Courage

On the advise of our OT, we decided to sign Rocket Boy up for hockey. She said it was perfect for a Seeker who likes to fall and jump and be rough.

Our hockey boosters does a "free" session for four year olds, and all you pay is the equipment rental fee of $15. For an organized sport, that is a steal! So we signed up, tried on skates and pads, and showed up for the first practice.

Did I mention Rocket Boy has never skated? Yeah.

We were told at sign-up that it was totally normal for the kids in this session to not know how to skate yet and that they would get the "walkers" and learn to skate as a group.

Well lets just say that wasn't the case. It was totally unorganized, and most of the kids were older than four and already knew how to skate and move a puck around. We were a bit surprised, but made the best of it.

Making the best of it was basically Lumberjack and I taking turns trying to teach Rocket to skate. And um, it didn't go well. The few times he did get on his feet, he was so excited he would madly giggle and fall over.

Forgot to mention I was on the ice with a 25lb baby strapped to my back. In slip-on shoes. And very unprotected from flailing skates. Ouch! I would say, "look, see this picture!" but I'm sure you can guess that I didn't have much time for photo ops.

After the first ten minutes, Rocket was in tears. I was trying to be very positive and offered that we take a break (since he wasn't really in the class at this point - any non-skaters were left behind, much to the confusion of myself and other parents who were told the same as we were).

He was not interested in taking a break - he kept at it. Again and again he fell. Again and again he got up. He had total joy when he managed to stand up for even a second. He said again and again "I'm brave, I'll keep trying". Even though this is a rote phrase for him that we hear often, randomly, this time he really had passion behind his words. He refused to give up.

That courage - to get up again and again - it inspires me. That joy - to celebrate standing for even a moment - it makes my heart glow. And I realize in moments like this that basically every day is a test of courage for my Sensory Kid. Every outing to a loud place, every interaction with other children - all of that takes courage for Rocket.

Other people might not notice. In fact, some people may judge us, our parenting, or our kids. But parents of Sensory Kids can see this miracle of character each and every day. We know how brave our kids are, and I know it inspires me every day.

An InLinkz Link-up

Baymax Amigurumi - DONE!

I couldn't wait to share - this is my first ami figure ever, and I am so pleased! Rocket Boy is just in love with Baymax and I can hardly wait to give this to him on Valentine's Day. 

 

I replaced his normal little chest emblem do-dad with a heart - for Valentine's of course. I also think, in my head, that is how his nursing mode should look anyway! 

He is a little guy, as you can tell from the picture with my hand in it, but I think that will make him perfect for cuddles. I already have a friend requesting one for his son as well, so I'm glad these work up fast! I shared the link to the (free!) pattern in my last post. Happy "hooking"!

Valentine's Gift Underway!

Rocket Boy has only seen Big Hero 6 one time, but he is pretty obsessed with Baymax. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of four year old friendly merch out there yet (ever?! Maybe when it comes out on bluray there will be more). 

He has a hard, armored Baymax to play with, but he wants a plush as well. I'm not willing to shell out $25 for one, so I decided to make one!

I crochet, and many people have probably seen amigurumi before - crochet figures. I found a free pattern for Baymax. It's about half done! 

I don't have safety eyes so I found some buttons. They weren't black (how do I not have any black buttons or beads?). So I painted them black with nail polish and made his adorable face. 

I can't wait to finish him up, and then I can start on a present for Rocket Baby. I'm excited to be making something handmade for their valentines presents. And this week I need to start on the valentines for Rockets class too! Crafty fun to come in another post, I'm sure. 

New Year, New Sensory Equipment (Pt. 3)

We have a lot of new fun things here in the house for Rocket Boy! Most are from Christmas, but some are just being added (or gifted) to grow our repertoire and create an environment that Rocket Boy thrives in.

The first major piece to be added was a crash pad. Now, there are high priced (and large) crash pads out there, some are like gym equipment, some are made for therapy. But bottom line is that our space and our budget don't allow for those options. So I had to wrack my brain a bit for an alternative. 

What we ended up with was a sleeping bag (found at the thrift store for $3 - and I couldn't resist the retro MLP print) and an assortment of blankets and pillows to stuff it with. Most of the stuffing is just extra things from the linin closet that don't get pulled out much. 

