there were at my high school. I am relieved I have already made friends with my field hockey team. I am relieved Susquehanna has allowed my 504 plan to transfer over with them.

So those are all my feelings about going to school.

This is how I am preparing myself for school knowing I have those feelings.

First off, I am going to have fears about school, and I will have unwanted feelings like being lonely come up. I have to let them happen because I really can't ignore my emotions. No one can. On the bright side, I can control most of those fears like the fear of failing, and not understanding a professor. I have ultimate control over those fears because I have tools of good study techniques, and I know I how to be an advocate if I don't understand a professor. So I can avoid those fears. As far as my fear of feeling homesick goes, I don't know if I actually will get homesick. I may LOVE being there 24/7, so that fear is one that may or may not actually happen.

Second, I am already preparing myself that I am going to have loads of homework and studying to do. It's college. I will have to battle through it if I don't want to fail. I can complain as much as I want, but it won't go away by complaining and avoiding. I'm just going to have to get-her-done!

I also know I am going to be completely independent and will have to advocate for myself when it comes to school. I'm in total control of going in to ask questions from a professor if I don't understand. No one else can advocate for me now. Just me. No parents, no guidance counselors, and no past teachers who really liked me! Yikes. Scary. But I can do it.
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So that is how I am prepping myself for the next chapter in my life. The college life.

What Felt Impossible Became Possible

Happy Tuesday! To all of you parents, adults, and kids out there, this may just be a normal Tuesday to you. Nothing really exciting, and just going about your day doing your normal routine. Birthday's are special, Christmas is special.. People are always looking forward to something to celebrate on special occasions.

Today's occasion for me is finishing my high school career. This time last year, I didn't ever think I would graduate high school. I thought I was going to just give up because I was so frustrated and did not look forward to going to school any day of the week. It all felt impossible because everything became so overwhelming. It took quite a bit of time for me to gain confidence again, and lose some of the "school dreading". It wasn't easy, and I never thought it was possible.

I'm here to tell you that it is possible, even when you are in a place where everything is almost impossible there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel to walk towards. It may take you longer than the person standing next to you, but who really cares about that? Nobody. Nobody should test you to see how fast you got there. It's not a race as much as you think it is. I always thought it was because everyone around me has been competitive since day one. That's how I screwed up big time. I because overwhelmed with time, and when I finished things for my classes, and when I was going to finally pass a test. None of that matters now. It was something I really didn't need to stress about, because in the end, no matter how long it took me I still made it to this day.

I know as parents you must feel like your child will never get out of there, but it's not impossible.

So really I am just blogging to tell you that it is possible to graduate. It is possible to do anything your little heart desires. So go out there and prove to the world you CAN DO IT.

Teacher Appreciation Week:

If you didn't already know, teacher appreciation week starts today! It is a whole week to appreciate them for all of their hard work, patience, being a part of our daily lives, and much much more.
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It really bothers me how little respect teachers get sometimes. In my opinion, being a teacher is the most important job in the world. Think about it... These educators are preparing children to become future leaders of the world. What is taught in the front of each classroom will impact thousands of students' futures and what it has to hold. Teachers don't just preach about their subjects, they teach their kids about life. They make it possible for their students to succeed, and to me having that possibility is so pure.

I am at school for seven hours every day Monday through Friday. Teachers are a part of my life if I like it or not, and I like it. The teachers are not the reason I dread going to school some days. I dread it some days because of the environment. I honestly would hate school if my teachers didn't do what they did. All teachers have a contagious gift, and that gift is always given back to the world in some way, shape, or form -- Always! Good teachers are patient. They are inspiring and hard working. Kind and caring. They listen and are our role models. Great teachers are all of these things and leave an imprint in students' hearts.

When I graduate on May 23rd, my teachers are going to be the one's I miss and remember the most. They have been there for me every moment of my successes in school. They are the ones who have got me to where I will be proudly walking across the stage with my cap and gown on.

School was never easy for me. All of it was hard. Grade school, middle school, and high school... but with all of their above and beyond efforts to help me succeed by giving me the accommodations, and support I needed, I never felt alone. I had help all around me starting with day one of preschool when I needed help cutting my shapes or tying my shoes. "You can do it, Anna!" They were always right. I can do it.
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Like I said before, they will be the one's I will remember and miss the most when I go off to college in the fall. They were always my cheerleaders, and made school so much more enjoyable for me knowing I had them cheering me on from the sidelines each and every day. Thank-you teachers, for ALL that you have done for me, and for the next kids. We appreciate you.

"Don't forget to tell all of those teachers that have helped you get where you are today how much you appreciate them. You must never forget to tell the one's you love how much they mean to you."

