I'm trying to stay more on top of this blog so I can let everyone know how Logan and Ryan are doing. If I can update weekly I will be a happy camper but no promises!!
Logan has now been switched to the class and teacher that I had originally wanted and I'm so thankful! He's got a great teacher in Ms. Clark and a great aide in Ms. Nicki. Ms. Clark attended the IEP meeting last May and I was SOOOOOO impressed with her. To say I was disappointed when he didn't get her is putting it mildly. She incorporates speech therapy into the class work as she has a background in speech. She has been working with Autistic children for a long time and knows how to deal with behavior issues while still getting them to work. I did try to see how things would go with the new teacher and aides but as you read in my previous post things just weren't working. I had been thinking that if the one aide would stay around that he could deal with that class but then I saw things start to deteriorate and knew I had to do something.
My Tuesday was spent taking them to speech at the hospital and then to school. I wasn't impressed with what I saw when dropping him off so I made an effort to get back there before his lunch so I could observe un-noticed. Well, you know what they say about plans...... I made it to school ten minutes into his lunch time so I headed to the cafeteria. I observed for a few minutes there un-noticed and I can say no further eval was needed. I did, however, make a point to hang around until after they'd been back in the classroom for at least 20 minutes. I observed them in the classroom for another 20 minutes and headed to the office. I debated on making this a face-to-face meeting with the principal or just talking to him on the phone. He rarely takes a phone call but will call back a few hours later. He sure takes a lot of meetings!!
I stopped in the office and surprise, he was in a meeting so I stuck around for 20 minutes waiting to see him. After explaining what I saw with Logan's regression and having to explain why he can't tell me what the problem is, we got down to the nitty gritty. I wanted him moved to another teacher who could put her foot down and make him do the work that he's very capable of doing. After another few minutes listening to his excuses (we're moving the child who is hitting/scratching/biting to that classroom so you aren't fixing the problem by moving Logan too) why it wasn't a good move (in his opinion) Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have a strong teacher (strong leadership skills) then won't that cut out the discipline problems with the scratching, biting and hitting??? I got him to agree to talk to the teachers and let me know by the end of the week. I left the school that day feeling like I'd accomplished nothing and felt like I had let Logan down yet again. I just knew the battle had just begun. That it would be a long and painful one but, in the end Logan's issues would win over the class count or whatever it was he (the principal) was using to be against the switch.
The next day I received a call from a dear friend who informed me that Logan wasn't with his regular class and was with the other teacher/aide. That person said he looked happier than they had seen him so far this year and the aide was working with him as she should be. What a great weight lifted from my shoulders! They are sending little daily logs of how his attitude was for that day, how he worked and a few other notes so I know how his progress is each day. The other teacher didn't do this unless I wrote a note asking for specifics and even then I might not get an answer. I'm not trying to knock this other teacher. I got the feeling that she has experience with general education but doesn't have much experience (hands on) with the spectrum children. She has lots of great ideas "on paper" but getting them to actually transition over to hands on work in the classroom needs a lot of work. Logan doesn't have the time for this transition to work itself out. He has regressed before and it took quite a while to get him back to where he was improving again. He doesn't have the time for practice with a new teacher. (I was assured at the end of last school year that all new teachers for these new Autism classes would be experienced with the spectrum and all that entails. It's pretty clear to me that isn't exactly how things turned out. Things that make you go HMMMMMM......)
For the past three days Logan has been very happy in the morning while getting ready for school. (Yes, he's still tired but he's no longer nasty and fighting me when I'm trying to get him dressed) He's happier when he gets home and he's actually asking for what he wants (i.e. I want juice, please, thank you.) He's not scratching or hitting and he's giving lots of kisses without being asked. Maybe the short period of regression is already fixed, if not, it should be a short time before he's back to where he was this summer. Phew, what a week!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Another long period between posts
Sorry about the delay between posts but summer is always busy with all the kids home and all the therapies.
Ryan update - we have him scheduled for his transition evaluation on September 19th. Hopefully we will find out then whether or not the psychologist feels the need to give him the autism diagnosis. If she does, it doesn't necessarily mean he will be eligible to get therapy through the school system. If he does get the diagnosis and is eligible, I've already let the principal know that I want Logan's teacher from last year and his aide as well. That class was a wonderful haven for Logan and I know Ryan will be in very VERY good hands there. So much has changed in the past year about the eligibility requirements that I'll just have to find it all out then.
Logan update - well, school isn't going so well right now. I know it's not just the new class, new teacher and new aide. He doesn't want to get up and get going in the mornings. He's never been like this before. Some days are a lot worse then others so I'm just thankful to have a lull whenever I can get it. He's not requesting with words now and he's back into the scratching and screaming again. Now, over the summer he did a little bit of that but not like now. I've been really making him request and he will if I make him but if I don't push he just throws his bowl, plate or cup at me. Something isn't quite right so I'm going to make a surprise visit to the school to see what is going on in class this coming week.
When the principal had originally told me who the teacher and aide were at the end of last school year I said no to the aide. I was assured both had experience with Autism and all that entails. We did reach an agreement that if I wasn't happy by the third week of school that I could get a new aide. Due to the tropical storm the first week of school was a wash as they only went the Monday and Tuesday. Last week was the first full week and I can tell there is something wrong. When I went to his IEP meeting last May the teacher that was involved in the meeting really impressed me. They did tell me at that time that they were having to hire two new teachers as all the Autistic children would be moved to this school and Logan may not get her. I'm not impressed with the regression that Logan is showing so the only option is for me to go and sneak a peak to see what's happening. I plan to do that and if I see something that makes me unhappy I will be heading directly to the principal's office to make the change.
