We went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house this weekend and we had so much fun! Grandma and Grandpa once again prove that they are AMAZING! They took the opportunity to make copies of the sign DVDs and began using sign with Little Bug. This makes my heart so happy- they really believe and they really want to try. It was so nice to see them. Luckily, we get to spend more time
We had a great time hanging out down there. We put our dog Frank outside with their dog and I have never seen such a tired puppy as Frank. He must have thought that he died and went to heaven.
We started Little Bug's Autism Education class yesterday. Amanda came to our house and she was so nice. We got to decide his goals and begin to nail down some of the questions we had regarding them. She seems really willing to help above and beyond what she needs to do- for example, I told her about the picture schedule I was making, and she offered to laminate things and print off pictures. She agreed with us that a PECS - Picture Exchange Communication System- should not be used for Little Bug as he is doing so well on sign.
It nice to hear *good* things for a change. It seems like it has been a really long time that we have been told that he is good at something or that he is excelling. Amanda said that the toddler level puzzles she has are too easy for Little Bug and that she needs to find things that will truly challenge him.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Pizza, Candy, and Rootbeer- OH MY!
So last night, Little Bug must have thought the he went to heaven because he had vegetarian pizza for dinner, a few sips of rootbeer, and more gummi worms, etc. than I care to admit. He did really well at the play therapy yesterday and this was sort of a treat. For all those concerned about associating foods with emotions- get over it. Last week, his treat was getting to visit the fish at Pets Mart.
The person who did our intake and did a very bad job at our meeting with Birth to Three was his substitute teacher yesterday. She was amazed at how much eye contact he was making and that he had over thirty signs.
DN and I reviewed his goals and have lots of feedback for his Autism teacher on Monday, so that should be a great meeting. it will be here at the house. This was one of Birth to Three's strokes of genius- have therapies both in home and at center so that children develop skills that are not specific to a location, but to a behaviour. Often time, kiddos with ASD will develop scripted behaviour based on a location and are unable to easily translate that skill to another location. For example, a child may learn how to appropriately self soothe in the classroom environment, but be unable to do so at home as they do not have the correct script in place for that behaviour. By mirroring the therapies at home and center, this will create a ton of consistency for Little Bug and provide him with skills that follow him through life. This is a huge and incredibly important challenge. We aren't just talking playing games and teaching manners, we are talking about providing him the skills to be a independent functioning member of society.
Well, time to get in the deep end of the pool. But first, I would like to leave you with a song that I absolutely love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF9UB_xrhMI&feature=related
The person who did our intake and did a very bad job at our meeting with Birth to Three was his substitute teacher yesterday. She was amazed at how much eye contact he was making and that he had over thirty signs.
DN and I reviewed his goals and have lots of feedback for his Autism teacher on Monday, so that should be a great meeting. it will be here at the house. This was one of Birth to Three's strokes of genius- have therapies both in home and at center so that children develop skills that are not specific to a location, but to a behaviour. Often time, kiddos with ASD will develop scripted behaviour based on a location and are unable to easily translate that skill to another location. For example, a child may learn how to appropriately self soothe in the classroom environment, but be unable to do so at home as they do not have the correct script in place for that behaviour. By mirroring the therapies at home and center, this will create a ton of consistency for Little Bug and provide him with skills that follow him through life. This is a huge and incredibly important challenge. We aren't just talking playing games and teaching manners, we are talking about providing him the skills to be a independent functioning member of society.
Well, time to get in the deep end of the pool. But first, I would like to leave you with a song that I absolutely love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF9UB_xrhMI&feature=related
Friday, September 26, 2008
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. That has got to be one of the *best* lines ever from Monty Python and it is also in one of my favorite movies- Sliding Doors. If you haven't seen it, rent it. If you can't rent it, let me know and I will loan it to you. It sums up how random ASD can be- basically, it is consistently inconsistent. Sensory issues come and go and change. Progress and Regression are interchangeable characters in our world. You never know what to expect, but you continue to hope and wish. There are days when your heart aches because of something another child does that you know your child can't do. There are days when you heart explodes because you see your child do something that you never thought they could do. It is a roller coaster- keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times.
I was looking over Little Bug's list of words, and realized that I left off some words that he can say:
APPLE
Fo- foot
Fish
Bus
Ca-ca- Car (and you thought it was dirty ;) )
Rek- Shrek
Shoes
Rocks- Socks
Nice
This makes my heart explode- as MA says- because in a month, his vocabulary has increased from 10 spoken words to 20 spoken words and over 30 signs! THIS IS AMAZING! While some people would point out that he is still behind, I say AND? We must always celebrate each and every accomplishment. We have to also look forward, and while that is a scary thought some days- I know that Little Bug will continue to grow in his own way and at his own pace.
