A Case for Your iPad

TweetA question I hear a lot, especially at iPad workshops, is "what case should I buy for my iPad?" My answer, unsurprisingly, is "it depends."

Do you just need something to make your iPad grippable and/or protect the screen? Do you need it HULK SMASH-proof? Do you want to attach to the back of car seats so kids can watch videos in the car? Do you want it to convert to a stand in both landscape and portrait mode? Do you want it to be gorgeous, and go incognito as a book? Do you want a built-in keyboard? Do you want a soft, pillow-like stand? Here are some of the cases we and our friends use, but your comments and suggestions are welcome.

ALL-PURPOSE CASES

Leo has two cases for his iPad 2. Our favorite is the ZooGue* ($49.99). Leo doesn't need a super-protective case, he needs one that makes the iPad easy to hold and use, so this works for us. The leather case is nice for gripping, it has a fold-over cover to protect the screen, and it uses velcro for stand positioning -- which means that no matter how hard Leo taps the screen, it won't fall over or dislodge. When I took Leo's iPad into a local Apple store, one of the Geniuses declared the ZooGue "the best iPad case I've ever seen!"

Watching Lina Lamont & Don Lockwood

It also has a velcro strap that can be used as a carrying handle, to secure the cover -- and to attach the iPad to the back of a car seat for multiple viewings of favorite videos. We've been watching a lot of Singin' in the Rain, Mali now works "...more than Calvin Coolidge -- put together!" into conversations whenever she can, and Leo loves singing Good Morning.

Caveats: The ZooGue doesn't stand up in portrait mode for reading books or other documents. It also leaves the corners of the iPad exposed, and when Leo accidentally dropped his iPad on its corner on some concrete pavers, the screen shattered. But now that I've regained my composure, I suspect the issue was more the pavers than the cover.

For three months after the iPad shattering incident, I was leery of the ZooGue, so we switched to a Targus 360 ($60 - $65) instead. Also leather, also nice for gripping. With an elastic strap for keeping the cover shut, and which covers the iPad's corners.

It also swivels stand position between portrait and landscape, which is excellent for those of us who like to read documents while our hands are busy. And the Apple logo peephole generally gets a comment or two -- it's a clean, stylish design. It's a good, solid case, one that a speech therapist friend uses with the kids who are her clients.

Caveats: See that pretty blue fuzzy interior padding? I have three kids. Which means that padding got grubby, really quickly -- after a while, I was too embarrassed to take this case to iPad workshops or even out in public. And the leather on the screen frame started peeling off unattractively. And while the stand does switch from landscape to portrait, it rests in a groove rather than being anchored like the ZooGue -- Leo's enthusiastic screen tapping often knocked it over.

PROTECTIVE CASES

But what if you need a substantial case, one that lets its tablet keep up with (and not become a casualty of) the enthusiasm of its owners? There are many options. Bay Area parent Laurel Miranda's daughter has worked her way through several case models, and now uses the Gumdrop Military Edition ($69.95). Laurel says,

"This case rocks, highly recommend it. The buttons are easy to push even though everything (even the screen) is encased in plastic or silicon. It's well designed. The only draw back is that the iPad is now really heavy and doesn't have a stand, but I can live with that!"

The fallback you-can-almost-drive-a-truck-over-it case is the OtterBox Defender ($89), and I know many folks who use it (including Leo's class staff). It's a bit of a PITA to put on and take off, but it does the job, and it is very popular.

Caveats: Can be hard to get on and off, can make iPads clunky or heavy.

BOUTIQUE CASES

DodoCase, closed

San Francisco-based DODOCase ($59.95) makes iPad cases using traditional bookmaking techniques. These cases are gorgeous and widely coveted. When closed, you are toting 'round a lovely, handcrafted, hardbound notebook. When open, folks either oooh and aaah at the clever, hand tooled case, or quietly moan. From the DodoCase site:

"The DODOcase cradles your iPad in a strong, yet eco-friendly bamboo tray.   The multifunctional design allows you to use the case as a stand for typing or watching videos.   The DODOcase's magnetic insert activates the iPad's auto wake/sleep feature to wake and sleep your iPad instantly."

