My 13 year old autistic son rode a bicycle today.

[Ilsa]

It was the first time he was able to ride without training wheels or assistance. He doesn't know how to brake yet (reverse pedal bike), but he is steering the bike on his own, and starting the ride without assistance. He receives adaptive PE twice a week at his middle school, and his interest in doing physical things is increasing now.

See! There are some great things being done in education in Texas!

I cried when I got the phone call about it.

[reflection]

1. Congratulations.

I'm tearing up a little knowing how happy you are! :hug:

[Ilsa]

9. Thanks! We don't get alot of days where we have something to

brag about to others without seeming really weird. We keep most of it to ourselves.

Last week, our other son was selected from the crowd to present the game ball to a basketball official at a NCAA major event. We were terribly proud, but we think he was picked because he was such a cutie. ;-)

[tavalon]

85. You can brag all you want to me and I won't think it's weird

Our son is 15 and he is pretty severely challenged and has hundreds of interesting quirks. It's nice to be able to talk to people who know that most autistic kids aren't like Rainman portrayed them. I do have a suggestion for a movie about an adult with autism, Snowcake. A wonderful, uplifting, frustrating and bizarre movie, otherwise known as the daily life struggles in an autistic's life.

[Yurovsky]

99. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check it out... * n/t

nt

[Ilsa]

101. I'll look for Snowcake, thanks for the suggestion! Yeah, my son is also

severely challenged. He makes lots of strange noises, sometimes tries to touch people, etc. I'm hoping to get him on a waiting list for a special group home For when he turns 18-20. I won't always be able to care for him like I can now.

[tavalon]

114. Same here

We know we won't always be there to take care of him. It is sad and scary,

[vduhr]

108. There are many levels of autism...

I have read up on this, looking up information on the internet. I have also read blogs by autistics. Until then, I myself did not realize that different levels existed.

Loving hugs to you all of your sweet babies, and I wish them the best there is in life.

[peacebird]

31. Fantastic!!!

:hug:

[Taverner]

2. AWESOME!!!

MY wife works with Autistic kids...so I know what a milestone this is

[pnwmom]

3. Ilsa, I'm so happy for you. Learning to ride is an achievement

for any child. You might be surprised at how many kids never learn these days.

[mzteris]

4. How wonderful!!

Congratulations on your son's accomplishment. I bet he's a pretty happy camper, too.

:hug: for you and :woohoo: for him!

[hlthe2b]

5. that is wonderful...

:toast:

[aquart]

6. Perfectly reasonable tears.

Of course, my mother has requested that she NOT be informed of the things I did on my bicycle.

[Ilsa]

39. Bwaaaahahahahaha! I bet! nt

[Subdivisions]

7. That is just wonderful, Ilsa! You must be very proud of him =) n/t

[SalmonChantedEvening]

8. So happy for you Ilsa

Hug your son for me please. :hug: :D

[Odin2005]

10. This autistic person says congrats!

:woohoo:

[Fumesucker]

11. That's great..

Glad to hear of something positive..

[tekisui]

12. That does my heart good.

I am happy for you and your son.

[Barack_America]

13. Absolutely fantastic.

Good job, mom.

[villager]

14. Yay!

:thumbsup:

[madmax]

15. Hoooray!!!

One step at a time. I'm so happy for you :hug:

[LeftishBrit]

16. Congratulations!!!

[no_hypocrisy]

17. Very pleased for both of you. Progress is always wonderful.

[upi402]

18. That's so cool!

2 wheels hurts for me. Can't imagine what a hurdle this is! :fistbump:

[slipslidingaway]

19. Wonderful achievement for him and great news for you, congrats! n/t

[elehhhhna]

20. How wonderful for you both!!!!! I'm proud of him & don't even know him!

[GreenPartyVoter]

21. Hooray!! *hugs*

[Last_Stand]

22. 'Gratz!

[handmade34]

23. Awesome!

[pleah]

24. Very cool!

:hug:

[WCGreen]

25. I'm so happy for you....

The joy of being free and moving fast all on your own and feeling the wind on your face is something every child should get a chance to experience...

[Zoigal]

26. Kudos to your son, Ilsa.

And to everyone who is working with him.....z

[City Lights]

27. Fantastic!

:thumbsup:

I bet you're bursting with pride! :D

[hayu_lol]

28. How neat!

Bet he was excited.

[FLyellowdog]

29. WooHoo! Give him a gold medal! Really, give him one. nt

[renate]

30. Yay! Thank you so much for sharing your good news with us!

:grouphug:

I'm really happy for him and for you!

:woohoo:

[spanone]

32. that's great!!!

