On Wednesday, August 17th, we visited the elementary school for the first time. We visited the "at risk" and "special education" classrooms which are the only school based programs available. Our options for schooling are the following:
1. Attend public preschool and receive services by likely receiving an IEP (individualized education plan). We can still of course receive additional private services or ask for a modified attendance (fewer hours, services only).
2. Create some modified schedule/service plan other than full time attendance also through qualification for an IEP.
3. Attend private preschool and pay for services privately.
4. Keep Deane home for another year or more, teaching him myself in addition to private services.
We have to weigh so many things in making this decision with Deane's and our family's overall well being the primary focus. Well being is obviously hard to define, we are looking at the progress he has made with different types of therapy, happiness, stress level, financial implications, goals of each environment and how they cooridnate to ours, etc.
I found the local elementary school environments very positive and look forward to learning more and taking the next step.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Deane - Autism - Update
We have a lot of reports, analysis, evaluations, goals, treatments, therapies, etc, but I think it's important to also document our impressions of Deane's progress. I wrote the briefest of posts on the day we went to our all day evaluation. During this time of our lives we were desperate for information, feeling completely isolated, and holding tight to God and each other.
When Deane went for evaluation, I listed his vocabulary as approximately 50 words. Now I would guess it's around 200 words. It's hard to know exactly what is acquired and what is just repeated. I have to stop and enjoy this progress while still having really high goals for him. He wasn't saying any two word phrases and now he says several plus many simple sentences.
At the time of evaluation, we didn't have much of a handle on his sensory issues. Tomorrow we will visit a developmental optometrist to see if his need to run things close to his eyes, hesitancy in jumping, toe walking, and clumsiness when running is vision related. He has been improving on crossing midline, fine motor skills, and tolerance of different textures. We introduced a weighted blanket which has changed our sleeping life. Until three months ago, Deane was waking 2-3 times each week in the middle of the night, upset. The blanket really seemed to be the key. (Of course, last night, he woke up from 12-1AM so I hope this is not a new trend.)
Deane and Kate interact regularly especially since has started crawling and she is in the middle of his business. She actually fell asleep on the way home from Muscatine this morning and he wanted her attention so badly he was calling her name and kicking her seat. Needless to say, discipline remains a serious challenge in our lives. I know some of these areas are totally typical, but I feel our communication challenges and Deane's sensory issues amplify his responses.
Deane receives about 21 hours of services each week now. I'm looking to dial back that number to get back to enjoying our family life a bit more. I have a better understanding of what is most efficient and have started to feel less concerned that I'm going to keep him from some successes by not doing every single thing available. I'm trying to take it a day (or maybe a week) at a time.
When Deane went for evaluation, I listed his vocabulary as approximately 50 words. Now I would guess it's around 200 words. It's hard to know exactly what is acquired and what is just repeated. I have to stop and enjoy this progress while still having really high goals for him. He wasn't saying any two word phrases and now he says several plus many simple sentences.
At the time of evaluation, we didn't have much of a handle on his sensory issues. Tomorrow we will visit a developmental optometrist to see if his need to run things close to his eyes, hesitancy in jumping, toe walking, and clumsiness when running is vision related. He has been improving on crossing midline, fine motor skills, and tolerance of different textures. We introduced a weighted blanket which has changed our sleeping life. Until three months ago, Deane was waking 2-3 times each week in the middle of the night, upset. The blanket really seemed to be the key. (Of course, last night, he woke up from 12-1AM so I hope this is not a new trend.)
Deane and Kate interact regularly especially since has started crawling and she is in the middle of his business. She actually fell asleep on the way home from Muscatine this morning and he wanted her attention so badly he was calling her name and kicking her seat. Needless to say, discipline remains a serious challenge in our lives. I know some of these areas are totally typical, but I feel our communication challenges and Deane's sensory issues amplify his responses.
Deane receives about 21 hours of services each week now. I'm looking to dial back that number to get back to enjoying our family life a bit more. I have a better understanding of what is most efficient and have started to feel less concerned that I'm going to keep him from some successes by not doing every single thing available. I'm trying to take it a day (or maybe a week) at a time.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Recent vocabulary surprises
One of my personal challenges is understanding how Deane will go from the language delayed place he communicates in now to a fully coversational place. His challenges have taught me how nuanced and confusing our language is. However, he has surprised me with a few things recently.
