So we're still waiting on the report from our OT eval and haven't scheduled any therapy sessions yet. I called on Friday and they said it'll be another week. It's really frustrating to have to wait, especially since we feel like we're seeing some regression in Bug.
For the most part, we've moved out of the tantrum phase (thankfully!) but Bug has been spending most of his time not engaging with us. We try and try and usually he just shuts us down. Especially for me, this takes a toll. Being constantly resisted means you try less, which is the exact opposite of what we need to do. I did read some wise words in a book about activities to do with ASD kids, that said that kids with ASD and sensory issues might not be able to react the way we expect, but we should assume that they benefit from the playing and interaction we do anyway. (Of course it's crucial to be mindful of their reactions and not push too hard if they're afraid, but being passive doesn't necessarily mean inattentive.)
The weather has not been real cooperative with getting outside. Even on nice days, the ground is still so soggy it's hard to play in the yard and most playgrounds are pretty mucky too. We do spend time hanging out in the driveway. Bug likes to sit in the wagon while watching the cars, and it's a good opportunity to talk to him about the things we see around us and what we feel.
Adam and I also talked and realized that we needed to "get back to basics" with Bug. We've been trying to encourage more physical play: rough-housing, tickles, action songs, etc. It's only been a couple of days, and I'm already seeing some minor changes :)
Speech is continuing to go quite well. Bug puts up a bit of a fight to go in the room with Laura, but it sounds like they get some good hard work done during their sessions. On Friday she told me that he frequently tells her he likes things (something we don't really hear much at home!). He told her he likes swimming which made me smile, because he certainly is a waterBug. :) She said that he's doing a great job adding -ing to his verbs, they're working on colors and eye contact when requesting things. He's also doing a great job saying hi and bye when asked.
I did also put in a call to another clinic to diagnose Bug. They are the ones that both speech and OT suggested, and after looking at their website, I feel like they're a better fit for us. The receptionist said that the waiting list to be evaluated is currently out until the end of May, so it'll be a while before we get anything set up with that, but I'm hoping to get paperwork starting this coming week.
I'm really hoping we can start seeing some better weather so we can do more outside activities, since Bug really thrives in more physical environments. But we continue to make do with what we have. I'm anxious to get OT started again, so hopefully we hear back soon!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
OT Eval and breaking out of routines
So we finally had our OT eval. It went ok, but not great. Honestly, evals are always hard for me. On the one hand, I feel such pride when Bug shows off his skills. He built a tower using small blocks for the evaluator--something he never does at home--and I just wanted to jump up and dance. On the other hand, it is really, really hard to watch your boy not be able to do things that are age-appropriate. Like play with toys, or scribble on paper. The OT evaluator noted that Bug lacks any purposeful play skills--mostly he just lines his toys up to look at. Hard for me to hear, even though I know it's true. Bug wasn't real cooperative assessing his fine motor skills, the OT said she got him to about 24 months old, which is probably fairly accurate. She did say that she thinks he'll be a "continuous study" kid--he can do a lot it's just he doesn't "test" well. He really enjoyed the gross motor and sensory stuff, especially when she put him on a big swing. Then she got to see his grins :) We are looking forward to starting regular sessions, although I'm not sure when or how often yet.
Speech has gotten kind of interesting. Bug has been rather resistant to going back with Laura. It takes 15 minutes and then you have to kind of force him back. He doesn't seem super upset about it, more of a power-struggle type of thing. At our session on Friday, we came right on time, rather than a couple minutes early, and I walked Bug right back rather than going into the waiting room. He had a bit of a struggle with Laura picking a room, but after that he had a good productive session. So I guess we'll keep doing that until it doesn't work anymore.
We are really starting to hear good communication with Bug. He's pretty consistent with saying hi and bye and waving, which is great. A lot of times he'll correct himself to get longer phrases. "Blueberries. Blueberries. Blueberries. Mommy, I want blueberries." He does more spontaneous phrases too. On Saturday he told me, out of the blue "Put shoes on". :D That was really great to hear. It does take him a bit longer to process and find the right words, but we are all learning patience together.
As I mentioned in the family blog, we have hit a tantrum phase again. Completely developmentally appropriate, and sometimes we expected from time to time (even if we can't predict when). Bug does occasionally swat at us or Laura, but we don't think it's anything too serious. It's hard for him. He has the ideas of a 3-year old and big emotions and really struggles to communicate them with us sometimes. We're hoping that better sleep (we've been having troubles overnight) will help shorten this phase. Not my favorite.