Yesterday he went to the Play Place with DN and met M and J. They were able to stay for an hour and a half because Little Bug did so well. Normally, the Play Place is a feared place for parents as we worry for other kids. Not yesterday- he only pushed twice!
Last night, Little Bug did the funniest and most disgusting thing I think I have seen. He licked DN in the face- which made DN laugh. So OF COURSE you have to do it again! So eventually Little Bug had DN laughing so hard, he was laying on the ground which allowed him and our dog Frank to both advance their licking attacks on DN.
Yeah, we’re weird- get used to it.
I was looking over Little Bug's list of words, and realized that I left off some words that he can say:
APPLE
Fo- foot
Fish
Bus
Ca-ca- Car (and you thought it was dirty ;) )
Rek- Shrek
Shoes
Rocks- Socks
Nice
This makes my heart explode- as MA says- because in a month, his vocabulary has increased from 10 spoken words to 20 spoken words and over 30 signs! THIS IS AMAZING! While some people would point out that he is still behind, I say AND? We must always celebrate each and every accomplishment. We have to also look forward, and while that is a scary thought some days- I know that Little Bug will continue to grow in his own way and at his own pace.
Yesterday he went to the Play Place with DN and met M and J. They were able to stay for an hour and a half because Little Bug did so well. Normally, the Play Place is a feared place for parents as we worry for other kids. Not yesterday- he only pushed twice!
Last night, Little Bug did the funniest and most disgusting thing I think I have seen. He licked DN in the face- which made DN laugh. So OF COURSE you have to do it again! So eventually Little Bug had DN laughing so hard, he was laying on the ground which allowed him and our dog Frank to both advance their licking attacks on DN.
Yeah, we’re weird- get used to it.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Off with his feet!
We had a bit of a stressful night last night. Little Bug had several meltdowns- which are specifically different from a temper tantrum in that he *can't* stop them. There isn't any distracting him from them and they can take an incredibly long time to go away. This is one of things that we are going to be working on with his therapists.
The huge problem of the night last night was his pajamas. We have only one car and that means that at 3:45 AM every morning I work, DN and Little Bug have to take me to work. So, I thought, lets make things easier on everyone and get him some footy pajamas. WRONG! He hardly slept last night because of the feet on his pajamas. He continuously woke up and would put his feet in the air and cry. Obviously, this is a *huge* sensory issue.
This means that his pajamas will be losing their feet. Hopefully, once the feet are removed things will go smoother.
Another issue Little Bug has is repetitive behaviour. It is compulsive and he cannot control it and should you interrupt the cycle, there will be hell to pay. However, there comes a line at when to let the behaviour continue and when to intervene. Last night, Little Bug was smashing his fingers repetitively in a DVD case- over and over and over again, taking turns on each hand. It was leaving red marks and no amount of saying "no!" or "owie!" would get through to him. So I took the DVD case away. He cried himself to sleep because he couldn't smash his fingers. It made my heart ache and all I could do was hold him and cry too.
There are times when I feel like what we do to shelter him- like not letting him smash his fingers or any other kind of self injuring- hurts him a lot more than the action. But there is a fine line as to when to intervene and when not to, I just don't think we have it figured out yet. I hope he knows that while we don't understand all his choices and he doesn't understand all of ours, all of our actions are done out of love for him.
The huge problem of the night last night was his pajamas. We have only one car and that means that at 3:45 AM every morning I work, DN and Little Bug have to take me to work. So, I thought, lets make things easier on everyone and get him some footy pajamas. WRONG! He hardly slept last night because of the feet on his pajamas. He continuously woke up and would put his feet in the air and cry. Obviously, this is a *huge* sensory issue.
This means that his pajamas will be losing their feet. Hopefully, once the feet are removed things will go smoother.
Another issue Little Bug has is repetitive behaviour. It is compulsive and he cannot control it and should you interrupt the cycle, there will be hell to pay. However, there comes a line at when to let the behaviour continue and when to intervene. Last night, Little Bug was smashing his fingers repetitively in a DVD case- over and over and over again, taking turns on each hand. It was leaving red marks and no amount of saying "no!" or "owie!" would get through to him. So I took the DVD case away. He cried himself to sleep because he couldn't smash his fingers. It made my heart ache and all I could do was hold him and cry too.
There are times when I feel like what we do to shelter him- like not letting him smash his fingers or any other kind of self injuring- hurts him a lot more than the action. But there is a fine line as to when to intervene and when not to, I just don't think we have it figured out yet. I hope he knows that while we don't understand all his choices and he doesn't understand all of ours, all of our actions are done out of love for him.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
One step forward, Two steps back
So the wonderful speech therapist our FRC found is not covered by our insurance and we simply cannot afford to pay for it out of pocket. It breaks my heart that Little Bug's learning is based on how much we make.
