It's actually not the end of year for us but I won't be covering as many subject through summer.
Munchkin has done okay. In letters, reading, and math he's still way behind. He didn't get as far as I had hoped to this year. Even with a customized curriculum there seem to be some base issues that he's still having trouble with. So we will just continue on step by step to get him further. I will keep looking to see if something can help him make the connections that he needs.
In health, life skills, and communication he has exploded. The changes in Munchkin's behaviors and skills in these areas have been astounding, although some of them only started in the last few months.
In health, he is finally getting a grasp of why certain things are an issue. He's learning to keep his clothes clean, or if there is an accident, to change to clean clothes promptly. He is now cleaning himself first in the shower before he then uses the bar of soap to play with. And the frequency of wetting accidents, both daytime and nighttime, has decreased drastically.
In life skills he's learned to get his own drinks, and sometimes food. He's figured out how to pour himself a drink, with both the cup and jug in his hands. He's learned to get towels and clean up his own spills. Well, try to clean them up. He's learned to keep track of his glasses although he occasionally still loses them. And he's still working on learning to look in the non normal places to see if he left them there. There are so many other basic life skills that Munchkin has learned. And we are still working on him learning to mix the ice tea in the jug. It can be interesting sometimes.
Then we have communication. Munchkin's communication skills have exploded at home. He is having conversations with the words he has. He is trying new words out. And the true surprise occurred a week ago when he actually said a "fuzzy" sentence in front of other people. The words weren't enunciated very well but they were clear enough that the two other people with us understood what he said. I was ready to dance. He had used more than his word "quiet" in front of others. He had said a whole sentence in front of other people!!! (BTW, the sentence was "I know that.")
We are already looking at next year's options for Munchkin. He will continue in home school. I'm already looking at the materials for teaching him. But we are also going to add going to co-op classes back into our schedule. I've found, over the last year, that even just the interaction with other "normal" peers did Munchkin a lot of good. When he's seen the other kids throughout the year, he's been trying very hard to figure out how to break through his communication barrier with them. He's reached a point where he wants to interact not just observe.
The co-op has a new teacher this year that is a retired special education instructor that has kept her certifications up. Now that's important, not because of the certifications, but because she is used to working with kids that have difficulties like Munchkin does. She already has the knowledge to adjust the materials to Munchkin's skill level while still involving him with the rest of the class. We went to the open house and got time to speak with her about her classes. She was very up front about which ones she thought would work for Munchkin and why/why not. I agreed with her assessments based on the class information that she had available. So Munchkin will be taking two of her classes. I will most likely register him for one additional class as well. That will allow him to take his classes and have a break in between to unwind. There are quite a few other classes that he can participate in so I will have to debate them a bit.
All in all, Munchkin is doing good. We are going to continue to work on the three Rs as well as the other skills. Through the summer we will be having fewer classes but we aren't dropping them. There's no need to have him lose skills to a long summer break. But we will also be adding something fun. Munchkin likes drumming on things so we are going to have drumming class. I have a DVD to teach drumming that we will work through together. We'll see how it goes. Maybe next year I can work with him on basic piano skills.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Oops!
Okay, the other day I told you about the new job. And the camera/monitor system that is helping me keep my sanity.
It turns out that there was something I didn't know. I thought Dad had found the camera system because, well, he's into security systems and stuff. I knew Mom was part of the motivation because she had pointed out how worrisome it was to keep track of Munchkin when she had to do things on the other side of the house. (Yup, it can definitely be an adventure if he gets into mischief mode.) While there was a baby monitor, it's not always easy to tell if he's awake or just tossing and turning. And I have to say that putting a camera in that room to keep an eye on him is fabulous.
What I didn't know was that Mom was the one who found the battery powered camera/monitor system! So the fact that I haven't completely lost my marbles worrying about Munchkin over the past couple of months is do to Mom. And she'd probably laugh and say that it's a good thing because I have so few marbles left.
So Thank you, Mom! Because you're right, I have very few marbles left to lose.