New Experiences

Happy Monday! I hope this blog gets your Monday going a little bit. We all know how Mondays can be painful. They are for me! I have heard a lot of parents tell me that there child has a hard time adjusting to new experiences, new people, and things of that nature. I'm not here to tell you that new experiences are all good. Not all of them are. Some will be bad. It will happen. They happen all the time.
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I have had a new experience, and that is crew. Most of you are probably saying, "huh?" It's the same thing as rowing. My brother did it his senior year as a "novice" they call it, which just means the people that have never rowed before. You can look at it as the Junior Varsity team if you wish. Anyways, I have had some issues with my right wrist so the winter training on the Erg's was interesting. We are in the boats now and the hardest thing for me in the boat is this: There is one person in the boat called the "coxswain" which is pronounced coc-sin. That person has a microphone and there are speakers in front of every rower. There is also a coach in a little motor boat with a mega phone watching us row and telling us tips and stuff. A lot of times both the coxswain and my coach are talking at the same time. For the novice boat, there is a lot of instruction from both persons.

Yesterday, my coach wanted to try me out in a different part in the boat to see if it would be better on my wrist to "feather" which is another rowing term that involves the paddle moving using your inside wrist/hand. It was the worst experience. Not only did I have two people talking to me at the same time, but I just couldn't keep up. I "crabbed" two times which makes my paddle get stuck in the water and it's kind of scary. It's rare, but you can get ejected from the boat if you get a bad crab. I almost ejected.. My feet came out of the shoes in the boat that you put your feet in. I was so frustrated after the second crab. I almost crabbed a third time, and we all stopped rowing. I started crying. I was done. I did the best I could do, and nothing was going right. It was just an overall bad experience. Our boat went back in, so I could get off.

I tried it though, and I stuck with it. If I never tried it, I wouldn't know if it would be a good or bad experience. The least you can do is try. You always have to ask yourself, "What's the worst that could happen?" Then after you ask yourself that, you try it, and if you find yourself experiencing the worst, you don't ever have to do it again, but you tried. 

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I guess I am writing to share how bad experiences happen to me, too. I don't write about them too much, but when they do happen I just have to get back on my feet. They are going to happen, and it's just something you and I have to except. Cry about it. Scream about it. Laugh about it.

I'm a message away! 

The Moment I Found Hope Was.....

So I haven't blogged in a while, and was trying to think of what to write about. Five minutes later I had it. I want to write about the moment I found hope. I guess I was looking for hope, because I was feeling hopeless that there wasn't another sole in the world like me. 

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I was fumbling my fingers across my keyboard on my computer, on Facebook. I was desperate and determined to find one person with Auditory Processing Disorder. Having gone through middle school, and knowing how bad I had it, I just wanted some reassurance that I wasn't alone. I didn't want to be alone, because I felt alone. But anyways... I typed in my search box "Auditory Processing Disorder", I waited a few seconds, and clicked through some pages, and then I stumbled upon a group. Before my hopeful eyes was relief. 

Not only did I find a person with Auditory Processing Disorder on Facebook, but I found an entire GROUP! This, my friends, was the moment I found hope. Hope and understood for once. I posted something on the Facebook wall like "I had no idea there were real people with APD out there. I thought there was only like 4 or 5 people out there. I am so relieved. Is there anyone who is 16 with APD on here?" 

This is when I knew I was dealing with a miracle. I met someone the same age in the same country (yes I did say country haha) who has the same learning disability. Just like me. And as I talked to her, which was a lot, we both realized how similar we were. It was weird, comforting, and jaw dropping. "You're a perfectionist too?!" "No way, me too!!!" Lindsey if you are reading this, you are my miracle friend!!! 

Finding people with APD gave me hope that this thing called Auditory Processing Disorder will not ruin my life anymore. I can actually talk to someone about it who can relate. It's the best feeling ever. Absolute best. Experience it sometime :)

You stumbled upon my blog for a reason. My blog will give you comfort for a reason. I have Auditory Processing Disorder for a reason and that reason is to help you understand your reason. Everything happens for a reason.

 

Don't Back Down

Hello everyone! Only 40 some days until I am all done with high school! I can’t believe it. This blog I am about to write was inspired by one of my blog followers on a Auditory Processing Disorder Facebook group. She had some concerns, and I told her not to give up the fight.

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If there were ever any words to express how much parents do for their children, I would say them, but there are a countless number of things I would say. Parents do so much for their children, and when it comes down to helping their child with a learning difference the list grows.

I have numerous parents tell me how overwhelmed and frustrated they are that their child’s school doesn’t help as much as they would like them to. I listen, and all I can say to each and everyone of you is this:

Do not give up. Do not give up on fighting for the education your child deserves. Do not give up on the education you are paying for your child. Your words, and fight can go a long way. You just have to be there to watch it happen.

Whomever is giving you trouble, a teacher, a principal, the school board, don’t let them take away your child’s opportunity to get to the level where they can be anything they want to be.

