I keep waiting to write and update about Kindergarten. I keep thinking that I haven't given it enough time to really give an accurate picture on how it is going. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Shame on me.
John is doing exceptional in Kindergarten. While being denied at our final IEP (about 2 weeks into the school year) with the public school district, words such as "exceptional", "fantastic", and "wonderful" were being used to describe my son. The evaluators said that he got to parts of the test that they normally don't administer (usually a child will "top out" on a section of the test when they get 3 wrong in a row, or something similar to that---they keep administering that section until he tops out.) Many sections, John was able to get into 5th grade material. I never doubted his intellectual ability. I've never questioned his academic ability. We always knew he was smart, even brilliant in some areas. Now we had some testing that showed that. Needless to say, these test results were showing us that his "issues" were not interfering with his ability to learn. In fact, he was accelerated in many areas.
As far as Kindergarten itself, John has integrated well. He is focused, attentive, wants to please, and keeps up with the daily demands placed on him. He is well behaved and socially at the level he needs to be. He has made a best friend and has a group of buddies. He is reading 5th grade level words and his reading comprehension is at a 3rd grade level. He is highly interested in math and doing 1st grade level skills. He is struggling with his writing and drawing as it relates to spacial relationships. He is still going to OT and working on fine motor skills, sensory processing, and eating. He is now one third of his way through the school year and everything is going better than we could have even hoped for, considering that when he was 2 and a half, they told me he was only functioning at a 10-17 month old developmental level. He was only functioning at one third his chronological age. They had prepared me that there was a chance he may never function at the appropriate age level of his peers. There were so many unanswered questions and "what if"s back then.
John is an amazing little boy who has worked so hard to be where he is at. I am so proud of him. I cannot tell you how relaxed and at peace I have become on this journey. I owe it all to faith, prayers and hard work.
John goes to a private school and on Fridays they go to mass. One morning, the priest was asking the children where God is. John raised his hand. Into the microphone, he said that God is in his heart. The priest turned to John and said, "what is he doing in there?". John replied, "He helps me to stay good".
Showing posts with label documenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label documenting. Show all posts
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Monday, September 6, 2010
John Update
It's been so long since I updated the blog, so I thought I would write about what John has been up to. First of all, John will be turning 5 in November and we have kept him in preschool this year. He is attending two schools. La Verne Parent Participation is a co-op preschool that he attended last year and is continuing for 2 days a week this year. He stays for an additional 2 hours in the afternoon for a pre-K program. On the other days, John is attending the "Little Learners" program located in the local My Gym facilities. He goes for 3 hours and it's a great setting for him because the equipment in the room gives him a little bit of self-directed OT (complete with ball pit, trapeze bars, balance beam, monkey bars, slides, bridges, tunnels, trampoline, etc.)
Last September, John visited with Autistic Specialist, Dr. Bauman, at Casa Colina and she recommended a few things for us since John wasn't qualifying for services. To address the problem of separating from me, potty training issues, and behavioral issues in the home, we hired a therapist to come in the home. For most of the year, she came weekly and helped John work on conversation skills, feelings, changes in feelings, writing his name, a few exercises for body awareness, and set up monthly and yearly goals for him.
After months of working together, we realized together that what John needed more than anything else was OT. He was excelling when it came to one-on-one activities and has been reading for a year. Sensory problems and lack of body awareness seemed to be the reason for most of the problems we were encountering (which we had known for years, but finally were able to get the appropriate program for him). We had an OT evaluation, which resulted in a recommendation of 2 times a week. While we waited on the waiting list for therapy, our in-home therapist worked with the OT to come up with activities we could do in the home to help John.
Once we started OT, we changed his in-home to just once a month. It's great to continue having someone help with goal setting, charting progress, and recommending new programs. There are a couple of huge things that helped John make leaps and bounds and I'll detail them below.
BASEBALL
John discovered Major League Baseball this year. After going to a minor league Quakes game, he was hooked. He follows the stats, the scoreboard, the game, the players, etc. He quickly became an Angel fan and a rowdy Dodger fan. What is so significant about this is that prior to baseball, John would not play ball (any kind of ball), wouldn't play catch, couldn't catch a ball, etc. Since baseball, something clicked in John's head, and he started surpassing his monthly/yearly goals. He is obsessed with dates, scores, and stats. Every morning, he is up before anyone else and he is on the computer checking MLB.com and checking the scores. He gives us the update on who won, what inning the home runs were scored in, and what player hit them. To him, Dodgers are the "right team" and everyone else is the "wrong team". He has attended about 15-20 major league games so far this season and last night went to batting practice at the Dodger game and came home with an official MLB baseball that a Giants fan gave him. He turned to my husband and said, "Daddy, some Giants fans are nice!" Yes, John, there are some. ;) (to quote my husband's Facebook status today).
CASA COLINA KIDS CREW
Casa Colina has this amazing program to teach social skills. It's an 8-week class that John is about 5 weeks into. John has learned and applied each lesson he has learned at this class and it's such a delight to watch. The first week was about greetings and salutations. The second week concentrated on body awareness while talking to others. They discussed body position (direction facing while talking), eye contact, etc. The third week they talked about personal space and used the concept of being a "space invader" when they got too close to someone else. John took this lesson to heart and spent the next week self-regulating himself. He didn't like the idea of being a space invader. He'd put his feet on me an then ask, "is this a space invader"? Every lesson concentrates on social awareness and skills that are used during everyday communication. It has proven to be so useful for John and is something I'm so glad was recommended to us. We have 3 weeks left of the program.
NOW THAT SCHOOL IS BACK IN
From the first day of school, I realized how much we've progressed over this last year. John is a different kid this year at school. He is social with the other kids, stays with the group, able to hold focus and attention, and learning to write his numbers. (since he has had very low fine motor skills, controlling a pencil is difficult.) I can't wait to see where this next year takes him developmentally. This journey we've been on has been very tough at times, but it has also been one of the most rewarding things our family has been through too. This next year is going to be a big year for John. We've come so far and I'm so proud of my little guy.
Last September, John visited with Autistic Specialist, Dr. Bauman, at Casa Colina and she recommended a few things for us since John wasn't qualifying for services. To address the problem of separating from me, potty training issues, and behavioral issues in the home, we hired a therapist to come in the home. For most of the year, she came weekly and helped John work on conversation skills, feelings, changes in feelings, writing his name, a few exercises for body awareness, and set up monthly and yearly goals for him.
After months of working together, we realized together that what John needed more than anything else was OT. He was excelling when it came to one-on-one activities and has been reading for a year. Sensory problems and lack of body awareness seemed to be the reason for most of the problems we were encountering (which we had known for years, but finally were able to get the appropriate program for him). We had an OT evaluation, which resulted in a recommendation of 2 times a week. While we waited on the waiting list for therapy, our in-home therapist worked with the OT to come up with activities we could do in the home to help John.
Once we started OT, we changed his in-home to just once a month. It's great to continue having someone help with goal setting, charting progress, and recommending new programs. There are a couple of huge things that helped John make leaps and bounds and I'll detail them below.
BASEBALL
John discovered Major League Baseball this year. After going to a minor league Quakes game, he was hooked. He follows the stats, the scoreboard, the game, the players, etc. He quickly became an Angel fan and a rowdy Dodger fan. What is so significant about this is that prior to baseball, John would not play ball (any kind of ball), wouldn't play catch, couldn't catch a ball, etc. Since baseball, something clicked in John's head, and he started surpassing his monthly/yearly goals. He is obsessed with dates, scores, and stats. Every morning, he is up before anyone else and he is on the computer checking MLB.com and checking the scores. He gives us the update on who won, what inning the home runs were scored in, and what player hit them. To him, Dodgers are the "right team" and everyone else is the "wrong team". He has attended about 15-20 major league games so far this season and last night went to batting practice at the Dodger game and came home with an official MLB baseball that a Giants fan gave him. He turned to my husband and said, "Daddy, some Giants fans are nice!" Yes, John, there are some. ;) (to quote my husband's Facebook status today).
CASA COLINA KIDS CREW
Casa Colina has this amazing program to teach social skills. It's an 8-week class that John is about 5 weeks into. John has learned and applied each lesson he has learned at this class and it's such a delight to watch. The first week was about greetings and salutations. The second week concentrated on body awareness while talking to others. They discussed body position (direction facing while talking), eye contact, etc. The third week they talked about personal space and used the concept of being a "space invader" when they got too close to someone else. John took this lesson to heart and spent the next week self-regulating himself. He didn't like the idea of being a space invader. He'd put his feet on me an then ask, "is this a space invader"? Every lesson concentrates on social awareness and skills that are used during everyday communication. It has proven to be so useful for John and is something I'm so glad was recommended to us. We have 3 weeks left of the program.
