Well.. I haven't blogged in a while. Maybe I've had less to rant about this month(unless you count the fact that a nasty virus has run through our family yet a third time in 6 weeks, but I'm kind of getting used to cleaning up puke).
Jake has yet again begun to make giant leaps with his language and social skills as well as his physical abilities. Lacy comes and spends three mornings per week at our house, when everyone is well, and brings her little guy Maddox who is only one month older than Jake. Lacy has tons of energy and plays with the boys all morning. After lunch they all watch a movie while Manny naps. I've noticed Jake modeling Maddox's behavior a bit for example: sitting and looking at a book while the movie plays instead of laying on his back with his feet on something. Stimming has really reduced in frequency and intensity since we started doing floortime, almost to the point that, when he does it, I know that he is just tired and it isn't so much of an issue anymore.
I have decided that Disney's Toy Story and the sequal must be the best movies in the world to show a 3 year old (almost four, how did that happen?) autistic child. Its a pretty good movie if you're an adult too. I think that it adds an element of magic to the idea of toys, and inside the movie the children are constantly modeling pretend play. Since getting Jake his Buzz doll, he constantly pretends... and not just mimicing the movie, but deciding that Buzz is hungry and such. Yesterday he got a Woody doll as well, and Buzz and Woody have some interesting conversations. I have systematically removed almost all of the noise-making electronic toys from the house (yeah, I know, Buzz and Woody say three phrases each, but thats different). When Jake wants to withdraw he will grab something that he can do by himself, like a talking book toy. Its funny when I think about how parents of typical children (and me too, in the past) look for toys that will keep their children occupied by themselves... and how I look for the opposite. Instead of video games and leap frog stuff we have a ball pit and a swing. Lately I remind Jake's friends and family: "My kids need PEOPLE to play with not THINGS to play with."
No matter what is helping Jake the most these days; School, Lacy, OT, it is really nice to see such vast improvement. Yesterday we had the best OT session, in my opinion, that we've had so far. Although Jake is still going from one thing to another fairly quickly, Cindy was able to have a very long interaction with him and his brother sitting at the table and pretending to eat foods that were pictured on cards. When given a card with popcorn Jake says "Popcorn machine my home," telling Cindy that he has an air popper at home that we use almost every night. He is improving his ability to talk about and sequence events. He still does it in an odd way, and every sentence lilts up like a question. For instance, after OT yesterday he says "Fun go see Cindy? Fun swing? Fun table picnic? Clean up?? ALL DONE!" In this way I can actually gain some insight as to what goes on during his school day. Granted, the teachers send me a little note every day, but it can be scary to a parent of a verbally delayed child to send them off every day and get absolutely no feedback from the horses mouth. When Jake gets off the bus, he will say "Fun school day? Fun puzzles? Play computer.. Fun.. snack time?" It really makes my heart soar. He also has a funny attitude lately, and at lunch time yesterday at a pizza restaurant he pulled on my shoulder to get my attention, and said, very matter of factly "We need some Pizza!"
Physically Jake is getting stronger and gaining more muscle tone and motor control. He still falls a lot but he falls less. He's able to do tasks such as taking off his socks and going up and down stairs more efficiently. The other day we went to an inflateable playground place because a group of moms who I like were going there. I was very apprehensive since we had had a bad experience with one of those places about 18 months ago that had caused Jake to be terrified of inflateables in any situation (such as a craft fair or something). Much to my delight he loved even the biggest slides. I honestly didn't think that he could PHYSICALLY climb the big ones, but well, here's the video to prove it. Watching it myself, it doesn't even look like my child doing that.
At the bottom he says "I'm swimmin!" He was pretending to be sliding into a pool. I think once that Jake realized how pretending worked, and that anything can be anything that he wants, it has really brought a lot of joy into his life.
Meanwhile, Manny is still growing and is beginning to walk and take a few tentative steps, although he still seems well behind other children his age on most things. But I am hopeful because otherwise things seem to be developing at least in the right sequence for him. Yesterday after OT we went to the creative discovery museum and spent most of the rest of the day. Outings are getting a big easier and harder at the same time. Easier because Jake's social skills are developing to a point that he is a bit easier to "control" and he tantrums much less, usually only during the normal tantruming times, like leaving a fun activity but I rarely have to carry him out lately, he just screams while he walks. Harder because I have two very mobile boys with completely opposite interests. I literally need eyes in the back of my head (and an extra me sometimes). These days I am exhausted, but hopeful.
****Pics: top: The scar on Jake's chin is from a nasty dog scratch. Sweet Bree stepped on his face while he was laying down on the floor. It was an accident. Last pic: The look on Manny's face pretty much sums up his attitude these days
