Summer says Sensory diet
So the BIG theme for summer this year as it always is with R is SWIMMING !!!
That is all he wants to do
And since his is a FAR preferable obsession to us than the Wii or the Ipad - we really go with it
We have a pool at the cabin ( but not at home ) though R has been asking us to get an "Intesk" pool ( he is very brand aware and wants to biggest and most expensive one ( which was a real pain last year to clean also the water was icy cold almost constantly )
We have gone so far as to ask Miss Sadie to take him to her apartment's pool and do therapy there
Boy, I have never seen R run to therapy like he does here
We also try hard to ensure he is doing other physical things and tempt him with things like this -
have you ever played with a Giga Ball ?
OMG R loves his
Honestly we keep him enticed with all these physical activity because otherwise all he wants to do is
We had some visitors to the cabin recently - what I am amazed by is how comfortable R is with visitors once he gets to know them
Look at the way R is leaning on their daughter
They had a lovely dog and while he avoided Raafi in the beginning, he was good with them too
Developmental leaps
R always seems to take developmental leaps when school is out ( which makes me worried - is school bad for him )
For instance he is copying what he sees on videos - there is a character called Charlie on babyTV.com ( I blush dear reader , when I write babytv for R is 7 years old !) that R is copying
He perishes to ride his old tricycle ( gifted by my friend as he took such a fancy to it when we visited her house )
as his hero Charlie does here
Like his hero, Charlie invites 1 to ride with him , R too invites me to ride with him
( which, in fact , I do after checking that no one is around )
We ride to our neighbors - looking like a Extra terrestrial - as our movement is mostly through me propelling us with my legs
Where we have a long chat with Miss Lucy - R's true love - he is always yearning to go Miss Lucy's house .
Though while he is there he will only sit with her for the shortest intervals of time and most of the time he will want to explore her house ( so different from ours and yet so similar !)
he also frequently brings up Annie of Little Einsteins on his Ipad and poses with her in the mirror
Then the naughtiness!!
If we make a rule - R will find a loophole
For instance, I told him that he was not to use electronics before 6 am ( as sleep is becoming a bit of a problem again:-( )
So he basically sneaks away in his room and plays with the Ipad till its 6 and then rushes into our bedroom as soon as the clock has crossed over 5.59 am
( and I did not know that he could tell time )
Everything he is asked not to do- climb on the chair to get to the Wii Discs, candy , etc - he interprets to mean that as long as he is not caught doing it , he is fine ( my dear friends- while this is exasperating, its also very good as he is CONSTANTLY busting all the stupid "theory of mind" autism ideas)
Now on the one hand he is showing a lot of social 3 year old development - this is coupled with a lot of cognitive
Like how he has taught himself the multiplication tables to 10 - OMG he loves number patterns ( for that is what multiplication really )
or how he constantly makes connections
Like DH and I were just talking about the Chicken Salad we had at a restaurant yesterday , R piped in and say "on the applebee's menu"
This is great
One, he is trying to join the conversation , second,he remembers the Applebees menu though we go there rarely , and that when we went there he paid attention to those parts of the menu that he had no interest in himself
I am a mother still new to the joy of declarative language and joy rushes through me every time I see R make a comment like " Papa played with shovel" ( pointing to a flower bed that DH and my MIL have rebed- though surely they would not like their hard work described such)
or when he tells me "mama come to play with tricycle" a full sentence and in invite !!!( though his idea of me and him playing is him sitting like a lord and me pushing him like a minion )
Our closeness
Is back - thank you god !!
I think his seeming to retreat into himself in June was really because I was traveling every week.
He is back to being a snuggle bug !!
Our big news
I cannot say enough good things about his home therapists whom we were so lucky to find .
Our fabulous friends - like the ones who came to take us out to dinner yesterday are so close to our hearts
His teachers too are very nice . They have really good intentions but resources are very strained and often the follow and DH and I have made the decision to leave the South :-(
In September we are moving to the Pacific North West !