NOW THAT SCHOOL IS BACK IN
From the first day of school, I realized how much we've progressed over this last year. John is a different kid this year at school. He is social with the other kids, stays with the group, able to hold focus and attention, and learning to write his numbers. (since he has had very low fine motor skills, controlling a pencil is difficult.) I can't wait to see where this next year takes him developmentally. This journey we've been on has been very tough at times, but it has also been one of the most rewarding things our family has been through too. This next year is going to be a big year for John. We've come so far and I'm so proud of my little guy.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Rough Days
Today John ran a fever. This could explain some of his erratic behavior over the last couple of days. I've noticed that when anything out of the ordinary makes John not feel well, the stereotypical behavior is brought to the forefront. With my husband out of town on business and John coming down with something, we have had a rough day every day since Monday.
Today, John was triggered when my mom wasn't staying for dinner. He wanted her to eat with us, but she was heading to her home to eat. He purposely spilled his orange juice, which then set him off, bolting to another room, spinning in circles, crying and disrupting "order" by taking balls out of the ball pit and throwing them. He was put in a time out, but wouldn't stand against the wall and ran to the freezer, opening and closing the door. A second attempt sent him bolting to the ball pit, throwing his whole body clumsily into the edge and over the top, laying very still saying "mommy don't take me out. no time out." I told him he had a few minutes to calm down and then he needed to finish the time out. It took coaxing and a stronger will than his and I managed to get through the time out. As soon as the timer beeped, the smile appeared on his face and he came to me for the hug. The beep of the timer not only ends the time out, but is ending the behavior. I need to use that.
Today, John was triggered when my mom wasn't staying for dinner. He wanted her to eat with us, but she was heading to her home to eat. He purposely spilled his orange juice, which then set him off, bolting to another room, spinning in circles, crying and disrupting "order" by taking balls out of the ball pit and throwing them. He was put in a time out, but wouldn't stand against the wall and ran to the freezer, opening and closing the door. A second attempt sent him bolting to the ball pit, throwing his whole body clumsily into the edge and over the top, laying very still saying "mommy don't take me out. no time out." I told him he had a few minutes to calm down and then he needed to finish the time out. It took coaxing and a stronger will than his and I managed to get through the time out. As soon as the timer beeped, the smile appeared on his face and he came to me for the hug. The beep of the timer not only ends the time out, but is ending the behavior. I need to use that.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Documenting - September 2009
It's been awhile since I've written, and one reason that brought me back was the documentation journal that this blog provided me. The other is the outlet to get it all off my chest.
The summer overall was rough as we began seeing behavioral problems surface in John that we hadn't had before. We have analyzed each week with our own interpretations, biases, and "Best Guesses". Some of the reasonings we used were the lack of schedule and routine, too much high fructose corn syrup in his diet, a delayed developmental phase of terrible twos that appeared inappropriate for our almost 4-year old son, John discovering and learning where the discipline line was, etc.
Some of the things we have begun to see are:
The doctor suggested a few things - speech therapy, occupational therapy to deal with sensory issues, an in home educator who can help with behavior issues, separation issues from me (since he was having a hard time at the end of the school year with fleeing to the parking lot looking for me, or wandering to Katie's classroom to find her), and a one-on-one aide in the classroom. We are also set to see an Orthopedist at the end of September for his ankles because she does agree that his ankles seem to be too floppy, no muscle tone, and are growing wrong.
Well, that all sounds fine, but when you are denied service, all of the cost for that therapy comes out of pocket. Occupational therapy is recommended 2 times a week at one hour each. I have been quoted up to $190/hour for this service. (that would be almost $400 a week for OT alone) We opted for an in-home teacher at $65/hour to get started.
We enrolled John at two preschools. On Monday and Friday, he goes to the school he went to last year, but we put him in with his own age. Last year, we put him in with the kids who were learning to talk since speech was so new, but he was with kids 1-1.5 years younger than him. So, this year, he is still the oldest in his class, but he's with the kids that turn 4 this school year. He's also at La Verne Parent Participation Preschool (LVPPP) on Tuesday and Thursday.
The first 2 weeks of school were awesome! He was soooo good! Anxiety caused him to chew on his shirt during class, but he had NO OTHER ISSUES at all!!! He has even got to a point where he is close to being potty trained again. It was even reported to me that he consoled a girl who was crying because she got hurt and he told her he'd hold her hand until she felt better. (He actually noticed someone else upset, recognized it, made the effort to socialize, and accurately followed through - way to go John!) Last Friday, Bonita Unified School District special education came and observed him because I appealed the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) last June. He did well that day.
Last Thursday, my husband left for a business trip in China and John came down with a cold. We've been trying to video conference through Skype so the kids can see Bill. John really likes it. The last two days have been draining. When we arrived at preschool, John began riding the bike around the playground the wrong way. He was corrected and told to go the right way. He got off his bike and began walking backwards around the playground, making his way to the bathroom. I was talking to his teacher and I saw this. I followed him, afraid he was looking to run down the hall. Instead, he said he had to go poopy. So, I stepped back to let him go. He started flushing the toilets over and over. I went over to him and asked him what was wrong. He wouldn't look at me and didn't say much. He said he wanted to wash his hands "all by himself" and then go home, so I told him I would sit on the bench and wait for him to wash his hands. then I would let him play on the playground and I would not leave him. I sat on the bench right outside the bathroom door as he watched me. He then turned to the sink and began angrily pushing the soap dispenser making a huge soapy mess in the bathroom. I ran back in and began cleaning it asking him what was wrong and he took off running down the hall. I finally found him in a classroom just standing near a shelf. He told me "I'm having a hard time. School is too crowded". I told him we'd go home.
At home, I set up an obstacle course in the living room, creating a surface to run through out of a memory foam mattress (which we called the mud), had him climb over the ottoman (the mountain), jump into the 4 hula loops laying on the ground, crawl on the box springs of the couch, slide down a cushion, push two exercise balls across the room, and bounce 10 times on another bouncy ball. He did this about 4 or 5 times, each time getting more and more tired. I made him finish the last one, which was a struggle (he went to his room wanting a nap), but he was very excited when he finished his last "Lap", asking for high tens, saying "I DID IT".
Today, he had LVPPP. He was excited to go because it was his share day. Each kid gets one day where they get to take the share bag home and are given a special color. They have to bring 5 objects that are that color and share it with the class. John got blue so he got to bring legos, Thomas the Train, a book, a post office wooden structure we have, and a car. He was ready. We got to school and he was supposed to "sign" in, a ritual they have the kids do. He was signing in the wrong area and he was corrected. He started "stabbing" the paper with the marker, then scribbled all over it, pushed the table around and then started writing all over the floor. I went to grab him and begun cleaning it up, when he ran to the other side of the classroom and started throwing the blocks all around the room. Parents were staring in shock, while the teacher and I dealt with it. A little girl came up to John and told him that he shouldn't throw when he's mad. The teacher is very good with John and she turned to me and told me she would call me if he wasn't doing well. I left and John had a few "sensory" things come up (where he wanted to use his hands in the paint instead of brushes, took off his shoes in the sand, etc.), but no more behavioral issues.
Tonight at home, John became out of control again, running around the house, destroying order and organization. I gave him a time out, during which, he was jumping up and down, throwing himself on the floor, and carrying on. I kept adding a minute every time he'd bang his head or slam his hands on the wall. Once the timer went off, the tears stopped, a huge smile came over his face and he ran to me for his "after time out hug". It's almost as if the timer beep is what he can use to bring the anger under control.
What I didn't know until later today was that Bonita Unified School district showed up yesterday at his preschool again for a second day of observation, that I was unaware of. She called today because she heard I had to take John home. So, I told her about the last two days. They are gong to observe him again next Monday.
I'm a video editor and I'm working on a large project on a Documentary on the Life of Fr. Damien. He is being named a Saint in October. We received a St. Damien medal recently and John has taken a fond interest in it. I also made duplications for a priest of the Damien chaplets with the prayers and songs you can say to Damien, asking him to pray to God and intercede on your behalf. The chaplets I made were on CD, so every once in awhile, I pull one out of the bunch and put it in to make sure the duplication burn was good. So, John has heard it play a lot. He learned the song before I did. He now takes his Damien medal to bed with him, and sings the song. I pray with him and it's cute to hear him ask Jesus and Fr. Damien for a "marigold" (miracle). I want to help John so much. He is doing so well from where we began 18 months ago, gaining speech, cognitive skills, reading skills, etc. But, emotionally, he's lost. There is this cloud that comes over him, his sensory information gets in the way at times, and he is out of sorts. I feel so bad for him and just want more than anything to give him peace and take away the anxiety he feels. The best I can do for him right now is pray that he gets his marigold.
