WW {Linky}: One Swing Closer to Snoezelen

       The start of school is rough around the Mommy Household. It means that the Season of Tantrums begins again. I know that it's perfectly normal for children to be well behaved at school (or away from home) and then be hellions when they get home. Unfortunately when you add autism into the mix you have a whole different dynamic. If you don't know this, there is a world of difference between a tantrum and a complete sensory meltdown. A tantrum is frustrating for both the child and the parent and other than damaging my eardrums is relatively innocuous.

A meltdown often causes property damage in our house.

You should note that I purposefully didn't edit these photos (aside from adding the logo)
because I've chosen to let you into our unedited world of living with an autistic
child. I also am not trying for "pretty" photos--this is more like an editorial piece.

This is one of the many holes in our home. This is not even the largest hole you'll find in our house, although you should know that I have large hands for a woman not man hands but bigger than most womens'.
       But I've been doing some research, and having someplace where Myriam can "unwind" and center herself could be very beneficial. I discovered a therapy room called Snoezelen (pronounced Snooze-A-len) that is designed to both soothe and stimulate a person. And you can have one for yourself for the bargain price of $75,000. Kinda not in my price range. So I decided to figure out how to do it myself.

--This is a work in progress* (I'll keep ya'll apprised as we go along) but one of the first things we did was install a swing. It's anchored into a ceiling joist and we've tested it to about 200 lbs. So I don't think it's going anywhere.
--It was important to us that the swing be able to spin infinitely (along with swing) without tangling up, but a trip to our local hardware store made that come together for us.
--I know most people would expect smiles for miles (and we got some) but what we are aiming for is a calming, soothing place for Myriam to refocus.

I think she found it.

These are the chicas I hook up with every week. Every. One.

And now it's your turn.  I don't care if it's Wordless, Word-filled, or Word-ish.

Happy Wednesday, everyone.
Peace out!


Check out the Snoezelen Series!
One Swing
One Desk
One Color
One Art Installation

*This is just step one, people. Check back with us to see what else we have planned!

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