Adaptive - Self Help

/Dane has been getting better with more independent skills.  He is able to go to the bathroom unassisted, pick out his own food for lunch and get ready for recess.  His adaptive skills he is very distracted.  He needs individual support during group instruction and after to help complete activities in class.  Without support, he is not able to complete the assigned work.  He continues to need practice asking his teacher for help on his work.  If Dane is stuck or does not have the proper material to work, he usually sits and waits.  He does not raise his hand for help or to at least ask what he should do.  To help complete his work, sensory breaks are given after he completes a set amount of work.  He benefits with limits of how much work needs to be done first and then given after he completes a set amount of work.  Dane relies on imitation while playing childhood games and is working on the intent/outcome of the game. 

I am to inform Danes therapists of what the school can use for sensory breaks to begin working on that with him.  His occupational therapist at school recommended a 3.5 pound weighted sack to place on his lap for 15 minutes.  To overuse a sensory item like this would make his body become used to the weight and therefore be unaffective on further usage.  At home when he is going into a sensory overload, he gets into his sensory sack/body sock and stretches putting pressure against him.  It has been quite useful before bedtime.

Dentist Cleaning and Sealants

Dane's 2nd trip to the dentist went well. He needed a teeth cleaning and they added sealants to 4 of his molars. I hope he will never have to sit through cavity drilling again. The sealants should help prevent cavities at least in those areas. The last time he was at the dentist he had 3 cavities drilled.

The first thing the dental hygienist did was put sunglasses on him. Good thing because he's looking strait up at fluorescent lights that scramble his vision. The flickering of the lights could have put him into a sensory over-load and probably would have prompted him into a meltdown.

For the first 5 minutes or so he was doing as told. Something started to scare him or hurt his ears because they have those little screaming instruments inside his mouth. That had to have been hard and hurt his hearing. He started to have tears run down his face. I know he badly wanted to cup his ears but the dentist kept telling him to put his hands down.

The part I didn't like was how fast they tried to work with him. I know when I get my teeth cleaned it's like they can't wait to get me out of that chair and get the next paying patient in. Slow down already! My kid has autism and he's very sensitive. Sure, she kept saying "This doesn't hurt, it's only air." What does she know what hurts him and what doesn't?

The best thing was when it was over and he got his picture taken for the "no cavity club." He's the only kid in there with sunglasses on.

I had my 3 year old daughter in there with me to see what happens at the dentist. She liked that she got a sticker after it was over. Dane got to pick out a couple toys of his own. Nothing that would spin did they have so he picked out 2 bouncy balls.

When we got home he was excited that he got to put his pinwheels into the ground. He must have played and organized them for about an hour.


Tomorrow he has intensive therapy. It will last about 3 hours and my wife will have to take him alone. I will be at work and my father will have to watch my daughter. The therapists don't want his sister there as she will cause distraction.

Some days I have to take family medical leave from work to be at the therapy session when needed. Part of the therapy is family counseling for my wife and I. They recommended that for all parents involved with the therapy. I have no say if I want to or not.  The family counselor has given us very good advice as to how we need to address problems so far.

It would have been different if my daughter was born first and we would have had prior experience parenting.  Parenting an autistic child is a lot to learn and how to deal with how they react to their environment.  Once you get to know what sets them off the better prepared you become once your aware. 

Denial

I forgot that looking back before when my son with diagnosed with autism how I was denying the red flags spotting that there were definite signs of autism. His little sister was born and everything he was accomplishing as a toddler stopped.

The very thought that crossed my mind was that he wants to be the baby. "This is why he's doing what he is doing. That's not autism. That's regression." It took the day of the screening and the final diagnosis of him being autistic that it finally hit me. There is something wrong. Time to accept those facts. Now what?

We are dealing with this one day at a time. I have a hard time accepting that when he get's older that more things will change. I have heard that when autistic children get older, they can get worse. That scares me.

I've been seeing this with his sensitivity. It's hard to wash his hair. He freaks out when I pour water over his head to rinse. I slowly and gently put shampoo on my hand and run it through his hair. He hates it. He screams. Cutting his hair is hard to. I use the clippers and the sound drives him crazy. I have him plug his ears shut while I trim. Afterwords I give him ice cream and tell him he did a good job. The whole time he is just trembling in fright. He is in sensory over-load. Also recently he has been flapping his hands in front of his face. Another symptom that has started coming into his life.

After its all done he is a happy boy playing and fighting with his little sister. Usually he plays off in the corner by himself. It has taken daycare and schooling to help him include himself with other children, especially his little sister. When she wants to play with him, he'd just ignore her and continue to play with his cars alone. He has gotten better to play with and be included in other childhood games. That's good news knowing that he is beginning to socialize.

