My non-verbal, high sensory ASD DS is now verbal!!!! At 3.5, it's been a long time coming. And his vocabulary is only about 30ish words. But HE IS TALKING!!!!!
There is nothing more sweet than those few words coming clearly and distinctly out of his mouth. I love hearing his voice. I love hearing him communicate. I love that we have made it this far!
One of our long term "IEP" goals for him is to go to regular/typical kindergarten. I love the special needs program in our school district. I love the Autism program in our district too. But he would thrive and do very well in a standard classroom, leaving those few precious spots for a child who needs it more. But the teachers and specialists say he has to talk to be in a typical classroom.
It's going to happen! His teacher talked to me today about our goals. We have this year and next year of preschool to get through first, but it's going to happen.
When I look back at the last year with him, I am reminded of so many challenges. I remember all those days when he would cry and cry and cry with frustration and I would cry because I couldn't help him.
I remember just praying for him to talk. Even 2 words! I remember dragging him to speech therapy week after week after week, and not getting a single sound.
The pediatric development specialist said speech may come, but there was no guarantee. He was sure that my special little boy just wasn't ready to talk yet.
So, he has made some major accomplishments. He managed to bridge some gap in his brain. He has figured out what communication is for and how it works. And we are so happy! He is so happy!
He said during nap (I could hear him through the baby monitor), "MOMMMMMMY!!!!! Brody up!!! Brody up!! Brody eat! Brody eat, Mommy!"
Not huge big sentences. But words. Words that have a purpose and make sense. Words that have meaning.
And he called me "mommy".
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A day in the life of......
bleh.....
My 3 year old, high-sensory, non-verbal Autistic son had a HORRIBLE day today. I would have to say 90% of it was due to "autism" behaviors, 5% due to him being a 3 year old boy, and 5% due to mommy losing her patience.
Let's start at the beginning. He has never slept. Ever. His body doesn't produce enough melatonin for him to have "normal" or regular sleep patterns. He was up at 5:45 am. And not just awake, but screaming-thrashing-hyper-awake.
At 5:45.
His body was so over-stimulated he couldn't handle a bath. He screamed and cried when I washed his hair because he couldn't take the sensation. He picked at his clothes and wiggled so much I had to hold him down to get him dressed. We had to adjust his socks 3 times before he would walk. He wouldn't eat breakfast. He cried when we brushed his teeth.
And we do the same routine every morning. Every single morning. And it was just one of those days he just couldn't do it. He literally looked like some one poured caffeine directly into his blood stream. He was vibrating with energy.
And he didn't want to be that way. He really wanted to watch a cartoon, play with his racetrack, and read a book but he couldn't sit still. He couldn't even stop moving long enough to enjoy any activity. And it made him sad and frustrated. He really wanted to be calm. He just didn't know how to achieve that.
Now this isn't a blog about autism. Although it's a huge part of our lives, every single minute, this is about how I can make it to the end of the day then get up again and do it tomorrow.
I am emotionally done for today. After all the skills, tips, and techniques we have to get him through these rough parts, I sometimes don't have much leftover.
And I feel a little lost.
But....
I can (and will) make it through days like this because I have support. I know that at therapy today, he got lots of stimulation.
I know that I could gripe and vent to several caring others, who will listen, if nothing else. (And sometimes that's all a good mommy needs, a bitch session)
I know that my DH would come home and pick up the slack or at least take over. (And that's after his day at work plus the commute home.)
And I know that if it was a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad day, I could call a "someone" to come help me or give me a break.
And, in all honesty, we don't have days like this often. We rarely see this kind of behavior because we have done our homework, we do everything to we can to "prevent" this kind of stuff. (Truthfully, I have no idea what set today off) But I know that they happen. And I have built a support system upon people who I can rely and trust to help me weather these rough days.
In reality, they aren't just helping me survive the "bad" days, they are helping my beautiful, smart, funny (but autistic) child who desperately needs structure and routine just to function.
A good support system is hard to build. It's even harder when you need more than the average person is capable of giving. But I wouldn't trade my support network for a gazillion dollars (that's my 5 yo DD favorite number!).
So it was a rough day. But it could have been worse. No one ended up with stitches. I didn't wreck the car. I didn't pull all my hair out.
And right now, he is sleeping peacefully in his bed. He is exhausted after his day today. But I know when I go check on him before I call it a night, I can kiss his cheek and forgive every battle we had today. I know I can start tomorrow fresh and ready to handle anything that comes our way.
My 3 year old, high-sensory, non-verbal Autistic son had a HORRIBLE day today. I would have to say 90% of it was due to "autism" behaviors, 5% due to him being a 3 year old boy, and 5% due to mommy losing her patience.
Let's start at the beginning. He has never slept. Ever. His body doesn't produce enough melatonin for him to have "normal" or regular sleep patterns. He was up at 5:45 am. And not just awake, but screaming-thrashing-hyper-awake.
At 5:45.
His body was so over-stimulated he couldn't handle a bath. He screamed and cried when I washed his hair because he couldn't take the sensation. He picked at his clothes and wiggled so much I had to hold him down to get him dressed. We had to adjust his socks 3 times before he would walk. He wouldn't eat breakfast. He cried when we brushed his teeth.