Leo does not have a DODOcase (this particular, artist edition case belongs to his father).

Caveats: Not for kids (kids like mine, anyhow). And even your best friends will try to steal your DODOcase when you're not looking.

PILLOW(Y) CASES

The CushPad* ($34.95) is a good match for kids who like to use tablets on unstable surfaces like couches, bed, or floors -- though of course my kids are trend-buckers and use it on the counter. It can be used in portrait or landscape mode. It is nice and soft for resting in one's lap. It has a handle for hauling around. And ... it can be used with non-iPad tablets (You're looking at a Motorola Xoom. Blasphemy! The pictures was taken with an iPad, though.) It's nice for using when multiple children are using videos, as the kids are less inclined to be grabby.

Caveats: Your tablet nestles in your CushPad rather than being securely fastened, so if the setup gets knocked about the tablet will fall out. It's big and bulky, so if storage is an issue then storage is an issue. And right now, they're selling so briskly that they're backordered -- so if you want one, I'd get on it.

KEYBOARD CASES

My cousin and my father-in-law both have iPad cases with built-in keyboards like the one available from Brookstone ($74.99). I hate typing on an iPad itself, so if I was using the iPad for productivity or for teaching the kids to type, I'd consider this route before an accessory and therefore easily misplaced keyboard. I was pleasantly surprised by the slimness of these cases -- the keyboard adds almost no thickness.

Caveats: The keyboard needs to be charged separately, which is One More Thing. And these cases generally do not allow portrait mode, which is a bummer for some document modes.

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What iPad/Tablet cases do you uses? If you use any of these, do you have a different opinion?

*The ZooGue and CushPad cases were gifted to Leo by their creators, but that has no bearing on our opinion here.

Pizza Anxiety

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Pizza *&* naan on his birthday. Thx, Zante's!

Remember what a great thing pizza was for Leo? How it took an aeon of therapist-led food chaining to get him to eat it, how then he became such a fan that we we had pizza cake for his 10th birthday?

Unfortunately, Leo now likes pizza so much that he's developed a severe case of Pizza Anxiety. If he knows there's pizza in the house, he can't think of anything else, can't focus on anything else. If he knows there's leftover pizza from dinner, he gets agitated and has a hard time going to sleep. If he knows there's pizza in his lunch box at school, he cannot think or talk about anything else, not until that pizza gets nommed. No amount of visual supports, reassurances, or distractions help -- not at home, not in the classroom.

So, we've banned Wednesday Night pizza for now, which as a routine lover myself makes me fairly sad -- and also sad that this is so hard for our boy.

We can still get pizza in restaurants, at the Costco food court even -- any place the pizza loop opens and closes on site. But we can't have pizza at home, or at school for the time being.

Leo doesn't seem to mind so far, as again it's only when pizza is present that Pizza Anxiety escalates. And we'll try again in a few weeks.

As always, advice or insights appreciated,

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Apologies for being mostly absent, Leo being mostly absent from this site. No more publishing books during the winter holidays for me. (Have you bought your copy of TPGA yet? Check out the fabulous reviews we've been getting!  )

SF Locals: Camp Azure Fundraiser Concert Feb 18!

TweetSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 - SILENT MOVIE COMEDY CLASSIC WITH LIVE MUSIC!!

A fun event that can be enjoyed by ages 5 to 100  --  autism and other abilities welcome!

Camp Azure provides children on the Autism Spectrum with an affordable and unforgettable Summer Camp experience through San Francisco Recreation and Parks. Our first session last Summer was a great success! For 4 weeks, 32 kids ages 6 to 12 had a chance to enjoy outdoor fun and to "just be kids" alongside their peers.  We had a long waiting list, though, and so we are happy to announce that this coming Summer, Recreation and Parks plans to expand the camp to 8 weeks!

Because of the need for specialized staff, and our strong belief that families with autism should be able to enjoy the exact same affordable summer camp rates as other SF families, we are once again organizing our annual concert to help raise the funds needed to run Camp Azure.