Now, it's not perfect, but it does the job for now. Ideally, I will get some upholstery foam scraps to stuff it with and sew it closed and make a dedicated cover for it. But for now we "fluff" the stuff inside every couple days and cover with a spare blanket to give it a washable cover. 

Rocket Boy loves this thing. I could not begin to guess how often this is jumped on. He jumps from the couch to the pad, from the floor to the pad, from the pad to the couch...jump jump jump. But I'm not complaining - it saves my couch from some abuse. He has a dedicated spot to jump into instead of jumping on the couch, all over, all day (which is what he did previously). 

I never thought I would be encouraging him to jump on things, but you change your idea of "good parenting ideas" when you have a sensory kid! 

While it will be nice to upgrade to upholstery foam in the future, this was a quick and almost free solution I'm pretty proud of. What sort of diy contraptions have you made for your kiddos? 

New Year, New Equipment (Pt. 2)

I'm going over some of our new sensory equipment and toys that are making our lives a bit easier. Everything has been a hit, but we have a current favorite:

The trampoline. 

Never in my life did I imagine letting my kids have a trampoline in the house. Honestly I hate trampolines. That might have to do with seeing multiple accidents from them as a kid (teeth knocked out, broken arms, pinched skin the springs - not pretty). Even as a kid I was cautious of them. 

Now I have one in my living room. 

We were gifted this unexpectedly from my sister in law, who had it sitting in her garage, unopened, for a long time. We mentioned that we missed the Black Friday sale on this item and she offered it gladly to us. 

It was an immediate hit with both the boys, but especially Rocket Boy. For a sensory seeking kiddo, this is heaven. Movement, joint compression, hard work - all rolled into one compact bouncy gizmo. 

I really like this model, though I do wish it folded up for storage. But luckily after we moved the tree out of the living room this was able to be tucked into that corner perfectly. It would be nice to put a side table there instead, but oh well. Such is life with kids! 

Not only is this fun for Rocket Boy whenever he randomly decides to bounce, but it is also proving effective for redirecting energy and impulses. When he starts to get too rough with Rocket Baby, I can redirect quickly and say "I see you need to get some wiggles out - lets do 15 big jumps!" He gets to jump and get out the energy that was about to get him in trouble, he practices counting, and we are all happier and have no injuries. Win win! 

A lot of parents of sensory kids have a trampoline, so this may not be the most creative bit of equipement, but it sure is effective! 

New Year, New Sensory Equipment (Pt. 1)

I mentioned before Christmas that we were waiting on a Sensory Pod/Sock. It came in, and I have to say I am impressed with it! 

The quality of this sensory pod seems very sturdy and nicely made. The seams are holding up perfectly, and Rocket Boy plays hard in this thing. The color was also just as bright and vivid as showed online, which is always a nice surprise. 

The pod is easy to use - it's sewn envelope style and you just slip in the long end, and if you want you can slip the short side over your head. This gives the full experience of wrapping in blankets or being enclosed. 

For Rocket Boy, this is used as a replacement for his ritual of "blanket tornados" - basically destroying a bed in about a nanosecond, wrapping in the blankets, and going nuts. He has even ripped holes in sheets doing this! 

So this for him is an active therapy item. He jumps and rolls and stretches the material as far as he can (hello joint compression!). He can see through the Lycra type material pretty well, even though it is pretty thick. 

For other kiddos (and maybe for Rocket one day too) this could be a very calming item. It envelopes you, and while it doesn't shut out light or noise, it does give a quick safe space. It folds small, so it would be good for traveling, a portable safe space if you will. 

We only use this a few times a day, for five or ten minutes at a time since it is so stimulating for Rocket Boy. As he gets more able to regulate he will be able to use it more on an on-request basis.

Mini Sensory Experiences - Mess Free!

Lately I have been adding a sensory experience to an unexpected place - the fridge door. 

I wanted to make "squish bags" (or some people call them discovery bags) for the kids to explore, but Rocket Baby has some amazing chompers and I knew I would end up with busted bags. Since you usually put non-edibles in these, that wouldn't be good! 

