Learning To Ride A Scooter and Bike

When W was a baby, I knew I wanted to allow him the freedom of a regular sighted child's childhood, and not be over protective, or stop him from trying something.
When he was a toddler, it was easy, as we all hold toddler hands when out and about, and we take extra care with them.
As W got older, around three years old, he would watch his two older brother ride around on their scooters and bikes.
In time, W inherited his middle brother's scooter, and I was very nervous about him using it, although I didn't say this to him.
The first time he had a go, was in the garden, and he was so confident, and actually incredibly good at it. No wobbling or difficulty with push starting, and using his foot to push along. It was fantastic to see. He flew around and around, so proud he could join his brothers in their games.

Scooter similar to his

The above scooter is very similar to the one he was handed down from his middle brother. It has a wide foot plate, and three wheels, which make it more sturdy for beginners. It's still in the garden shed now, and W does still enjoy his scoots around the garden. Sometimes he is a delivery driver and I am given parcels from his scooter van. Other times he takes order for a grocery shop, and will bring you back your 'goods'.

He is super quick on it, and on days when the dogs are lazing about on the patio, enjoying a particularly warm day, they do have to have quick reflexes and get out of his way!

As he got older, he wanted a bike. I had heard good things about balance bikes, and after reading reviews, and talking to other parents, I decided to purchase one for him. I felt a balance bike would help him with his coordination, and as there are no pedals, he would have one less thing to think about.

Balance bike from Toys R Us

The above bike is the one I bought, and it has been an excellent choice. W flies off on it. He's so confident.

With a helmet for safety, I introduced him to the local park with the bike. He whizzed off. It was quite scary for me to see.
I decided to come up with a 'call out', that W knew meant he had to stop where he was and not move. 

This was because there were other cyclists (some of whom have little respect for any other person in the park and ride fast, and close to children without a thought or care). However, most cyclists moved to his side, and smiled at him, as he waited where he was, waiting for my all clear call for him to begin riding again.

The reason I used this call out was for the simple reason ; W cannot see these people on their bikes, or walking along, other children on their scooters, dogs chasing a ball.... from a distance. As I've mentioned before, he only sees them from around 3 metres away, as a figure, and then only their features from around a metre away. Naturally he uses his hearing, and sometimes stops automatically before I've called out, as he can hear the rhythmic turning of a cycle wheel, or the thud, thud, thud of dog paws running his way.

I've been told that these balance bikes are a better way for any child to learn how to have bike confidence. Apparently the transition to a pedal bike is easy, as the child has learnt the art of balancing, speed control, turning the handle bars. and stopping (no breaks on the balance bike, but the child learns to slow down).

Time will tell if this applies to W. For now he is happy with his current bike, and feels like he is keeping up with his older brothers. 

17 Year Old Young Woman, Who Is Blind, Wins Bronze At Pole Vaulting

A friend sent me a link to a news article about a young woman, who is a pole vaulter, and also blind.
It was brilliant to read about her winning a Bronze medal in her state of Texas, USA, high school championship.

Charlotte Brown

Charlotte Brown, who is just 17 years old, was joined on the winners podium by her Guide Dog, Vador.

Charlotte with Vador

Charlotte developed cataracts at 16 weeks of age, and had artificial lenses inserted. Her vision began to worsen when she was around 11 years old, and now, at the age of 17, she is classed as 'legally blind'. Her only vision is what she describes as a 'jigsaw puzzle' of light and dark shades.

Charlotte has been training in her pursuit of winning a medal for the past two years. She finished eighth, and then fourth in previous attempts, and then won third place last Saturday.

Charlotte first took up pole vaulting, which is not a Paralympic sport, in seventh grade because she wanted something a little, as she says - "dangerous and exciting".

Charlotte says that she counts the seven steps of her left foot on her approach, listening for the sound of a faint beeper placed on the mat that tells her when to plant the pole and push up.

Charlotte Brown

Charlotte says ;

"It took me three years to get on the podium, and I finally did it."

"If I could send a message to anybody, it's not about pole vaulting and it's not about track. It's about finding something that makes you happy despite whatever obstacles are in your way."

"This story really wasn't about me."

"It was about everybody that struggles with something."

What an amazing young woman. She proves that barriers are only there to be vaulted over, and are not there to stop her from achieving her dream.

What Does He See? Nystagmus And My Boy.

One day, a few weeks back, W matter of factly told me, whilst walking down our stairs, that the stairs look flat to him. He said the floor on the ground looked all one level to where he was standing at the top of the stairs. 

This was the first time he had ever conveyed to me just how he sees. It was a big moment for me. I didn't make out to him it was a big moment though, as I didn't want him to be put off telling me things, or be scared by my over enthusiasm. 