And we do the same routine every morning. Every single morning. And it was just one of those days he just couldn't do it. He literally looked like some one poured caffeine directly into his blood stream. He was vibrating with energy.
And he didn't want to be that way. He really wanted to watch a cartoon, play with his racetrack, and read a book but he couldn't sit still. He couldn't even stop moving long enough to enjoy any activity. And it made him sad and frustrated. He really wanted to be calm. He just didn't know how to achieve that.
Now this isn't a blog about autism. Although it's a huge part of our lives, every single minute, this is about how I can make it to the end of the day then get up again and do it tomorrow.
I am emotionally done for today. After all the skills, tips, and techniques we have to get him through these rough parts, I sometimes don't have much leftover.
And I feel a little lost.
But....
I can (and will) make it through days like this because I have support. I know that at therapy today, he got lots of stimulation.
I know that I could gripe and vent to several caring others, who will listen, if nothing else. (And sometimes that's all a good mommy needs, a bitch session)
I know that my DH would come home and pick up the slack or at least take over. (And that's after his day at work plus the commute home.)
And I know that if it was a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad day, I could call a "someone" to come help me or give me a break.
And, in all honesty, we don't have days like this often. We rarely see this kind of behavior because we have done our homework, we do everything to we can to "prevent" this kind of stuff. (Truthfully, I have no idea what set today off) But I know that they happen. And I have built a support system upon people who I can rely and trust to help me weather these rough days.
In reality, they aren't just helping me survive the "bad" days, they are helping my beautiful, smart, funny (but autistic) child who desperately needs structure and routine just to function.
A good support system is hard to build. It's even harder when you need more than the average person is capable of giving. But I wouldn't trade my support network for a gazillion dollars (that's my 5 yo DD favorite number!).
So it was a rough day. But it could have been worse. No one ended up with stitches. I didn't wreck the car. I didn't pull all my hair out.
And right now, he is sleeping peacefully in his bed. He is exhausted after his day today. But I know when I go check on him before I call it a night, I can kiss his cheek and forgive every battle we had today. I know I can start tomorrow fresh and ready to handle anything that comes our way.
Monday, February 28, 2011
The little things
Who would have thought that smallest word could re-inspire me to be a better mommy. Just one simple word brought me to tears and made me realize that what I'm doing, is really working.
My (almost) 3 year old, non-verbal, autistic, high-sensory needs son just said, "momma."
While getting him ready for yet another therapy session, we were practicing his "word sounds" together. We do this every day, every time I change him. He has never been good at this game, but he tries hard.
Making the "mmm" sound is ridiculously challenging for him. Somewhere in his complex little brain, he just can't make it work. I make the "mmm" sound, and ask him to repeat it. This morning, instead of trying to repeat it, he looked right at me and said, "momma."
He has said "out-of-the-blue" things before, so I didn't even blink. But I asked him, "Where's momma?" He pointed right at me and said it again, "momma!" It's bringing me to tears just writing this.
As a mother, no one ever tells you how hard it is. No tells you how even the smallest "reward" can mean soooooooo much. For the last 18 months, we have seen numerous doctors, had hundreds of therapy sessions, and had thousands of challenges. But just hearing him recognize me, hearing him address me.....makes my job so much more rewarding!!!
Now these things apply to my "typically" developing children as well. I can still recall the first time my 5 year old daughter called me momma. That moment will forever be one of my favorite memories. But everything is so much more with my 3 year old son.
It's more work, it's more time outs, it's more consistency, it's more preparedness. But the rewards are sooo much more as well. Having a special needs child can be super challenging. But, the pay-off is just as great.
Now the trick will be him repeating it. Which in all likelihood, won't happen. But that moment is there, the memory will still be just as uplifting and momentous.
My (almost) 3 year old, non-verbal, autistic, high-sensory needs son just said, "momma."
While getting him ready for yet another therapy session, we were practicing his "word sounds" together. We do this every day, every time I change him. He has never been good at this game, but he tries hard.
Making the "mmm" sound is ridiculously challenging for him. Somewhere in his complex little brain, he just can't make it work. I make the "mmm" sound, and ask him to repeat it. This morning, instead of trying to repeat it, he looked right at me and said, "momma."
He has said "out-of-the-blue" things before, so I didn't even blink. But I asked him, "Where's momma?" He pointed right at me and said it again, "momma!" It's bringing me to tears just writing this.
As a mother, no one ever tells you how hard it is. No tells you how even the smallest "reward" can mean soooooooo much. For the last 18 months, we have seen numerous doctors, had hundreds of therapy sessions, and had thousands of challenges. But just hearing him recognize me, hearing him address me.....makes my job so much more rewarding!!!
Now these things apply to my "typically" developing children as well. I can still recall the first time my 5 year old daughter called me momma. That moment will forever be one of my favorite memories. But everything is so much more with my 3 year old son.
It's more work, it's more time outs, it's more consistency, it's more preparedness. But the rewards are sooo much more as well. Having a special needs child can be super challenging. But, the pay-off is just as great.
Now the trick will be him repeating it. Which in all likelihood, won't happen. But that moment is there, the memory will still be just as uplifting and momentous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)