I made some around Christmas that I didn't get shots of, but I have added some new ones since then. My first bags were slime, water/oil, and paint. The paint bag was taped to the window, and when you run your finger on it you can "write" in the paint. That was a pinterest idea, not mine! The slime bag was just a way to get a little more life out of the slime we made previously - I just stuck it in a bag, and taped it to the fridge door. 

The oil/water bag was the favorite that week - vegetable oil, colored water, and I added some glitter and foam beads too. I taped it to the fridge VERY WELL and covered it in a layer of tape. I did mention Rocket Baby had major biting issues right? It needed protection.

The slime bag and water bag had very different sensory experiences - the slime was hard to push around and was opaque and made no noise. The water/oil bag was super squishy, easy to push, clear, and made noise when you whacked it. You could see the boys comparing them as they walked up several times a day to push and poke. 

This past week I made a new bag in honor of the New Year. Stars and glitter and gems - and I put hair gel in it this time. Squishy but still not water like. And a steal at the dollar store. I stuck the foam star stickers to the inside of the bag before adding the gel and other things - this way the stars stayed still and the rest of the contents moved. I thought that would add something new. The boys loved this one too!

I am working on a new series of posts...all written out right now, but I am having the hardest time getting photos! Have you tried to get your sensory seeker to hold still during their favorite sensory activities for a picture? Yeah, it's working out real well.

Happy Birthday Rocket Boy!

I am planning out some new great posts, but I wanted to sneak in a quick celebration post. 

Rocket Boy turned four just a few days ago. 

Honestly, I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday I held him in my arms for the first time, little 6lb peanut he was. I couldn't help but watch the clock in the night before his birthday and on the day of thinking, "This is when I woke up in labor," or "I was in the birthing tub right about now," and "This was the moment we first held you." I suppose every mother thinks these sort of things as her children grow. 

We had a low key day with Rocket Boy, since his birthday is just a few short days after the craziness of Christmas. We will have a party in a couple of weeks, but we all need some detox from the holidays. He spent the day playing with the million new toys (mainly Duplo sets, which he loves!). He decided on his favorite Mexican restaurant for his birthday dinner and ate like a horse. I can't get him to eat dinner at home, but if we go out for Mexican he eats like a starved man. 

During dinner he spotted another little boy at the table next to us. He was playing with a plane (R.B. loves the movie Planes) and R.B commented on it as we ate. As the family got up to leave the boy lingered near our table waiting for everyone to get on coats and hats. Rocket Boy tried his very best to have a conversation with the boy. He even gave out his full name and followed the normal flow of trying to start a conversation - something we have worked on so hard. I could not have been prouder of that little interaction. 

Of course Rocket Boy wasn't phased by his progress, he just wanted his ice cream. 

It is hard to watch him grow and change, but at the same time it makes my heart just burst with pride and love. This is a bit of a departure from the normal bits on the blog, but sometimes us mothers just have to wax poetic. 

Happy Birthday Rocket Boy! 

The Holiday Rush

I'm sneaking in one more post before Christmas - the holiday season throws me off my normal routine, including blogging.

One of the biggest changes around our house lately has been the instillation of some new sensory items - and they are REALLY helping.

I made a crash pad, though it needs some tweaking. But I found an old sleeping bag, stuffed it with all the spare pillows and blankets, and it sits at the end of the couch. This way Rocket Boy can jump off the couch onto it. It has seriously saved my couches from further abuse. He jumps off one spot instead of jumping up and down all day on the poor couches.

The other addition has been a trampoline. We came by the trampoline through family - for free! My sister-in-law got it as a gift for one of her children but they have a large outdoor trampoline so they never even opened it. I mentioned our SPD diagnosis and things were looking for in conversation, and she offered the trampoline to us.

These two items are only the start of our sensory collection but we have already noticed a huge difference in behavior. His aggression towards Rocket Baby has almost totally disappeared which is a huge stress reliever for the whole family (probably especially for R.Baby!).

 We have started to do "roll-ups" before bed and now he asks for them. Basically we just roll him in a medium sized fleece blanket (with his head out) and then I rock with him - big rocking motions. He starts out rigid but then he starts to relax and is all ready for bed.