Ryan update - we have him scheduled for his transition evaluation on September 19th. Hopefully we will find out then whether or not the psychologist feels the need to give him the autism diagnosis. If she does, it doesn't necessarily mean he will be eligible to get therapy through the school system. If he does get the diagnosis and is eligible, I've already let the principal know that I want Logan's teacher from last year and his aide as well. That class was a wonderful haven for Logan and I know Ryan will be in very VERY good hands there. So much has changed in the past year about the eligibility requirements that I'll just have to find it all out then.
Logan update - well, school isn't going so well right now. I know it's not just the new class, new teacher and new aide. He doesn't want to get up and get going in the mornings. He's never been like this before. Some days are a lot worse then others so I'm just thankful to have a lull whenever I can get it. He's not requesting with words now and he's back into the scratching and screaming again. Now, over the summer he did a little bit of that but not like now. I've been really making him request and he will if I make him but if I don't push he just throws his bowl, plate or cup at me. Something isn't quite right so I'm going to make a surprise visit to the school to see what is going on in class this coming week.
When the principal had originally told me who the teacher and aide were at the end of last school year I said no to the aide. I was assured both had experience with Autism and all that entails. We did reach an agreement that if I wasn't happy by the third week of school that I could get a new aide. Due to the tropical storm the first week of school was a wash as they only went the Monday and Tuesday. Last week was the first full week and I can tell there is something wrong. When I went to his IEP meeting last May the teacher that was involved in the meeting really impressed me. They did tell me at that time that they were having to hire two new teachers as all the Autistic children would be moved to this school and Logan may not get her. I'm not impressed with the regression that Logan is showing so the only option is for me to go and sneak a peak to see what's happening. I plan to do that and if I see something that makes me unhappy I will be heading directly to the principal's office to make the change.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Oops! Forgot to mention....
I almost forgot to mention that we were able to get some help with Logan's diapers and wipes this year. I had to fill out paperwork last year to get him on the list for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. Of course, the list is huge and with budget cuts I'm not sure if he'll ever get help with the speech and occupational therapies but I got the information and was able to get him on the list. I've heard some horror stories about how long the list is and how long it takes to get approved; not to mention all the new cuts in the budget.
When I spoke to his case worker last year she said to call her again this year around the end of May beginning of June to see about help with diapers and wipes. I did call and thankfully they did have a little money so we were approved for some help for him! Yeah, we will be getting diapers and wipes delivered to the house monthly until the money is gone. I told her I was thankfull for any help we could get for him. It's going to be nice having that little bit of extra money that we spend on Logan's diapers each week and wipes. We will put it towards all of Ryan's baby food and formula. Every little bit helps so if you know of someone who needs help tell them to check out the Agency for Persons with Disabilities website. You have to have a definite diagnosis and I'm not sure which they are able to help with but if you type in the name of the agency you can find it for your state. I will try to get the site for Florida up on the sidebar for anyone who needs it. Just take a look around and then give them a call. They were really good about giving me a call back anytime I called with questions. Everyone I dealt with was very nice and always seemed ready to help.
When I spoke to his case worker last year she said to call her again this year around the end of May beginning of June to see about help with diapers and wipes. I did call and thankfully they did have a little money so we were approved for some help for him! Yeah, we will be getting diapers and wipes delivered to the house monthly until the money is gone. I told her I was thankfull for any help we could get for him. It's going to be nice having that little bit of extra money that we spend on Logan's diapers each week and wipes. We will put it towards all of Ryan's baby food and formula. Every little bit helps so if you know of someone who needs help tell them to check out the Agency for Persons with Disabilities website. You have to have a definite diagnosis and I'm not sure which they are able to help with but if you type in the name of the agency you can find it for your state. I will try to get the site for Florida up on the sidebar for anyone who needs it. Just take a look around and then give them a call. They were really good about giving me a call back anytime I called with questions. Everyone I dealt with was very nice and always seemed ready to help.
Wow, it's been awhile!
I didn't realize how long it's been since I updated this blog but it's been kind of busy so I will try to update as much as I can with the one post.
Let's see, we knew in April that Logan wouldn't attend summer school this year because his aide couldn't work and the other aide wasn't able to get her notice in on time. I can't say I blame either one; poor things need a break from all the kids and work they do. They work so hard and are underpaid so they need their summer break even more than the rest!
We found out right after Logan's IEP that his aide, Ann wouldn't be going up to kindergarten with him next year. It was very sad but I totally understand where she's coming from. When you find the right work environment and it really clicks you hate to walk away from it. It's very rare that you can work with people you actually like and respect (as people let alone fellow employees) so you can't walk away from that easily. Logan did need to break away before he became too attached so again, I understand all the thinking behind the decision but I do admit it's hard for Mommy to let go. I had to put in my choice for his new aide for next year and I had two very qualified people to give names for so I'm happy as long as I get one of those two.
Logan did act up the last couple of weeks of school; smacking, scratching and just being very vocal and upset about things. He's calmed somewhat in the few days since school let out and it helped that Ann and Charlie came over to babysit this weekend. He was standing at the door looking out the window watching for them to arrive. I believe he'd been standing there for about 20 minutes by the time they got here. He was so happy to see Ann especially. He kept smiling and saying her name over and over. He loves them both but usually will gravitate toward Charlie because he doesn't get to see him as much. All the kids love them so we've adopted them as part of the family. It sure doesn't hurt that they like to watch the kids for us so we can have a night out once in a while!!