If you start feeling that nothing is working, and it’s not worth the fight, you’re wrong. It’s worth it. Don’t show them that you will give up. Show them that you will annoy them, and push buttons until your child gets the education they deserve. When they see you backing down, they will take that knowledge and store it in the back of their mind. Don’t show them that, because then they know you will give up eventually. Unless you annoy them and take a stand 100% of the time, they will catch on and realize that until you get what you want for your child you will keep fighting.

Sometimes it’s okay to look into to future. What do you see? Do you see yourself regretting back to your child’s early years in school that you didn’t do enough? What you should see is success and a proud parent. Not only will you give yourself a pat on the back, but your child will never forget what you did.

Start now. Start fishing for answers today. Do everything you can, and don’t let the educators and school tell you “no”.

You CAN do it, and your child will succeed in whatever they wish to do.

You, my friends, are incredible parents.

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I hope you got something out of that. I also want to share a movie with you that I encourage all of you to watch. It's called Won't Back Down (look above for the trailer) It’s a about a single mother living with her daughter who has dyslexia in Pennsylvania. The mother is sick of how poorly the school is ran, and gets together with a teacher and they try to change the school. It’s a true story. It CAN happen :D

Teachers: "I'd rather you did" and "I'd rather you didn't"

I have finished my first semester of my senior year of high school! Yay! With that said, I’d like to point out a few things I really wish my teachers would or would not have done so much. I’ll tell you why doing or not doing these things are important to me. I hope you can take this back to your classroom or if you are a parent, your child’s teacher! That would be the goal anyways.
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Let’s start with the “I’d rather my teacher didn’t do this” one.
When a teacher Assumes that I "didn’t pay attention":

- When teachers abruptly say to my face... “Well it’s because you weren’t paying attention” inside I feel like I could scream at them. But I can’t do that because they are “above me” and “authority”, so I have to praise and obey them. “Yes, I understand.” “Yes you are right, I am wrong...” It drives me crazy. I could cry if I wanted to. A teacher said this to me today, and this is exactly what happened and how I responded:

Me - “I don’t know how to answer this Warm Up journal question?”
Teacher - “Well obviously you weren’t paying attention yesterday in class”
Me - ** These feelings started battling with me in this order: Not understood. Forgotten. Frustrated. Angry. Sad. Frustrated. Angry. Angry.

Not understood: “They don’t get my Auditory Processing Disorder do they?”
Forgotten: “Once again, they totally forgot they are talking to their student with APD”
Frustrated: “Why can’t my teachers just remember I have a learning disability? And anyways, my teacher is totally not helping me understand the question by assuming this and trying to blame it all on me.”
Anger: “This is what I’m talking about.. teachers always forgetting about my invisible learning disability, APD. Geez!”
Sad: “I’m just going to sit here now not knowing how to answer this question because my teacher “forgot” (because they are really good at that) to ask me what I don’t understand about the question... I’m not good enough. Ugh...”
Frustrated, angry and more: I think you get the point.

Then, quietly out loud with a “are you serious”, sarcastic tone I responded “Umm... Okay?” And In my head I thought “Clearly by you assuming that I wasn’t paying attention is not helping me understand how to answer the question..... Don’t know how else to respond to that”

Alright, I was paying attention the whole time..... Okay I confess, in the beginning of class before the teacher even said “Hello” I checked my Tumblr account. But I payed attention to my teacher’s instruction the whole time. Of course I am a teenager and don’t have a 100% accurate attention span, but overall I was alert...

When teachers quickly make that assumption, it just really makes me feel bad about myself. Especially because I was paying attention, so they are basically reminding me how I don’t understand things as quickly as a majority of their students do. Thanks.. What they should say instead is, “Well, why don’t you understand the notes from yesterday?” Some honest kids would say “I wasn’t paying attention”. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, in most of my experiences most kids will just flat out tell the teacher that is why. In my case, I normally will answer “Well I didn’t understand what you were saying..” That’s when the teacher is sort of forced to say or should say, “Well, let me try to help ya understand it better...” WOW, what a MUCH better way not to jump to the assumption that I’m a lazy student and wasn’t paying attention.

One thing teachers need to understand about me: I work my ass off. May seem like I’m not paying attention because it takes me longer than an average student to process all the information I’ve been processing throughout the school day. May take me the next class period or two for my brain to click the information in right, and sometimes that’s not even enough. So that’s one thing that really gets to me.


Okay, next for the “I’d rather my teachers did do this”.

Use/Wear your microphone please!

I am constantly reminding my teachers to wear their microphone even though it is printed in black ink in my 504 plan that they legally have to wear it. “Oh! I forgot! Sorry!” That’s the usual response. I can understand that, but me being the student it is frustrating. I got so frustrated at the end of this year that I just stopped reminding them, because I was tired of reminding them. Clearly it was too hard of a task or something.