The summer overall was rough as we began seeing behavioral problems surface in John that we hadn't had before. We have analyzed each week with our own interpretations, biases, and "Best Guesses". Some of the reasonings we used were the lack of schedule and routine, too much high fructose corn syrup in his diet, a delayed developmental phase of terrible twos that appeared inappropriate for our almost 4-year old son, John discovering and learning where the discipline line was, etc.
Some of the things we have begun to see are:
- bolting to a different room in the house when something is upsetting, and "destroying" organization in that room, whether that be dumping books, blocks, or toys on the floor, ripping up paper, spilling a glass of juice on purpose, pushing the ice maker dispenser button so ice hits the floor, or banging a toy on a glass window.
- out of control emotional responses to his feelings
- inability to re-gain composure with an intense emotional meltdown that includes hurting himself during discipline (bumping head on wall, slamming hands on different surfaces)
- anger management issues
- Emotional responses leading to above behavior when someone tells him he can't do something
- whimpering and withdrawing when triggered
- preference to go to sleep when upset (another withdrawing sign)
- Disinterest in potty training anymore, regressing to almost infancy again
- Pushing mattress off bed and sleeping on box springs, preferring the weight of the mattress on legs and back at times (sensory pressure)
- Fleeing in opposite direction in public when he was upset and didn't want to be where we were, with no regard for safety
The doctor suggested a few things - speech therapy, occupational therapy to deal with sensory issues, an in home educator who can help with behavior issues, separation issues from me (since he was having a hard time at the end of the school year with fleeing to the parking lot looking for me, or wandering to Katie's classroom to find her), and a one-on-one aide in the classroom. We are also set to see an Orthopedist at the end of September for his ankles because she does agree that his ankles seem to be too floppy, no muscle tone, and are growing wrong.
Well, that all sounds fine, but when you are denied service, all of the cost for that therapy comes out of pocket. Occupational therapy is recommended 2 times a week at one hour each. I have been quoted up to $190/hour for this service. (that would be almost $400 a week for OT alone) We opted for an in-home teacher at $65/hour to get started.
We enrolled John at two preschools. On Monday and Friday, he goes to the school he went to last year, but we put him in with his own age. Last year, we put him in with the kids who were learning to talk since speech was so new, but he was with kids 1-1.5 years younger than him. So, this year, he is still the oldest in his class, but he's with the kids that turn 4 this school year. He's also at La Verne Parent Participation Preschool (LVPPP) on Tuesday and Thursday.
The first 2 weeks of school were awesome! He was soooo good! Anxiety caused him to chew on his shirt during class, but he had NO OTHER ISSUES at all!!! He has even got to a point where he is close to being potty trained again. It was even reported to me that he consoled a girl who was crying because she got hurt and he told her he'd hold her hand until she felt better. (He actually noticed someone else upset, recognized it, made the effort to socialize, and accurately followed through - way to go John!) Last Friday, Bonita Unified School District special education came and observed him because I appealed the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) last June. He did well that day.
Last Thursday, my husband left for a business trip in China and John came down with a cold. We've been trying to video conference through Skype so the kids can see Bill. John really likes it. The last two days have been draining. When we arrived at preschool, John began riding the bike around the playground the wrong way. He was corrected and told to go the right way. He got off his bike and began walking backwards around the playground, making his way to the bathroom. I was talking to his teacher and I saw this. I followed him, afraid he was looking to run down the hall. Instead, he said he had to go poopy. So, I stepped back to let him go. He started flushing the toilets over and over. I went over to him and asked him what was wrong. He wouldn't look at me and didn't say much. He said he wanted to wash his hands "all by himself" and then go home, so I told him I would sit on the bench and wait for him to wash his hands. then I would let him play on the playground and I would not leave him. I sat on the bench right outside the bathroom door as he watched me. He then turned to the sink and began angrily pushing the soap dispenser making a huge soapy mess in the bathroom. I ran back in and began cleaning it asking him what was wrong and he took off running down the hall. I finally found him in a classroom just standing near a shelf. He told me "I'm having a hard time. School is too crowded". I told him we'd go home.
At home, I set up an obstacle course in the living room, creating a surface to run through out of a memory foam mattress (which we called the mud), had him climb over the ottoman (the mountain), jump into the 4 hula loops laying on the ground, crawl on the box springs of the couch, slide down a cushion, push two exercise balls across the room, and bounce 10 times on another bouncy ball. He did this about 4 or 5 times, each time getting more and more tired. I made him finish the last one, which was a struggle (he went to his room wanting a nap), but he was very excited when he finished his last "Lap", asking for high tens, saying "I DID IT".
Today, he had LVPPP. He was excited to go because it was his share day. Each kid gets one day where they get to take the share bag home and are given a special color. They have to bring 5 objects that are that color and share it with the class. John got blue so he got to bring legos, Thomas the Train, a book, a post office wooden structure we have, and a car. He was ready. We got to school and he was supposed to "sign" in, a ritual they have the kids do. He was signing in the wrong area and he was corrected. He started "stabbing" the paper with the marker, then scribbled all over it, pushed the table around and then started writing all over the floor. I went to grab him and begun cleaning it up, when he ran to the other side of the classroom and started throwing the blocks all around the room. Parents were staring in shock, while the teacher and I dealt with it. A little girl came up to John and told him that he shouldn't throw when he's mad. The teacher is very good with John and she turned to me and told me she would call me if he wasn't doing well. I left and John had a few "sensory" things come up (where he wanted to use his hands in the paint instead of brushes, took off his shoes in the sand, etc.), but no more behavioral issues.
Tonight at home, John became out of control again, running around the house, destroying order and organization. I gave him a time out, during which, he was jumping up and down, throwing himself on the floor, and carrying on. I kept adding a minute every time he'd bang his head or slam his hands on the wall. Once the timer went off, the tears stopped, a huge smile came over his face and he ran to me for his "after time out hug". It's almost as if the timer beep is what he can use to bring the anger under control.
What I didn't know until later today was that Bonita Unified School district showed up yesterday at his preschool again for a second day of observation, that I was unaware of. She called today because she heard I had to take John home. So, I told her about the last two days. They are gong to observe him again next Monday.
I'm a video editor and I'm working on a large project on a Documentary on the Life of Fr. Damien. He is being named a Saint in October. We received a St. Damien medal recently and John has taken a fond interest in it. I also made duplications for a priest of the Damien chaplets with the prayers and songs you can say to Damien, asking him to pray to God and intercede on your behalf. The chaplets I made were on CD, so every once in awhile, I pull one out of the bunch and put it in to make sure the duplication burn was good. So, John has heard it play a lot. He learned the song before I did. He now takes his Damien medal to bed with him, and sings the song. I pray with him and it's cute to hear him ask Jesus and Fr. Damien for a "marigold" (miracle). I want to help John so much. He is doing so well from where we began 18 months ago, gaining speech, cognitive skills, reading skills, etc. But, emotionally, he's lost. There is this cloud that comes over him, his sensory information gets in the way at times, and he is out of sorts. I feel so bad for him and just want more than anything to give him peace and take away the anxiety he feels. The best I can do for him right now is pray that he gets his marigold.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Moving Forward
We met with the autistic specialist again and here were her recommendations:
1. In Home Behavioral Program - to deal with social anxiety, separation anxiety, emotional control, eye contact issues, and potty training
2. OT and Speech Sessions (out of pocket)
3. One-on One Aide in Classroom to assist with re-direction and help him maintain focus and attention
4. Orthopedic to look at his feet and ankles, which are weak and turning inward.
1. In Home Behavioral Program - to deal with social anxiety, separation anxiety, emotional control, eye contact issues, and potty training
2. OT and Speech Sessions (out of pocket)
3. One-on One Aide in Classroom to assist with re-direction and help him maintain focus and attention
4. Orthopedic to look at his feet and ankles, which are weak and turning inward.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
New Trigger Discoveries
We have made huge progress over the last year and as John's language continues to develop, I am noticing new triggers to his behavior. He is know able to communicate his feelings better, so I am able to understand some of the "why" s behind his behavior. It seems that separation anxiety and social anxiety are playing a HUGE role in how he behaves in public. In the home, he communicates better, socializes better, and is more animated. It seems to be an INTENSE shyness in public that is hindering his pragmatic speech and social development.
As noted by the neuro-psycologist, he has a social interest, but he tends to be on the outside watching in, trying to figure out how to break in. If I am with him, he wants me to hold him and if someone talks to him, he often will answer and then bury his head in my shoulder, with a feeling of being shy.