Someone suggested that we look into Disability for Little Bug to cover the cost of therapy. We did their online survey and we make too much money. Talk about a rock and a hard place. I imagine this is the theme for a lot of families dealing with Autism.
We received his goals for Play Therapy and they are quite lofty. It makes my heart race to think how we are going to help him accomplish this. He is a brilliant kid and I know that he can do it.
Someone suggested that we look into Disability for Little Bug to cover the cost of therapy. We did their online survey and we make too much money. Talk about a rock and a hard place. I imagine this is the theme for a lot of families dealing with Autism.
We received his goals for Play Therapy and they are quite lofty. It makes my heart race to think how we are going to help him accomplish this. He is a brilliant kid and I know that he can do it.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Falling into Place
We have got great news!!!! Our amazing FRC found us a speech therapist in Federal Way who has an immediate opening for Little Bug on her roster. She uses the PROMPT method of teaching- which is basically a serious of rapid prompts to get a child to complete a specific task- speech, dressing, self soothing, etc. Our FRC is referring us and *hopefully* we should hear something soon.
Yesterday we meet Little Bug's Autism Education teacher and got the schedule for that- she will be doing a home visit on Mondays and Little Bug will be doing in center on Wednesdays. The point of this is to get Little Bug to be able to take skills from the center and apply them at home. I am not sure what this entails exactly or what we will be working on.
We should be getting his goals for playgroup shortly. I know one thing he will need to work on is receptive language- i.e. understanding what is being said to him. I have to say, this is a bit overwhelming because we are doing the best we can. I know that they will give us lots of tips and tricks.
On the upside, while days are becoming more and more packed with therapies, Little Bug will be getting the help he needs. This is really exciting and I am hoping that we will see a lot of progress. The only piece left is Occupational Therapy.
To keep track of his progress, I thought I would document what he can say and sign at this point in time. This will let us check in and see how he is progressing.
Spoken Words:
Ma
Da
Bubble
Do- dog
La- water
Bo- boat
diddy- kitty
Des- Pleiades- MA's dog
No
Go
Yup!
Sign:
My Turn
Together
More
Eat
Drink
Go
Sleep
Bath
Potty
Cat
Dog
Cow
Horse
Duck
Bird
Fish
Milk
Apple
Cereal
Boat
Water
Mom
Dad
Please
Thanks
Help
Ball
Baby
Caterpillar
Sign
Time
Shoes
Socks
Diaper
Car
Train
Yesterday we meet Little Bug's Autism Education teacher and got the schedule for that- she will be doing a home visit on Mondays and Little Bug will be doing in center on Wednesdays. The point of this is to get Little Bug to be able to take skills from the center and apply them at home. I am not sure what this entails exactly or what we will be working on.
We should be getting his goals for playgroup shortly. I know one thing he will need to work on is receptive language- i.e. understanding what is being said to him. I have to say, this is a bit overwhelming because we are doing the best we can. I know that they will give us lots of tips and tricks.
On the upside, while days are becoming more and more packed with therapies, Little Bug will be getting the help he needs. This is really exciting and I am hoping that we will see a lot of progress. The only piece left is Occupational Therapy.
To keep track of his progress, I thought I would document what he can say and sign at this point in time. This will let us check in and see how he is progressing.
Spoken Words:
Ma
Da
Bubble
Do- dog
La- water
Bo- boat
diddy- kitty
Des- Pleiades- MA's dog
No
Go
Yup!
Sign:
My Turn
Together
More
Eat
Drink
Go
Sleep
Bath
Potty
Cat
Dog
Cow
Horse
Duck
Bird
Fish
Milk
Apple
Cereal
Boat
Water
Mom
Dad
Please
Thanks
Help
Ball
Baby
Caterpillar
Sign
Time
Shoes
Socks
Diaper
Car
Train
Friday, September 19, 2008
Round Two!
Yesterday, Little Bug's biting had improved a lot- only two attempts and 1 hit landed. Much better than 7. He has play therapy again today and we are all a little nervous about it. I know that this is best thing for him- I'm just hoping that he will realize that too after he gets used to it. Right now, I realize that this is all super stressful for him- lots of kids that he can't escape, new routines and expectations, sudden touches, and lots of attention. All of that is pretty much a recipe for stress. Hopefully, it will become a recipe for success.
MA will be attending for the first time today and we gave her the list of tips for him- basically, keep him out of the play kitchen, take him to the sand box when he gets too excited, and be ready to be bitten to keep another kid from being bitten.
We'll see how it goes and let you know.
MA will be attending for the first time today and we gave her the list of tips for him- basically, keep him out of the play kitchen, take him to the sand box when he gets too excited, and be ready to be bitten to keep another kid from being bitten.
We'll see how it goes and let you know.
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