Sadly, I feel like if there was a student who was deaf and their teachers had to wear their microphones for that student, they would remember to wear it for that student instantly. Because my learning disability is invisible and is often forgotten about and assumed that it is not a huge deal or whatever, I feel as if teachers are more inclined to forget. If a student was deaf, and a student like me with APD both have it written on a 504 plan that teachers need to use a microphone, I think it would be only fair to treat both of those students equally the same. That makes sense to me at least!
When my teachers do wear their microphone, it helps me out a lot! This is why:

1. The teachers voice is the dominant voice in the room, so other students’ side conversations don’t get in my way of processing what I need to process.
2. A teachers voice through a microphone is amazingly a lot clearer than teachers not using one. Mainly because the sound is getting projected through like 10 or 12 speakers instead of their one solo mouth.
3. Enhances the teachers volume. Everybody speaks at all different volumes, and in general speak all differently. Accents, soft talkers, fast talkers, mumblers, and other speaking habits of these types are hard. With the microphone it helps me to understand them better.
4. When teachers do remember to use their microphone, I feel like I am remembered, and I have not been forgotten which is a big part that helps me.

Another big thing I’d like my teachers to do is to remember my name with my learning disability. My first and last initials are A.P and Auditory Processing Disorders abbreviation is obviously APD.
A.P and A.P << easy peasy lemon squeezy!

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Hopefully teachers and parents everywhere find this helpful, and will take this back to the classroom where the child or and teen with APD is and remember these things. I’d love to answer any of your lovely questions. Just a message away!

Finished My 10th Session at Neurocore: Breathing/Heart Rate Progress

Hello everyone! Many of you are probably wondering if I will ever write about the Neurocore training again, haha. I have been very busy, and have not had much time to get in. By the way, I do not suggest to take big breaks from your Neurocore training. They don't recommend this one bit. In my case.. I will have to take 10 extra sessions to see the results that I will want to see in the end.

Anyways.. I have reached my 10th session at Neurocore and was able to see my breathing and heart rate progress. They showed me my breathing/heart rate chart from the first day I came to Neurocore and my 10th session results. On your 11th session, they will sit down with you and compare these two breathing/heart rate charts to show you the progress you have been making.

You do this breathing exercise every time you go to Neurocore.

Here are my breathing and heart rate charts! (Sorry if you can't read my chicken scratch.. I'll try to explain it below in detail)

This first chart is the chart of my FIRST day at Neurocore. (Sorry this first one is kind of dull.. Wanted to write on it so had to scan it twice)

 Let's look at the red and blue lines first.

 The blue line represents my breathing pattern.. How fast or slow I am breathing during my breath, and how much time in between breaths I am taking. The pattern I drew in the white space is what breathing pattern you want to see. You can see here that the little "hills" are shallow breaths I took. It is too short of a breath and should be taking longer breaths in and out. My "hills" are not very consistent like it should be like the drawing shows.

Now the red line represents my heart rate. Your heart rate (red) line, and breathing (blue) line should be in sync with one another, or in other words making the same "hills" at the same time. If your heart rate and breaths are not working well together, this means you may need to improve this. 

Now lets jump to the fat blue, green, and pink graphs...

Let's start with the blue graph. This represents (if you can't read my chicken scratch) the percent of time my heart functions slow... If you can see the number below the blue graph it reads 30.29%. That is my percent. Not the best here. This percent should be below 5% as you can see written.

The green graph represents the percent of how well my heart rate and breathing are working together. My percent is 51.43%. This number should be above 80% though. I have some work to do on this graph, too. (Come on heart rate and breathing! Work together!)

The pink graph represents the percent of how much my heart races. This one isn't too too bad. I'm at 16.78% here, and should be below a 5%

The graph to the right of it... I think is the average of all of those numbers? I'm not completely sure. She didn't really talk about that one. 

   

Here is my graph as of my 10th session. It is MUCH more improved! (Plus this picture isn't dull, haha) 

Why is it an awesome graph you ask? 

Well... My breathing (blue) line and heart rate (red) line are in sync with one another which is awesome! Also, my breathing (blue line) pattern looks MUCH more like the drawn pattern like it is supposed to look. Bigger breaths in and out, no shallow breathing really.. Cool huh?

Looking at the fat blue graph I am still above 5%, but my percent has shot down to only a 11.28%... It used to be a 30.29%. I still need to get my heart functioning faster, which will only be a matter of practicing this as Neurocore. 

Looking at the fat, not to mention high green graph, it is apparent that this graph is a lot higher than my initial graph shows. PLUS I am above a 80% like I am supposed to be with a 81.25%. My breathing and heart rate work together MUCH more than it did before. Yay!

Last but not least the fat pink graph shows an improvement with a 6.79% instead of a high 16.78%.. Still needs to be below a 5%, but I am so close! (Come on heart. Stop racing so much!)

This breathing exercise I do is helping take the stress level off my heart. It will help with my anxiety, and depression I have. Breathing is a very important when it comes to mental health.