The New Galileo Quartet and Stephen Prutsman on piano will play an original composition Stephen wrote to accompany the screening of a Silent Movie Comedy Classic. So, music and film will be playing simultaneously, and audience participation is strongly encouraged. All ASD kids are also welcome to come and make some noise!

Classical music lovers will appreciate the many tongue-in-cheek musical references in the piece. The performance earned "Best of Festival" at the 2007 Spoleto USA Festival and after a performance this past October at the Barishnikov Center in NYC the New York Times wrote:

"Mr. Prutsman's multistyled facility was given full vent [with] a jazzy, eclectic and inventive score...[the] players and Mr. Prutsman received a heartyovation for their vibrant performance"

WHEN: SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18th 2 PM and 5 PM (2 performaces)

WHERE: Randall Museum Auditorium,  San Francisco

TICKETS: $10 kids and $20 adults

To purchase tickets please go to: https://sfpt.ejoinme.org/MyPages/CampAzureBenefit/tabid/337495/Default.aspx

Thirteen

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Iz isn't a tweener any more -- she's thirteen now, she's passed into actual teenhood, and it's mesmerizing. I'm grateful she still respects us, talks with us, and values our opinion, and we try to take care to reciprocate. I'm fascinated by the talented, articulate, increasingly coltish girl we drag out of bed every morning. While I know not all girls her age turn banshee, I also know that I was a bitchy, self-absorbed teenager -- so it's possible things might go south or at least get distant. For now, I'm cherishing every moment.

So here's whats' going on with her.

She's getting a cell phone. Eep. I hope it doesn't lead to much more of this (in fairness, she's reading a book on the Kindle her grandparents gave her for Christmas).


She does still love her science. She rolls her eyes at the thought that someone wouldn't know what "phenotype" meant. When she corrects her little sister on the fact that coral is an animal, not a plant, she is specific: it's a cnidarian, like jellyfish. She read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks three times. She turned to Seymour and me after we took her to a recent Radiolab performance, with a hearfelt "Thank you for bringing me here!," and talked about the show for days afterward.

She's shadowing high schools, as that's where she'll be going in the fall. Since she was in preschool when this blog began*, that is freaky. Really damn freaky.

Soccer. She brings it. She spent a year working hard on her skills, and made it onto a team in the next bracket. (She also skunked some unsuspecting boys at school who challenged her to a match.) Her dad is supporting and encouraging and being a great soccer dad, but the gumption and drive are all hers.

There's still lots and lots of parenting, intense parenting. There's yelling. She and I are both short-tempered. We are also often contrite with each other, because neither of us stays mad once the yelling is over. When she is rotten, I tell her, "You are absolutely under my power, you need to make me want to help you. I don't have to do anything for you." When I am rotten and unfair, she spotlights every inconsistency in my argument or follow-through with courtroom-level accuracy.

She believes in fairness, justice, and consideration. When she is upset by the way some of the kids at her school diss each other, I tell her that debating someone by targeting what they cannot control, like where they live, is a weak-minded coward's approach -- and she takes it to heart. She's got the "Not Acceptable" anti R-word video on tap, and never fails to whip it out. If she thought it would help, I'm sure she'd knock on the door of every Proposition 8 supporter who dares to deny her godfather equal rights. She grumbles and stumbles with etiquette sometimes, but she also knows Hell is for Children who don't write thank you notes.

She's humble. She never told anyone at school about her or Leo being in the Apple video last March.

She's sweet to Leo -- playing Fruit Memory or other games he likes with him on the iPad, showing  him new ones, holding his hand whenever he needs it, singing to him, soothing him, taking him seriously. He adores her. She's even sweet to Mali, when Mali allows it. They'll adore each other eventually.

She's her own person. She's been a vegetarian for months, and has never wavered -- probably because she thought about it and read up on it for two years beforehand (she does miss bacon and pork bao). She loves musicals, was a Rubik's cube for Halloween, refuses to cave into my pressure about what to wear or how to cut her hair. She's got good friends, and has somehow made it most of the way through middle school without any of the drama or soul-shattering social games that were supposed to define this part of her life.

She's beautiful. She's amazing. She's thirteen. I want to remember her like this, forever.

*trigger warning: 2004 curebie & dismissive language re: autism.

