We can't get no sleep

I know the title is not grammatically correct- but it is the truth. Why is it so difficult for Robbie to sleep? He was a great sleeper- (WAS should be capitalized) For the past few months sleep has been extremely inconsistent and sporadic. If he doesn't nap- chances are he'll fall asleep early and wake up in the middle of the night- and stay awake until an hour before we all have to get up. Lately -even with no nap he'll stay awake most of the night. Staying awake for him is running up and down the hall, talking loudly (making no sense), jumping on the bed, kicking anyone next to him, and stimming excessively. This will occasionally wake Lexi up and the cycle continues between them until early am. The neuro-ped had suggested melatonin- natural supplement to enhance sleep. I don't think it's working. Right now he sleeps- probably because he's had less than 8 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. I just hope and pray he sleeps through the night. Mom and Dad are tired too! :)

October

I want to thank everyone for the tremendous amount of support and reading material we've received. We are still trying to digest all the information and have been reading things written by adults with autism. What an interesting and scary perspective! " Soon Will Come The Light- by Thomas McKean" Featured on Oprah!

School is in full swing now and Robbie has his routine down. He seems to love school - especially his one on one aide. We've noticed a tremendous improvement in his verbal skills. He will come home from school and tell me a story- most of which I can't understand but as I go through his backpack I generally figure out the gist of it. ( stop, drop and roll was a more recent one- hysterical!!) Robbie is also beginning to eat different foods- or foods he ate as a young toddler. This is exciting because - hopefully- I will be able to sneak vegetables into his diet.
Birthday parties are our latest challenge. For now we are skipping the non family parties. I think a hectic environment would be difficult for Robbie and even more difficult would explaining why he can't have the pizza and cake all the other kids are having.
We're also keeping a close eye on Lexi. I go back and forth with the amount of concern I have for her getting the same diagnosis. Her speech is limited- but she's very smart and picks things up quickly. She spins and looks out of the corner of her eye- but only when Robbie or someone is around to see her do it. So we wait and hope for the best!

School's in session!!

School is in full swing for Robbie. Pre-school, speech therapy, occupational therapy and applied behavioral analysis. The 3 and 1/2 hour day 4 days a week are fantastic and exhausting for our 3 year old. His communication and ability to follow direction has improved- just as it had over the summer. Once again though- his stimming behaviors have increased. Robbie will continuously move and speak some language I can not understand. He will run back and forth saying "eeeeee". He is unable to sit down for any extended length of time. ( extended length being more than 1 minute) His eye contact decreases and he clenches his fists and grinds his teeth. We were told that as some behaviors improve others may take shape. As a parent I fear Robbie will be considered the weird kid. Others may not want to play with him- or at this age other parents will not want him around. (Some feel these things are contagious- like cancer.)- please hear the sarcasm. As always my hope is we figure out the root cause of these behaviors so we can help lessen them. Is he tired? Does he have a headache? A stomach ache? Is he constipated? Bored? Anxious? Nervous? At this point it's any one's guess!