Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. While I am not thankful for autism, I am thankful for....
1. Dr. Mantovanni who diagnosed all 3 boys and took time to answer all our questions.
2. Beth- she was Nate's preschool teacher, ran Nick's home ABA, was Nick's preschool teacher, and ran Noah's home ABA. We always deferred to Beth, she knows her stuff.
3. Diane- Beth's partner who did most of Noah's home ABA. They share a mutual adoration.
4. Margaret- the OT at preschool. All 3 boys had her and they eat many more foods because of her.
5. Erkia- she was Nate's aide in kindergarten and started working with us in the house 7 years ago.
6. Vicki- Erika's sister. She came to us in 2004 and we couldn't function without her.
7. Special School District- we live in a county that pools all their SSD money to provide more services for kids.
8. Southview School- Nate's new school. It's such a great place, we can't wait to get Noah there.
9. Maria- our babysitter for years. She allowed therapists into her home when the boys were little, learned how to sign, went to the ABA training classes, and just loves my boys.
10. Mikaela- the OT who now comes to the house twice a week. She is doing yoga with Nate to improve his body awareness and he loves it.
11. Ruth- the new SLP who now comes to the house three times a week. She has an ABA background and can work with Noah for a full hour.
12. Tim's insurance- through the home health care the boys receive 60 OT visits and UNLIMITED speech visits per year with no copay.
13. The Autism Bill- we will receive ABA in home up to $40,000 per year per boy.
14. Risperdal- it's a medication that all 3 boys take.
15. My friends- they are always willing to listen or help me take the boys places. They also don't judge me or my parenting by some of the boy's behaviors.
16. Our families- they love my boys no matter what.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
the honeymoon's over.....
We had a meeting with Noah's teachers 3 weeks ago. It wasn't a full IEP, but Tim and I just wanted to check in to see how things were going. Apparently, not too well.......
The only time he could sit for any length of time was during Music Therapy. So, of course, I'm like "let's increase music therapy to twice a week." The Speech Therapist couldn't give me any infor mation because she can't get him to sit and participate in speech. Now, who would think Noah could handle speech in a group of 5 kids? The OT pretty much said the same thing. We decided to start an Adaptive PE evaluation and hold another meeting to rewrite some of his goals to be more academic.
This past Friday, I got an email from his teacher. He was having more and more difficulty following directions. Any time a demand was being placed on him, he would drop to the floor, kick, bite, and scream "outside!" He wanted to go outside to swing. She said that at times the fits would last 30 minutes. Now, the strange thing is that he's been good at home. I guess he was so tired after his day at school that he just didn't have another fit in him.
So, Tim and I decided it was time to send Noah to Southview (the special school Nate attends). I called to get the ball rolling and told them that I would like him to start at the new school the Monday after Thanksgiving. we were really hoping to put this off a while like we were able to with Nate. Unfortunately, Noah's behavior is so explosive. We feel that the staff will be better able to come up with a plan for him. We have seen how much Nate has flourished and hope Noah will too.
I hope all you parents with typical children know how lucky you are.
The only time he could sit for any length of time was during Music Therapy. So, of course, I'm like "let's increase music therapy to twice a week." The Speech Therapist couldn't give me any infor mation because she can't get him to sit and participate in speech. Now, who would think Noah could handle speech in a group of 5 kids? The OT pretty much said the same thing. We decided to start an Adaptive PE evaluation and hold another meeting to rewrite some of his goals to be more academic.
This past Friday, I got an email from his teacher. He was having more and more difficulty following directions. Any time a demand was being placed on him, he would drop to the floor, kick, bite, and scream "outside!" He wanted to go outside to swing. She said that at times the fits would last 30 minutes. Now, the strange thing is that he's been good at home. I guess he was so tired after his day at school that he just didn't have another fit in him.
So, Tim and I decided it was time to send Noah to Southview (the special school Nate attends). I called to get the ball rolling and told them that I would like him to start at the new school the Monday after Thanksgiving. we were really hoping to put this off a while like we were able to with Nate. Unfortunately, Noah's behavior is so explosive. We feel that the staff will be better able to come up with a plan for him. We have seen how much Nate has flourished and hope Noah will too.
I hope all you parents with typical children know how lucky you are.
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