I'm definitely ready to get back into OT and I am really hopeful that we can get some consistent progress from him. The plan is to start big (with sensory and gross motor) and then work on the fine motor stuff. We've got a long slog ahead of us, but I think it'll be so beneficial!
Speech has gotten kind of interesting. Bug has been rather resistant to going back with Laura. It takes 15 minutes and then you have to kind of force him back. He doesn't seem super upset about it, more of a power-struggle type of thing. At our session on Friday, we came right on time, rather than a couple minutes early, and I walked Bug right back rather than going into the waiting room. He had a bit of a struggle with Laura picking a room, but after that he had a good productive session. So I guess we'll keep doing that until it doesn't work anymore.
We are really starting to hear good communication with Bug. He's pretty consistent with saying hi and bye and waving, which is great. A lot of times he'll correct himself to get longer phrases. "Blueberries. Blueberries. Blueberries. Mommy, I want blueberries." He does more spontaneous phrases too. On Saturday he told me, out of the blue "Put shoes on". :D That was really great to hear. It does take him a bit longer to process and find the right words, but we are all learning patience together.
As I mentioned in the family blog, we have hit a tantrum phase again. Completely developmentally appropriate, and sometimes we expected from time to time (even if we can't predict when). Bug does occasionally swat at us or Laura, but we don't think it's anything too serious. It's hard for him. He has the ideas of a 3-year old and big emotions and really struggles to communicate them with us sometimes. We're hoping that better sleep (we've been having troubles overnight) will help shorten this phase. Not my favorite.
I'm definitely ready to get back into OT and I am really hopeful that we can get some consistent progress from him. The plan is to start big (with sensory and gross motor) and then work on the fine motor stuff. We've got a long slog ahead of us, but I think it'll be so beneficial!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Cabin Fever
Well it looks like I have some serious catching up to do!
We finished our Early Intervention therapies at the end of January. While it was a little sad to see them end, I'm glad that we've transitioned very well. I got cards for the therapists and Bug "wrote" on them, which made me happy too :)
Speech with Laura is going very well I think! We do 45 minute sessions and it seems like Bug does pretty well for the first 30 or so, then starts getting a little more resistant to her tactics. On Friday I was sitting outside the room and it was neat to see Bug sitting down and playing with Laura, offering phrases and repeating the words she said. Happily, I feel like we're seeing at least some of that come home with him too. He can often tell us "Daddy/Mommy, I want ____" without us prompting. He even will correct himself sometimes if he pronounces something wrong.
OT...Well, I finally got a hold of the office we want to go to and scheduled an eval for Bug. Unfortunately, it's not until the middle of March so we'll be having a bit of a lag. I've been trying to get Bug some sensory experiences (playing with flubber, the bean table, going out in the snow, etc) but I can tell he's missing the parks and all that physical play and swinging. Happily, our weather should cooperate this week, so we'll probably be spending A LOT of time outside.
On the plus,
Bug seems to be okay wearing boots (assuming they fit). He even brought them to Adam yesterday when he wanted to go outside. I'm really really hoping that we've turned a corner on this. I would love to take Bug out in rainy/snowy weather more, but he needs to at least have boots on (seeing as he won't wear a winter coat or a raincoat).
Next year I think I'm going to make him a winter coat all from fleece and see if he'll wear that. It's becoming very aware to me that he is bothered by certain textures, and I wonder if he doesn't like the roughness of most coats.
At the advice of our pediatrician, we've contacted a developmental pediatrician to seek a diagnosis for Bug. Basically the rationale is that if we have a medical diagnosis, that will open more doors for therapy options. We have to return paperwork before getting an appointment, so I'm not quite sure when Bug will be seen, but prayers are appreciated!
Onto fun stuff:
Bug also seems to be into balloons lately. I bought some for the boys' birthdays and once they stopped floating I took the strings off and put them in the playroom. Bug likes to throw them up and try to catch them--more interest in a game like that than he's ever shown before! Adam was throwing a ball to him through the tunnel last night and Bug thought that was super fun too. He kept bringing the ball back around for Adam to do it again. We couldn't get him to throw it back through, but it was the closest to cooperative play we've seen!