Logan will be in one of the three Autistic kindergarten classes next year. I believe I heard this correctly, they are moving all the kids to the school he is going to so they are having to add two more classes. I was able to meet the teacher who will be in charge and hopefully Logan will be in her classroom. She seems to really know her stuff and is really into working on speech in their daily routine. I've seen her at the school for a couple of years just didn't know who she was and I've noticed she is really good with the kids. She was the one to bring the kids out to the parents at the end of the day and always took a minute or two to discuss how they were that day. Each child seemed really relaxed and seemed to really like her too so that's a plus. Now, if he can just be in her class, right?!?!?!?!!!
Ryan is improving; just not too fast with the food issues. We were going along really well and had to stop because of the stomach bug that went around. I was having to sit with Logan for a week while he fought that stupid bug so I didn't want my hands anywhere near Ryan. I know I was being overly paranoid but I just didn't want to even think about it. I washed my hands everytime I went near Logan. My hands were raw, cracked and bleeding by the time his bug was half way gone and continued to stay that way for about a week later. I think I did a ton of laundry that week not to mention all the scrubbing and cleaning. Thankfully, the only thing the other kids got from that bug was the diarrhea but that was enough believe you me!! I never want to have another bug like that come in this house ever again!!!
Ryan is talking more; too much sometimes as he tends to say everything that everyone around him is saying. It's now I need a baabaa or I need Nanas or I need to snuggle. I've been working on I want with him and Logan and will continue to do so this summer. I was supposed to get a book that the speech therapist at school at been working with Logan on but that never materialized so now I have to just go with the notes I made at the IEP. I should do fine with my notes and what we already do but it sure would have been easier if I'd remember to nudge the speech therapist for the book before school let out. Another I'm not happy with myself moment but I will survive. He's getting better with his dexterity in his fingers; we've been working on putting some cute little bears on a shoelace. I found that at Staples thanks to his OT; she told me to check there and sure enough I found a pack. We worked on that yesterday with him for a little while and then Katie tried her hand at it. She loves to do whatever he does and vice versa. We noticed that they both would get the bears on the lace facing the same way. I would try to hand the bears to them facing backwards or upside down but they both would catch that and put them on the same way everytime.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed all the information about Autism really popping up lately? More commercials, more advertising at professional sports and then of course the not-so-lovely reports that come out about
Let's see, we knew in April that Logan wouldn't attend summer school this year because his aide couldn't work and the other aide wasn't able to get her notice in on time. I can't say I blame either one; poor things need a break from all the kids and work they do. They work so hard and are underpaid so they need their summer break even more than the rest!
We found out right after Logan's IEP that his aide, Ann wouldn't be going up to kindergarten with him next year. It was very sad but I totally understand where she's coming from. When you find the right work environment and it really clicks you hate to walk away from it. It's very rare that you can work with people you actually like and respect (as people let alone fellow employees) so you can't walk away from that easily. Logan did need to break away before he became too attached so again, I understand all the thinking behind the decision but I do admit it's hard for Mommy to let go. I had to put in my choice for his new aide for next year and I had two very qualified people to give names for so I'm happy as long as I get one of those two.
Logan did act up the last couple of weeks of school; smacking, scratching and just being very vocal and upset about things. He's calmed somewhat in the few days since school let out and it helped that Ann and Charlie came over to babysit this weekend. He was standing at the door looking out the window watching for them to arrive. I believe he'd been standing there for about 20 minutes by the time they got here. He was so happy to see Ann especially. He kept smiling and saying her name over and over. He loves them both but usually will gravitate toward Charlie because he doesn't get to see him as much. All the kids love them so we've adopted them as part of the family. It sure doesn't hurt that they like to watch the kids for us so we can have a night out once in a while!!
Logan will be in one of the three Autistic kindergarten classes next year. I believe I heard this correctly, they are moving all the kids to the school he is going to so they are having to add two more classes. I was able to meet the teacher who will be in charge and hopefully Logan will be in her classroom. She seems to really know her stuff and is really into working on speech in their daily routine. I've seen her at the school for a couple of years just didn't know who she was and I've noticed she is really good with the kids. She was the one to bring the kids out to the parents at the end of the day and always took a minute or two to discuss how they were that day. Each child seemed really relaxed and seemed to really like her too so that's a plus. Now, if he can just be in her class, right?!?!?!?!!!
Ryan is improving; just not too fast with the food issues. We were going along really well and had to stop because of the stomach bug that went around. I was having to sit with Logan for a week while he fought that stupid bug so I didn't want my hands anywhere near Ryan. I know I was being overly paranoid but I just didn't want to even think about it. I washed my hands everytime I went near Logan. My hands were raw, cracked and bleeding by the time his bug was half way gone and continued to stay that way for about a week later. I think I did a ton of laundry that week not to mention all the scrubbing and cleaning. Thankfully, the only thing the other kids got from that bug was the diarrhea but that was enough believe you me!! I never want to have another bug like that come in this house ever again!!!