1. He started using articles. Speech therapists often teach "I want..." to get a back and forth exchange over an activity and teach a child how to express their needs. Deane has suddenly started adding articles, for example "I want A banana". No one taught him this. He is extrememly echoic (repeats everything back to you), but this signifies that he is modeling a general language concept....very exciting to this mama!
2. As we crossed the bridge into Muscatine, I said, "Deane, do you see the bridge?". He said "That's crazy". Where did that come from? I love bridges and I've appreciated that he seems interested too, but this comments just caught me off guard.
3. As a precursor to trying potty training again, I encourage him to tell "Mom, I pooped" when he does. I'm trying to find out how aware he is of it. I know that sounds nuts, but for Deane it's not really a problem to run around in a poopy diaper. Last night, I knew he had so I said "Did you poop? What do you say? Mom..." and he said "is poop". I clarified several times and he said "Mom is poop" everytime with a great big smile. He was teasing me and as strange as it is to be happy about being called poop, I've told several people already :)
We'll get there....
1. He started using articles. Speech therapists often teach "I want..." to get a back and forth exchange over an activity and teach a child how to express their needs. Deane has suddenly started adding articles, for example "I want A banana". No one taught him this. He is extrememly echoic (repeats everything back to you), but this signifies that he is modeling a general language concept....very exciting to this mama!
2. As we crossed the bridge into Muscatine, I said, "Deane, do you see the bridge?". He said "That's crazy". Where did that come from? I love bridges and I've appreciated that he seems interested too, but this comments just caught me off guard.
3. As a precursor to trying potty training again, I encourage him to tell "Mom, I pooped" when he does. I'm trying to find out how aware he is of it. I know that sounds nuts, but for Deane it's not really a problem to run around in a poopy diaper. Last night, I knew he had so I said "Did you poop? What do you say? Mom..." and he said "is poop". I clarified several times and he said "Mom is poop" everytime with a great big smile. He was teasing me and as strange as it is to be happy about being called poop, I've told several people already :)
We'll get there....
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Baby Sister
"Baby Sister" is the nickname we call you most often, Kate. Along with "Sissy" and "Sissy Sue". I just laid you down for your morning nap and as I held you I was almost in tears struck by how palpable your preciousness is. You are so tiny and sweet and I know each phase is fleeting. It makes me wonder if this will be the last 9 month old baby of my own or will there be many more? I'm cherishing those moments.
You are so easy to put to sleep because you do all the work. I typically still give you a few ounces of bottle in the dark with your sound machine on, but you are equally agreeable to drinking your bottle laying on the floor in the middle of the living room before being shuttled to your room. Most times I sing "You are my Sunshine" to you, but not today. We were just quiet and cuddly. You always suck your thumb and put your other hand, fingers splayed, over your eye and cheek. It's quite adorable. I only rock you a short time and lay you down on your tummy or side. I cover you with a little yellow and white afghan that came from the hospital (of all of the pretty pink blankets we have). I've tried to introduce my blanket from when I was little, but you haven't taken to that as well yet.
You are so easy to put to sleep because you do all the work. I typically still give you a few ounces of bottle in the dark with your sound machine on, but you are equally agreeable to drinking your bottle laying on the floor in the middle of the living room before being shuttled to your room. Most times I sing "You are my Sunshine" to you, but not today. We were just quiet and cuddly. You always suck your thumb and put your other hand, fingers splayed, over your eye and cheek. It's quite adorable. I only rock you a short time and lay you down on your tummy or side. I cover you with a little yellow and white afghan that came from the hospital (of all of the pretty pink blankets we have). I've tried to introduce my blanket from when I was little, but you haven't taken to that as well yet.
You are sunshine and sweetness. I'm so thankful for you in our family.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Butterflies
Deane - At 35 months, you are a full on, butterfly fanatic! In the Ozarks, you were infatuated with the bush in front of the villa because there were butterflies there drinking nectar all day. Every member of the family took you to see them over and over. Uncle Andy tried to teach you how to pick up the butterfly, but the gentleness required is not in your wheelhouse.