I took the boys to the library last week and Bug had a really good time. We'd gone before, with iffy results, but it looks like it'll start being a more regular activity for us. We happened to show up as they were finishing a toddler story time and they had a big parachute that they were throwing balls on and the kids were standing under. Bug insisted on going in there so he could join in! I guess I'll have to look up when storytime is! I do think it'll be a bit of a stretch for us, but worth a try! He also loves the huge windows in the reading area that overlook a pond with fountain. It was hard to pull him away from that when it was time to go.
I'm super proud of how well Bug has been doing in new or difficult situations. He still has the occasional tantrum, but overall he is cooperative and listens to me. Even at the doctor's, he did way better than he had in a really long time! Yay Bug!
Last night he tried taco meat--which he hadn't eaten in a really long time--it was great to see him revisit a meat that he did really like. We're still working to offer him new tastes, but it's definitely an uphill struggle.
So I think that catches us up pretty well. Things are going well, even if we're not seeing earth-shattering improvements. :)
We finished our Early Intervention therapies at the end of January. While it was a little sad to see them end, I'm glad that we've transitioned very well. I got cards for the therapists and Bug "wrote" on them, which made me happy too :)
Speech with Laura is going very well I think! We do 45 minute sessions and it seems like Bug does pretty well for the first 30 or so, then starts getting a little more resistant to her tactics. On Friday I was sitting outside the room and it was neat to see Bug sitting down and playing with Laura, offering phrases and repeating the words she said. Happily, I feel like we're seeing at least some of that come home with him too. He can often tell us "Daddy/Mommy, I want ____" without us prompting. He even will correct himself sometimes if he pronounces something wrong.
OT...Well, I finally got a hold of the office we want to go to and scheduled an eval for Bug. Unfortunately, it's not until the middle of March so we'll be having a bit of a lag. I've been trying to get Bug some sensory experiences (playing with flubber, the bean table, going out in the snow, etc) but I can tell he's missing the parks and all that physical play and swinging. Happily, our weather should cooperate this week, so we'll probably be spending A LOT of time outside.
On the plus,
Next year I think I'm going to make him a winter coat all from fleece and see if he'll wear that. It's becoming very aware to me that he is bothered by certain textures, and I wonder if he doesn't like the roughness of most coats.
At the advice of our pediatrician, we've contacted a developmental pediatrician to seek a diagnosis for Bug. Basically the rationale is that if we have a medical diagnosis, that will open more doors for therapy options. We have to return paperwork before getting an appointment, so I'm not quite sure when Bug will be seen, but prayers are appreciated!
Onto fun stuff:
Bug also seems to be into balloons lately. I bought some for the boys' birthdays and once they stopped floating I took the strings off and put them in the playroom. Bug likes to throw them up and try to catch them--more interest in a game like that than he's ever shown before! Adam was throwing a ball to him through the tunnel last night and Bug thought that was super fun too. He kept bringing the ball back around for Adam to do it again. We couldn't get him to throw it back through, but it was the closest to cooperative play we've seen!
I took the boys to the library last week and Bug had a really good time. We'd gone before, with iffy results, but it looks like it'll start being a more regular activity for us. We happened to show up as they were finishing a toddler story time and they had a big parachute that they were throwing balls on and the kids were standing under. Bug insisted on going in there so he could join in! I guess I'll have to look up when storytime is! I do think it'll be a bit of a stretch for us, but worth a try! He also loves the huge windows in the reading area that overlook a pond with fountain. It was hard to pull him away from that when it was time to go.
I'm super proud of how well Bug has been doing in new or difficult situations. He still has the occasional tantrum, but overall he is cooperative and listens to me. Even at the doctor's, he did way better than he had in a really long time! Yay Bug!
Last night he tried taco meat--which he hadn't eaten in a really long time--it was great to see him revisit a meat that he did really like. We're still working to offer him new tastes, but it's definitely an uphill struggle.
So I think that catches us up pretty well. Things are going well, even if we're not seeing earth-shattering improvements. :)
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
The first week of speech
Last week went by super fast! We had 4 therapies (OT, speech and 2 speech sessions at the new office!)--I think it tuckered Bug out!
OT went ok, I talked with Lauren about transitioning to private therapy and our options for that. I am waiting to hear back from the OT we'd like--and getting a little frustrated because I'm having a tough time getting a hold of them. Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of options for OT, so I'm hoping we can get this set up soon!
