Maddie has always had her unique style

After a tough few weeks, I thought it was time to go with a video that show my girl at her best.

Maddie at 8 with her 3 siblings.

I was gone this past weekend in Wyoming and Susan and my Mom were left with a temperamental Maddie. The word I received was that Maddie had a bad weekend filled with problems, which is why she didn’t get to post her Happy Monday video until after school. I told her that if she wanted to do it, she had to have a perfect report at school on the daily behavior chart her teacher fills out.  Well for the first time in I can’t remember how long, Maddie aced it. She stepped up under pressure, so she wouldn’t let down her fans. Motivation is a powerful thing.

BONUS: Special guest greeting at the end. Maddie’s brother Sam gives a shout-out.

Holidays are not a joyous occasion at our house, as Maddie gets really edgy when her regular schedule is thrown off. You will pick up on a little of that today, but having her Grammy in town from Oklahoma joining her on her video makes her happy.

Today we find out that you don’t try to go hipster casual on Thanksgiving–if you are the father of Maddie Long.
**Grammy is behind the camera.

Hope you all are having a great holidays.

Scott’s Latest Comedy CD!

Here’s a chance to beat the rush and buy Scott’s newest comedy cd. It’s 15 bucks. I will sign it, if you want. Admit it, the cover alone is worth the money. I think you will really enjoy the standup, too.  Or go to the side of this page and buy the shirt and get the cd as part of the deal for just 5 dollars more!

Please contact me at insidescott@hotmail.com if you are having problems accessing the paypal and I will send you a different link.

Angel in a red dress at 5 years old.

Some Monday’s we shoot these videos with a basic idea of what we will discuss, as Maddie is sweating me on what she will talk about on the next one, as soon as we finish the latest one. (If you weren’t aware, Maddie loves doing these videos:). I wanted go into today’s video not having any pre-planned subject to see what she would say. As you will observe, when it comes to topics, Maddie likes make like House of Pain and jump around .

POSTNOTE: Usually when Maddie says she isn’t feeling well, she is telling the truth, but it can be a bit psychosomatic if you mention the ailment first. She has complained of headaches the past week and has been extra tired, which we think has to do with her being on a strong anti-biotic which we are hoping will help her kill the sinus infection she’s been battling for the past month. She just finished the medicine this weekend. As of 2pm this afternoon, I haven’t heard of anything going on at school that is bothering her, so that’s a little victory. 

In regards to the police officer comment. A Facebook friend, Richard Stripp, Sr. showed one of Maddie’s Happy Monday videos last week at a seminar he was giving to police officers called “Autism Awareness and the First Responder.” People on the spectrum do not react in the way a typical developing person usually would, as yelling out a command might create a full-fledge meltdown to the system of someone like Maddie. It’s An Autism Thing–Let Me Help You Understand is a site designed to help others better comprehend the similarities and differences we have with people on the spectrum. I appreciate people like Richard who are out there bringing education to the public.

Sales Pitch: My new comedy cd came out last week called Good Dad…Not a Great Dad.  While it’s still based in my typical irreverent style, it’s a different approach to standup than you usually get as I have a couple serious moments where I discuss things in my life that wouldn’t exist without having Maddie. Hit this link and you can get a signed copy of it for 15 bucks (plus s&h) or get it for 20 bucks (plus s&h) when you buy one of the awesome t-shirts on the right-hand of this site. I will donate 5 dollars to the special olympics for each one I sell at the site. If you don’t want to mess with paypal, you can put it on your card at this link. (Sorry, but since these cds come directly from the record label, they are not signed and 5 dollars won’t go to the special olympics for those cds.) This makes a great holiday stocking stuffer! Act Now! Operators (me) are standing by!

Scott’s Latest Comedy CD!

Maddie and Madison

Madeline had been agitated the past couple days every time she thought of her upcoming book fair. She was excited to get her books, but the thing which gave her apprehension was having to pick the books. Many kids on the spectrum have a hard time making choices when they have too many options. Maddie will often have a minor meltdown when it comes down to snack time and she has to choose between a few items in the pantry.