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Just wanted to show you the progress I have been making at Neurocore! Let me know if there's a question lingering about out there :-)

My Anne Ford Scholarship Essay

Happy holidays everyone! I hope you all are having a somewhat relaxing and very safe break. Something I have been working on and submitted yesterday was my Anne Ford Scholarship essay with a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship for college! It's a contest for anyone who is a senior in high school with a learning disability and plans to go to a four year college. Here is more information on the scholarship at this website: http://www.ncld.org/about-us/learning-disability-scholarships-awards/anne-ford-allegra-ford-scholarships#anne

  I just wanted to share the essay I wrote with you!

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"What does Mrs. Jones mean we will be bent tomorrow?" I thought to myself.
"I don't get it?" I asked my friend.
"We are presenting tomorrow?" she responded, laughing as she walked away after the bell.
"Oh, wow" I thought, shaking my head. 

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) can be confusing to understand. The best way to explain it is this. Our five senses are touching, smelling, hearing, seeing, and tasting. All of my five senses work just fine. APD does have the “auditory” in it, which has to do with hearing. The processing part is my brain. My brain and ears don’t work well together, and my brain doesn’t process all the gazillion things I hear correctly. It’s like if someone is half sleeping. They can hear fine, but their brain isn’t fully on. That’s what I deal with on a daily basis, but use strategies to be successful and get around this day to day battle.

It was several years before I was accurately diagnosed with APD. I was adopted so my biological history isn’t available. In fourth grade I took ADD medication and attended speech therapy classes. In sixth grade I had an Individual Education Program, but I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t until seventh grade that I was accurately diagnosed with APD.

It took me practice asking for assistance, and now I can proudly announce that self-advocating is a huge achievement and tool. I now understand why advocating leads to success in life. All it took was a little push from a middle school teacher. At conferences my sophomore math teacher said to my mom, “Your daughter’s questions are helpful because I know she is asking questions the class isn’t.” We never thought this would come from a teacher's mouth. I confidently can raise my hand and ask for help. I utilize the opportunity to go in for extra help or clarification. Teachers love talking about their subjects so much that they tend to speak too fast, so I try to repeat what they say to let them know what I processed. Other times, I flat out tell them that “I am still confused”.

I must consistently remind my teachers of the accommodations they have to provide for me under my 504 plan. “Please use your microphone," "May I have a copy of the notes, please?” “I really need to sit in the front row," “Remember, I take my tests in an isolated setting?” At first, I was timid about reminding teachers. I felt like I was nagging my teachers, but eventually, I realized how relieved and excited they were when I approached them. Teachers have numerous things to do for their 100 plus students, and frankly, I will never be their number one priority. Once I do give them a friendly nudge, however, I am able to achieve greater academic success.

Another way that I have helped myself and others is by writing and sharing. One of my best friends who blogs, encouraged me to blog about my learning disability. I always knew I was an above average writer, and loved the idea of blogging about APD so I gave in and started blogging. I did not expect to get so many hits. Not only do I get people throughout America who stumble upon my blog, but I have people from all over the world who follow it. The link to my blog is apdwarrior17.blogspot.com, and many parents believe I am an APD warrior because I inspire and help them. I get responses saying, “You are such an inspiration!”. These comments give me a warm feeling because I am doing what I love -- helping people. I should thank my readers because they are truly my inspiration. My readers made me realize by helping people understand the way I am wired helps me understand how wonderful I am despite my learning difficulty.

Kids worldwide are intrigued by my blog when their parents tell them about it. They often say that they want to be like me. One parent told me that his daughter printed out a blog of mine and would hold onto it and read it before bed. I am a role model for the kids, and parents as well. Parents who don’t know about disabilities usually have many worries of how awful and difficult it will be for their child. I am able show them the ropes and it is not so bad. There are tools to use to navigate around the difficult things.

My knowledge of the feelings a learning disability can give will go to Susquehanna University with me where I plan to major in Child Life. When I am older, I dream of helping children and their families cope with challenges of being hospitalized because of illness or a disability. My love and compassion for children who have challenges makes my heart beat loud as I want to do all I can to help. While my family is better off than many others, my father retired and my brother is in college. I feel that it is my duty to carry my share of the costs of college and become more self reliant -- just as I learned how to advocate for myself. Applying and receiving scholarships for college is my way of chipping in so I can continue my education successfully with flying colors.

These are all ways I help myself and others worldwide get to what we want to do with our countless skills. I hope my writings and actions help people understand APD and what other learning difficulties are like. There is good behind everyone despite a little day to day battle they may face. With methods for getting around my battle of APD I am able to accomplish things in life I strive to get to at the end of each day. My life experiences in managing my LD taught me many lessons that I will continue to share with others on their individual journeys.

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I'd love to hear what you think of it! Wish me luck in winning! :-)  

A Fun Way to Learn Vocabulary -- Imagine That!