Speech with Laura (our new therapist) is going really well! Bug has transitioned quickly and yesterday went back without me! Really good. I had to laugh because on Friday, Laura tried a technique called "sabotage" where she wouldn't give in to Bug (give him toys he wanted, etc) unless he at least made an attempt at asking for them. When she told me about it, she said "He is..." I said "Stubborn?" "Persistent" Yep. I know. He's been persistent from the get-go. :)
Yesterday Bug matched some items for Laura and did volunteer a few words. She's starting to present him with structure (like not roaming all over the room, sitting at a table until he finishes a task, etc). It's definitely going to take some time, but he does seem responsive to her.
One thing I found, that I'm rather surprised about, is that I get kind of frustrated when I can hear Bug not respond to her when I know he can. Like, if it's something he says at home no problem. So maybe it's a good thing I'm not in there with him ;)
Another change we've had is all of the sudden, Bug has started putting consonants on the ends of his words! Sit and hat and cake and the like. It's great to hear. Kerry said today that kids should by the age of 3 so it's good to see he's in a good place with that! Plus it really helps in understanding him!
We got some snow last week, and I was FINALLY able to convince Bug to put on boots (rainboots, because Virginia snow is not real snow) so we could go outside:
He had a blast running through the snow and eating the "mooncakes" I made for him. <3
Here's hoping we continue to see good progress. Hard to believe next week is our last week of Early Intervention therapies. Guess we'll have to do a big recap, eh?
OT went ok, I talked with Lauren about transitioning to private therapy and our options for that. I am waiting to hear back from the OT we'd like--and getting a little frustrated because I'm having a tough time getting a hold of them. Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of options for OT, so I'm hoping we can get this set up soon!
Speech with Laura (our new therapist) is going really well! Bug has transitioned quickly and yesterday went back without me! Really good. I had to laugh because on Friday, Laura tried a technique called "sabotage" where she wouldn't give in to Bug (give him toys he wanted, etc) unless he at least made an attempt at asking for them. When she told me about it, she said "He is..." I said "Stubborn?" "Persistent" Yep. I know. He's been persistent from the get-go. :)
Yesterday Bug matched some items for Laura and did volunteer a few words. She's starting to present him with structure (like not roaming all over the room, sitting at a table until he finishes a task, etc). It's definitely going to take some time, but he does seem responsive to her.
One thing I found, that I'm rather surprised about, is that I get kind of frustrated when I can hear Bug not respond to her when I know he can. Like, if it's something he says at home no problem. So maybe it's a good thing I'm not in there with him ;)
Another change we've had is all of the sudden, Bug has started putting consonants on the ends of his words! Sit and hat and cake and the like. It's great to hear. Kerry said today that kids should by the age of 3 so it's good to see he's in a good place with that! Plus it really helps in understanding him!
We got some snow last week, and I was FINALLY able to convince Bug to put on boots (rainboots, because Virginia snow is not real snow) so we could go outside:
He had a blast running through the snow and eating the "mooncakes" I made for him. <3
Here's hoping we continue to see good progress. Hard to believe next week is our last week of Early Intervention therapies. Guess we'll have to do a big recap, eh?
Monday, January 13, 2014
Whack-a-doo Week
Last week ran away from us. Bug got sick on Tuesday so I had to cancel his speech therapy and his speech evaluation. Luckily, we were able to reschedule the eval for Friday--and even luckier was Bug being almost completely back to normal by then too! It was such a relief to not have to take him to the doctor.
The eval went pretty well. I felt like Bug behaved pretty "normal" for him so they could get a pretty accurate assessment done. It was amazing to see how quickly he adjusted to being in the therapy room. When we did the EI assessment, they did it at home because I thought there was no way he'd tolerate being in a foreign environment. Anyway, the evaluator noted Bug has "asynchronous development"--basically that some of his speech skills are far more developed than others. She also noted red flags for autism (which wasn't a surprise) and gave me some good referrals for occupational therapists. I feel good about the office, they seem pretty similar to our philosophy about kids. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean, I guess the language they use to talk about kids and the issues we're having and how to deal with them...seems "right" to me. Bug was exhausted afterwards, he ended up napping on the couch:
He's been napping a lot lately, which is weird, but kind of nice :)
Starting this week (tomorrow, actually!) we are going to do speech 2x per week. While we had been receiving therapy in home, we will be going to the office for our sessions now. Ideally, I will wait outside the room while Bug is with the therapist. The evaluator explained that Bug relies on me to fill in words for him, translate, or provide communication, whereas they want him to struggle a little and do it on his own. It should be interesting!