So I ended up going to school to help her through this process. At the end of the video is her friend Madison. Madison is a sweet girl who has been in Maddie’s classes since kindergarten. While Maddie has a hard time connecting with any child her own age, she always feels more comfortable when Madison is in the vicinity. If you asked Maddie who was her best friend, she would tell you Madison.

NOTE: My newest comedy cd was released this week. If you buy a shirt (on the side of the website) you will get Good Dad…Not a Great Dad free. They make great stocking stuffers.

Maddie at 7.

I have wanted to discuss with Maddie what autism means to her since I started this site, but I felt it was important first to show all sides of her to the readers/viewers at itsanautismthing.com. I believed this was the best approach because I didn’t want it to come off exploitive of her. Now that she has come to really LOVE this site and is extremely proud of it, I thought the time was right to approach this topic.

I want to mention that I really had no idea of what she would say about it. I had guessed that just like how autism is hard to describe to others, it’s also difficult to understand for someone like Maddie. She hears the word some, but that doesn’t mean she has a good grasp on how it impacts her life.

If you enjoyed this video, I would suggest you revisit the one that I did with her sister Mallory this summer. I asked her about what autism meant to her and it’s one of my favorite things at this site.

Finally, let me echo Maddie’s thoughts. Please share this site with others who might find it illuminating. Thanks.

With our awesome neighbor Sean. Read below for the story behind the photo.

One of the things that happens when you have a child with a developmental disability is that you are going to get to know your doctor very well. Kids on the spectrum are more susceptible to getting sick because they are more likely to have immune deficiencies. Maddie definitely would qualify on this front.

Maddie has battled asthma since she was very little. It was hellish to deal with because this was a little girl who couldn’t speak to tell you how she was struggling and it seemed like an asthma attack would just instantly happen. We went through a good portion of our savings taking her to the emergency room to combat these attacks during her toddler ages.

As she has gotten older, we have been able to stay on top of it more. It has lessened a little and she is able to communicate with us better. Susan is like a nursing machine, making sure that Maddie gets her breathing treatments. I promise you that when you add a cold to Asthma and Autism, it’s a wicked ass-kick to your house.

Maddie never fails to get a cold. If it’s there, she will find it. No matter how hard we try, Maddie doesn’t have good hygiene skills. It just isn’t a natural instinct for her. She will sneeze and just let it hang there like a runny rope dangling from her nose.

It seems like she is on an anti-biotic every other month during the cold months of the year. We try to push on, since each doctors visit is 75 bucks out of our pocket, but eventually the cough gets too junky or her breathing becomes too weezy and we make the call.

Fortunately, Maddie loves going to the Doctor. This is not the case for a lot of kids with disabilities, so we know we are lucky on that front. As long as she doesn’t have to have a blood draw, she’s totally down with making a visit. Her choice for Halloween outfit says it all, right?

On this visit we find out that the sinus infection she had last month is back. More broken pills smashed into applesauce are in her future. (Maddie can’t swallow pills, so it has to be served up this way.) It’s mentally, physically and financially tiring, but we know there are plenty other kids out there who have more health problems than our girl.

Remember, if you have your health–that sure is better than feeling like shit.
–Scott Long–

Behind the Scenes of the Photo above

As I’ve outlined in the past, Halloween can be a night of horrors for Maddie. She likes the dressing up and candy part, but totally freaks out over the idea that each house might have a dog. A couple of years ago, this was too much for Maddie, so I had to bring her home, so I could finish taking her brother and sister around. What happened from there was pretty great. Our neighbor, Sean, heard about this and decided he would take Maddie around. Sean is a walking security force and Maddie felt safe walking around with him. She asked if he would do it again this year and it appears we have a new tradition. When Sean found out that Maddie was going to be a doctor, he decided to go as her patient. Pretty inspired idea from a great dude.

Maddie 4 years ago.

I thought it would be fun for the readers to see Maddie in her classroom and meet her teacher, Miss DeKruiff. Maddie loved the idea. So join us today after her parent/teacher conference.

**Sorry about the old projector video. I thought it might give the segment today a different flavor, but I think it’s distracting, so back to the basics next time.

BONUS: If you buy an itsanautismthing or cornstalk ghetto t-shirt, you will get a free copy of my just released CD, Good Dad, Not a Great Dad. Awesome Holiday Gifts!