If you’ve ever had an iPhone or iPad, I’m going to guess that the game “Words With Friends” is familiar to you! I think you can play it through Facebook now too. It’s a pretty popular game, and now there is “Hanging With Friends”, and “Scramble With Friends.” It’s not supposed to be an educational game. It’s just supposed to be another app that steals your money and time, and sucks you into the fun. These games do steal your money, and suck you into the fun, but I’ve kind of found also that they are educational. I highly encourage kids that struggle with vocabulary to play them!
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Let me explain these three games to you. “Hanging With Friends” is essentially Hangman, and you are given 5 balloons that you are hanging from. Each time you don’t guess a word correctly (you’re given only 5 letters that you can get wrong), one of your balloons will pop. The first one to fall loses. “Scramble With Friends” is basically a 4 by 4 grid with random letters, and you have to find words within the grid, and you receive points for different combinations. “Words With Friends” is exactly like scrabble. You get 7 letters, and have to make words off of other words played by your friend playing, and you receive a certain amount of points per turn. Each letter has a different amount of points, and sometimes you can land on a “bonus” part of the playing board and get more points that way.

ANYWAYS. These game have helped my vocabulary. I wasn’t at all expecting to learn new words because my memory tends to quickly forget stuff that I’m not interested in. BUT, since the games “suck me into the fun” I pay attention more because they interest me. I am very competitive, and like winning. I want to know how whomever I am playing against came up with such a funky looking word. So, I study the word and sometimes they are words I have never heard of. I’ll message them and ask “What kind of word is that??” and they tell me, or I’ll just look it up myself. But truthfully I am lazy sometimes and don’t do either of those, but I do ponder upon the word and wonder what it means. What normally happens then is I start to recognize the new funky looking word, and see or hear it in different places. Even though I may not know the meaning of it, seeing and hearing it in different scenarios helps me puzzle together what it may mean by seeing it in different contexts. It helps me recognize new words which is helpful for me! Just recognizing them is a start, and many times I am able to figure out what it means. Cool, huh?

Honestly, learning vocabulary in school is way harder to remember than the word games I play. In school, I am given a lesson of ten words each week, and have to complete a worksheet of the ten words to practice using them. After we are given three lessons, we have a test on it. I know, ew! Not offense English teachers, but I really don’t learn the vocabulary because it’s not fun or interesting to me. Sorry. It’s not you, it’s me :-D. I’ll memorize them for the test, but wouldn’t be able to pass that same test three days after. I’m not saying if you were to quiz me on the words in the word games I play that I would remember all of those, but I am learning and recognizing new words from the game which is pretty cool!

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These games are fun, but they also have helped me recognize new words and sometimes I am able to puzzle what they mean out after seeing and hearing the same weird words in different scenarios. It’s FUN! Get playing :-D

Echo, Echo, Echo!

Happy Holidays everyone! It’s that time of year again. So exciting! The family time, visiting relatives, the giving of presents, and my personal favorite -- Treats!!! Speaking of treats, it’s that time of year where most people have to work extra hard to keep in-shape because they are eating so many yummy treats! -- Or maybe that’s just me :D. I went to a yoga class the other day which surprisingly was pretty hard. Hard not because of the yoga poses, but because it was hard to understand the instructor. It was SO echoey, and was very hard to follow instructions! It was hard when I played basketball, too. What-wha-t Did-id-d you-ou-u say-say-say?
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I’ve always had a hard time in echoey locations. I played a lot of basketball in my life, and never liked the echo feeling I hear, and the confusion from echoey spots like basketball and yoga for a few reasons.

First, echoey areas are always LOUD! For anyone it is loud, but everything is amplified for me and other people with APD! My ears ring a lot in these types of settings because it’s so loud. Then, if my ears ring, I feel a little anxious just like anything that bothers me, but obviously I don’t act out about it or anything. Think about it though... My basketball tournaments, where there’s more than one game going on in the same gym, can get SUPER echoey. Talk about a headache. Coaches screaming, fans screaming, four or five basketballs bouncing, shoes squeaking on the “squeaky” clean basketball courts, and teammates getting excited all at the same time all in the same location is equivalent to L-O-U-D, LOUD! In the yoga setting it wasn’t screeching loud because let’s be honest... It’s yoga.

I did have a hard time following the yoga instructor though (I’m going to call her “Kim” for the sake of referring to her as a short name rather than the long name “yoga instructor” haha). The constant breaking and repeating of words caused by the bouncing off the walls in the small yoga gym on top of new words, after the words I am still trying to process, are coming at me are both hard to process. (Does that make sense?) It took me a few moments more to process what she had to say than everyone else as I saw everyone going into the pose faster. I could catch myself and understand in the moment that I was processing the information a little later than when Kim spoke the instructions. It was kind of neat to be able to pick up on when I was able to process it. I could literally feel myself process the information slower.