( one great thing will be that I will be able to finally meet Rachel and Mr Daddy - the other great thing is that this area is very good for Autism )
While I know, we are really going to miss this small Southern town and its wonderful people, I really know we will regret not taking this chance either
If you ever think about parallel universes, moving to a new place is very akin to moving to a parallel universe
I am trying to focus on all the good things about the move and not be sentimental about this all the things we are leaving behind
But one wonderful thing about you, my dear bloggy friends, is you are my friends, wherever I go
So the BIG theme for summer this year as it always is with R is SWIMMING !!!
That is all he wants to do
And since his is a FAR preferable obsession to us than the Wii or the Ipad - we really go with it
We have a pool at the cabin ( but not at home ) though R has been asking us to get an "Intesk" pool ( he is very brand aware and wants to biggest and most expensive one ( which was a real pain last year to clean also the water was icy cold almost constantly )
We have gone so far as to ask Miss Sadie to take him to her apartment's pool and do therapy there
Boy, I have never seen R run to therapy like he does here
We also try hard to ensure he is doing other physical things and tempt him with things like this -
have you ever played with a Giga Ball ?
OMG R loves his
Look at the way R is leaning on their daughter
They had a lovely dog and while he avoided Raafi in the beginning, he was good with them too
R always seems to take developmental leaps when school is out ( which makes me worried - is school bad for him )
For instance he is copying what he sees on videos - there is a character called Charlie on babyTV.com ( I blush dear reader , when I write babytv for R is 7 years old !) that R is copying
as his hero Charlie does here
Like his hero, Charlie invites 1 to ride with him , R too invites me to ride with him
( which, in fact , I do after checking that no one is around )
We ride to our neighbors - looking like a Extra terrestrial - as our movement is mostly through me propelling us with my legs
Where we have a long chat with Miss Lucy - R's true love - he is always yearning to go Miss Lucy's house .
Though while he is there he will only sit with her for the shortest intervals of time and most of the time he will want to explore her house ( so different from ours and yet so similar !)
he also frequently brings up Annie of Little Einsteins on his Ipad and poses with her in the mirror
Then the naughtiness!!
If we make a rule - R will find a loophole
For instance, I told him that he was not to use electronics before 6 am ( as sleep is becoming a bit of a problem again:-( )
So he basically sneaks away in his room and plays with the Ipad till its 6 and then rushes into our bedroom as soon as the clock has crossed over 5.59 am
( and I did not know that he could tell time )
Everything he is asked not to do- climb on the chair to get to the Wii Discs, candy , etc - he interprets to mean that as long as he is not caught doing it , he is fine ( my dear friends- while this is exasperating, its also very good as he is CONSTANTLY busting all the stupid "theory of mind" autism ideas)
Now on the one hand he is showing a lot of social 3 year old development - this is coupled with a lot of cognitive
Like how he has taught himself the multiplication tables to 10 - OMG he loves number patterns ( for that is what multiplication really )
or how he constantly makes connections
Like DH and I were just talking about the Chicken Salad we had at a restaurant yesterday , R piped in and say "on the applebee's menu"
This is great
One, he is trying to join the conversation , second,he remembers the Applebees menu though we go there rarely , and that when we went there he paid attention to those parts of the menu that he had no interest in himself
I am a mother still new to the joy of declarative language and joy rushes through me every time I see R make a comment like " Papa played with shovel" ( pointing to a flower bed that DH and my MIL have rebed- though surely they would not like their hard work described such)
or when he tells me "mama come to play with tricycle" a full sentence and in invite !!!( though his idea of me and him playing is him sitting like a lord and me pushing him like a minion )
Our closeness
Is back - thank you god !!
I think his seeming to retreat into himself in June was really because I was traveling every week.
He is back to being a snuggle bug !!
Our big news
I cannot say enough good things about his home therapists whom we were so lucky to find .
Our fabulous friends - like the ones who came to take us out to dinner yesterday are so close to our hearts
His teachers too are very nice . They have really good intentions but resources are very strained and often the follow and DH and I have made the decision to leave the South :-(
In September we are moving to the Pacific North West !