Next on our list is a Sensory "sock", which is on its way to us, is going to be a hit I think. Rocket Boy has a major obsession with wrapping up in blankets and this sock will hopefully give him his own little cocoon without messing up my bed. We are also going to look into getting a weighted blanket and a fidget seat.

The holidays are causing some over-stimulation and craziness in our house, like it does for most people. But all in all, I think he is handling things well. Thanksgiving was with a different group and in a new place this year, which made him get a bit anxious and we had to leave early due to the behavior that brought to the surface. We are hosting Christmas dinner this year, which will either be easier (his own space) or way too overwhelming...we shall see.

I will ask you to insert some awesome pictures in your mind of Rocket Boy jumping like crazy on a trampoline and of our Christmas tree...because I don't have time to edit them right now. Happy holidays everyone!

Official Diagnosis, Round 1

After meeting with the psychologist, occupational therapist, and the school district team we have an official diagnosis - Sensory Processing Disorder.

While I don't think this will be our last stop on the road to answers, it does give us a great starting place. They identified that he is a sensory seeker, especially in the vestibular and proprioceptive areas. (Try saying proprioceptive three times fast...)

He has avoidance behaviors in a few areas, mainly with auditory issues. For Rocket Boy, mechanical noises are especially hard - vacuums, the garbage disposal, hairdryer, our clanky car, etc. He also has some tactile avoidance, mainly with sticky/gummy textures or foods.

The school mentioned that he has evidence of some very advanced problem solving skills and is advanced in some other areas as well. They noticed some of his scripting and rote conversations and stimming, which at the very least was affirming to me that I am not imagining things. They noticed attention issues as well, but they were able to bring him back to task pretty easily.

The psychologist says that the testing shows "autism-like behaviors" driven by sensory issues and possible ADHD. While they don't diagnose ADHD in children this young, she sees sure signs of it especially given the strong family history. I'm not sure that she ran the full assessment that should have been done (actually, I am sure she didn't as she said so herself) but for now we are at a point where we can get OT help and see what improvements we see.

We are working on making some simple changes at home to help with his seeking behavior. I made a DIY "crash pad" for him with a sleeping bag and extra pillows and blankets. I plan to make a post soon showing this little project. While it needs a little tweaking, it works as a quick fix for a kiddo who CAN.NOT.STOP.JUMPING. He really seems to love it and our couch is getting a little break.

We changed around our Christmas lists to include a lot of sensory items, and I'm hoping to pick up a mini trampoline on Black Friday. Trying to explain to family that we need things like fidgets and weighted blankets instead of another electronic toy is a bit difficult, but hopefully they will follow the list anyway.

Speaking of Christmas - here is a little peak at taking card photos with my two Rockets:

Slime Time!

 

Last night I decided that Rocket Boy needed some slime. Why? Mainly because slimy/squishy/sticky is a hard tactile challenge for him. And partially because I really wanted to play with some slime too. 

So I started out hoping to make an "edible" slime with fiber powder and water. Well, I missed the note that you have to buy the type with psyllium in it. So after microwaving a bowl of fiberous water for...forever...I realized my issue. 

So I searched and searched for a slime recipe that didn't need borax and that I already had the ingredients for. Luckily I found a recipe from Fun at Home with Kids - using only glue and laundry detergent.

You can use any washable school glue, clear or white. But the detergent you use is specific - for Americans, just look for Seventh Generation Free and Clear (any concentration works). For those overseas, check out the link above from Fun at Home with Kids for the specific detergent you can use. Luckily for me, Seventh Generation Free and Clear is the detergent we use on a regular basis!

The directions are simple - pour the glue in a bowl, then add the detergent a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each. I used 4oz of glue, and about 5 tablespoons of detergent. You will know when you have the right amount of detergent - it will stop sticking so much and be the perfect gooey slime texture.

I added a good amount of silver and blue glitter to the slime, and called it "snow slime." It's snowing here already so snow is on Rocket Boy's mind right now. He started with a spoon and only a few pokes with his little finger.

To encourage him to really dig in, I added some marbles to the slime and told him he had to rescue them. That really helped him get his hands into it and explore the texture. He learned how to manipulate this fun material - letting it slowly fall, quickly pulling to snap off small bits, and learning how to get the marbles out cleanly. This slime really is a lot of fun to play with! 