Happy New Year, Cephalopodistas

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Oh hey look it's the new year! Has been for a while. Erm.

We did make a holiday card. We just didn't get around to sending out many. So I'm posting it here because I suspect we just won't get around to sending most out. Sigh. Road to Hell and all. (For those interested: drawn on an iPad using Zen Brush, then captions and colors added on my laptop via GIMP). 

Just how busy have you been? We have been approaching hyperventilation warp 10. We're ramping up on spreading the word about this new autism book you need to buy (and an interview by Laura Shumaker with the TPGA crew that you need to read). Girls had a three-week winter break. Leo's was only two but was the best winter break of his life -- we had the honor of relatives staying with us for nine days and he cruised along beautifully, appreciating all the family time. We spent New Year's Eve foraging for mushrooms in Sonoma and he was happy to hike along and enjoy the stunning magnificence that is Salt Point State Park (with its 5 lbs of shrooms/person limit). He is overjoyed to be back at school.

If you had asked me even three years ago if a mellow winter break would be possible for Leo, I would have laughed at you. Hard. When I wasn't crying over how challenging things were for our then-so-dysregulated boy. Part of it is Leo's own maturation, part of it is the cool new visual schedule system Supervisor M set up for Leo, which allows him to predict and participate not just by time of day (morning, afternoon, evening) but by week. Iz is producing the materials for it and getting paid. A good arrangement.

I know not everyone had a good break; I hope things improve next time, next year. And not all of our break was bells and buttercups. But the hard parts (very few having to do with Leo, mind you) make me so much more grateful for the fabulousness of the rest.

What did you during your winter break, if you had one?

A Very Device-ive Holiday

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Can you identify each of the four different devices our kids are using?

Holidays are blowing the top of my head off. Not necessarily a bad thing, especially as the kids are having a great time and Leo specifically is in a good space. But oh the backlog -- posts on apps, cases, and yes devices in the works. If I can ever find two moments to rub together!

Hope your wintry holidays are very fantastic.

Get Your Loud Hands Out!

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"Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking features essays, long and short, by Autistic authors writing on autism acceptance, neurodiversity, Autistic pride and culture, disability rights and resistance, and resilience (known collectively by the community as having loud hands)."

I support the Loud Hands project whole-heartedly, and hope you will too.
More information at TPGA or the Loud Hands Project Page.

Thinking Person's Guide to Autism: A Real Book

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Thinking Person's Guide to Autism is a real book. A real real book.

One you can order right now, and tell all your friends to order right now.

One that can hopefully make a positive difference for people with autism of any age, and their families.

(One that I wish hadn't nearly killed Jen Myers during its production process -- she deserves to be waited on by angels and noble djinni for a few weeks, trust me).

One that I really, really wish I'd had when Leo was first diagnosed with autism, so I could leapfrog all the tangents and charlatans and bad advice and bad teachers and could start out at the beginning of this autism parenting learning curve strong, aware, and hopeful, instead of afraid, confused, and depressed.

One  that -- in a move so surreal and wonderful as to near the unimaginable -- cool-as-hell investigative reporter Steve Silberman named his Book of the Year.  Book of the Year.

If you had told me Mr. Silberman might write such things years ago when I was reading his seminal, exactly-ten-years-old Wired article The Geek Syndrome, or even eighteen months ago when I discovered he was talking about revisiting and revising that article into a book, I would have scoffed. With annoyance and sincerity.

But then, that was before I had the honor of working with four fantastic TPGA co-editors and fifty-three marvelous TPGA book contributors. I do overuse the term alchemy, but alchemy is what -- and why this -- happened. And we all have our own reasons for contributing to this project. Mine is right here:

Leo having the best time ever at Hayes Valley Playground yesterday

It's rare to find folks from outside the autism communities who not only want to understand why a book like TPGA matters, but who are willing to use a sizable media megaphone to broadcast its message. Thank you, Steve, for caring so damn much and for doing the right thing.