We've seen progress over the last few months with social communication. He acknowledges other children with hellos and goodbyes. He answers questions when he is asked, often in a full sentence. For example, "John are you OK?" He responds, "Yes, I ok." as opposed to just "yes". He is asking his own questions now, which was a huge step for him. He is very good at asking for something he wants me to get him, using language instead of taking me to the object.
He has joined a MY GYM gymnastics class, which he loves and will be attending a Parent Participation PreSchool in the fall, which emphasizes on social integration rather than academics. Academically, John is taking everything in and is doing very well. He counts to 200, reads digital clocks, understands time, knows bigger and smaller, counts objects, sight reads 50-100 words, knows every street in La Verne and can tell you how to get to certain locations by telling him where you are starting and where you want to go. He almost seems to have a photographic memory when it comes to directions and reading. His favorite toys or things to do right now are cars, the computer, riding his bike, and reading books. His favorite book right now is "Llama Llama misses Mama", which is another reason that makes me think that separation anxiety is a problem for him. He likes to look at the pictures and talk about the Llama going to school and being dropped off by his mom and not knowing what to do when she's not there. The book's lesson is that Llama can love his Mama, but he can also love school if he gives his friends and teachers a chance....and that Mama always comes back. He loves screaming the line in the book that reads "Mama, you came back!"
As noted by the neuro-psycologist, he has a social interest, but he tends to be on the outside watching in, trying to figure out how to break in. If I am with him, he wants me to hold him and if someone talks to him, he often will answer and then bury his head in my shoulder, with a feeling of being shy.
We've seen progress over the last few months with social communication. He acknowledges other children with hellos and goodbyes. He answers questions when he is asked, often in a full sentence. For example, "John are you OK?" He responds, "Yes, I ok." as opposed to just "yes". He is asking his own questions now, which was a huge step for him. He is very good at asking for something he wants me to get him, using language instead of taking me to the object.
He has joined a MY GYM gymnastics class, which he loves and will be attending a Parent Participation PreSchool in the fall, which emphasizes on social integration rather than academics. Academically, John is taking everything in and is doing very well. He counts to 200, reads digital clocks, understands time, knows bigger and smaller, counts objects, sight reads 50-100 words, knows every street in La Verne and can tell you how to get to certain locations by telling him where you are starting and where you want to go. He almost seems to have a photographic memory when it comes to directions and reading. His favorite toys or things to do right now are cars, the computer, riding his bike, and reading books. His favorite book right now is "Llama Llama misses Mama", which is another reason that makes me think that separation anxiety is a problem for him. He likes to look at the pictures and talk about the Llama going to school and being dropped off by his mom and not knowing what to do when she's not there. The book's lesson is that Llama can love his Mama, but he can also love school if he gives his friends and teachers a chance....and that Mama always comes back. He loves screaming the line in the book that reads "Mama, you came back!"
Saturday, March 7, 2009
PRETEND PLAY
There was a time months ago that it didn't exist, so when I see my son growing with 'pretend play', it makes me burst with pride.
This morning, he was gathering objects in his little shopping cart from around the house. He placed them all on the counter of the play kitchen we have. He grabbed his pretend cash register, equipped with scanner, and proceeded to scan each item and then throw them in the shopping cart. I asked him what he was doing and he said "shopping at Vons". About a minute later he said he was "paying" and then pushed the cart really fast down the hallway, saying "bye mommy, I'm going home"!
He was so excited, but I think I was more.
This morning, he was gathering objects in his little shopping cart from around the house. He placed them all on the counter of the play kitchen we have. He grabbed his pretend cash register, equipped with scanner, and proceeded to scan each item and then throw them in the shopping cart. I asked him what he was doing and he said "shopping at Vons". About a minute later he said he was "paying" and then pushed the cart really fast down the hallway, saying "bye mommy, I'm going home"!
He was so excited, but I think I was more.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
John's Services Updated
I have lots of news today and it may take more than one topic to cover all the news on John. I'll start with the IEP.
Today, we had John's IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) with the school district. It was a bittersweet moment as we learned that John no longer will qualify for services. This is a very good thing because it means that the progress John has made since May has been so overwhelming that he does not need Special Education. The school district determined through their assessments that, although John has showed developmental delays in the past, his scores in all areas of development fall within the average range. He doesn't show a need for continued service, whether it be special ed pre-school, speech, or occupational therapy.
Hopefully, the early intervention will serve as a deep enough foundation for John to integrate into regular pre-school and naturally develop alongside other children/peers. I am disappointed that occupational therapy and speech could not be continued. I learned today that to qualify for occupational therapy, he would have had to meet the requirement for special education. Then, it would be determined if it was necessary for OT. However, speech is a little bit different. It is a standalone service, meaning that if he meets certain criteria, he could qualify for speech, even if he did not for special education preschool.
Hopefully, John will continue to develop his attention so he can engage in a classroom setting without too much re-direction. As far as skill levels, he has caught up in every catergory, which I will get into in the next blog topic with regards to his latest Casa Colina evaluation. His largest problem area that his current educators see is his willingness to participate, along with his attention and engagement with little re-direction.
Today, we had John's IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) with the school district. It was a bittersweet moment as we learned that John no longer will qualify for services. This is a very good thing because it means that the progress John has made since May has been so overwhelming that he does not need Special Education. The school district determined through their assessments that, although John has showed developmental delays in the past, his scores in all areas of development fall within the average range. He doesn't show a need for continued service, whether it be special ed pre-school, speech, or occupational therapy.
Hopefully, the early intervention will serve as a deep enough foundation for John to integrate into regular pre-school and naturally develop alongside other children/peers. I am disappointed that occupational therapy and speech could not be continued. I learned today that to qualify for occupational therapy, he would have had to meet the requirement for special education. Then, it would be determined if it was necessary for OT. However, speech is a little bit different. It is a standalone service, meaning that if he meets certain criteria, he could qualify for speech, even if he did not for special education preschool.
Hopefully, John will continue to develop his attention so he can engage in a classroom setting without too much re-direction. As far as skill levels, he has caught up in every catergory, which I will get into in the next blog topic with regards to his latest Casa Colina evaluation. His largest problem area that his current educators see is his willingness to participate, along with his attention and engagement with little re-direction.
Bad Days
Wow! I can't believe how long since I've written on here. Therapy appointments, a new Facebook addiction, and the holiday season have kept me from updating this page.
I have been concentrating on John's progress and the success's we have had since beginning early intervention. ( see 2 posts below for John's progress under "Neurofeedback Testimonial" ) Today, I want to take the time to talk about the struggles we have in raising a child with Autism. Since beginning early intervention, we have had extreme highs and dramatic lows.
A few days ago John had 3 meltdowns in the afternoon. These are not temper tantrums, but emotional meltdowns. Many times with autistic children, if anything is slightly 'off', if they feel sick, or they are having trouble figuring out their emotional state, they have these meltdowns.
For John, it began at naptime the other day. It's the kind of meltdown where the tears won't stop, you can't console the child, he can get hysterical, the cries turn to screams, and there is no apparent reason why he is upset. He appears uncomfortable, constantly moving and wriggling. Holding him is almost impossible because he doesn't want to be comforted. Talking to him makes the screams get louder. Rocking him makes him irritable. Time only makes the rage worse. As a parent, you go through a wide range of emotions during the meltdown. It starts with compassion and a sense of wanting to calm him down. Frustration creeps in as the meltdown continues. As his anger builds and you try everything to calm him down, your anger builds, as you try to remind yourself that getting upset is not going to help this situation. At some point, I begin to wonder what kind of impact episodes like this has on Katie, who is laying in her bed, one bedroom away, trying to take her nap. The next emotion you feel is failure and somtimes you begin crying with him, wondering why he has to be this way.
A few days ago, the first meltdown ended 40 minutes later when he became so tired and just fell asleep. He slept for an hour, while I re-charged for round two. The second he woke up, he picked up from where he left off. This time I couldn't stick with it. I called my mom, frustrated and felt like I just didn't know what to do. I had him on the lounge chair with a blanket, with his shirt off. He ripped it off at some point and wouldn't let me put another one on. I think restraining him would have been the only way to get the shirt on, but I had no energy for that battle and decided that if he wanted his shirt off, he knew better than me on this one. He wanted to bury his head in my shoulder and cry. He kept sobbing and wanted to pinch me under the armpits. His hand kept making its way into my shirt and I kept taking it out, which infuriated him, but I wasn't going to let him hurt me. I kept thinking to myself that this kid is only 3 years old and I'm the adult. My mom stopped by and when the door opened, he stopped crying and just looked at her. She walked in and said one word and the crying continued. She offered to hold him and he screamed "mama" and wouldn't let go of me. After another 15 minutes, he fell asleep on lap while my mom and I were talking. She left and I let him sleep on me for a half an hour and then I rolled him onto the couch. He stayed there for 2 hours. He never sleeps that long in the daytime, but he wore himself out.