Ryan is talking more; too much sometimes as he tends to say everything that everyone around him is saying. It's now I need a baabaa or I need Nanas or I need to snuggle. I've been working on I want with him and Logan and will continue to do so this summer. I was supposed to get a book that the speech therapist at school at been working with Logan on but that never materialized so now I have to just go with the notes I made at the IEP. I should do fine with my notes and what we already do but it sure would have been easier if I'd remember to nudge the speech therapist for the book before school let out. Another I'm not happy with myself moment but I will survive. He's getting better with his dexterity in his fingers; we've been working on putting some cute little bears on a shoelace. I found that at Staples thanks to his OT; she told me to check there and sure enough I found a pack. We worked on that yesterday with him for a little while and then Katie tried her hand at it. She loves to do whatever he does and vice versa. We noticed that they both would get the bears on the lace facing the same way. I would try to hand the bears to them facing backwards or upside down but they both would catch that and put them on the same way everytime.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed all the information about Autism really popping up lately? More commercials, more advertising at professional sports and then of course the not-so-lovely reports that come out about
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Another OT Update
We've had some improvement with Ryan's eating due to the massage. He will now eat applesauce without any bananas. He did really well after the previous blog; I just had to hide the applesauce so he thought he was getting bananas. As it was Spring Break for the older kids, they were all home with me last week. On Saturday I was a little more distracted and didn't see his gag until all of the food came back up. We did do a little backtracking because of that but we are almost back to all applesauce again.
The trick with Ryan is to hide the stuff he doesn't like and distract him somehow while feeding him. Last week I was able to get the other kids to help me distract him and we had a good week (until Saturday's mishap) but this week it's a little harder with no extra distractions. At one point last night, I had him in front of the televison and I was singing songs with him so we were able to get quite a lot in him. He has gotten better with letting me massage his palate and teeth. He doesn't bite down as hard so my finger isn't nearly as sore as it was.
I'm having issues with the brushing. It's not that I don't feel comfortable doing it; it's I can't seem to get it on a set schedule with him and I'm getting very upset with myself. He seems to like it and I'm getting used to the pressure needed to give now if I could just remember to give it to him as needed. Tuesdays we have to get up and get Logan to therapy then take him and Marie to school. By the time we get home we've been away for almost 2 hours if not more. Wednesday we went to meet Daddy for lunch and of course that threw off the schedule. I really need to figure out the Tuesday schedule and not go anywhere until I'm totally used to getting this done for him. Once that happens I think I can go do whatever and still be aware of the brushing schedule enough to give it while we are out. I feel like I'm making this harder than it should be and I'm getting very upset. Okay, I'm going to go take a deep breath and try this again. Wish me luck on getting this schedule added in to our already fun filled days!!
The trick with Ryan is to hide the stuff he doesn't like and distract him somehow while feeding him. Last week I was able to get the other kids to help me distract him and we had a good week (until Saturday's mishap) but this week it's a little harder with no extra distractions. At one point last night, I had him in front of the televison and I was singing songs with him so we were able to get quite a lot in him. He has gotten better with letting me massage his palate and teeth. He doesn't bite down as hard so my finger isn't nearly as sore as it was.
I'm having issues with the brushing. It's not that I don't feel comfortable doing it; it's I can't seem to get it on a set schedule with him and I'm getting very upset with myself. He seems to like it and I'm getting used to the pressure needed to give now if I could just remember to give it to him as needed. Tuesdays we have to get up and get Logan to therapy then take him and Marie to school. By the time we get home we've been away for almost 2 hours if not more. Wednesday we went to meet Daddy for lunch and of course that threw off the schedule. I really need to figure out the Tuesday schedule and not go anywhere until I'm totally used to getting this done for him. Once that happens I think I can go do whatever and still be aware of the brushing schedule enough to give it while we are out. I feel like I'm making this harder than it should be and I'm getting very upset. Okay, I'm going to go take a deep breath and try this again. Wish me luck on getting this schedule added in to our already fun filled days!!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
New twist to therapy
Okay, last week I told you about (or it may have been the week before) the new thing we are adding to Ryan's occupational therapy. Well, we started it on Monday and he did pretty well. She showed me how to massage his palate then put a little pressure on his bottom teeth. I don't remember her doing the upper front teeth just the bottom front. I will have to make sure when she comes back next week. I fed him his bananas with a dip into his applesauce. He gagged once or twice but if she distracted him while I spooned it into his mouth he was fine. I did try to use the nubby/textured utensil but that didn't get very far so I just used the spoon. The main goal is to get him to eat so I thought it best to go with the spoon until he can relax a little better.
Yesterday I did this on my own so it was kind of hard to figure out how to distract him. He fought me a little on the massage but then he totally surprised me. I was able to dip the bananas into the applesauce with NO GAGGING after that very first bite! The boy ate two "tubs" (plastic rectangle shaped jars of food) of bananas and one complete tub of applesauce. WOW! Today it's time to see if I can get him to take a whole spoonfull of applesauce or pears with no banana chaser. Even if he takes a bite or two and I have to go back to dipping it will have been a major breakthrough for him.
Yeah Ryan!!!
Yesterday I did this on my own so it was kind of hard to figure out how to distract him. He fought me a little on the massage but then he totally surprised me. I was able to dip the bananas into the applesauce with NO GAGGING after that very first bite! The boy ate two "tubs" (plastic rectangle shaped jars of food) of bananas and one complete tub of applesauce. WOW! Today it's time to see if I can get him to take a whole spoonfull of applesauce or pears with no banana chaser. Even if he takes a bite or two and I have to go back to dipping it will have been a major breakthrough for him.
Yeah Ryan!!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Ryan - Update
Ryan was supposed to have his Occupational Therapy today but he napped through it instead. If he does decide to take a nap before she gets here, I can normally get him awake enough when she walks in the door to be able to start therapy with minimal fuss. He had a strange weekend where he refused to nap at all on Friday and Saturday and last night's nap lasted about 45 minutes but then he was up until after midnight. To top that off I got him up early this morning so I could go help out a friend. By the time we got back home he was ready for more to eat and wanted to go go go!