Love you.
Oh, and apparently the Munchkin is in a growth spurt again. I think he may actually get taller than me soon. 0_o
It turns out that there was something I didn't know. I thought Dad had found the camera system because, well, he's into security systems and stuff. I knew Mom was part of the motivation because she had pointed out how worrisome it was to keep track of Munchkin when she had to do things on the other side of the house. (Yup, it can definitely be an adventure if he gets into mischief mode.) While there was a baby monitor, it's not always easy to tell if he's awake or just tossing and turning. And I have to say that putting a camera in that room to keep an eye on him is fabulous.
What I didn't know was that Mom was the one who found the battery powered camera/monitor system! So the fact that I haven't completely lost my marbles worrying about Munchkin over the past couple of months is do to Mom. And she'd probably laugh and say that it's a good thing because I have so few marbles left.
So Thank you, Mom! Because you're right, I have very few marbles left to lose.
Love you.
Oh, and apparently the Munchkin is in a growth spurt again. I think he may actually get taller than me soon. 0_o
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Changes!
There have been some big changes in our lives the past few months, and they've been keeping us very busy.
Now it is a common misconception that all folks with autism can't handle changes. To some degree that is true. Not all folks with autism need rigid schedules though. Munchkin has problems with large life changes, completely new things/places, or high stress levels. He has no issues with randomness within those parameters though.
I think I've said this about him before, but just in case I haven't - he doesn't need a firm school schedule. He knows that we will cover certain subjects throughout the day. The time that we work on those subjects flexes though. A lot of the time the flexing is focused around his need to take breaks and deal with overload.
Anyways, these changes are big life changes. Yet Munchkin adapted to them with amazing ease.
I now have a job delivering newspapers. There was a lot of planning and prepping in order for me to be able to do this job with Munchkin. For a month or so, Munchkin spent the nights with his grandparents while I learned the route and got some things to keep him safe when he's with me. One of those things is a battery powered monitor and camera so that I can see him and the van if I'm not right there. We can even talk through it. That was actually an amazing find and gift from my Dad. I had been looking and couldn't find anything. He found it and ordered it.
It was interesting when Munchkin first went with me during the day. He was immensely curious but settled down once he figured out exactly where the bathrooms were. He has his own camp chair to use and loves that he's allowed to use my totes as drums while he's there. He spreads them out until it looks like he's surrounded by a drum set. Then he stacks them in different amounts. He also always has his movies. All in all, he's happy with it. He notices when other folks come in and makes eye contact with them. He really notices when other kids come in. He follows them with his eyes as far as he can. He is definitely not locked into his own little world. It only took two visits for him to firmly decide that it was a safe place and there was nothing for him to be scared about.
Then came the first night that he rode along as I ran the route. There were backup plans for the backup plans for the backup plans to make sure that I could handle anything that came up and keep him safe. And I've had to use some of the backups occasionally. But only a few times. For the most part he's just jumped right in. He has even tried to help me roll some of the papers on random occasions. It makes me smile because he wants to be involved. He's interested in working with, rather than alongside or just observing. Those are some big changes for him.
For him, going out at night was an amazing exploration for the first few weeks. He discovered stars and the moon. He would lay across his bench seat, looking up and out the window at everything while I drove. So we did some simple lessons on stars and the moon. We also got to add some lessons about days of the week so that he could understand what days we would be going out on. Since it had an active correlation to his life, he got a much better grasp of it this time.
He's got two special pillow and blankets that are just for the van. Once he got used to the moon and stars and nighttime, he started sleeping through most of the route. Although he occasionally wakes up to watch the world and then goes back to sleep.
Honestly, I was worried about whether it was affecting his sleep but he showed absolutely no signs of being sleepy during the day. And he still wanted to stay up as late as he could possibly could. The only thing he likes about a firm bedtime now is that Mommy goes to bed at the same time. There were no behavior issues. Nothing. It was amazing and I kept waiting to see what would happen.