When he woke up, he wasn't very happy and cried a little bit more. This time I had reinforcement --- Bill had come home from work. He responds better to Bill at times --- I think John gives me the worst of it. He wouldn't eat dinner, but we had to go out. Putting him in the car and eventually stopping at McDonalds changed his mood and he slept well that night.
Episodes like this are becoming a lot less frequent. In fact, we haven't had one of these in a very long time. But, it reminds me of where we came from. As a baby and up until last year, John had these episodes almost every day at 3 or 4 o'clock. I never knew what was wrong. I blamed milk, gas, his stomach, maybe he was sick, etc., but sometimes I don't even think these kids know what is wrong. It reminds me of where we've been and although we've made tons of progress, it also reminds me of what we are dealing with. Prayer, tears, friends, family, Bill's support, and my mother are getting me through this. Now, my prayer is strength to deal with the third child that is on it's way....
I have been concentrating on John's progress and the success's we have had since beginning early intervention. ( see 2 posts below for John's progress under "Neurofeedback Testimonial" ) Today, I want to take the time to talk about the struggles we have in raising a child with Autism. Since beginning early intervention, we have had extreme highs and dramatic lows.
A few days ago John had 3 meltdowns in the afternoon. These are not temper tantrums, but emotional meltdowns. Many times with autistic children, if anything is slightly 'off', if they feel sick, or they are having trouble figuring out their emotional state, they have these meltdowns.
For John, it began at naptime the other day. It's the kind of meltdown where the tears won't stop, you can't console the child, he can get hysterical, the cries turn to screams, and there is no apparent reason why he is upset. He appears uncomfortable, constantly moving and wriggling. Holding him is almost impossible because he doesn't want to be comforted. Talking to him makes the screams get louder. Rocking him makes him irritable. Time only makes the rage worse. As a parent, you go through a wide range of emotions during the meltdown. It starts with compassion and a sense of wanting to calm him down. Frustration creeps in as the meltdown continues. As his anger builds and you try everything to calm him down, your anger builds, as you try to remind yourself that getting upset is not going to help this situation. At some point, I begin to wonder what kind of impact episodes like this has on Katie, who is laying in her bed, one bedroom away, trying to take her nap. The next emotion you feel is failure and somtimes you begin crying with him, wondering why he has to be this way.
A few days ago, the first meltdown ended 40 minutes later when he became so tired and just fell asleep. He slept for an hour, while I re-charged for round two. The second he woke up, he picked up from where he left off. This time I couldn't stick with it. I called my mom, frustrated and felt like I just didn't know what to do. I had him on the lounge chair with a blanket, with his shirt off. He ripped it off at some point and wouldn't let me put another one on. I think restraining him would have been the only way to get the shirt on, but I had no energy for that battle and decided that if he wanted his shirt off, he knew better than me on this one. He wanted to bury his head in my shoulder and cry. He kept sobbing and wanted to pinch me under the armpits. His hand kept making its way into my shirt and I kept taking it out, which infuriated him, but I wasn't going to let him hurt me. I kept thinking to myself that this kid is only 3 years old and I'm the adult. My mom stopped by and when the door opened, he stopped crying and just looked at her. She walked in and said one word and the crying continued. She offered to hold him and he screamed "mama" and wouldn't let go of me. After another 15 minutes, he fell asleep on lap while my mom and I were talking. She left and I let him sleep on me for a half an hour and then I rolled him onto the couch. He stayed there for 2 hours. He never sleeps that long in the daytime, but he wore himself out.
When he woke up, he wasn't very happy and cried a little bit more. This time I had reinforcement --- Bill had come home from work. He responds better to Bill at times --- I think John gives me the worst of it. He wouldn't eat dinner, but we had to go out. Putting him in the car and eventually stopping at McDonalds changed his mood and he slept well that night.
Episodes like this are becoming a lot less frequent. In fact, we haven't had one of these in a very long time. But, it reminds me of where we came from. As a baby and up until last year, John had these episodes almost every day at 3 or 4 o'clock. I never knew what was wrong. I blamed milk, gas, his stomach, maybe he was sick, etc., but sometimes I don't even think these kids know what is wrong. It reminds me of where we've been and although we've made tons of progress, it also reminds me of what we are dealing with. Prayer, tears, friends, family, Bill's support, and my mother are getting me through this. Now, my prayer is strength to deal with the third child that is on it's way....
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Neurofeedback Testimonial
I recently submitted this testimonial to Neurofeedback Centers for Success.
My husband and I brought our 2-year old autistic son to Centers for Success with both intrigue and skepticism. When we first began, John had been through only 2 months of traditional early intervention therapies, such as Speech, Occupational Sensory, some in-home play, and an Early Start Preschool. He had been significantly developmentally delayed in all areas. His speech (at 30 months old), was tested like that of a 6-9 month old. His cognitive skills tested at a 10-17 month level. 6 months ago (at two-and-a half years old), John had no attention span, could not sit still, jumped form one activity to another, was in constant motion, grinded his teeth, chewed on his shirt collars, did not sleep through the night, had eating issues, had little-to-none imaginary play skills, could not ride a tricycle, and did not socialize with other children. When he was tested, they couldn’t complete many sections because he wouldn’t focus for them, wouldn’t respond to his name, wouldn’t point to a single object when asked, and was constantly running around the room, flipping on and off the light.
To date, John has had 50 sessions of Neurofeedback over 4 months time, and we are still planning on more. He rapidly progressed in his developmental skills, including bringing his speech to a 31-month level and his cognitive to 33 months (he is currently 36 months old). Among his skills, include riding a tricycle, which has become a favorite outside activity now. His imaginary play has grown by incredible strides, moving from cause-and-effect toys to playing with cars and blocks, as well as playing kitchen, grocery store, and even ‘brain school’(neurofeedback). He uses Play Dough as the “sticky stuff”, grabs headphones, and tells me he needs a movie! His retention has increased, which he can show us through the speech skills he has gained. He can now sit still through the reading of a book, which was something that he had never done before. We used to try just looking at pictures and ignoring the words, but he still couldn’t do that. Now, he’s interested in listening to someone read and can sit in a ‘big’ chair, without having to strap him in a high chair or booster. He has enough attention to sit and complete tasks, such as puzzles or stringing beads in patterns.
Socially, John has grown in his interaction with his 4-year-old sister, engaging in play and laughing at jokes between the two of them. He initiates hugs for bedtime, holds her hand, and plays prince and princess with her. He can play on his own, entertaining himself with age appropriate toys. With other children, John will say hello and goodbye, but his play is still more parallel in nature and not too much of engagement.
Behaviorally, we have watched John grow through different developmental stages. Prior to any early intervention, John was often frustrated due to his lack of communication and ability to do things for himself. He would often act out by throwing things or cry inconsolably. He’d cry until he fell asleep, often 30-45 minutes. As he became calmer and his skill levels increased, we watched the behavior change. He had more control. We then entered a stage of transitional tantrums, which only lasted about 1-2 weeks, but he’d cry as activities would end. Centers for Success changed some protocols and the calmness then took over, and the tantrums ended. We went on a vacation that included a 5-hour plane flight. John had no problems sitting in his airplane seat, happy and calm, for the entire trip (both on the way there and on the way home). We are currently in a new behavioral phase, which includes tantrums because John doesn’t get his way. This is different from the transition tantrums. These are in direct result of not getting what he wants and are in complete protest. He’s learning that he can communicate his wants to us, and protesting when we don’t oblige.
John’s diagnosis has changed from an “autistic disorder” to “PDD-NOS”, (Pervasive Developmental Delay, “not otherwise specified”) meaning there are signs of autism, but not enough for a Classic Autism or Asperger’s diagnosis. John has made HUGE progress since his first examination 6 months ago and beginning Neurofeedback 4 months ago. John still has a way to go, but life today is so different than it was back then. It’s more manageable from a parental standpoint and less frustrating from John’s standpoint. We are continuing with all of the therapy because it’s all working together. Neurofeedack has made it possible for John to be calm and attentive to learn the skills to catch up to his peers. He’s also learning to efficiently use his brain, increasing his maximum potential, during this time of early intervention. The rate at which he’s developing is incredible. Socially, John has grown in his relationship with his sister and I am hoping to report that this carries over into his relationship with other children. SO, until next time, this is “to be continued”….