It was a good therapy session in that we were able to sit and discuss what she had learned at a workshop last week. It's going to be hard work but we are going to start the brush therapy with him and I will have to do it every 1 1/2 to 2 hours during the day until he shows signs that he is wanting to try new things. I'm all for it; brushing helps Logan stop grinding his teeth and they do the brushing at school with him. She also learned a new technique or therapy where you massage the inside of the mouth before a meal, 1/2 way through the meal and after the meal. It helped her child this weekend so she's going to bring me up to date on how he did this week and show me how to perform it as well. I'm so excited about both of these new things for Ryan. I'm hoping that one if not both will help him break through the eating issues he has been having. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed and say an extra prayer for us that these work. Every little bit helps!
It was a good therapy session in that we were able to sit and discuss what she had learned at a workshop last week. It's going to be hard work but we are going to start the brush therapy with him and I will have to do it every 1 1/2 to 2 hours during the day until he shows signs that he is wanting to try new things. I'm all for it; brushing helps Logan stop grinding his teeth and they do the brushing at school with him. She also learned a new technique or therapy where you massage the inside of the mouth before a meal, 1/2 way through the meal and after the meal. It helped her child this weekend so she's going to bring me up to date on how he did this week and show me how to perform it as well. I'm so excited about both of these new things for Ryan. I'm hoping that one if not both will help him break through the eating issues he has been having. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed and say an extra prayer for us that these work. Every little bit helps!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Marie - ADHD
I have heard that ADHD is on the Autism spectrum which explains why Marie is ADHD. We realized there was a problem with her when I was pregnant with Logan. On Valentines Day she and a friend at daycare had gotten into a bag (big bag!) of candy and ate their way through half the bag. That night she was mindless, kicking and screaming and just uncontrollable. Now I know that much sugar would tend to make most kids hyper but this was way beyond hyper. That very night Curtis and I agreed to pull her off the candy and other sweet foods. He did some research on the internet and found an article about the food dye Red40. Once we read that and looked through our pantry we were shocked! Most of what we had for her to eat had that dye in it. We had to get rid of the Fruit Loops as they had just added the red back in which of course was the Red40. No more of the yogurt we had purchased for her and that she loved. Heck, even some potato chips have that dye in them and they have no red color. Tell me why it would need to be an additive if the food isn't colored red???
We have been watching her diet since that time. She will get stuff at school by trading with other kids. We've talked to her about that and what happens when she gets the dyes. (We have added Yellow #5 to the list as well) At nine years old, she is old enough to know not to get into things she isn't supposed to have. Each day I ask her to not take anything from anyone because you never know what is in it. She would say but it's not red why can't I have it so I'd show her stuff that wasn't red that clearly had these dyes in it. Thankfully, this year her teacher really knows about the dyes and can relate to her issues with them. She has the same issues herself so it's a nice change and a relief to have some backup at school.
The other day she ate something that she described like a cinnamon roll. Obviously it had some dye in it that she has issues with because she had a really bad time on the bus ride home. She wouldn't listen or do anything the aide asked her to do. She was so nasty that she had to sit next to the aide for the entire ride home. When she got off the bus she was in tears and when I talked to her about her behavior she screamed and stomped her feet just like a two year old. After much screaming and temper tantrum throwing, she was able to calm down enough for me to discuss the problem with her. I find the best way to handle it after the initial meltdown is to calm her down and tell her why she can't have foods I don't send to school for her. She will insist that she didn't get into anything and I have to go through the reasons that I know she did:
1. Not listening
2. Not doing what she is told
3. Screaming at the top of her lungs
4. Throwing things and stomping her feet
5. Telling me she hates me
6. Crying uncontrollably
I know that's not the Marie I know and love because she is the most lovable child. She wants twenty hugs when she gets home and kisses too. She wants to tell me all about her day at school at least fifteen times and will then add things that she forgot to tell me the first time. She always tells me she loves me at least five to six times in an hour. So for her to tell me she hates me that's a sure sign that she got into something. Once she calms down and sees that she can't lie about it she will finally tell me what she ate. I have to go through it again with her about how things don't always have to be red in order for her not to be able to tolerate it. It will take hours for the effects of these dyes to go away.
Case in point; I let her play and snack on some crackers for about an hour and then we sat down to write a letter of apology to the bus aide. I had to spell words that she learned in first grade and constantly repeat myself. She would lose track of where she was in the writing and then have to ask me the third or fourth time what I said. It was very frustrating for both of us but we both held our cool and got through it. She then proceeded to drink a ton of water to try to flush out the nasty dyes out of her system. That night was a wasted homework night so it's a good thing it was FCAT testing! They are being nice enough not to give the kids homework during the testing so that was her saving grace that night.
It has taken a long time for us to get to this point where I know how to react to her getting into things. For some reason it took me a long time to recognize the signs but thankfully I have finally "seen the light" and can react the right way. I feel so much better when things calm down and we can talk rationally without any yelling. It's a good feeling to finally have some control of something when it comes to her ADHD. We choose to not get medication and handle her ADHD naturally. It's definitely a much harder way to deal with it but it's the right way for our family.
We have been watching her diet since that time. She will get stuff at school by trading with other kids. We've talked to her about that and what happens when she gets the dyes. (We have added Yellow #5 to the list as well) At nine years old, she is old enough to know not to get into things she isn't supposed to have. Each day I ask her to not take anything from anyone because you never know what is in it. She would say but it's not red why can't I have it so I'd show her stuff that wasn't red that clearly had these dyes in it. Thankfully, this year her teacher really knows about the dyes and can relate to her issues with them. She has the same issues herself so it's a nice change and a relief to have some backup at school.