( one great thing will be that I will be able to finally meet Rachel and Mr Daddy - the other great thing is that this area is very good for Autism )
While I know, we are really going to miss this small Southern town and its wonderful people, I really know we will regret not taking this chance either
If you ever think about parallel universes, moving to a new place is very akin to moving to a parallel universe
I am trying to focus on all the good things about the move and not be sentimental about this all the things we are leaving behind
But one wonderful thing about you, my dear bloggy friends, is you are my friends, wherever I go
18 comments:
It sounds like R is doing great! Congrats and good luck with your big move. I have never been to the Pacific Northwest but did consider taking Alex out there to see the Eides for an eval.
In Washington state, well known I am told for autism services. That is only true in King county (seattle). Not much outside King county even for children, less once past 18. The university helps, if can pay for it. Where I live very close in kitsap county, almost no services at all.
Still is good place to live. So very pretty.
Wow, what a lot of exciting and wonderful new things R has accomplished! Glad you are enjoying your summer and best wishes for your upcoming move and work.
Ari thanks for commenting ... For through your comment I discovered your blog ! I am delighted to have found u
That giga ball is awesome. Sounds like you are having a good summer :)
Good luck with the move. Seems that change triggers spurts with R those are great steps he is making...
Amazing news!! R's progress is wonderful to read, but not too surprising considering his therapeutic lifesyle. I hope you can replicate your lifestyle in WA AND find a better school. I can't help but wonder how R will react to so much change?
We lived in the NW for 7 years & know it well. I have no reason to dash your bubble but I believe good & bad can be found everywhere. I will miss the vicarious pleasure of reading about your visits to the cabin. Sending love & luck! (good kind)
I just have to tell you.... I LOVE R being naughty! :)
Good luck with your move. It all sounds very exciting and I always think that change is a good thing.
Sounds like R is having a great summer! I can really relate to your excitement over R's progress. We don't take anything for granted, so we relish the advances even more.
That Giga Ball looks fun! I never heard of it... must look into it. :)
Oh my, you are moving! I loved the Pacific Northwest on my visits... such a beautiful area. I wish you well on your move, and look forward to reading about your new adventures.
R's summer sounds so good right now!
I hope your move goes well and give's R, you and your husband what you need.
Hello,
I am a kind of new to this ASd world and stumbled upon your blog by chance. I love it & following it for 6 months now.
Progress R has made for so far gives me hope that even my son can fight this & come out. Thanks for creating such hopeful posts.
Regards,
Malar
I enjoyed your long post with all the examples of R's progress in so many areas. It sounds like you are having a great summer. Good Luck with the move.
Thanks Malar what a lovely thing to say
Dorsey,BWMFA,Socomom, Kris - we really are having a great summer
Porgerour, Di,Yuji - I really think the move will be good for once he is adjusted
Dr Barb totally going with our eyes open- Thanks for the caution
So many positive things!!!!
Congratulations on your big move! Though I have never moved away from where I was born and reared, I feel it would be very exciting and fun! I hope all the best for you guys and the services you find after you get there! I can't wait to see the new adventures through R's eyes (and the rest of his senses!)
Congrats on your upcoming move! How exciting! It's wonderful you are doing all you can to get the services R needs. I love the stories you tell...my son seems to make big leaps in the summer, too. Maybe it's because they're more relaxed, less stressed and not as much in "therapy mode?" It's hard to know sometimes...
It sounds like summer is the best time, I hope you all really enjoy it and build up lots of happy memories before your move x
Wow, so much progress! And that giga ball looks really fantastic! Good luck with your move, I hope it all goes as smoothly as possible! And swimming is so healthy, I *love* healthy obsessions! Also, the picture of your two men on their respective iThingies is just precious! >_<
I must admit that I still cannot read this without squealing :) I am so delighted to finally meet MY K and R and A! I feel like I already know you, so please do not be offended if I hug you and then awkwardly get emotional and then hug you again and laugh way too loudly :)
(Fear not, I don't speak in such run-on sentences in person :)
I do hope that you will find some wonderful resources and partners up here - there are a lot of progressive areas here.
I cannot wait - and do hope that R will find us comfortable to spend time with :)
Sorry for overusing the smilies... I'm rather excited!
Wow, that is great to hear about all the progress he's making and exciting news about the upcoming move! My brother lives out that way so whenever we get to make a trip to see him we'll have to stop on the way so we can visit both your family and Rachel's. :)
Post a Comment