Day 1 of Intensive Therapy

My sons first day of therapy went very well. The therapist came in and asked my son if he wanted to play. He took her by the hand and went into a room where we watched from the other side through a 2 way mirror. This was mostly "play therapy" on his first day. The therapists do not want any disturbances from the parents or other siblings. This is intensive one one one focus working with my son.

We got some interesting observations and learned something about them. When my son is moaning he is crying for sensory stimulation. He also has little seizures which I have noticed when he was still a baby starting to sit up on his own. Soon he will have to have an electroencephalogram (EEG) scan done on his brain. They want to trigger a seizure to find out what causes them. I think they do this by flashing lights at him while monitoring his brain waves. I'm not sure though what they will do. I pray it's not epilepsy. 1 in 4 autistic children have seizures from what I have read.

The therapists ordered us a weighted vest to help with his sensory issues. We tried a weighted blanket in the past when he was being observed through the Birth to Three program. At the time we didn't know how to use it. The same with that little brush they gave us to brush him when he was having sensory-overload. We were supposed to brush his arms to stimulate his nervous system every couple hours. I don't know what ever happened to that brush. I know we gave the blanket back and shrugged our shoulders because we were new parents. A baby doesn't come with directions and what were we supposed to know about autism at the time?

As parents of a child with special needs you learn as you go. I am trying to document what therapy does for my son as to help my readers new to autism learn more about what they may expect. Parenting autism is hard work. Keep faith and hope that the future is bright filled with happiness.

"SENSORY STIMULATION"

Sensory stimulation is a vital role of sending information to the brain of the autistic child to help settle their nervous system. It is important to have sensory breaks to help the child be alert and focus on learning.

Sensory issues can involve how the child sees, hears, smells and how their bodies react to their environment. This can result in the child's mind as conflict, bringing overwhelming sensory information the brain cannot process. The child could appear fearful or clumsy. The textures of what they touch may irritate their skin and make them feel uncomfortable.

Spinning on a sit and spin, jumping on a trampoline, brushing the arms, deep pressure massage, being pressed between bean bag chairs, swaddling, squeezing stress balls and being covered with a weighted blanket are some examples used for a sensory break. Sensory techniques like these help increase alertness.

My son has to start his school day in his classroom and slowly be emerged in the lunchroom where all the other children start their mornings. Eating breakfast. To start him off in the cafe with all the loud children and smell of food sets off sensory over-load. To walk him into it helps his brain prepare for whats coming.

Our sons teachers send him off on sensory breaks about every two hours. Taking this time off from the classroom to help settle his nervous system. Sensory integration helps him come back and focus on learning with the other children.

With my son, when he goes into sensory over-load it's like he is full of energy. His body gets jittery. He clenches his fists. He makes moaning noises and bangs his head on me. He can't sit still. How can he sit and focus at school if he would act like that? He wouldn't be able to if he wasn't getting the sensory breaks.

I think the most effective sensory stimulation involves the playground. This is where they can run, jump, swing, slide and just be a child at play. It will also give you the chance to sit back and watch your special child enjoy being young and stimulate his/her brain to all the sensory needs that need to be filled.

"KEY SYMPTOMS OF ASD"

I have been telling so far my experience with my sons autism.  The red flags, his signs of the autism spectrum disorder.  No two children on the spectrum are alike.  The spectrum can range from mild to very severe.

I have been studying on this topic going over  4 years.  Every time there is a new idea about treatment, I have to watch or read that article.  I want to know and understand what other parents, like myself, go through to teach and handle their child with autism.  How to handle their sensory overloads.  How to advert their attention away from their autistic traits.  How to be more social.

As a new parent, you see your child as flawless.  As baby's they are so beautiful and fragile.  You want nothing other than the best care and security for them.  As they grow and you see that child roll over for the first time, it brings tears of joy to your eyes.  Then you see them take their first steps.  You hear their first words.  But then all of a sudden, they stop talking.  What's that about?  Does it make you think, or do you just go on to wait and hope it comes back?

These are more of the key symptoms of autism in infants:

No joyful expressions or big smiles by 6 months

No sharing of sounds or facial expressions by 9 months

No baby babbling by 12 months

No showing of gestures such as pointing, waving, showing or reaching by 12 months

No 2 word meaningful sentences by 24 months (by not repeating)

Loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age

I never understood how a child younger then the age of 2 could be diagnosed.  The professionals know and can spot the signs as clear as you can read these words. 

I waited to see if my sons routines would break themselves.  That his speech would return and we could understand him.  That his sensory overloads were just behavior that would change in time.  I regret the wait.  I should have taken him in to get him screened sooner.