The other day she ate something that she described like a cinnamon roll. Obviously it had some dye in it that she has issues with because she had a really bad time on the bus ride home. She wouldn't listen or do anything the aide asked her to do. She was so nasty that she had to sit next to the aide for the entire ride home. When she got off the bus she was in tears and when I talked to her about her behavior she screamed and stomped her feet just like a two year old. After much screaming and temper tantrum throwing, she was able to calm down enough for me to discuss the problem with her. I find the best way to handle it after the initial meltdown is to calm her down and tell her why she can't have foods I don't send to school for her. She will insist that she didn't get into anything and I have to go through the reasons that I know she did:
1. Not listening
2. Not doing what she is told
3. Screaming at the top of her lungs
4. Throwing things and stomping her feet
5. Telling me she hates me
6. Crying uncontrollably
I know that's not the Marie I know and love because she is the most lovable child. She wants twenty hugs when she gets home and kisses too. She wants to tell me all about her day at school at least fifteen times and will then add things that she forgot to tell me the first time. She always tells me she loves me at least five to six times in an hour. So for her to tell me she hates me that's a sure sign that she got into something. Once she calms down and sees that she can't lie about it she will finally tell me what she ate. I have to go through it again with her about how things don't always have to be red in order for her not to be able to tolerate it. It will take hours for the effects of these dyes to go away.
Case in point; I let her play and snack on some crackers for about an hour and then we sat down to write a letter of apology to the bus aide. I had to spell words that she learned in first grade and constantly repeat myself. She would lose track of where she was in the writing and then have to ask me the third or fourth time what I said. It was very frustrating for both of us but we both held our cool and got through it. She then proceeded to drink a ton of water to try to flush out the nasty dyes out of her system. That night was a wasted homework night so it's a good thing it was FCAT testing! They are being nice enough not to give the kids homework during the testing so that was her saving grace that night.
It has taken a long time for us to get to this point where I know how to react to her getting into things. For some reason it took me a long time to recognize the signs but thankfully I have finally "seen the light" and can react the right way. I feel so much better when things calm down and we can talk rationally without any yelling. It's a good feeling to finally have some control of something when it comes to her ADHD. We choose to not get medication and handle her ADHD naturally. It's definitely a much harder way to deal with it but it's the right way for our family.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Ryan
Tuesdays are usually Logan's speech therapy days. After dropping Logan and Marie off at school we had to rush home to meet Ryan's physical therapist for his therapy. He didn't do to well today and I think I know the reason why. Today instead of letting them out to run and raise all kinds of heck, I took them for a stroll through and around the hospital trying to get my exercise. It was good exercise for Marie and me but not a good thing for Ryan or Katie. By the time we got home and it was therapy time for him, he was wanting to run run run! Katie was doing the same thing but in circles. Not a good therapy session for him today so next week, we will drop Logan at his speech therapy and we will head back to the waiting area and let them run wild! Not too sure that the other patients families appreciate it but the kids really love to run around and play with Marie so I'm going to ignore the nasty looks I get.
Ryan's OT gave us a 2 lb. weight that she made with rice or something like that to put in a fanny pack for him. This will work like the weighted vests that I see advertised but cost a good deal more. Now all I have to do is find the fanny pack that I know is in this house somewhere! He was very calm and sat for her last session so I know this will help with his physcial and speech therapies. My next project is to tear up my room/closet until I find the fanny pack. It's a little irritating because I know I had it for a Sea World visit sometime in November so it really couldn't have gotten shoved down in somewhere that far.... could it?!?!
The finger paints we bought last week were a huge success with Katie yesterday. She needed something fun to do and it worked out perfectly for her. I taped down a couple of card stock sheets for her and let her use both hands until she had created a masterpiece. I will be putting that one on the wall once I get a few more pieces of artwork from the others. Once I have them on the wall, I will take pictures to post on the blog. She had such a good time and didn't want to finish even though the paint I set out for her was completely gone. I figured the best way to deal with painting time is to set out a nice size blob of each paint and let them play in it until it's gone off the holder. Once that happens, it's time for cleanup and then drying of the artwork. (Marie was a little jealous that she couldn't do artwork last night but she had too much homework!)
Ryan's OT gave us a 2 lb. weight that she made with rice or something like that to put in a fanny pack for him. This will work like the weighted vests that I see advertised but cost a good deal more. Now all I have to do is find the fanny pack that I know is in this house somewhere! He was very calm and sat for her last session so I know this will help with his physcial and speech therapies. My next project is to tear up my room/closet until I find the fanny pack. It's a little irritating because I know I had it for a Sea World visit sometime in November so it really couldn't have gotten shoved down in somewhere that far.... could it?!?!
The finger paints we bought last week were a huge success with Katie yesterday. She needed something fun to do and it worked out perfectly for her. I taped down a couple of card stock sheets for her and let her use both hands until she had created a masterpiece. I will be putting that one on the wall once I get a few more pieces of artwork from the others. Once I have them on the wall, I will take pictures to post on the blog. She had such a good time and didn't want to finish even though the paint I set out for her was completely gone. I figured the best way to deal with painting time is to set out a nice size blob of each paint and let them play in it until it's gone off the holder. Once that happens, it's time for cleanup and then drying of the artwork. (Marie was a little jealous that she couldn't do artwork last night but she had too much homework!)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Logan
Logan has been progressing some lately. When he gets really upset, I lightly brush my hand down his cheek and say, "What baby, what is it?" The other day he said, "What baby?" while he took his own and and brushed it down his cheek. He laughed up a storm when I smiled at him and said it after he did. A little later he was upset because he was in time out for smacking his baby brother and as he cried he was doing the hand brush and saying the "What baby?" It almost broke my heart to see it but I stood firm and made him sit in the corner until he said "sorry!" and came to his brother and said it while signing it too. He then proceeded to give Ryan a big kiss. Ryan stopped crying and smiled as soon as he got the kiss from his big brother. (Love to see stuff like this between them!)