My husband and I brought our 2-year old autistic son to Centers for Success with both intrigue and skepticism. When we first began, John had been through only 2 months of traditional early intervention therapies, such as Speech, Occupational Sensory, some in-home play, and an Early Start Preschool. He had been significantly developmentally delayed in all areas. His speech (at 30 months old), was tested like that of a 6-9 month old. His cognitive skills tested at a 10-17 month level. 6 months ago (at two-and-a half years old), John had no attention span, could not sit still, jumped form one activity to another, was in constant motion, grinded his teeth, chewed on his shirt collars, did not sleep through the night, had eating issues, had little-to-none imaginary play skills, could not ride a tricycle, and did not socialize with other children. When he was tested, they couldn’t complete many sections because he wouldn’t focus for them, wouldn’t respond to his name, wouldn’t point to a single object when asked, and was constantly running around the room, flipping on and off the light.
To date, John has had 50 sessions of Neurofeedback over 4 months time, and we are still planning on more. He rapidly progressed in his developmental skills, including bringing his speech to a 31-month level and his cognitive to 33 months (he is currently 36 months old). Among his skills, include riding a tricycle, which has become a favorite outside activity now. His imaginary play has grown by incredible strides, moving from cause-and-effect toys to playing with cars and blocks, as well as playing kitchen, grocery store, and even ‘brain school’(neurofeedback). He uses Play Dough as the “sticky stuff”, grabs headphones, and tells me he needs a movie! His retention has increased, which he can show us through the speech skills he has gained. He can now sit still through the reading of a book, which was something that he had never done before. We used to try just looking at pictures and ignoring the words, but he still couldn’t do that. Now, he’s interested in listening to someone read and can sit in a ‘big’ chair, without having to strap him in a high chair or booster. He has enough attention to sit and complete tasks, such as puzzles or stringing beads in patterns.
Socially, John has grown in his interaction with his 4-year-old sister, engaging in play and laughing at jokes between the two of them. He initiates hugs for bedtime, holds her hand, and plays prince and princess with her. He can play on his own, entertaining himself with age appropriate toys. With other children, John will say hello and goodbye, but his play is still more parallel in nature and not too much of engagement.
Behaviorally, we have watched John grow through different developmental stages. Prior to any early intervention, John was often frustrated due to his lack of communication and ability to do things for himself. He would often act out by throwing things or cry inconsolably. He’d cry until he fell asleep, often 30-45 minutes. As he became calmer and his skill levels increased, we watched the behavior change. He had more control. We then entered a stage of transitional tantrums, which only lasted about 1-2 weeks, but he’d cry as activities would end. Centers for Success changed some protocols and the calmness then took over, and the tantrums ended. We went on a vacation that included a 5-hour plane flight. John had no problems sitting in his airplane seat, happy and calm, for the entire trip (both on the way there and on the way home). We are currently in a new behavioral phase, which includes tantrums because John doesn’t get his way. This is different from the transition tantrums. These are in direct result of not getting what he wants and are in complete protest. He’s learning that he can communicate his wants to us, and protesting when we don’t oblige.
John’s diagnosis has changed from an “autistic disorder” to “PDD-NOS”, (Pervasive Developmental Delay, “not otherwise specified”) meaning there are signs of autism, but not enough for a Classic Autism or Asperger’s diagnosis. John has made HUGE progress since his first examination 6 months ago and beginning Neurofeedback 4 months ago. John still has a way to go, but life today is so different than it was back then. It’s more manageable from a parental standpoint and less frustrating from John’s standpoint. We are continuing with all of the therapy because it’s all working together. Neurofeedack has made it possible for John to be calm and attentive to learn the skills to catch up to his peers. He’s also learning to efficiently use his brain, increasing his maximum potential, during this time of early intervention. The rate at which he’s developing is incredible. Socially, John has grown in his relationship with his sister and I am hoping to report that this carries over into his relationship with other children. SO, until next time, this is “to be continued”….
Sunday, October 26, 2008
John's New Results
John was assessed on Sept. 8, 2008 for entry into the START program. I recently received his results. At the time of the assessment, John was 34 months old. There have been 3 assessments where I can compare his progress. You'll see the May 2008 scores, which were the Regional Center's. Second, you will see his Casa Colina July 2008 update scores. Finally, you'll see his latest Sept. 2008 scores.
---------- May (30 mths ) / July (32 mths ) / Sept. (34 months)
Gross Motor --- 26 months / 26 months / 16 months (??)
Fine Motor --- 21 months / 23 months / 31 months
Cognitive ---- 21 months / 24 months / 28 months
Language Receptive ---- 6 months / 17 months / 33 months
Language Expressive ---- 9 months / 17 months / 31 months
Socialization ---- 10-17 months / 10-17 months / 29 months
Self Help ---- 23 months / 23 months / 24 months
Other than Gross Motor, John improved since July and dramatically since May.
During the time from June-Sept., he attended Early Start Preschool at Casa Colina, had Speech Therapy two times a week, 5 hours a week of in-home, and 40 sessions of Neurofeedback. He began OT/SI the first week of September.
It is worth noting here: Neurofeedback claims training can make a child with autism attentive, calm, and sociable. We have seen certain behaviors disappear and have watched John become calm. John is a different person today than he was 6 months ago when all of this started. It is hard to say what specifically helped John because we've been doing so much. However, the Neurofeedback seems to show us some patterns that are worth looking into. First, when we changed his protocals (the location of the EEG monitor, training a specific part of the brain), he began to have accidents in the seat and aggressive behavior seemed to manifest. We removed those protocals and went back to the old ones and there were no more accidents in the seat during the sessions and his aggressive behvaior seemed to go away.
Secondly, for the last 4 weeks, John has not attended Neurofeedback (he went 3 times over the last 4 weeks, as opposed to 5 days a week that we were doing before)--- first, due a family vacation and then, due to a death in the family. Over the last week-to-week-and-a-half, Bill and I have noticed that typical Autistic behavior (and some sensory issues) that had seemed to disappear has returned.
Things like:
Biting & chewing on shirt
Biting own skin
Chewing on objects
Frustration level is awful
Cries inconsolable again
Angry - bangs hands on table or objects when upset
Has been hard to take out in public - clingy, whiney, cranky, tantrums
Cries when I leave him in class
Tomorrow, John will begin a normal schedule of Neurofeedback training of 5 days a week. I'll report back to see if these disappear once we resume it. The goal of Neurofeedback is to train the brain to self regulate. After a repeated number of sessions, the brain will "remember" its training and be able to self regulate on its own.
He also has developed a cold. I notice that everything seems to be magnified when he's sick.
This week is a big week. Tomorrow, we go back to Neurofeedback. Tuesday, we see Dr. Baumen, an autistic specialist. Wednesday is John's assessment with the public school system and Friday is Halloween!
---------- May (30 mths ) / July (32 mths ) / Sept. (34 months)
Gross Motor --- 26 months / 26 months / 16 months (??)
Fine Motor --- 21 months / 23 months / 31 months
Cognitive ---- 21 months / 24 months / 28 months
Language Receptive ---- 6 months / 17 months / 33 months
Language Expressive ---- 9 months / 17 months / 31 months
Socialization ---- 10-17 months / 10-17 months / 29 months
Self Help ---- 23 months / 23 months / 24 months
Other than Gross Motor, John improved since July and dramatically since May.
During the time from June-Sept., he attended Early Start Preschool at Casa Colina, had Speech Therapy two times a week, 5 hours a week of in-home, and 40 sessions of Neurofeedback. He began OT/SI the first week of September.
It is worth noting here: Neurofeedback claims training can make a child with autism attentive, calm, and sociable. We have seen certain behaviors disappear and have watched John become calm. John is a different person today than he was 6 months ago when all of this started. It is hard to say what specifically helped John because we've been doing so much. However, the Neurofeedback seems to show us some patterns that are worth looking into. First, when we changed his protocals (the location of the EEG monitor, training a specific part of the brain), he began to have accidents in the seat and aggressive behavior seemed to manifest. We removed those protocals and went back to the old ones and there were no more accidents in the seat during the sessions and his aggressive behvaior seemed to go away.
Secondly, for the last 4 weeks, John has not attended Neurofeedback (he went 3 times over the last 4 weeks, as opposed to 5 days a week that we were doing before)--- first, due a family vacation and then, due to a death in the family. Over the last week-to-week-and-a-half, Bill and I have noticed that typical Autistic behavior (and some sensory issues) that had seemed to disappear has returned.