Then something did happen. His "e,e,e,e" chants changed to chants of the common words that he uses. Just all strung together and sung out. Then new words started popping in and out. Then he started having conversations with me. Yeah, they are simple conversations using the words he has, and the occasional surprise word, but they are an active give and take of conversation. Sometimes he stops and I can see him thinking, and his mouth moves like he's trying to say something. He's fighting to say what he wants. And that incredible sass is definitely getting verbalized!
I was honestly amazed and so incredibly proud of him. I still am.
Then life threw a curve ball and my van started having engine trouble. So in order to keep from doing more damage, I hired subs to run the route for a week while the shop tried to figure out what was wrong. (It's big and expensive. And if you want to help there is a gofundme and a tshirt drive to try to raise money for it. Just drop me a message and I'll send you the links. Prayers are just as appreciated.)
Suddenly the conversations disappeared. When I prompted Munchkin to use words, I got few words and they were all the ones he's been using for a while. And he wasn't trying anymore. If he didn't have a word, he'd just use kisses or pushes. That's when I realized that something was happening that I truly have no clue about.
On this past Sunday, we borrowed a vehicle and ran the route again. I was almost laughing by the time I got to the drop. When I got him up to go, he was ready to go. When I took a few extra minutes, he came, plugged himself in to me, and pulled me to the front door to go. Halfway down to the drop, I hear a "yippee" come out of the backseat! I thought he was asleep! (And when did he start using that word?!) By the time we got to the drop he was sound asleep, curled under his blankets with a big grin on his face. He didn't wake up even once throughout the whole route until we got home. Then he was wide awake and taking on the world. I got no extra sleep that morning.
On Monday he was talking again. New words, conversations, everything. I don't know the why, wherefore, whatever on this. And I'm hoping to figure it out. No I am going to figure it out. Our best guess, at the moment, is that the motion of the vehicle and the road noise are helping him to sleep more soundly. There's also the security of knowing that Mommy is right there. Any time he opens his eyes, or listens, he can see or hear me.
There have also been other changes. He's paying attention to his body odor. He's paying more attention to whether his clothes are clean or not. He's not spending hours in the shower, and he will initiate taking a shower all on his own. Basically he's responding the the basic hygiene lessons/conversations that we've been having for years. It's not perfect by any means. But it's definitely a start.
Regardless, until we figure it out, and figure out how to duplicate the effects at home, I guess I'm running a newspaper route. (Well, once the van is fixed.) The money is okay, but the real payment is the amazing changes in my son. For that, I'll do anything. Even drive around for hours at night doing nothing just so he can rest.
Now it is a common misconception that all folks with autism can't handle changes. To some degree that is true. Not all folks with autism need rigid schedules though. Munchkin has problems with large life changes, completely new things/places, or high stress levels. He has no issues with randomness within those parameters though.
I think I've said this about him before, but just in case I haven't - he doesn't need a firm school schedule. He knows that we will cover certain subjects throughout the day. The time that we work on those subjects flexes though. A lot of the time the flexing is focused around his need to take breaks and deal with overload.
Anyways, these changes are big life changes. Yet Munchkin adapted to them with amazing ease.
I now have a job delivering newspapers. There was a lot of planning and prepping in order for me to be able to do this job with Munchkin. For a month or so, Munchkin spent the nights with his grandparents while I learned the route and got some things to keep him safe when he's with me. One of those things is a battery powered monitor and camera so that I can see him and the van if I'm not right there. We can even talk through it. That was actually an amazing find and gift from my Dad. I had been looking and couldn't find anything. He found it and ordered it.
It was interesting when Munchkin first went with me during the day. He was immensely curious but settled down once he figured out exactly where the bathrooms were. He has his own camp chair to use and loves that he's allowed to use my totes as drums while he's there. He spreads them out until it looks like he's surrounded by a drum set. Then he stacks them in different amounts. He also always has his movies. All in all, he's happy with it. He notices when other folks come in and makes eye contact with them. He really notices when other kids come in. He follows them with his eyes as far as he can. He is definitely not locked into his own little world. It only took two visits for him to firmly decide that it was a safe place and there was nothing for him to be scared about.
