Thanks

Sometimes days are long and tough with three kids - we all know that. The autism "stuff" throws another level of intensity into the mix between the constant therapy sessions, behaviors and the mental effort behind all of thee above. 

Today one of our little guys therapists started her day by complimenting my husband and I. She went on about all of our efforts with our son and how we are a pleasure to work with....etc. 

The little things count - say something nice to people every now and then. ;-) 

Growth

It's so very easy to be negative or depressed over autism....or anything medical related. But, finding the positive can really help. Some days I find it randomly, others I force find it...and some days just suck. Life!  ;) 

Today's realization is based around therapy goals for my youngest. We've always been a family that tries to minimize unnecessary stressors. For example, we rarely take the kids grocery shopping. Why? Because it's crazy and sounds ridiculous. There's two adults here, let the kids stay home. Right? Yes, but Kieran needs to experience these things. So we are stepping out of our comfort zone and forcing ourselves to welcome unnecessary stress in order to grow. In order for all of us to grow. 

We can't spell Barney, or avoid letting him see his shoes forever. It's silly really. If we allow those things to be the norm - (saying, not spelling words, not hiding shoes....etc) he can and will adjust to them. Yes, your shoes are laying out - but we aren't going anywhere! We may not be going anywhere for a few days. There's the shoes, buddy! He can't meltdown over the shoes for two days. At some point it clicks that shoes and going out to play are not always connected. 

So there it is - my random positivity gained during one of his therapy sessions this morning. It dawned on me that we used to have to shut the front door during therapy or that's all he would focus on. But today - it was open. It's been open for weeks. He moved on. Growth...progress!

Therapy

Our youngest has therapy during the week to make sure we're offering/providing the appropriate supports and tools for him. 

We are fortunate enough to reside in Pennsylvania, where we've experienced no wait lists at all for Early Intervention services. The same goes for his outpatient services, which is through our insurance.

The schedule looks something like this:

Monday - Developmental (11-12pm), Behavioral (1-1:45pm)

Tuesday - Speech, outpatient (1-1:30pm)

Wednesday - Speech (11:45-12:45pm)

Thursday - Occupational (9-10am), Speech (10:30-11:30am)

Friday - Speech, outpatient (11-11:30am)

Then comes the weekend where we try to fulfill his social goals (and the others by default) by getting the whole family out into the community. This may be something as simple as a solo trip to the grocery store with daddy, a family trip to the playground or to a local museum. You know, typical things that families do.

He has, in the past, spent a lot of time in meltdown mode while in public. Much progress has been made in that area, as he does very well in situations where he can roam freely without interaction from strangers (playgrounds, museums...etc). 

The problems begin when he must contain himself and has to keep himself stimulated or distracted from individuals or situations. The longest he has made it in a restaurant is around 10 minutes, which is why the summer goal is to extend that. 

So many goals. So much more developing to do for our young little guy (guys!).