On the way into Speech this morning, as the automatic doors opened, Logan said "open!" We have to go through two sets of doors to get into the hospital and he said it both times while helping me push the double stroller with his brother and sister in it. I get him to help me push the stroller or he wants to be carried and that he's getting to big to do anymore. Ms. Cheryl has been working with him for a while now as she normally meets us at the van and will take him inside. Each time they walk up to the doors she says "Open!" and tries to get him to but this is the first time I could make out what he was saying. Repetition or "practice makes perfect" really does work!!!
Update on the Flex Spending; they will not be able to help us with Ryan's formula at all. The only thing the would do is pay the difference between the normal formula and a special formula. Since he isn't on a special formula just the Toddler Next Step then we won't be getting help with that. It does look like they will be paying for their diapers though which is a big help. Better some than nothing at all so I'm happy with the outcome!
On the way into Speech this morning, as the automatic doors opened, Logan said "open!" We have to go through two sets of doors to get into the hospital and he said it both times while helping me push the double stroller with his brother and sister in it. I get him to help me push the stroller or he wants to be carried and that he's getting to big to do anymore. Ms. Cheryl has been working with him for a while now as she normally meets us at the van and will take him inside. Each time they walk up to the doors she says "Open!" and tries to get him to but this is the first time I could make out what he was saying. Repetition or "practice makes perfect" really does work!!!
Update on the Flex Spending; they will not be able to help us with Ryan's formula at all. The only thing the would do is pay the difference between the normal formula and a special formula. Since he isn't on a special formula just the Toddler Next Step then we won't be getting help with that. It does look like they will be paying for their diapers though which is a big help. Better some than nothing at all so I'm happy with the outcome!
Friday, February 15, 2008
New Link
I just added a new link to Natural Laws. They have a very interesting article regarding Autism and heavy metals that every parent should read. Please take a few minutes and read this article just so you have some very useful information.
We didn't know about the vaccinations before Logan; after he was diagnosed with Autism we didn't allow him or any of our other children to have them. It is a choice we made that wasn't hard for us but for those parents that haven't dealt with the Autism Spectrum, it's information that you probably wouldn't get. I'm not telling you to not get your child vaccinated, I'm just saying be totally informed before you make that decision.
As always, thanks for stopping by to read, have a great day.
We didn't know about the vaccinations before Logan; after he was diagnosed with Autism we didn't allow him or any of our other children to have them. It is a choice we made that wasn't hard for us but for those parents that haven't dealt with the Autism Spectrum, it's information that you probably wouldn't get. I'm not telling you to not get your child vaccinated, I'm just saying be totally informed before you make that decision.
As always, thanks for stopping by to read, have a great day.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Another update
Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I've had two sick children and now I've got the creeping crud that Logan decided to share with Mommy. He does love to share with me especially any type of bug. That tells me that he loves me enough to share all the good and nasty stuff. I'm just thankful that he's feeling better and is back to normal. The other night I wasn't moving quick enough to get him something to eat and drink so he ran up to me, pulled on my hand and screamed "NOWWWWW" at the top of his voice. As he did this he had a very angelic smile on his face thinking that would make the screaming and pulling okay. (It did of course but I didn't let him know that!)
Ryan is now set up with the early intervention therapies finally! He has been with speech for about a month now. Monday he had his first visit with his occupational therapist for his evaluation. Today he has his physcal therapist coming to do the evaluation so we can get a set schedule for these. They had some employee changes and schedule changes at the hospital and we were to begin our new schedule this week so I had to call on Sunday to let the O.T. know we wouldn't be coming and then on Monday called back to let them know about the P.T. They have a good S.T. at the hospital and she was going to work with Ryan for O.T. until they had a replacement as she has another job. I would have loved to have her work with Ryan but I have to go with the E.I. as my insurance only covers so many visits. She's a sweet lady and said that when he turns three we can start seeing him again. You got that right! Once the school system takes over I will be in the same boat as I am with Logan. Ryan will need the outside therapy because their is no guarentee that he will get what he's supposed to at school.
I do have to give the school board credit; they did finally get a good speech therapist in Logan's school. I really shouldn't put it like that; it's more like they finally got the other ladies some help so they aren't so stretched out and stressed out. This newer therapist has seen Logan more than the two previous (granted we did up his ST on his IEP this year but....) It could also be that she's very young and still into everything must go by the book. I don't care what it is as long as he's getting what is on his IEP and he's progressing. He still has very very far to go; he will say thank you one day and not use it again for weeks. He's still not potty trained but I'm working with our Flexible Spending company to get his diapers approved. Once that happens those won't come out of our weekly grocery budget. That will be a big help as we buy two packs of diapers every week or so. One for home and one for school not to mention the wipes etc.
