Tantrums

John used to cry for long periods of time for no reason. I remember days where I would call my mom everyday at 4:00 in tears because John had been crying for so long. I remember days when we lived at my parents house and we would put John down for a nap and he'd cry for 45 minutes before he'd finally settle down. Since beginning early intervention, those episodes rarely happen.

But, over the last 2 weeks and specifically, the last 3 days, tantrums have taken over. These tantrums are different from those days I described above. These have been the kind of tantrums that have a known cause ---- he doesn't want to get out of the spa, he doesn't want to get out of the car, he doesn't want to get in the car, etc. He screams, cries, kicks, throws himself on the ground, bangs his hands on the door, etc. It's a fit of rage. We've had about 4 of them since yesterday afternoon and quite frankly, I am tired of it! It makes me realize that we haven't had days like this in a long time. It reminds me of what we started at.

It makes me question: are these 2-year old boy tantrums (hence the name "terrible twos"), is this a sign that the neurofeedback is not working, is this the 'autistic behavior, etc.

Whatever it is makes for a tired and worn out mommy!

A little this...a little that

Catching up from the weekend....
Katie has developed into a wonderful swimmer over the last 4 days! Once she felt in control under the water, she has excelled rapidly. She glides both on her stomach and her back across the pool. She swims underwater and comes up for breaths. She is learning how to use her arms to stroke. She jumps in without someone catching her and actually loves it now.

John's last day of Early Start is tomorrow! He will move into the START program next week.

On Friday, John has an evaluation with Foothill Presbyterian Hospital for Occupational Therapy/Sensory Integration (finally!!!)

Now for today...

John had speech today, but instead, they began his START evaluation. Step One is to evaluate his play to see at what level he is "playing' at. The idea here is that autistic children tend to take everyday objects and use them in different ways, instead of the intended use.

So, Tonyia gave John a baby doll, hair brush, bar of soap, bottle, and toothbrush. He started by brushing her teeth. Although, at first, he picked up the bottle and the toothbrush, which looked odd, but then he used the bottle as the toothpaste and then proceeded to brush her teeth. He then grabbed the brush and brushed her hair. Tonyia asked John to give her a bath and he used the soap on her legs. She then took off the babies clothes and put foam soap on the baby's tummy and John grabbed a tissue and cleaned the baby. Tonyia then assisted John in dressing the baby and John brushed her hair again, pretty hard. Tonyia told John the baby was crying and gave him the tissue to wipe her eyes. John wiped away the tears and picked up a cup out of Tonyia's bin. He grabbed the bottle and "poured" something in the cup and took a drink himself and then gave some to the baby.

Tonyia set up a house with a bed, sofa, TV with DVD player, table, chairs, and a slide with a ladder. She then gave John a boy, girl, and later, a mom. He laid the mom on the ground. He had the girl sit on the couch. He then took the TV into his hands and played with it for a long time... there was a "pretend" DVD that went in and out of a hole in the TV and he kept putting it in. Tonyia eventually took it away from him. He then took the boy and had him climb the stairs and slide down the slide. Then he asked for bubbles.

He played with cars, play dough, and bubbles and it was time to go home.

John had another session of Neurofeedback today. We are on session number 20. The first 20 minutes is spent on the part of the brain that controls sleep and impulse control. John was so quiet and calm. The next 20 minutes made John a little agitated, as it has the last few sessions. They added an element that helps with motivation. Today, we decided that it may be too much for John. We are going to eliminate that protocol from the training and add 10 minutes to each of the other protocols. The last protocol is training the part of the brain that deals with social/emotional responses.

Things I've noticed since beginning Neurofeedback:

• biting of skin stopped
  
• chewing of shirt stopped
• doesn't drag his toes anymore while walking
• Achieving goals rapidly at Casa Colina
• Speech improving
  
• Falls asleep easier
  

Now, I'm not saying Neurofeedback alone has contributed to these things. John is working hard and there are a lot of PEOPLE helping John, but I am beginning to believe that Neurofeedback is enabling him to be present for learning and helping with behavior. The goal of Neurofeedback is to calm the brain down enough to teach it how to self-regulate itself. Through brain self regulation, the nervous system no longer feels under threat. The body is able to think beyond itself and begin to "take the blinders off", seeing the world around them. When we feel under threat, we naturally get "tunnel vision". When our brains cannot self regulate, we will operate as if we are "under attack", manifesting itself in ADD, ADHD, migraine headaches, some Autistic behavior, sensory issues, pain in the body, etc. Through self-regulation, the brain is able to calm itself and the outward symptoms disappear.

Opening our eyes

Katie discovered opening her eyes in the water yesterday right before swim lessons. While John had his lesson, Katie and I went into the spa to "practice". She wouldn't push off the side, so I got an idea to have her walk underwater from one side to the other. She thought this was a good idea. She held my hand and walked, holding her breath and going under. I had read in the sensory integration book that some kids need to feel "grounded" -- often sitting with one foot on the ground or needing a stool when on the toilet. I thought this philosophy may help Kate in the pool since she seems so scared if she is not holding on to someone. By walking across the spa underwater, she was able to feel her body and where it was going, making her feel in control. She kept doing it, and opened her eyes one of the times. She came up so excited! "I saw your bathing suit underwater Mommy!" She wanted to keep doing it. She even walked without holding my hands once she could see and could keep an eye on where my hands were if she needed them. The "accidental" opening of her eyes has progressed her swimming lessons a ton. What a difference a day makes!

And what a lesson to be learned -- open your eyes and try to touch the ground, and if nothing else, remember that tomorrow is another day.

Getting even busier

I always thought I was busy. I didn't know how busy life could get. Well, this week, it's even busier. To our already full schedule, we have added swim lessons for both Katie and John. We have a family vacation planned for Hawaii in the fall, so late summer lessons were always on my 'to do' list.

Katie has never had any formal swim lessons, so we have a lot to make up for. She loves the water if someone is holding her or catching her jump in, but she is petrified to swim by herself. She clutches with all her might to anyone near her that tries to have her swim or stroke alone. If you let go of her and tell her to kick to the side, she just goes limp and sinks. She holds her breath, but then panics after 2 seconds.

John loves the water. He kicks pretty good and can go under holding his breath. He swallows a lot of water, but it's while he is on the surface that he allows the water to go in his mouth. He loves blowing bubbles and playing on the steps.

Hopefully, by our trip, both kids can swim to the edge of the pool on their own.

Until then, our schedule will just be jam packed -- 2 days of early start preschool for John, 3 days of preschool for Kate, 3 days of in-home therapy for John, 5 days of Neurofeedback, 2 days of speech, and 5 days of swim lessons for both. Vacation will feel good when it comes!