Then came the first night that he rode along as I ran the route. There were backup plans for the backup plans for the backup plans to make sure that I could handle anything that came up and keep him safe. And I've had to use some of the backups occasionally. But only a few times. For the most part he's just jumped right in. He has even tried to help me roll some of the papers on random occasions. It makes me smile because he wants to be involved. He's interested in working with, rather than alongside or just observing. Those are some big changes for him.
For him, going out at night was an amazing exploration for the first few weeks. He discovered stars and the moon. He would lay across his bench seat, looking up and out the window at everything while I drove. So we did some simple lessons on stars and the moon. We also got to add some lessons about days of the week so that he could understand what days we would be going out on. Since it had an active correlation to his life, he got a much better grasp of it this time.
He's got two special pillow and blankets that are just for the van. Once he got used to the moon and stars and nighttime, he started sleeping through most of the route. Although he occasionally wakes up to watch the world and then goes back to sleep.
Honestly, I was worried about whether it was affecting his sleep but he showed absolutely no signs of being sleepy during the day. And he still wanted to stay up as late as he could possibly could. The only thing he likes about a firm bedtime now is that Mommy goes to bed at the same time. There were no behavior issues. Nothing. It was amazing and I kept waiting to see what would happen.
Then something did happen. His "e,e,e,e" chants changed to chants of the common words that he uses. Just all strung together and sung out. Then new words started popping in and out. Then he started having conversations with me. Yeah, they are simple conversations using the words he has, and the occasional surprise word, but they are an active give and take of conversation. Sometimes he stops and I can see him thinking, and his mouth moves like he's trying to say something. He's fighting to say what he wants. And that incredible sass is definitely getting verbalized!
I was honestly amazed and so incredibly proud of him. I still am.
Then life threw a curve ball and my van started having engine trouble. So in order to keep from doing more damage, I hired subs to run the route for a week while the shop tried to figure out what was wrong. (It's big and expensive. And if you want to help there is a gofundme and a tshirt drive to try to raise money for it. Just drop me a message and I'll send you the links. Prayers are just as appreciated.)
Suddenly the conversations disappeared. When I prompted Munchkin to use words, I got few words and they were all the ones he's been using for a while. And he wasn't trying anymore. If he didn't have a word, he'd just use kisses or pushes. That's when I realized that something was happening that I truly have no clue about.
On this past Sunday, we borrowed a vehicle and ran the route again. I was almost laughing by the time I got to the drop. When I got him up to go, he was ready to go. When I took a few extra minutes, he came, plugged himself in to me, and pulled me to the front door to go. Halfway down to the drop, I hear a "yippee" come out of the backseat! I thought he was asleep! (And when did he start using that word?!) By the time we got to the drop he was sound asleep, curled under his blankets with a big grin on his face. He didn't wake up even once throughout the whole route until we got home. Then he was wide awake and taking on the world. I got no extra sleep that morning.
On Monday he was talking again. New words, conversations, everything. I don't know the why, wherefore, whatever on this. And I'm hoping to figure it out. No I am going to figure it out. Our best guess, at the moment, is that the motion of the vehicle and the road noise are helping him to sleep more soundly. There's also the security of knowing that Mommy is right there. Any time he opens his eyes, or listens, he can see or hear me.
There have also been other changes. He's paying attention to his body odor. He's paying more attention to whether his clothes are clean or not. He's not spending hours in the shower, and he will initiate taking a shower all on his own. Basically he's responding the the basic hygiene lessons/conversations that we've been having for years. It's not perfect by any means. But it's definitely a start.
Regardless, until we figure it out, and figure out how to duplicate the effects at home, I guess I'm running a newspaper route. (Well, once the van is fixed.) The money is okay, but the real payment is the amazing changes in my son. For that, I'll do anything. Even drive around for hours at night doing nothing just so he can rest.
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