What he described to me is called 'depth of perception', and is something I have been aware of from the early days of me researching nystagmus. I have always informed him about steps, tree roots sticking up, or holes and dips on pavements or roads, etc, as I knew he didn't 'see' them as they were, and could, and did at times, fall over them.

I did however take what he had told me as a sign that I could begin to ask him little questions about what he sees.

I asked him to tell me what he could see on my face. He pointed out all my features. 

I then asked him to stand four metres away, and asked him the same question. He immediately answered with all my features, but I could tell he was just repeating them, as he knows where they are anyway. I asked him if he could actually see them, and he paused, looked, and said "no". He was a little bit confused by this question, but I explained to him that I know he remembers where my features are, but that's different from seeing them. 

He moved closer, to three metres, then two metres away, and then by one metre he exclaimed, "yes, yes mummy, I can see your eyes and mouth now!"

I was slightly overwhelmed by what I'd just experienced, as it brought home just how close he needs to be to see details, but he was happy to comply with it all, and I didn't make it out to be a big deal. 

I had had some inkling that he could decipher people's shape and clothing from further away, but didn't actually know if it was them or not until they got close enough.

An example of this was in the supermarket with a friend, with W sitting in the trolley seat (he still sits in the seat aged five as I like to keep him close in big supermarkets due to over zealous trolley and basket shoppers who barge through aisles, barely missing children's heads).

My friend went off to another aisle, and a minute later W started talking to someone who was a few metres away. I looked round, and saw it was a stranger, and said that that person wasn't my friend. W told me that they were wearing the same clothes though, and yes I admit she was in similar coloured clothing, and was a similar shape and height, but it wasn't her. I explained this to him, and he was puzzled. That was when I thought he was struggling with details from a relatively close proximity. 

It was another incident that made me really think about all of this ; When the boy's dad came to visit, and I hadn't told them he was coming (in case he cancelled last minute and let them down), that I said to W, "open the door, I wonder who is there?". He did open it, and looked at the person standing in front of him. W looked him up and down and asked "who is it mummy?", and only then did his dad speak to say "hello", that W recognised his voice and yelled out, "daddy!!".

That made me really have to reconsider just how hard seeing is for W.

W is a confident boy now. He was painfully shy as a baby and toddler and would cling to me - I can't blame him, as the world is massive, and being so little, and not seeing too far away, it must be scary.

But, to people that meet him now, they can't believe he was ever a clingy, crying little boy that needed me to be there with him all the time (not that I minded, as I believe in 'attachment parenting' ideals (a lot of them, not all).

Something that W was afraid of was strange dogs walking in the park. Yes, we have two dogs ourselves, but he would scream when these strange dogs came up to his face. I understood why, and explained to the owners, that he wasn't scared of dogs per se, but he can't see them running towards him, and it's only at the last second that they appear in his view, and 'wham' they are there in front of him. That is quite scary if you think about it. And a 2 or 3 year old, right down at a dogs level, suddenly having a strange dog in his face - that's scary!

I would then always do a running commentary about the dogs roaming near us, and warn him if they were near, even calling the dog to me first, to allow W to see him/her first, be able to reach out to stroke them, and then know what the dog looks like. I still do this now.

He is so confident in familiar places. There have been occasions where his confidence has been dented, for example when keeping up with his friends when playing in the forest, he doesn't see little branches poking out, and he always smacks into them. He can't keep up with them completely either, but at this age I explain that it's not a race, and that he has a few friends that try to keep near to him to help him, when they remember (they are still only little so it's not expected that they either understand fully why he has difficulty keeping up with them, or remember to).

Due to his confidence, it makes people believe he can see far better, and further than he really can.

When I try to explain, I have been met with disbelief and  sometimes even scepticism that I am a liar! 

As he is only five, I know we still have a lot to learn, but he will be able to talk to me more about this, and educate me on his vision. We are lucky that we have a great team of eye specialists where we live, and one of them is a leading researcher in the area of nystagmus. We are part of his research study, and it is very reassuring to know that he understands all about nystagmus and wants to find ways to treat it and even cure it one day. 

I Am Back And Blogging - Nystagmus

I have neglected this blog, and I apologise. I write another blog titled 'My Boy With Autism' and I have written many updates on there about W and his nystagmus.

I will put those links here, so you can read what I have written over the last few years.

I am aiming to start blogging on here properly again, but as a mum of three, with two labradors, one rat, and a mother living in my house due to her relocating across the country, I have very little spare time.

I should try harder though, as I remember how much I needed to read about nystagmus when I first heard about it, and the worry and upset I had about my son.

First post on my Autism Blog - My Third Child

Second Post on my Autism Blog - Nystagmus and the New Baby

Third Post on my Autism Blog - An Update on my Now Toddler!

Fourth Post on my Autism Blog - The Baby is now Three!

Fifth Post on my Autism Blog - Update on my third son, who's now Five!