Shortly after getting home, I saw a pair of pink wings from a costume in the Gap Kids clearance. I knew you had to have them. You like to wear them for short period of time. You also like the books "My Oh My A Butterfly" and "A Butterfly is Patient". At the Autism Center, you love to have the butterfly flash cards around just to look at and for Mommy to kiss occassionally.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Why I Blog
As I've considered sharing my blog lately, I have examined my reasoning for blogging. I think it's relevant to document as a reminder for myself if I get tired of it, or the focus shifts or others who read it are confused by this public outpouring of our private life.
In order of priority, here is why I'm blogging:
1. To Remember: I realize how quickly our lives pass us and I want an accessible documentation for Chris and I and our kids to see who we were, how we lived at a given time. I want to remember good and bad times for what they were in the raw moment.
2. Deane's ASD (Autism Spectrum Diagnosis): 2011 has been the hardest year of my life (I recognize my life is easy compared to so many people in the world; just talking about my experience.) and as we come to terms with the challenges we all will face with/for Deane, I want to keep track of his progress, our struggles, and our successes. I think this information could be useful to other autism moms out there (im no expert) and to those who care about us in understanding this process and understanding Deane. My son is a rockstar and if you read my blog, you'll see why.
3. Creative Outlet: When I began staying home earlier this year, I threw myself into a lot of creative outlets that I had only dabbled in throughout my 30 years. I LOVE mom blogs, craft blogs, etc. and I want to participate in this technology driven community that is celebrating good old fashioned ingenuity, being thrifty through upcylcing and reuse, and supporting each other through the day to day challenges of being a mom and wife.
4. Encouragement: Autism diagnosis and becoming a stay at home mom have been very isolating for me. Sharing our life in this form might just be the boost we need on a given day.
5. Monetizing: A distant last on my list at this point is monetizing the blog. I know this will be part of the plan and I hope that it will help to supplement our family income in the future and assist with unexpected expenses that have become our norm.
So, that's my story....I think I'm very close to sharing this. I have big dreams for my blog, but I plan to take it slowly because that's one of the many realizations of our new lifestyle...God has a plan for us far beyond what we can imagine.
In order of priority, here is why I'm blogging:
1. To Remember: I realize how quickly our lives pass us and I want an accessible documentation for Chris and I and our kids to see who we were, how we lived at a given time. I want to remember good and bad times for what they were in the raw moment.
2. Deane's ASD (Autism Spectrum Diagnosis): 2011 has been the hardest year of my life (I recognize my life is easy compared to so many people in the world; just talking about my experience.) and as we come to terms with the challenges we all will face with/for Deane, I want to keep track of his progress, our struggles, and our successes. I think this information could be useful to other autism moms out there (im no expert) and to those who care about us in understanding this process and understanding Deane. My son is a rockstar and if you read my blog, you'll see why.
3. Creative Outlet: When I began staying home earlier this year, I threw myself into a lot of creative outlets that I had only dabbled in throughout my 30 years. I LOVE mom blogs, craft blogs, etc. and I want to participate in this technology driven community that is celebrating good old fashioned ingenuity, being thrifty through upcylcing and reuse, and supporting each other through the day to day challenges of being a mom and wife.
4. Encouragement: Autism diagnosis and becoming a stay at home mom have been very isolating for me. Sharing our life in this form might just be the boost we need on a given day.
5. Monetizing: A distant last on my list at this point is monetizing the blog. I know this will be part of the plan and I hope that it will help to supplement our family income in the future and assist with unexpected expenses that have become our norm.
So, that's my story....I think I'm very close to sharing this. I have big dreams for my blog, but I plan to take it slowly because that's one of the many realizations of our new lifestyle...God has a plan for us far beyond what we can imagine.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Ozarks July 9-11
Mom, Dad, Chris, Deane, Kate and I spent a short trip in the Ozarks the weekend following the 4th of July. Here are few photos.
Chris and Kate shortly before a server knocked her seat off of the highchair. She was strapped in and fine, but it was a scary moment.
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| Of course Deane had to play iPad on the boat. |
It was very tired and hot that day!
Diaper kids
Mom let Kate drive, but only in the slip.
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| We wanted to show the kids that we would do pretty much anything to keep them happy and comfortable :) |
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