Because I'm going to have to Wiggle with us too, I've been making "busy bags" to bring along. Hopefully having "special" activities to do will keep everyone happy. I'm a little nervous, although I'm excited about having a bit of time to focus just on Wiggle while Bug is off with the therapist. I will get pictures of the bags I've done. A lot of them have sensory components, which I think will be good for Bug to use too.
Bug also used a marker on the dry-erase part of his easel last week. He really really liked it, but since then hasn't wanted to color again. Still, every little experience is great for him, so I'm really happy!
On a super cool (but weird) note: Bug has been a little bit more flexible about trying new foods. On Thursday we got Buffalo Wild Wings and Bug tasted my bbq wings and some potato wedges. This weekend he ate oatmeal too, which he hadn't had since I was pregnant with Wiggle. It's really good to see him be a little bit more bold about tasting things and I really really hope we can increase his variety of foods.
Today we took advantage of the nice weather and got out to the park. Bug did a really great job listening to me. He also did lots of swinging (including in some swings he didn't like the last time we were there) and went down slides on his own and even climbed up on rocks. Super fun!
Tomorrow we have OT and are reviewing Bug's Early Intervention goals. We also have our first speech session at the new therapists. Then we have speech with Kerry on Wednesday and on Thursday we're back to the new therapist again! Busy week! Hopefully Bug will take to it ok, he can get kind of exhausted by the therapies I think. Will update again at the end of the week!
The eval went pretty well. I felt like Bug behaved pretty "normal" for him so they could get a pretty accurate assessment done. It was amazing to see how quickly he adjusted to being in the therapy room. When we did the EI assessment, they did it at home because I thought there was no way he'd tolerate being in a foreign environment. Anyway, the evaluator noted Bug has "asynchronous development"--basically that some of his speech skills are far more developed than others. She also noted red flags for autism (which wasn't a surprise) and gave me some good referrals for occupational therapists. I feel good about the office, they seem pretty similar to our philosophy about kids. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean, I guess the language they use to talk about kids and the issues we're having and how to deal with them...seems "right" to me. Bug was exhausted afterwards, he ended up napping on the couch:
Starting this week (tomorrow, actually!) we are going to do speech 2x per week. While we had been receiving therapy in home, we will be going to the office for our sessions now. Ideally, I will wait outside the room while Bug is with the therapist. The evaluator explained that Bug relies on me to fill in words for him, translate, or provide communication, whereas they want him to struggle a little and do it on his own. It should be interesting!
Because I'm going to have to Wiggle with us too, I've been making "busy bags" to bring along. Hopefully having "special" activities to do will keep everyone happy. I'm a little nervous, although I'm excited about having a bit of time to focus just on Wiggle while Bug is off with the therapist. I will get pictures of the bags I've done. A lot of them have sensory components, which I think will be good for Bug to use too.
Bug also used a marker on the dry-erase part of his easel last week. He really really liked it, but since then hasn't wanted to color again. Still, every little experience is great for him, so I'm really happy!
On a super cool (but weird) note: Bug has been a little bit more flexible about trying new foods. On Thursday we got Buffalo Wild Wings and Bug tasted my bbq wings and some potato wedges. This weekend he ate oatmeal too, which he hadn't had since I was pregnant with Wiggle. It's really good to see him be a little bit more bold about tasting things and I really really hope we can increase his variety of foods.
Today we took advantage of the nice weather and got out to the park. Bug did a really great job listening to me. He also did lots of swinging (including in some swings he didn't like the last time we were there) and went down slides on his own and even climbed up on rocks. Super fun!
Tomorrow we have OT and are reviewing Bug's Early Intervention goals. We also have our first speech session at the new therapists. Then we have speech with Kerry on Wednesday and on Thursday we're back to the new therapist again! Busy week! Hopefully Bug will take to it ok, he can get kind of exhausted by the therapies I think. Will update again at the end of the week!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Bug's New Year!
Well Bug started out his year on the right foot yesterday! We had TWO new skills pop up and I'm thrilled!