Locals: Support Family Portraits for Underrepresented Families

TweetHey locals! A local not-for-profit photographers' collective that commits a portion of their photographic profits to helping underrepresented families capture, preserve, and share their memories is having a free BBQ and holiday family photoshoot at Hoover Park, Redwood City this Saturday December 17 from 11-2pm. They are offering a free professional portrait session and framed ready-to-hang print.

They ask only that folks bring a food item or a $10 raffle item or gift card for the families in need. There will be a videographer on hand filmingthe  promo, so please show your support!

Thai Chu from AliveByShooting.com leads the collective and is also a friend of Leo's; here are some wonderful portraits he's taken of Leo; these are the quality of portraits that will be available:

The photographer's collective also "collects and distribute old digital cameras to families through a collaboration with nonprofit agencies in developing nations. Currently, we are working with Islas de Las Hermanas and Peace Corps on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. This island of 30,000 is one of the poorest communities in Nicaragua, and none of the families in the communities we work with own cameras or have even seen themselves outside of a mirror. With our digital exchange, when their memory cards are full, their prints are developed in the US, shipped, and distributed free of charge. Please donate your digital cameras, accessories, and bilingual manuals by contacting [Thai]."

What Would You Say to This Misguided Autism Parent?

TweetJust came across this. Sigh. She seems like a reasonable, passionate sort -- but is totally invested in biomedical/DAN! autism chicanery. What advice would you have? How would you approach her?

My son has been back on gluten (wheat and related grains) for five days now. His behavior hasn't taken any noticeable nose dives, no sir. Quite the opposite. On Friday he went up to our friend Mary, and announced "Dat's Mary!" Everyone in the room was shocked and pleased. That same day his speech therapist told me he'd had his best session in weeks.

And (apologies, gentle readers) his bowel movements haven't been liquified, either. Those little logs are still rolling along. I am hopeful, oh so hopeful, that we can eventually phase in dairy, chocolate, citrus, peanuts, and sugar.

Now, does all this mean that the past nine months of special diets and vitamin supplements and dietary enzymes have been for naught? Hell no.

I firmly believe that autism arises from multiple causes: hard-wired genes, the environment (including lead poisoning), vaccines, and/or diet. But, as of today, there is no way to quickly pinpoint how a child became autistic. One of the only things a parent can do, can control, is dietary trial and error.

Hence the elimination diet. It was and remains complicated, but it is in no way harmful to him. Not a bit. As in, there was no harm in trying it, and now we may get to be fairly certain that diet is not a factor in his case.

In addition, his GI tract had been seriously messed up by round after round after round after round of antibiotics--the poor boy had non-stop squirts. Putting him on a bland diet has given his little innards the resting period they needed to rebuild themselves. They seem to be able to do their job just fine these days, although they are still getting a little assistance from probiotics (heartily endorsed by his mainstream pediatrician, BTW).

Many autism professionals, particularly those in the ABA field, are skeptical when it comes to elimination diets. Some are outright hostile, and will make concerted efforts to dissuade parents from trying dietary approaches. Fuck them. They're not the parents. They don't have to live with the child; they won't be there in ten years.

Again, there is no harm in trying an elimination diet, other than inconvenience on the parents' part (note that inconvenience does not equal impossibility). For some children, this diet makes an incredible difference. For others, not a whit. But wouldn't you rather know?

Ways to get started:

• Read Karyn Seroussi's Unraveling the Mystery of Autism...
  Novelized account of her son's recovery due to a special diet; a bit shrill, but compelling nonetheless.
  
  
• Read Lisa Lewis's Special Diets for Special Kids
  Causation, theories, recipes.
  
  
• Find Yourself a Good DAN Doctor
  Ask for recommendations from current and former patients. Some of these practitioners should be canonized, but I have heard of others who are costly bumblers.

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Well?

Now here's the thing. I wrote this post. Seven and a half years ago. One year after Leo's diagnosis. Because I was misguided. Because I listened to the wrong people (e.g., see list above). Because those people were the loudest voices in the autism parent community. Because good information wasn't available. Because a book like our new Thinking Person's Guide to Autism wasn't available.

But ... our book will be available, in just a few days. We hope it will make a difference to anyone new autism. We appreciate your patience, and hope you will help spread the word about our book, and why it's so important. Thank you.