Things like:
Biting & chewing on shirt
Biting own skin
Chewing on objects
Frustration level is awful
Cries inconsolable again
Angry - bangs hands on table or objects when upset
Has been hard to take out in public - clingy, whiney, cranky, tantrums
Cries when I leave him in class
Tomorrow, John will begin a normal schedule of Neurofeedback training of 5 days a week. I'll report back to see if these disappear once we resume it. The goal of Neurofeedback is to train the brain to self regulate. After a repeated number of sessions, the brain will "remember" its training and be able to self regulate on its own.
He also has developed a cold. I notice that everything seems to be magnified when he's sick.
This week is a big week. Tomorrow, we go back to Neurofeedback. Tuesday, we see Dr. Baumen, an autistic specialist. Wednesday is John's assessment with the public school system and Friday is Halloween!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Documenting John's week: Entry 2
I documented John's development 2 weeks ago. I thought it was time to write an entry on changes we've seen since the last documentation.
He has been riding the tricycle at school -- first with help from me (holding his feet on and physically moving each leg to circle he pedals) and now, today, a little bit on his own. (still with re-direction, but he's keeping his feet on the pedals and beginning to push on his own)
He seems to no longer chew on his shirt collars as much as he did before. For about a week, he stopped doing it. Yesterday, I had to remind him to take it out of his mouth, but this was a huge preoccupation before.
John has had 15 sessions of Neurofeedback and fell asleep during Saturday's session. They say that is 'good' because it is training him to be relaxed and if he falls asleep, the training teaches him what it should feel like to be in a deep sleep. He woke up very alert and since then, has fallen asleep easily the 2 nights after it. Today's session was hard because he wanted to keep pulling off the EEG wires.
John worked with Angie, a different speech therapist today. She was good with him and wouldn't let him get away with sloppy speech. He zoned out a lot, didn't want to stay in his chair, and wasn't focused for lengthy periods, but she demanded a lot out of him and it was good for him.
John started swim lessons today. He'll just go today and Friday because of our schedule, but Katie is going every day. It's private lessons in my mom's pool from a swim teacher at the local pool.
Today, there was a summer camp going on outside on the playground at school. They were singing the hokey pokey and John wanted to participate, so he walked up to them and stood in the circle and played along. His speech teacher was helping to lead the group and she couldn't believe how he interacted.
John is becoming more verbal in class, but he is not singing the songs with everyone in class like he does at home. Row Row Your Boat, which involves holding another child's hands and looking at them, presents a challenge. He selects certain phrases of each song that he'll do and then he stares off for the rest of it. He likes it when it's his turn and he patiently waits while other kids get their turn. He's good at taking turns, passing to the other kids, and saying "my turn".
Overall, John's frustration level has significantly improved. Everything used to set him off, but now, he is able to problem solve better or ask for "help". His first week of school showed his teachers his frustration and all of them have commented on how well he adjusted and how quickly his frustration seemed to go away. When he is tired or hungry, however, he can be very aggressive.
Now that language is emerging, we have gained a whole new set of behavior. He has learned the word "NO". He never had it before and now, it seems like that's all I get. He's learning the independent side of communicating and not enjoying when he can't get what he wants.
He is noticing the world around him more and it has made him a lot more clingy. He is starting a stage he never went through as an infant -- separation anxiety. He always preferred me to others, but there never was a 'fear' of me leaving. He always insisted upon walking, now he would rather be carried. This is something that from the outside that may not look much different, but there is a different motivation in clinging to me than before. I can't explain it well, but it seems like he is starting to sense the danger that exists when separated from me that he never had before (like running in the street, not holding my hand in a parking lot, leaving him to run an errand).
His posture seems to be improving. He wants to be a big boy these days and prefers a booster seat over the high chair. He is less clumsy and walks with less stumbles.
His imaginary play is developing. Last Wednesday, in class, he picked up a baby doll and told me he wanted to go outside and get the shopping cart. We went and got the 'play' shopping cart and he put the baby in the basket and told me 'buy apple bah' and he pretended to take the baby shopping. The other day, my mom and I had the blocks and a car out and he moved a block over and told us it was John's school and he drove the car to John's school.
Things John is struggling with:
He has been riding the tricycle at school -- first with help from me (holding his feet on and physically moving each leg to circle he pedals) and now, today, a little bit on his own. (still with re-direction, but he's keeping his feet on the pedals and beginning to push on his own)
He seems to no longer chew on his shirt collars as much as he did before. For about a week, he stopped doing it. Yesterday, I had to remind him to take it out of his mouth, but this was a huge preoccupation before.
John has had 15 sessions of Neurofeedback and fell asleep during Saturday's session. They say that is 'good' because it is training him to be relaxed and if he falls asleep, the training teaches him what it should feel like to be in a deep sleep. He woke up very alert and since then, has fallen asleep easily the 2 nights after it. Today's session was hard because he wanted to keep pulling off the EEG wires.
John worked with Angie, a different speech therapist today. She was good with him and wouldn't let him get away with sloppy speech. He zoned out a lot, didn't want to stay in his chair, and wasn't focused for lengthy periods, but she demanded a lot out of him and it was good for him.
John started swim lessons today. He'll just go today and Friday because of our schedule, but Katie is going every day. It's private lessons in my mom's pool from a swim teacher at the local pool.
Today, there was a summer camp going on outside on the playground at school. They were singing the hokey pokey and John wanted to participate, so he walked up to them and stood in the circle and played along. His speech teacher was helping to lead the group and she couldn't believe how he interacted.
John is becoming more verbal in class, but he is not singing the songs with everyone in class like he does at home. Row Row Your Boat, which involves holding another child's hands and looking at them, presents a challenge. He selects certain phrases of each song that he'll do and then he stares off for the rest of it. He likes it when it's his turn and he patiently waits while other kids get their turn. He's good at taking turns, passing to the other kids, and saying "my turn".
Overall, John's frustration level has significantly improved. Everything used to set him off, but now, he is able to problem solve better or ask for "help". His first week of school showed his teachers his frustration and all of them have commented on how well he adjusted and how quickly his frustration seemed to go away. When he is tired or hungry, however, he can be very aggressive.
Now that language is emerging, we have gained a whole new set of behavior. He has learned the word "NO". He never had it before and now, it seems like that's all I get. He's learning the independent side of communicating and not enjoying when he can't get what he wants.
He is noticing the world around him more and it has made him a lot more clingy. He is starting a stage he never went through as an infant -- separation anxiety. He always preferred me to others, but there never was a 'fear' of me leaving. He always insisted upon walking, now he would rather be carried. This is something that from the outside that may not look much different, but there is a different motivation in clinging to me than before. I can't explain it well, but it seems like he is starting to sense the danger that exists when separated from me that he never had before (like running in the street, not holding my hand in a parking lot, leaving him to run an errand).
His posture seems to be improving. He wants to be a big boy these days and prefers a booster seat over the high chair. He is less clumsy and walks with less stumbles.
His imaginary play is developing. Last Wednesday, in class, he picked up a baby doll and told me he wanted to go outside and get the shopping cart. We went and got the 'play' shopping cart and he put the baby in the basket and told me 'buy apple bah' and he pretended to take the baby shopping. The other day, my mom and I had the blocks and a car out and he moved a block over and told us it was John's school and he drove the car to John's school.
Things John is struggling with:
- opening the scissors (he can cut by closing, but opening back up is hard)
- doesn't always react to being in trouble - he sometimes seems like he isn't reading the emotion behind the voice, especially me;
- doesn't understand certain behaviors & actions are wrong - he's played in his poop twice this week - doesn't seemed phased when scolded - almost excited he gets to play in water to get clean
- Interacting with other kids (row row your boat) or initiating play
- the hard e sound
- the concept of 2
- staying attentive for 3-5 minutes for a story or activity
- singing in a group
- riding the tricycle without re-direction
- jumping in a direction
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Documenting John's week
The last week was a big week for John. Although the flu went around the family (except for me), and we had some "over stimulated" evenings and mealtimes out, John has progressed visibly this last week.
First of all, his language has really come a long way.
3 speech milestones for John:
1. He said "I want granola bar" with no prompting -
John also has "pooped" in the "potty seat" all week long! He has discovered that he enjoys "passing gas" while sitting on the toilet, and he gets a sticker if he actually poops in the toilet, so he spent the week collecting his stickers. I am very very close to saying that he is fully potty trained. Although, going to the bathroom and "wash ands" is becoming an obsession, I am pretty excited to have gotten through this milestone with such little problems.
Today, something else happened -- twice. I was reading about sensory children who need their muscles 'squeezed' or crave bear hugs. One mother talked about her experiences of squeezing her child's muscles before going to sleep. The book also talked about using pillows to 'sandwich' the child who likes to be bear hugged, etc.
