Amazing ABA therapy

Many have heard of the wonders ABA therapy does for Autistic children. Applied Behavior Analysis teaches social, motor and verbal behaviors as well as reasoning skills. It reinforces what we've been told by the experts- Autistic children don't "pick up" knowledge and social behaviors the way other children do. I have had my first ABA training session and Robbie and I sat down yesterday to "do some work". The first 20 minutes was very difficult- getting and keeping him on task. The ABA therapist at his school suggested the game perfection. I knew this would be a piece of cake for Robbie- as far as putting the pieces in the correct spot. He's always been really good with that. The surprising part was he loved waiting for the timer to pop the pieces out. It's loud and a little scary (for me at least). Robbie loved it. The reward for finishing the game was hearing the pop. Who knew. I'm interested in talking to the ABA therapist next week to get a little more knowledge on why this game is so good.- will keep everyone updated.
Another surprise was on the computer. Robbie loves the nickelodeon website. They have great matching games. We played a new game yesterday. Dora's Christmas adventure. The first round it asks to pick out the square from a variety of shapes. Next - pick the yellow oval, next pick the red circle with stripes. Robbie got 80% correct. We played 4 times. I was amazed. The struggle for him was pointing to the item on the screen. He put his nose to it- his mouth, his tongue. He looks at it - but getting him to point is difficult. We'll work on it- I'm was just really happy to see he knows the answers. Unlocking his ability to communicate is the key.

Holiday Stress

Often parents in the autism community joke that we have become more religious during the holiday season: we pray our children will behave while we are visiting relatives, we pray they will show interest in their gifts (and not just the ribbon), we pray they will sit at the dinner table, we pray they won't hit the relative who tries to kiss them, and above all, we pray that we will have the strength to politely ignore the judgments passed upon us and our 'misbehaving' children.

This is a quote I pulled off of the Autism Speaks newsletter because it is so accurate. Will the holidays be too overwhelming or hopefully pleasantly relaxing. I also relate to this quote because it makes me think about those who have an Autistic or special needs children. How can you tell if someone has a special needs child? Look into their eyes and see the tears that well up as they speak about their child. Look at the bags under their eyes and additional stress signs across their face. I have been thinking about this quite a lot lately as I think about those I know with Autistic children. The surgeon I used to call on for work- who always looked exhausted, distracted and distant. The Nurse at one of my accounts who frequently has tears so close to falling down her face. The mother in my neighborhood who can't have a conversation because she is literally chasing her son to keep him safe. My husband who has been is a pillar of strength but struggles to keep the tears back as well. And myself as I look in the mirror at the dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep and worry. While we look forward to the holidays my thoughts and prayers are for us all. We simply want what every parent wants. A child who is excited and awed by Santa Claus and Christmas. Who gets everything he wants- even when he can not yet ask us. Who can survive without major meltdowns and sleepless nights. Is that too much to ask??

Happy Holidays!

I am getting so excited for Christmas!! I continue to melt as I watch the dynamics between Robbie and Lexi. We were driving to Walmart to do a little Christmas shopping and Robbie got out of his booster seat (bad)- but the reason was he wanted to sit right next to his sister. On the ride home I moved his booster to the middle position in the car so he could be close to Lexi. (it's a short trip) They both had lollipop's- Lexi dropped hers and started crying- screaming is probably more accurate. Robbie gave his lollipop to her- which obviously made her very happy!!



We do have our ups and downs. The ABA therapist that is working with Robbie told us he is having a hard time with his colors. This surprised us because over the summer he seemed to know most of them- or at least be able to match colors. Robbie and I played Candy land on the computer this morning- which is a color game. He did great! He knew almost all of them- and faded towards the end of the game because he was tired. For Robbie- that is key. When he is tired it is hard for him to concentrate and focus. More so than the average person. He had a great week in school this week- we were told. I think the key may be he got plenty of rest and slept through the nights.



All in all I feel optimistic and can't wait to see my 2 favorite little faces on Christmas morning!!

2 peas in a pod

One of our latest joys has been watching the relationship develop between Robbie and Lexi. She has adored him since birth- as the younger sibling adores the older one- but he has recently warmed up to her as well. He motions for her to follow him and says "come on". If she falls down and cries he will kiss the top of her head. It is so nice to watch them play together and even fight over toys as all siblings do. On the other hand- they do feed off each other in terms of bad behavior. He spits juice on the floor- she laughs - making him do it more. She'll throw food on the floor- he'll laugh- causing her to do it more. Honestly though- if it means a little more clean up on our part- it is well worth it to hear the two of them laugh - together!!!

Dad is losing it...

Well I'm officially losing it. Robbie has been doing well at school but at home is "stimming" like crazy. His "eeee" chanting is getting increasingly worse and we are noticing a new behavior coming to light. He holds his right hand in the air when he is supposed to be relaxing and getting ready for bed. He also does it anytime he is sitting or laying down. He holds it almost straight up in the air, even when he is at the dinner table.

I am blogging because I'm getting scared and I thought this would help. What the hell am I supposed to do? Why is this happening? Can I help him?????

When we first found out he "IS" autistic I was a mess. Crying on the outside even when I was at work. Lately I have been keeping it all inside and dealing with it. So I thought. Today, I feel helpless. I know my wife is upset but there is nothing I can say or do that will help her. There is NOTHING I can do to make it go away. The days I don't cry on the outside I am crying on the inside. I work in a school and a lot of great people talk to me on a daily basis about my son. They are all awesome people and I thank them for caring....BUT I don't think I can talk about it anymore.....or at least for a few days.

My poor daughter Lexi....she is awesome! Am I neglecting her because of all of the time I focus on Robbie? She needs my love too. I/we are trying to make sure that she gets all the attention and love a one year old needs. God she's a tank....and funny as hell!

Wow, I really am a mess....positives.....He says "I love you dad." He is really close to having a conversation with us. I hope that happens before he is four.

I don't know how to sign off on this pitty party so I'll just say thank you to all of you that have helped us through this so far. Peace and on to another day! I know I should be watching the Phillies but man they suck right now...could really care less.

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!