:hi: :thumbsup: :grouphug:

[RainDog]

33. wonderful!

my son with aspergers has never been able to ride a bike and cannot drive a car. he gets around by bus, tho, so it's good we live where it's possible to get places with public transportation.

I'm happy to hear your good news.

[hisownpetard]

34. That's fantastic! You must be on top of the world today!!

[mia]

35. Wonderful news!

I never dreamed that the public schools taught kids how to ride a bike... and I'm a teacher.

[Demoiselle]

36. That's happy happy news, Ilsa. I feel a teary myself. All the best.

[Fire1]

37. Good show, Ilsa's son!! Mom, I know you're beaming with joy! n/t

[Fleshdancer]

38. Awesome news!

:applause:

[joeybee12]

40. Woo-hoo! Let's get this on the Greatest Page!

:toast:

[frylock]

41. what a nice story..

thanks for sharing!

[Arctic Dave]

42. No that is some great news for a change. Applause.

[tnlefty]

43. Congrats!

:hug: and here's a handerchief.

[KamaAina]

44. Oh, hell, I rode a bike when I was maybe nine or so.

So maybe it'll take him an extra year or so to get into the Yale Class of 2019 or so. :-)

[TexasObserver]

45. Recommend

[Jane Austin]

46. Woohoo!

That's great!

[SalviaBlue]

47. That's great!!

[liberal_at_heart]

48. That's great. Congratulations.

[onehandle]

49. Very nice. Tell him I said 'Bikes Rule!' nt

[applegrove]

50. That is great news. Think how much fun he/she will have.

[conservdem]

51. That's wonderful. Congratulations!

[DRoseDARs]

52. Expect an angry call from Sarah Palin for not carrying him around like a loaf of French bread.

Shame on you, Ilsa. How dare you think him able to do things other than illicit sympathy for you and your Vice-Presidential campaign.

[Ilsa]

67. Bwaaahahahahahahaha! I love it! Somebody, DUZY this! Thanks! nt

[DRoseDARs]

69. Honestly, I thought I'd catch shit for that post but if you the thread starter approve...

[Ilsa]

98. Sarah P will eventually learn to develop

a sense of humor about the situation. Sometimes, that's the only thing that keeps us sane. She still wants to use the child in her political games.

It was a hysterical comment..."loaf of french bread..."

[Liberal_in_LA]

53. congrats!

[mitchum]

54. That is fantastic

[Kadie]

55. Wonderful!

:applause:

:hi:

[RubyDuby in GA]

56. Wonderful!

My 3 year old autistic son initiated play (kickball) with another boy a week ago at daycare. I nearly cried when his teacher told me about it. It truly is the little things (to us, but major steps for them) that cause the most joy.

A big :hug: to you and your son. :)

[pipoman]

57. Nice indeed..

[rasputin1952]

58. Fantastic!!!!

:hug:

[BlueIris]

59. AWESOME.

Before you know it, he'll be asking to borrow the keys to the car.

[Pithlet]

60. That is wonderful!

:woohoo:

[Kltpzyxm]

61. that's awesome

great news

:hug:

[jwirr]

62. Those firsts are the reward we parents live for. Congratulations.

[indy legend]

63. Thanks for sharing that. I have an autistic 12 year old little girl

who is the greatest blessing in my life. Every little breakthrough is a joy to share with her. The come slowly and few and far between but they are treasured moments when they occur.

[Ilsa]

68. Thank you! I know you understand. :-) nt

[tpsbmam]

64. Wow! Awesome day to be celebrated & remembered. Congratulations

to you, your son & all those who love him.
:applause: :hug:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

65. Congratulations. I'm happy for both of you.

[proud patriot]

66. That's just Awesome !

:hug:

[HughMoran]

70. Sounds like he's having fun

That's what matters.

[givemebackmycountry]

71. Just read the entire thread...

I love you guys.
I will sleep better knowing there are people in the world like you.

:hi: :grouphug: :hi:

[tango-tee]

72. Awesome news!!!

:bounce:

[gratefultobelib]

73. Much love from one with an autistic grandson and we all celebrated when

his sped teacher wrote "played appropriately with a FRIEND today." So I know how you felt!

[AzNick]

74. What type of autism does he have?

Just wondering :)

[OneGrassRoot]

75. Wonderful indeed!!!

Thanks for sharing. :hi:

:hug: to your son.

[Althaia]

76. the effort it takes to teach your son is very much worthwhile...

...as Temple Grandin would tell you.

Her recent TED talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds.html?awesm=on.ted.com_8A29

I have an autistic son too (17 years old). I am so glad for your boy!

[a la izquierda]

77. this cyclist says woo hoo!

amazing!

