The Struggle continues

I thought my "baby proofing" days were over. A few weeks ago Robbie climbed onto a desk - where our computer sits- in the playroom- and took the cord from the blind. He put it around his neck- 2 times. Rob and I were in the family room- right next door- Lexi dropped a puzzle- making a loud noise. Rob went in to check on them. He was scared when he saw Robbie- Robbie was startled- and jumped from the desk. Thankfully - Rob caught him and removed the string from his neck. It left a red mark but thankfully again- nothing that needed medical attention.
This was an incredibly frightening experience. Our outlets are covered, knives are put in high cabinets- but I would never have thought to watch for a blind that takes skill to climb to. Just to be clear- no worries of suicide. Robbie has been wrapping his arms, legs and mid section with string, color forms and anything he finds. It is a sensory processing issue. Now I am cutting strings out of shorts- and cutting tags off of shirts because those bother him as well. He can't be unattended.
The good is- school seems to be going well and all the extra ABA he received over the summer has helped as well. I took Robbie to Stride Rite for shoes- which has always been a nightmare. He picked out shoes - let them measure his foot- and wore his new shoes out of the store. ( He did pick the same shoes he was wearing in the bigger size- but we got out without a meltdown.) He is talking more- and we have been taught some skills to get him talking and to calm him down.
The bad is- stimming, stimming, stimming. The school OT has told us Robbie has low muscle tone in his hands and core. This may cause some of the stimming- flapping- akward movements. They are working on building those muscle groups. I have not considered medication, but I am willing to hear what our Neurologist has to say. It's like he is uncomfortable in his own skin. Pull-ups bother him- but he won't wear underwear or be naked to potty train. Heat bothers him- he won't go outside for recess if it's too hot. Possibly bright sunlight bothers him too- but he hasn't expressed that. He has told me his stomach hurts- more often than not lately. His diet has been relatively the same- so we're trying to figure out what to remove.
Lastly- I have met a lot of new people in the last 2 months due to a new job. When I mention I have an autistic son the response is often- is he mild or aspergers? The answer is no. Robbie is Autistic- moderate- according to his neurologist. The hot new diagnosis is being on the spectrum- for kids that nothing else seems to fit. Robbie is not just on the spectrum- he's in the middle. I am becoming more familiar with what that really means every day. Lexi is so far beyond her brother verbally at 2 years old. I didn't understand what the doctors meant by lack of imaginary play for Robbie until Lexi. I didn't understand what his challenges were until Lexi. So once again- 1 step forward- 2 steps back. And Hope :)

A new (school) year!!

Today was orientation day for Robbie and us (his parents.) Robbie held my hand while we entered the building. He is generally pretty independent but stayed close while we waited to go into his new classroom. Springville is much bigger than his previous school and probably a little intimidating. Daddy met us in the lobby (it was his first day back and we were lucky he was able to join us) and we proceeded to Robbie's new classroom. 3 other children and their parents entered along with the teacher and aid after aid. 5 aids, 1 teacher, speech therapist, occupational therapist, case manager and nurse were introduced today. I felt nervous and giddy at the same time. Robbie will (hopefully) finally get what he needs. 4 children and 6 adults ( more children may be added as the year progresses) what a fantastic ratio. 2 other boys, both verbal and 1 girl who is non verbal. These children had been students the year before and their parents were very pleased with their progress. Robbie was ushered down to the OT room with the other children and all 5 aids as his teacher gave us a basic run down of the day. 1 and 1/2 hours of ABA in the morning and afternoon, speech and OT, library, gym, and music- woven into free spots and lots of interactive instruction. I can barely contain my excitement while I type!!
I am prepared for a few rough mornings. The bus is coming tomorrow to pick him up and I'm sure it will be difficult. But I can not help but pray for the best. A good year. Some real tangible improvement. A bit less stress and a lot more hope. That's not too much to ask for, is it??