I needed John to take his nap between speech and the in-home teacher arriving. He was so wound-up that I wasn't sure he was going to settle down in time to get an hour nap in. I remembered what I read. So, I started with his hands. I squeezed them. He closed his eyes and smiled. I moved up his arms, squeezing firmly. He rolled onto his stomach on his own, so I started at his feet and began firmly squeezing his muscles. He moaned slightly, but seemed to relax. I grabbed a pillow and placed it on his back. I pressed down on the pillow, starting at his legs. By the time I got to his lower back, he was asleep. It took a matter of 2-3 minutes!
I tried it again at bedtime, and WOW---same thing.
I'd say in a week, John's language grew, he became potty trained, and bedtime has just got easier! Let's see if this can continue....
EDIT: I wanted to add a few more things now that I have some more time.
John has had 5 neurofeedback sessions since last week. We brought his favorite movies to watch and they incorporate it into the brain training. He sits still for them and enjoys his time there and the process still intrigues me. He has 4 more left of the initial 10 free sessions we received.
At pre-school on Monday, John was able to string 6 beads and attend very well to the tasks he was asked to do. He was not interested in riding the tricycle or practicing jumping at school, but once he got home, he bounced in the bounce house, showing me he can jump.
Yesterday, he worked with Marilyn in speech and she is working on his eye contact. She played peek-a-boo on his lead and she makes sure he looks at her when he says "go" before she allows him to jump in the ball pit, play with cars, etc. (get any of his speech rewards). She uses tokens to show him how many words he needs to say before he gets his 'reward'. He picks his 'reward' from a picture. Yesterday, he picked the ball pit. He loves to hang from the trapeze bar and swing before falling in the pit of balls.
Today, he worked with Tonyia in speech and she is helping him with verbalizing what he wants. He couldn't tolerate the swing today and was not as interested in the ball pit as he was yesterday. He played on the computer, recognizing action verbs. He is able to use the mouse and point to the picture, clicking the one the computer asks him for. Tonyia then tried to get him to recognize audio sounds and then click a picture from 9 choices of what he heard. This was a little harder, as he didn't always concentrate on what he was hearing and would pick any picture.
We are limiting his in-home hours to 5 hours a week, instead of 8, since we will be beginning OT/SI soon and I felt like I could do some of the in-home stuff myself.
Over the last 2 weeks, Bill and I have integrated "circle time" into our bedtime ritual. After bath and brushing our teeth, we now sit down, with 5-6 'props' in the center. Each kid can choose a song to sing, using the props as guides (bus for "wheels on the bus", star wand for "twinkle twinkle", toy boat for "row row your boat", and pom poms for "shake your sillies out", drums for "boom boom", and a spider for "itsy bitsy spider"). Normally, John will play along, but not always sing all the words out loud, piping in here and there. Tonight, John was very vocal in every song and fully participated in ALL of the songs.
At Church on Sunday, John said the "our father" with everyone, out loud. It is neat to hear his language developing. After "circle time", we have prayer time. We start with the sign of the cross, then go into the "our father" and then each of us says our own "Dear Jesus" prayer. Katie's is very dramatic, heartfelt, and oftentimes very long (sometimes we have to jump in and remind her with "amen"). John has always said a "Dear Jesus" prayer, but we weren't sure what he was saying. Over the last week, it's been so cute to hear his little words thanking Jesus for his "momen" and his "daden" and "kayden". (Mommy, Daddy, and Katie) He prays for Katie's school and John's school, and he always smiles after he says "aden" (amen).
I can't tell you how neat it is to hear and understand the words coming out of his mouth.
First of all, his language has really come a long way.
3 speech milestones for John:
1. He said "I want granola bar" with no prompting -
- "I want" has been a speech therapy goal
- He went into the kitchen while playing and called me; then saying "I want granola bar"
- Now, "Granola" was a mouthful and "bar" was more like "ba", but I understood it.
- I started playing a game with him to help him understand "Yes and No" because he never would use it so we weren't sure if he had the concept or not
- I would ask him in the parking lot "Is this mommy's car?" I would point to different cars and say "no" and then finally to mine, saying "yes". For about 1-2 weeks he's been playing along with me, saying it.
- A few days ago, I asked him if he wanted play-dough and he said "yes" --- first time he really used "yes" in answer to a question; I used to get grunts, squeals, happy screams of delight, and grabbing, but no language for "yes", so this was a big deal!
John also has "pooped" in the "potty seat" all week long! He has discovered that he enjoys "passing gas" while sitting on the toilet, and he gets a sticker if he actually poops in the toilet, so he spent the week collecting his stickers. I am very very close to saying that he is fully potty trained. Although, going to the bathroom and "wash ands" is becoming an obsession, I am pretty excited to have gotten through this milestone with such little problems.
Today, something else happened -- twice. I was reading about sensory children who need their muscles 'squeezed' or crave bear hugs. One mother talked about her experiences of squeezing her child's muscles before going to sleep. The book also talked about using pillows to 'sandwich' the child who likes to be bear hugged, etc.
I needed John to take his nap between speech and the in-home teacher arriving. He was so wound-up that I wasn't sure he was going to settle down in time to get an hour nap in. I remembered what I read. So, I started with his hands. I squeezed them. He closed his eyes and smiled. I moved up his arms, squeezing firmly. He rolled onto his stomach on his own, so I started at his feet and began firmly squeezing his muscles. He moaned slightly, but seemed to relax. I grabbed a pillow and placed it on his back. I pressed down on the pillow, starting at his legs. By the time I got to his lower back, he was asleep. It took a matter of 2-3 minutes!
I tried it again at bedtime, and WOW---same thing.
I'd say in a week, John's language grew, he became potty trained, and bedtime has just got easier! Let's see if this can continue....
EDIT: I wanted to add a few more things now that I have some more time.
John has had 5 neurofeedback sessions since last week. We brought his favorite movies to watch and they incorporate it into the brain training. He sits still for them and enjoys his time there and the process still intrigues me. He has 4 more left of the initial 10 free sessions we received.
At pre-school on Monday, John was able to string 6 beads and attend very well to the tasks he was asked to do. He was not interested in riding the tricycle or practicing jumping at school, but once he got home, he bounced in the bounce house, showing me he can jump.
Yesterday, he worked with Marilyn in speech and she is working on his eye contact. She played peek-a-boo on his lead and she makes sure he looks at her when he says "go" before she allows him to jump in the ball pit, play with cars, etc. (get any of his speech rewards). She uses tokens to show him how many words he needs to say before he gets his 'reward'. He picks his 'reward' from a picture. Yesterday, he picked the ball pit. He loves to hang from the trapeze bar and swing before falling in the pit of balls.
Today, he worked with Tonyia in speech and she is helping him with verbalizing what he wants. He couldn't tolerate the swing today and was not as interested in the ball pit as he was yesterday. He played on the computer, recognizing action verbs. He is able to use the mouse and point to the picture, clicking the one the computer asks him for. Tonyia then tried to get him to recognize audio sounds and then click a picture from 9 choices of what he heard. This was a little harder, as he didn't always concentrate on what he was hearing and would pick any picture.
We are limiting his in-home hours to 5 hours a week, instead of 8, since we will be beginning OT/SI soon and I felt like I could do some of the in-home stuff myself.
Over the last 2 weeks, Bill and I have integrated "circle time" into our bedtime ritual. After bath and brushing our teeth, we now sit down, with 5-6 'props' in the center. Each kid can choose a song to sing, using the props as guides (bus for "wheels on the bus", star wand for "twinkle twinkle", toy boat for "row row your boat", and pom poms for "shake your sillies out", drums for "boom boom", and a spider for "itsy bitsy spider"). Normally, John will play along, but not always sing all the words out loud, piping in here and there. Tonight, John was very vocal in every song and fully participated in ALL of the songs.
At Church on Sunday, John said the "our father" with everyone, out loud. It is neat to hear his language developing. After "circle time", we have prayer time. We start with the sign of the cross, then go into the "our father" and then each of us says our own "Dear Jesus" prayer. Katie's is very dramatic, heartfelt, and oftentimes very long (sometimes we have to jump in and remind her with "amen"). John has always said a "Dear Jesus" prayer, but we weren't sure what he was saying. Over the last week, it's been so cute to hear his little words thanking Jesus for his "momen" and his "daden" and "kayden". (Mommy, Daddy, and Katie) He prays for Katie's school and John's school, and he always smiles after he says "aden" (amen).
I can't tell you how neat it is to hear and understand the words coming out of his mouth.
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