[Reader Rabbit]

78. Oh, now you've made me cry!

Your son experiences the joy of riding a bike, and you experience the joy of your son's accomplishment and happiness! Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

[Kajsa]

79. Congratulations,Ilsa! I know feeling! :-)

My son,25, who has HS autism is learning
how to manage daily tasks and household chores.

Every accomplishment is a great one, we take very
little for granted.

Congratulations on a huge milestone, Ilsa.
Your son is on his way to becoming independent,
to whatever degree he can manage.
:-)

This is a wonderful accomplishment for all of you.

:hug:

[northofdenali]

80. Woot! What a wonderful milestone!

Congratulations - and it's not just the education, IT'S MAMA TOO!!!

I so admire the parents of autistic/Asperger's children. Courage and grace under fire. A girlfriend raised two,only 11 months apart in age, back in the early 80's. They are now fine adults, and my admiration holds no bounds.

:hug::toast::hug:

[AnneD]

81. This is one reason why we are fighting so hard in Houston....

I am a School Nurse in a middle school now and Special Ed Kids are my passion and joy. Boy do they keep me on MY toes. These are the kids the charter schools will never take because they cost more to teach than you can show for on some bottom line-at least that's how it is figured most of the time.

But when you have a break through, it truly is priceless. I am so happy for you and your son. I bet it feels like you won a gold medal, and you did!

We have been so under siege here in Houston this week with our new Superintendent. He has managed to start a war against teachers in our community and so many, esp our most seasoned teachers may finally be throwing in the towel (which is what he wants I think). Thanks for reminding me that we really are better than we are accused of being and that there are parents that appreciate our hard work.

[malaise]

82. Wonderful news

Congrats to both of you

[tavalon]

83. We haven't gone there with our autistic son

He is, to use the autism parlance, an eloper, so we don't want him to have the ability to move faster than us. He runs quite quickly, as is. But I understand how wonderful this is for you. Those of us with autistic children learn to celebrate the little things.

[Cass]

84. That's wonderful news. Congratulations!

:fistbump:

[PA Democrat]

86. That is WONDERFUL news. What a thrill for both you and your son!

[Shiraz]

87. How Wonderful !

I too have an autistic son. He's 19 almost 20 and he never could on his own. We finally bought a used tandem bike and he can ride on the back. I read up-thread that their son played appropriately and we got a note home saying Kyle acted appropriately at a friendship dance not long ago it did make our week !! The little things are huge.

[Beacool]

88. Great for your son!!!

You have a tough roe to hoe, but it makes the small achievements ever more special.

God Bless!!!

;-)

[Dystopian]

89. KandR for tears of joy

I cried too....
Thank you for sharing your joyous moment...
Beautiful.

peace & love to you and your son~

[cal04]

90. That's fantastic Ilsa

Thanks for posting!
:hug: :hi:

[LibraLiz1973]

91. Ilsa, that is AWESOME!!!!!!!

[LibraLiz1973]

92. Ilsa, that is AWESOME!!!!!!!

[asdjrocky]

93. Bless your heart.

[wellstone dem]

94. As a avid cyclist, please tell your son for me

"Congratulations, and enjoy the ride, and all the rides in the future."

[Arugula Latte]

95. Congratulations to your son and to you!

That is great.

I've got a 13-year-old boy, too. :)

[emilyg]

96. Congrats.

[DesertFlower]

97. that's great news.

[NoSheep]

100. Thanks to you and your son for making me smile all over!

:7

[David Zephyr]

102. You really lifted my spirits, Ilsa!

I have acute bronchitis and am still fighting a fever, but your sharing your story today was like a shot of medicine right to my heart.

And you, Ilsa, rock!

K&R.

[earth mom]

103. Congrats! That is awesome news!

:woohoo:

[Cetacea]

104. K&R!

[dionysus]

105. good for you, and him!

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[maddezmom]

106. Wonderful news

:hug: My son also attended a Texas school and had adaptive PE. He's a bit younger, but they did get him to sit on a tricycle and push the pedals. Doesn't sound like much but it was big news for us. :hi:

[seeinfweggos]

107. +1000

i live in texas and my uncle works with children with special needs at MHMR (though i think it's called something else now.) he tells stories that will break your heart and also some that give you the motivation to get through the day. this reminds me of the latter. god/godess/whomever bless you and yours. i think i'm going to cry - in a good way.

[Political_Junkie]

109. That's awesome!

nt

[hedgehog]

110. Plaudits to him and your entire family!

[Omaha Steve]

111. K&R!

[skyounkin]

112. Big Hugs!!

I am so happy for you!

And your son!

[Progressivism]

113. I'm Autistic.(High functioning)

Looking back,I realise that I might have had another time adjusting to 2-wheel Bikes than other people.

[Odin2005]

115. Same here.

I wasn't able to ride without training wheels until I was 9.