Road Safety - Boundaries

I am really trying to stress roadside safety to my son. He needs to stay off the road and watch for cars. I don't think he fully understands the dangers of oncoming traffic. I live in town where traffic should drive slow but some people drive by faster than they should.

He has training wheels on a 20" bike now and he wants to go on the road. I have a small driveway and it's not exciting enough for him to stay in it anymore. I tell him in short sentences like when he was little, "No Road!" That's the way Birth to 3 taught us to speak to him so he learned to talk. Sometimes he listens and sometimes not. He will go on the edge and creep out into the road. I really have to keep a close eye on him. I turned around for a split second and he ran out with his dump truck through the curb and gutter running through the dirty water and leaves.  I have set up orange cones at the end of the driveway to give him a visual of where he needs to stop. 

He wants to go for bike rides ever since the other weekend my nephews rode off without him. They are twice his age and he wants to be like the big boys. He gets very heartbroken and trying to tell him he's too little makes him angry. This is when I first took him on the road. I have his little sister in a bike trailer and pull her while I make him stay on the side of the road.

Tonight we rode up to the elementary school playground. I have to warn him several times about the intersection with Yield and Stop signs. I tell him to "Stop and Look both ways. Stay on the side." He's doing good at staying at the side as long as I'm with him.

We got to the playground and there were 3 other kids there with their father. Dane played around with the wood chips and threw them down the slide and played by the water puddles mostly. The other kids left and he tried to follow them on his bike. I had to scurry and get his sister in the trailer and catch up to him. I yelled at him to "Stop!" but it's like he just spaces me out.

When we got to the end of the street those kids were saying "Hi, Dane!" One of the girls was in his class. Dane waved hi back. The girl went on to say how he was invited to a birthday party. I didn't know what to do so we kept on riding. It's nice to know that other children want to include him.

We got home and he took a bubble bath. He jumped out before I got to wash his hair. He hates his hair being touched. I can wash it but it takes patience. He screams the whole time. I try and show him a picture of hair washing to let him know he needs his hair washed. Sometimes it works better then others. Hair cuts are no better.

Dane has therapy from 9-12 tomorrow. I have to take a day off work soon under Family Medical Leave (FML) because the therapists want me there also. I wonder if his weighted vest came in yet? The therapists ordered one a few weeks ago. A women in the area makes them. I hope that helps.  I am having a hard time understanding when to use it on him.  Is it all the time? During sensory breaks?  When?

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.