We are also hoping that the Flex Spend company will approve Ryan's Next Step formula since he has to have it in order to thrive physically. Due to his feeding issues, we have to give him something with all the nutrients or we back slide and I really can't imagine having that happen. They said all we needed was a doctors note with a diagnosis and explanation. Since Logan has been diagnosed as Autistic that one is a done deal. Ryan can't have a formal diagnosis until he hits 30 months so I have the evaluation from the early interevention psychologist that states he has characteristics of an autistic spectrum disorder. Keep fingers and toes crossed that will be enough to let them approve it. We spend between $40 and $60 per week on his formula alone. Some weeks it's more if we can find a sale we buy a couple extra cans to keep on hand. Never fail it will be a non pay week and we will get low on formula. If we can get it approved by Flex Spend then that won't be an issue any more.
Ryan is now set up with the early intervention therapies finally! He has been with speech for about a month now. Monday he had his first visit with his occupational therapist for his evaluation. Today he has his physcal therapist coming to do the evaluation so we can get a set schedule for these. They had some employee changes and schedule changes at the hospital and we were to begin our new schedule this week so I had to call on Sunday to let the O.T. know we wouldn't be coming and then on Monday called back to let them know about the P.T. They have a good S.T. at the hospital and she was going to work with Ryan for O.T. until they had a replacement as she has another job. I would have loved to have her work with Ryan but I have to go with the E.I. as my insurance only covers so many visits. She's a sweet lady and said that when he turns three we can start seeing him again. You got that right! Once the school system takes over I will be in the same boat as I am with Logan. Ryan will need the outside therapy because their is no guarentee that he will get what he's supposed to at school.
I do have to give the school board credit; they did finally get a good speech therapist in Logan's school. I really shouldn't put it like that; it's more like they finally got the other ladies some help so they aren't so stretched out and stressed out. This newer therapist has seen Logan more than the two previous (granted we did up his ST on his IEP this year but....) It could also be that she's very young and still into everything must go by the book. I don't care what it is as long as he's getting what is on his IEP and he's progressing. He still has very very far to go; he will say thank you one day and not use it again for weeks. He's still not potty trained but I'm working with our Flexible Spending company to get his diapers approved. Once that happens those won't come out of our weekly grocery budget. That will be a big help as we buy two packs of diapers every week or so. One for home and one for school not to mention the wipes etc.
We are also hoping that the Flex Spend company will approve Ryan's Next Step formula since he has to have it in order to thrive physically. Due to his feeding issues, we have to give him something with all the nutrients or we back slide and I really can't imagine having that happen. They said all we needed was a doctors note with a diagnosis and explanation. Since Logan has been diagnosed as Autistic that one is a done deal. Ryan can't have a formal diagnosis until he hits 30 months so I have the evaluation from the early interevention psychologist that states he has characteristics of an autistic spectrum disorder. Keep fingers and toes crossed that will be enough to let them approve it. We spend between $40 and $60 per week on his formula alone. Some weeks it's more if we can find a sale we buy a couple extra cans to keep on hand. Never fail it will be a non pay week and we will get low on formula. If we can get it approved by Flex Spend then that won't be an issue any more.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Great News!
Well, we were able to finally get to the neurologist for Ryan's 2nd MRI follow up visit yesterday. The day started out very rushed and irritating but when we were finally on I95 I took a deep breath said a little prayer to help us get through the day. We got to Orlando in time to stop for a cup of coffee for me as I don't like to have any before the drive or we will have to stop 20 times for potty breaks. (Okay, it's not like I have the time to make it before we are running out the door either but....)
We made it to Dr. Kojic's office right on time and only had to wait for about 15 minutes to get in to see her. The kids enjoyed the time playing with all the fun toys in the waiting room and I enjoyed that time drinking (okay, savoring) my coffee. I also didn't get a migraine and I believe it's because I was able to get a cup of coffee early and that the visit went so well. (and the traffic wasn't half bad; only one wreck on the way so traffic was only slowed down for about 10 minutes)
The really great news is that the neurologist was so happy with the improvement she saw in Ryan since our last visit. It's been about three months since she saw him last. He's been saying so many more words and not throwing up every time he gags on something. We discussed the neurosurgen's idea of another MRI in about six months and she's agreeing with us that if there are no changes we don't need to do it. She did recommend that we go back to see the neurosurgen in six months for a follow up but other than that we are done for another year!!
She says at this time she can't even give us a diagnosis of PDD. This is such great news!! She said looking back over the past six months that if she had to diagnose him at the beginning it wouldn't have been such good news. She thinks that by the time he's five and the services go away that he will be mainstreamed into regular classes with no problems. What a great day it was for us!!!
We made it to Dr. Kojic's office right on time and only had to wait for about 15 minutes to get in to see her. The kids enjoyed the time playing with all the fun toys in the waiting room and I enjoyed that time drinking (okay, savoring) my coffee. I also didn't get a migraine and I believe it's because I was able to get a cup of coffee early and that the visit went so well. (and the traffic wasn't half bad; only one wreck on the way so traffic was only slowed down for about 10 minutes)
The really great news is that the neurologist was so happy with the improvement she saw in Ryan since our last visit. It's been about three months since she saw him last. He's been saying so many more words and not throwing up every time he gags on something. We discussed the neurosurgen's idea of another MRI in about six months and she's agreeing with us that if there are no changes we don't need to do it. She did recommend that we go back to see the neurosurgen in six months for a follow up but other than that we are done for another year!!
She says at this time she can't even give us a diagnosis of PDD. This is such great news!! She said looking back over the past six months that if she had to diagnose him at the beginning it wouldn't have been such good news. She thinks that by the time he's five and the services go away that he will be mainstreamed into regular classes with no problems. What a great day it was for us!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