1) Bug got tickled by Wiggle and Daddy, and Bug tickled back! HUGE. No, HUGE. I was so happy to see a positive interaction between the boys! We still have a ton of pushing, whining, and general distress when Wiggle even gets near Bug, so a positive interaction where everyone is laughing and happy is a really good thing. Also, this is good cooperative play. We can build on this, they can tickle back and forth, take turns, gang up on Daddy, etc. I'm hoping that we can lay a good foundation of silliness between the boys and that will help foster friendship as well as social skills for both of them.
Then, almost right after the tickle episode,
2) BUG KICKED A BALL! Several times. Do you know how looooonnnnngggggg we've wanted him to do this?! I could do a happy dance right now! He wouldn't kick it to Daddy, but he kicked it, went after it, kicked it again. Yay Bug!!!!!
I'm still seeing a good, slow but steady increase in Bug's social awareness and comfort in social situations. He is definitely more aware of others and wants to be around others. Not all the time (which is totally fine) but sometimes. Today we went to the park, and while he normally would run straight to the swings, he opted to go over to the playground first, where other kids were. He wasn't too sure how to deal with others, but just that he deviated from his normal routine is just. so. stinkin. great!
Verbally, Bug's making good solid progress. His words have become just SO much clearer, with consonants at the end, multiple syllables and decent usage. From here, we'd like to see him start combining them into phrases (more than just the rote ones he knows now) and sentences. Our therapist said that by around 3, you'd like kids to be pretty conversational.
Bug turns 3 in one month. We have 4 more speech sessions and 2 OTs before he ages out of Early Intervention. This is kind of nerve-wracking for us. We are going to pursue private therapy, so our speech therapist suggested that we start our search now, so we can find out about waitlists or what evaluations need to be done. Hopefully we won't have to have a big lapse in therapy. Adam and I would really appreciate you keeping us in your prayers as we make decisions about therapy for Bug. Our hope is to find therapists who Bug can really connect to so we can really maximize our time with them! :)
1) Bug got tickled by Wiggle and Daddy, and Bug tickled back! HUGE. No, HUGE. I was so happy to see a positive interaction between the boys! We still have a ton of pushing, whining, and general distress when Wiggle even gets near Bug, so a positive interaction where everyone is laughing and happy is a really good thing. Also, this is good cooperative play. We can build on this, they can tickle back and forth, take turns, gang up on Daddy, etc. I'm hoping that we can lay a good foundation of silliness between the boys and that will help foster friendship as well as social skills for both of them.
Then, almost right after the tickle episode,
2) BUG KICKED A BALL! Several times. Do you know how looooonnnnngggggg we've wanted him to do this?! I could do a happy dance right now! He wouldn't kick it to Daddy, but he kicked it, went after it, kicked it again. Yay Bug!!!!!
I'm still seeing a good, slow but steady increase in Bug's social awareness and comfort in social situations. He is definitely more aware of others and wants to be around others. Not all the time (which is totally fine) but sometimes. Today we went to the park, and while he normally would run straight to the swings, he opted to go over to the playground first, where other kids were. He wasn't too sure how to deal with others, but just that he deviated from his normal routine is just. so. stinkin. great!
Verbally, Bug's making good solid progress. His words have become just SO much clearer, with consonants at the end, multiple syllables and decent usage. From here, we'd like to see him start combining them into phrases (more than just the rote ones he knows now) and sentences. Our therapist said that by around 3, you'd like kids to be pretty conversational.
Bug turns 3 in one month. We have 4 more speech sessions and 2 OTs before he ages out of Early Intervention. This is kind of nerve-wracking for us. We are going to pursue private therapy, so our speech therapist suggested that we start our search now, so we can find out about waitlists or what evaluations need to be done. Hopefully we won't have to have a big lapse in therapy. Adam and I would really appreciate you keeping us in your prayers as we make decisions about therapy for Bug. Our hope is to find therapists who Bug can really connect to so we can really maximize our time with them! :)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
A Bug's Life, Part Two
I didn't forget about part two, I've been swamped with Christmas sewing. But today this awesome letter showed up in my news feed, and I thought I should get started on this post.
What's it like for Bug, in Bug's world? The hard truth is, I don't know. I have ideas, and sometimes I have little peeks in, but I don't actually know. I absolutely believe that he experiences some things differently than we do. He definitely has different interests. Right now, he's a good blend between "normal" two (almost three!) -year old and not normal. And it can be VERY difficult to figure out when he's just being a toddler and when he's actually having a sensory or social issue.