With that said, processing the chaotic sounds and putting them together is not easy, and sometimes I’m not able to put them together in especially echoey spots. It’s like a bunch of dust particles floating in the air and trying to catch it and keep it in your hand. Very hard. It may stay in your hand for a split second, but then it’s gone. That’s what happens with me. I’m able to put the sounds together, but then it falls apart quickly like a puzzle does. And when that happens I do not feel like putting the a thousand piece puzzle back together, and the echo’s I hear do not at all make my decision change! Echoes just don’t help and only make things worse. I just want to hear/process words once, and would love it if it wouldn’t overlap because my whole world is an overlapping echo. That’s what I hear on a daily basis in my head -- echoes. When there’s actually an echo, it’s two times the echo. It’s like I’m processing things out loud with the echo in the air, and in my head and can’t choose which one to listen to. So Kim’s instructions were hard because it was all verbal, but I was able to look up to see what she was doing to see it visually. In basketball though it was all verbal. I’d hear instructions, mainly yelling from the sidelines from my coach with no visual to put it with. I’d literally be dribbling the ball and say “What!?” or look at them with a puzzled look. Don’t get me wrong, I love basketball but it was hard with my APD. (That is not why I stopped playing to be clear. I stopped because I loved field hockey more!)

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That was a longer blog than expected, but wanted to explain it to the best of my ability! Hopefully you understood a little glimpse into my world! As always, I love your questions!

How I Manage My Homework

Hey everyone! Long time, no blog haha. I really haven’t had much time to write a blog in a while. My apologies. Senior year has been quite the experience, but a good one so far! I ended my field hockey season placing second in division two! If you didn’t know, there are four divisions and division one is the best. But anyways! I am sitting on an airplane so decided this is a great time to write a blog. You are probably wondering how I am able to balance everything with school, right? -- Well if your not, I’m going to talk about it anyways, haha.
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So here we go. I usually have 2-3 hours of homework a night at the most right now (and fingers crossed that it doesn’t get any longer!). I am now done with field hockey season, so that has freed up my schedule a lot. I do lots of babysitting now, and that has taken up most of my time with school work too now. 

Doing My Homework NOT at Home:

What I have come to realize is doing homework NOT at home has been a big help. Not that I don’t like my home or anything, but I am more productive when I am away from any distractions that I might be tempted to linger towards. For example, the television (and I don’t really watch t.v but it is something other than homework), getting distracted by my very adorable puppy, my family doing whatever they may do, and stuff like that. I also just know if I’m away from my house doing homework, and had a plan to DO homework somewhere else that I will do homework wherever I go. 

These places include the library, Starbucks (but Starbucks can get loud if you don’t have headphones on), my school library or guidance office, and my moms office. Now, many of you probably have kids that cannot drive and stay by themselves in these places. If you have a nice quiet office around your child’s homework time, it really is beneficial to go there. You parents can be in the next room working on whatever yourself, and be right there for your child if he/she would have any questions. Same goes for the library, Starbucks, or any of these places. I have to say, it's extremely helpful for me, and I take advantage of this

A plan of the Time I Spend on Homework:

I give myself a time of how long I will work on homework as well which helps me be productive. It helps so I don’t have to look at the fact that I have English, Math, and Science to do. I look at time instead. For example, I’ll tell myself that I will do homework for 2 hours, from 7pm-9pm.

NOTICE: I did not say that I would work on math for an hour, and science for another. Just “homework” for two hours. For me, that is a stressful thing to say. I was never a fan of timed-tests or anything like that. If you just say homework, that will give you, or your child a wide chunk of time to work on whatever they want for however long it will take them. Reading may take longer than Math will, so be careful of those little words so you don’t stress yourself or your child out.

For younger kids you may say 45 minutes or an hour. -- Whatever they may have left after that time, give them at least 15 minute break or whatever you think in reasonable to your child’s needs before you quickly finish up whatever. OR if they have a sports practice or something, continue after that. I usually give myself enough time for a “bathroom break”, fix a snack, sit down and play a quick game on my phone, and then that usually relaxes my brain. -- The game is important though. I know it gives me a processing break from all of the school stuff I’ve been processing for those 2 hours. VERY helpful! BUT make sure you don’t spend another 45 minutes or however long you spent initially on homework if you notice you or your child is not able to focus very well. Enough is enough. I know it’s important for your child to finish all the homework, but you will only make them tired for the next day and he or she will have a hard time focusing in school. For those parents that are experts about APD, you will then know the tired cycle will begin, and your kid will get behind if you don’t give your child enough down time.

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So, those are my two big things I do to manage my time for doing homework, and doing homework well. I hope this is helpful, and as always I love your questions!

Neurocore (Brain training)

Hey everyone! I have been so busy this summer, and it was a really great one. I didn't really have much to say on my blog this summer, and decided not to brag too much about how awesome it was =) One thing I will brag about this summer is that my mom signed me up for Neurocore! Let me try to explain it in the simplest way....