This was a really fun and new experience for Rocket Boy and one I will take out again in the coming days and weeks. I liked the fact that this slime is non-toxic (though NOT "edible") - the glue is non-toxic and the detergent is non-toxic as well. I have played with slime made from borax before and found it really harsh on my hands, so I loved that this slime recipe didn't have that effect. Apparently the chemical reaction that takes place is the same as the borax recipe with the same ions, but I think because the detergent is diluted already, it makes it less harsh. 

I hope that this recipe works well for all of you, and don't forget to Pin this for later!

Sensory Foam!

This day started as a meltdown morning for the whole family. We all woke up on the wrong side of the bed. After a nap/quiet time reset, I decided to make a quick sensory table.

Usually, sensory tables have a way of calming down Rocket Boy, and it keeps him occupied for more than two seconds at a time. Today we tried sensory foam, which I had not made before. Rocket Boy loves bubble baths, but those bubbles are always short lived and we have had more than one instance of him dumping an ENTIRE bottle of bubble bath behind our backs to try to rectify this issue.

You probably already have what you need right at home for this, which makes it easy to whip up when everyone is needing a good reset. I loath sensory stuff that takes a lot of prior planning on my part, so anything I can make from the cupboard is a win for me.

We used:

• Dish Soap (I had a Dawn brand "soft on your hands" type under the sink)
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Optional - food coloring or washable liquid watercolors
• Optional - small toys, pirate treasure, etc.

We didn't color ours today. It is snowing out, so I just called it fluffy snow. Actually...I didn't want to test how badly colors would soak into Rocket Baby's adorable cloth diaper. Ya just never know! The cornstarch could also be optional, but it does give the bubbles more staying power, without it they dissolve faster.

Put about 1/4 cup of water in the stand mixer (or use a hand mixer and large bowl) and add a squirt of soap. I know, I'm technical. Just use about the amount you would for a sink of dirty dishes. Then about 2 tsp of cornstarch. Then just turn on the mixer and let it go!

That small amount quickly ballooned up to fill my entire bowl to the top with bubbles. I made eight batches to fill our sensory table, and it only took about five minutes. Before putting the foam in, I put coins, magnet letters, and other things in the bottom of the table. This encouraged Rocket Boy to dig for treasure! He also was able to practice letter recognition as he pulled out each magnet. For those with babies around like we do, I think this is pretty baby safe. Rocket Baby did try to put some soap in his mouth, but quickly spit it out and didn't do it again. He seems no worse for the quick taste.

If I could change a couple things, next time I would use less scented soap. I quickly remembered why that soap was half-used under the sink - I hated the smell. Rocket Boy didn't seem to care since he rarely notices smells at all. Next time we might also color the foam, maybe with several colors so we can swirl and mix them!

Obviously though, the boys enjoyed this very much! You can even see on the fridge back there where Rocket Baby was trying to put a soapy magnet back on the fridge. The floor is probably a little cleaner now, but I will mop after bedtime to be sure to get any lingering soap film off.

Happy sensory play! (Pin this for later!)

Processing...

Our evaluation with the child psychologist and occupational therapist was last Wednesday.

I thought I would update right away, but honestly it was a lot to process.

And we don't know the results until this Friday.

Honestly, I am still not sure what to think of the experience or what I was told. Currently, autism of any level is "off the table" according to what the psychologist told us at the evaluation. Apparently, he is too talkative. Having met autistic children and adults and parents of autistic kids, I know very well that autistic individuals can be talkative and social. I found it really odd - and frankly wrong - to take autism out of the equation simply based on the fact that he interrupted me hundred times during the evaluation.

And then I get this feeling of guilt that I am "upset" or "confused" about autism not being a possibility - obviously as a mother I would love for a doctor to see and say he is totally normal. Except that is not what she said - she said that we are obviously looking at "something", most likely severe ADHD and SPD (sensory processing disorder). She said that many of the symptoms/behaviors can mimic autism, especially Aspergers/high functioning. Even with her admitting that his behaviors (especially in repetitive behaviors/stimming) appear autistic, she refused to use the autism diagnostic checklist during their playtime.