It makes me super happy to say that Bug has gotten SO MUCH BETTER at communication. Most of his words now sound about right, with the correct number of syllables. He still struggles to string them together into phrases, but it is coming along. I think most of the time now, I can figure out what he wants. And he definitely seems more willing to stick with it and try to get what he wants. This weekend he kept saying "bagel" only I didn't know that's what he was saying (because he had never said it correctly before). Finally he went over to where we kept them and said "door" and it clicked. "Oh, you want a bagel!" "Yes please!" "Great job Buddy! Thank you for helping Mommy figure out what you want."
Our struggle right now is to get him to understand more abstract concepts now. Things like being bored, being friends, love, tired, etc. Wiggle is constantly getting into Bug's space now and Bug has a hard time coping with that. We're trying to help him understand that Wiggle just wants to be friends with him. He wants to play with him, he's curious. Hard things to grasp.
As Bug's language has been clearing up, we've discovered that he spends a lot of time imitating and thinking about his favorite TV shows. Super Why is the current favorite over here. Phones and the computer frequently remind him of it so he says things like "Super duper computer" a lot. If you talk about red, that reminds him of the color red so we sing the song from Starfall. I think he sings a lot, it's just that it sounds more like talking. He does sometimes however try to change the pitch of his voice or lengthen the words.
Bug's social skills are slowly improving too. He is definitely more aware of what's going on in his environment. Wiggle plays a big part in this too. Now Bug frequently has someone challenging his space, his "plans" and his possessions. Right now, this tension is our biggest struggle. Bug basically wants Wiggle no where near him and pushes at Wiggle if he gets too close.
Another challenge is that Bug doesn't play in the same ways many other kids do, and he has a hard time with other kids occupying the same space. Bug enjoys trains and dinosaurs, but he doesn't make-believe with them--at least not that I can tell. I do think he likes to do dinosaur train, and he is at least sometimes responsive to us showing him "how to play". I struggle with this a bit too. On the one hand, I'd love to see Bug play the way I see other kids do. On the other hand, if that's not how Bug's brain works, if that's not what he's interested in, who am I to try to force him to change?
I know it can be difficult for others to interact with Bug. Honestly, it can be tough for us, his parents, too. It's hard to know what to do with a kid who seems to be ignoring you. I've learned that Bug definitely is more aware of us than we realize. When talking to him, we've found that simple, direct questions or requests are best. He takes a little bit longer to process what you say, so you have to be patient with him. He also can be slow to warm to people. Almost every week, he gets upset when the therapists come, but he usually livens up a bit within 10-15 minutes and sometimes is very upset when they leave. Some days he is more comfortable and some days less so.
That might be the biggest thing: Every day is different with Bug. There are just so many factors. If he didn't get enough sleep, that makes everything more challenging (like it would with anyone, really). Some days are bad sensory days. We have trouble finding a pair of pants he'll wear, or he'll be tripping and tumbling, or seems like he's not really in our world (focusing on looking out windows or at the corners and edges of things). Other days, he is warm, responsive, parrots us, finds things silly. We just never know. I just try to respond to his needs. If he seems wound up, we'll try to focus on sensory stuff and things I know are comforting for him. If he is really engaged, we'll try to stretch his boundaries a little. Honestly, it can be exhausting. I'm grateful for the therapists coming in because it gives me a chance to get new perspective and kind of "reset".
I am constantly on the hunt for new sensory activities, support ideas, and as much information as I can possibly get my hands on. So I thought I'd put a few resources that I've found helpful and insightful:
The Reason I Jump This book was written by an autistic teen. It's a quick read and very telling. A lot of it reminded me of Bug. A bit heart-breaking too, how aware kids are of how we feel about things.
Meeting Sensory Needs on a Budget This had a ton of ideas that you can DIY to meet sensory needs. It's amazing how creative people can be. Necessity breeds invention.
SPD Foundation
Hopefully this gives you all a better idea of how it goes for us. We're walking a complicated walk. But it's worth it to see all the growth, and of course, anything for our Bug.
The next couple of months will be transitional for us. Bug turns three at the beginning of February, which means that he no longer qualifies for Early Intervention services. So we will be meeting with EI to reevaluate, then checking up with Bug's pediatrician to see what our next step is.
What's it like for Bug, in Bug's world? The hard truth is, I don't know. I have ideas, and sometimes I have little peeks in, but I don't actually know. I absolutely believe that he experiences some things differently than we do. He definitely has different interests. Right now, he's a good blend between "normal" two (almost three!) -year old and not normal. And it can be VERY difficult to figure out when he's just being a toddler and when he's actually having a sensory or social issue.