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What is it?
So what Neurocore is, is a brain training exercise essentially. It trains your brain, your breathing and heart to all work nicely together. A lot of people come in for ADHD, ADD, anxiety, and learning disabilities. I am going through Neurocore because of anxiety and my learning disability, Auditory processing disorder. http://www.drsuber.com/neurocore.html

What do the appointments look like?
Ok, so when my mom first told me about this I was thinking... "Oh great.. So I'm going to have to take all these tests and exercises that will remind me of school... Ugh, no thanks" But, to my surprise the appointments are SO fun! The first 5 minutes is a breathing training exercise, while wearing a breathing belt which is just a velcro strap around your stomach, and wearing this thingy on your finger that takes your heart rate.. The next part... This is the most dreadful part, especially for kids (just kidding!), you watch a movie of your choice that you can bring in for 50 minutes. How awesome is that appointment! How it helps is that there are two ear pieces hanging from your ear lobes, and another thing on top of your head and everytime your brain goes off when it shouldn't, the video seems glitchy. When that happens your brain will say "Oh, I liked that, go back!". Ok maybe it won't actually "say" that but that's how your brain will be trained. The last part is a "cool down" which is 90 seconds of just relaxing. Sound ok to you?

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Now I have heard many many good things about this program. I am hoping it will help with both anxiety and my Auditory Processing Disorder. I have only gone through a few appointments so far, so I haven't been able to look at my progress yet. I am really excited to "train my brain" without any boring doctors appointments, or awful medications. I will definitely let you all know after the program how it has gone, and if it has actually helped, but I'm pretty sure it will! I know I didn't give you an educational lecture about Neurocore, but this is the gist of it. Take a peak at the video and online, and I'm sure you'll find yourself quickly getting your child into an appointment. I wouldn't recommend you something if I didn't think it would be helpful! Let me know if you have any questions at all!

My Buddy!

I finally finished my junior year of high school! I am free!!! The last few weeks of school were a bit rough going for me to say the least. The stress of all the homework teachers kept demanding, final exams, and how I was going to finish all of that in just a short amount of time. I just wanted time to freeze so I could not be running a thousand miles per hour all the time. But now it’s done! I don’t have all that stress on my shoulders! Not only school being done has helped, but my new puppy has helped immensely!

My puppy’s name is Buddy. He’s about 14 weeks old now. He is a Havanese puppy, and he is literally my Buddy! My mom got him for me thinking he would help me with my stress, and to distract myself when I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed. I have to say, I never thought a puppy would help me so much with my stress! By me taking care of him, I get to watch this little puppy be so cute, and at the same time be responsible for him. I let him out when I get up, I feed him, I train him (I already taught him how to sit!-- We are working on “staying”), and I love him! He has been the biggest help for me, and I got a bonus that he’s really adorable.

Havanese dog’s are a type of dogs that get REALLY into their owner. They are a type that LOVES I mean LOVES people. Buddy is very smart, too. He acts like a little kid, and maybe that’s also why I like him so much (I love kids!). Havanese dogs don’t shed. Buddy truly has the best personality for me!

They always say that dog’s are a “Man’s best friend”. It’s scary how accurate that is. I promise you Buddy was the smartest addition to our family. I have a cat, and a yellow lab, too. But Buddy just completed it. He kind of makes everyone happier in the family. I suggest getting a puppy like buddy for yourself, your family, and your kids!! Again, emphasising how much help he’s given me, Buddy is My Best Buddy :). Let me know if you have any questions!

Happy Auditory Processing Awareness Day (in Minnesota)!!!

Today is APD awareness day in Minnesota. I'm so glad they have an awareness day, because if they didn't, I was about to start one myself! Think I'm kidding? It's hard to explain APD to someone in conversation, because you can't explain it in depth so they are missing a whole bunch of stuff about APD. If you've ever tried explaining it to someone, you know what I mean. It's the the most exiting and fun thing to do. I want APD to be heard not just in Minnesota, but everywhere all over the world. Have you ever felt like no one understands you? With the silent disorder I have, I feel like this all the time. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, sister brother, husband, wife, or a friend of someone that has APD it would make us SO heard if you put awareness out there. I'm betting so many people will just read this and say "Awwww. How thoughtful." Then they will think about doing something, and then "never have time to get to it". Don't be that percentage of people who doesn't do anything. Make your Facebook status "APD Awareness Day of breaking the silent Disorder", post a picture of an ear, a child in school, or whatever and post it to your Facebook, tumblr, or whatever website you wish, or send out an email with the photo and some nice words. This would only mean the WORLD to me and my APD friends. It's awful when I feel this feeling of not being understood and heard. At least 5 times a day I say to myself "They don't understand" or "Ugh, no one cares what I'm trying to say". You can at least change spread the word and I'm sure NUMEROUS of kids and their parents would feel so special someone "hears" them. :-)

Thankyou so much readers :-). Now time for me to get back to the beach!

-apdwarrior17