Sensory regulation

I have been feeling proud of my autistic 10 year old. He's always been incredibly sensory seeking. As a toddler he would touch walls as he walked. That binky( pacifier) stayed around much longer than it should had- it literally disintegrated........ Those years from the age of 3 to - ---well now , at the age of 10, have been a constant struggle of occupational therapy and doing everything we can to keep Robbie "comfortable in his own skin."  Recently, Robbie has discovered how to get the sensory input he needs to feel better. He takes multiple showers or baths. He swings on our playset and/ or hammock. He jumps on the trampoline. He rides the stationary bike in our living room. He walks on the treadmill. He does yoga, copying the moves from a book his teacher had put together 2 years ago. He snuggles on a large bean bag from yogibo. Most of the things mentioned above- he does multiple times a day, for short bursts of time, every single day

He has also discovered a love of "writing stories". He will draw a picture and then write a few sentences to go along with it. He struggles with spelling, so he asks how to spell every word but the yearning to read and write is there. That in itself is amazing.

There are still moments of discomfort for Robbie. We went to our favorite lunch spot yesterday.  there were 3 mistakes made. 1) We sat in a different section/type of table. 2) The football games were on and the volume was very loud. 3) His food was late- delivered well after everyone had gotten theirs.  The first 2 mistakes we should have anticipated but the 3rd could not be helped. The best part of the day was Robbie was able to manage through all 3 obstacles. He needed multiple extra tight hugs, deep breathes and a shared chicken nugget while waiting, but he survived. I was talking to a friend later in the day who had borrowed our weighted blanket for her child. As I explained the events of the day it became even more clear. Really- we all survived. 5 years ago, I never would have thought we'd be here.

I know I'll never fully understand my son who has autism, but I also don't get my 3 year old or my 8 year most of the time!! The thing I do know is

         How much I love this child- I can not count the ways!!!