It makes me super happy to say that Bug has gotten SO MUCH BETTER at communication. Most of his words now sound about right, with the correct number of syllables. He still struggles to string them together into phrases, but it is coming along. I think most of the time now, I can figure out what he wants. And he definitely seems more willing to stick with it and try to get what he wants. This weekend he kept saying "bagel" only I didn't know that's what he was saying (because he had never said it correctly before). Finally he went over to where we kept them and said "door" and it clicked. "Oh, you want a bagel!" "Yes please!" "Great job Buddy! Thank you for helping Mommy figure out what you want."
Our struggle right now is to get him to understand more abstract concepts now. Things like being bored, being friends, love, tired, etc. Wiggle is constantly getting into Bug's space now and Bug has a hard time coping with that. We're trying to help him understand that Wiggle just wants to be friends with him. He wants to play with him, he's curious. Hard things to grasp.
As Bug's language has been clearing up, we've discovered that he spends a lot of time imitating and thinking about his favorite TV shows. Super Why is the current favorite over here. Phones and the computer frequently remind him of it so he says things like "Super duper computer" a lot. If you talk about red, that reminds him of the color red so we sing the song from Starfall. I think he sings a lot, it's just that it sounds more like talking. He does sometimes however try to change the pitch of his voice or lengthen the words.
Bug's social skills are slowly improving too. He is definitely more aware of what's going on in his environment. Wiggle plays a big part in this too. Now Bug frequently has someone challenging his space, his "plans" and his possessions. Right now, this tension is our biggest struggle. Bug basically wants Wiggle no where near him and pushes at Wiggle if he gets too close.
Another challenge is that Bug doesn't play in the same ways many other kids do, and he has a hard time with other kids occupying the same space. Bug enjoys trains and dinosaurs, but he doesn't make-believe with them--at least not that I can tell. I do think he likes to do dinosaur train, and he is at least sometimes responsive to us showing him "how to play". I struggle with this a bit too. On the one hand, I'd love to see Bug play the way I see other kids do. On the other hand, if that's not how Bug's brain works, if that's not what he's interested in, who am I to try to force him to change?
I know it can be difficult for others to interact with Bug. Honestly, it can be tough for us, his parents, too. It's hard to know what to do with a kid who seems to be ignoring you. I've learned that Bug definitely is more aware of us than we realize. When talking to him, we've found that simple, direct questions or requests are best. He takes a little bit longer to process what you say, so you have to be patient with him. He also can be slow to warm to people. Almost every week, he gets upset when the therapists come, but he usually livens up a bit within 10-15 minutes and sometimes is very upset when they leave. Some days he is more comfortable and some days less so.
That might be the biggest thing: Every day is different with Bug. There are just so many factors. If he didn't get enough sleep, that makes everything more challenging (like it would with anyone, really). Some days are bad sensory days. We have trouble finding a pair of pants he'll wear, or he'll be tripping and tumbling, or seems like he's not really in our world (focusing on looking out windows or at the corners and edges of things). Other days, he is warm, responsive, parrots us, finds things silly. We just never know. I just try to respond to his needs. If he seems wound up, we'll try to focus on sensory stuff and things I know are comforting for him. If he is really engaged, we'll try to stretch his boundaries a little. Honestly, it can be exhausting. I'm grateful for the therapists coming in because it gives me a chance to get new perspective and kind of "reset".
I am constantly on the hunt for new sensory activities, support ideas, and as much information as I can possibly get my hands on. So I thought I'd put a few resources that I've found helpful and insightful:
The Reason I Jump This book was written by an autistic teen. It's a quick read and very telling. A lot of it reminded me of Bug. A bit heart-breaking too, how aware kids are of how we feel about things.
Meeting Sensory Needs on a Budget This had a ton of ideas that you can DIY to meet sensory needs. It's amazing how creative people can be. Necessity breeds invention.
SPD Foundation
Hopefully this gives you all a better idea of how it goes for us. We're walking a complicated walk. But it's worth it to see all the growth, and of course, anything for our Bug.
The next couple of months will be transitional for us. Bug turns three at the beginning of February, which means that he no longer qualifies for Early Intervention services. So we will be meeting with EI to reevaluate, then checking up with Bug's pediatrician to see what our next step is.
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