If she decides this is what he is dealing with (ADHD/SPD mix), the only options we have are occupational therapy (OT) and later on, medication. When I expressed my worry that while he does okay in school now (3 hours, twice a week), that he could be overwhelmed later on when it is 8 hours a day, five days a week her answer was "well, that is when you use medication".

We are already doing the other things suggested, like diet changes (he doesn't have sweets, sugar, junk, and after taking out food colorings we saw no difference though we do avoid them in general anyway). We already are using the parenting techniques she mentioned. I feel as though she heard our cry for help and answered with a generic label.

We will see what Friday holds. What her final conclusion is. If nothing else, we have gotten in touch with an OT that we like through this (who was much more helpful!) and at least she is taking his sensory issues seriously. We also get the "results" of the school testing on Friday, I thought they were helpful as well when I met with them during that evaluation.

In case you can't tell, I am still processing, I am feeling muddled. And I am feeling rather foolish that I hoped the first doctor we met with would listen to me and take his entire history into account, not just the good day he was having that day. I came in to her specifically with questions about "Level 1" Autism - because when I read those criterea, when I look at the books and the examples and the checklists, I see my boy in the pages. I can absolutely accept that it can be something else, but I at least want my concerns taken seriously.

Everyday since the evaluation has been very hard for Rocket Boy - he is in a sensitive period right now, and everything and anything is setting him in tantrums, fear, or crying. I can see the confusion in his eyes when he can't handle the world, and it makes me even more determined to make someone listen. I'm his mom, I know him better than anyone, and I know that I have to work for him to find out what our answer is - no matter what that ends up being.

Piles and Piles of Paperwork

Wonderful news in our journey - we got an appointment for autism evaluation. The child psychologist's office called me back and we have a spot for a 3 hour evaluation, on November 5th. There will be a parent interview, child interview, a play session, and then an evaluation with the occupational therapist to look at motor skills and sensory issues. Then the next week (on the 14th) I meet with the team to discuss the findings. That same day I will also meet with the school district team to discuss their findings.

So basically, the 14th is a pivotal day for our family.

I probably won't sleep between the 4th and the 14th.

In preparation for the evaluation they have sent ahead piles of paperwork and questionaires. The GARS-3, the BASC-2, a sensory evaluation sheet, an Autism checklist from another source, a checklist from our hospital system, and the normal intake papers. On top of that, I will by typing up documents to accompany several of the sections, since my comments and concerns won't fit in the little space provided. I am all about providing everything that might be needed and covering my bases before I am even asked. I also get flustered when something emotional is going on, and I don't want to forget anything.

Rocket Boy's behavior has been in a pretty downward spiral as of late. Yesterday, he tried to choke me...yeah. My three year old put his hands around my neck and squeezed and yelled. I have no idea where he got that from. We are very careful about what he sees on TV and he has never seen that kind of violence at home. Ever. That meltdown and aggression started when I asked him to stop running his car into my leg and he threw it at me. I took the car and the meltdown commenced. He finally passed out for a nap. I had to lay down and calm down...and just cry. Hearing my little boy yell "I don't like you!" and throw things and hit me and get so physical - no mother wants to experience that.

I hope that this evaluation leads to answers and help. Rocket Boy and I need tools to help him.

Calm Down Corner

Since our visual schedule is working rather well, I decided to try a version of the visual calm-down aids I have seen online. 

We have been using "time-out" and "time-in" for a long while now. While "time-in" still works at times (when we catch a behavior spiral before it gets out of control), time-outs were not working at all anymore. It didn't matter the location or the method or the time length. It had simply lost meaning, and honestly it was driving me crazy enforcing something that wasn't working. 

So we took the advice of many a book and started fresh. Introducing "Calm Down Corner"

 

This is a corner just off the living room, but behind the baby gate (so that Rocket Baby can't interrupt). I can see and hear him he is not in isolation. In our oddly set up downstairs living area, it's really the only spot I could clear out. 

I marked out a box on the floor with tape so that Rocket Boy knows precisely where he is expected to stay (which was a problem with the previous time-out method). I added a small pillow, a SMALL blanket (anything larger than a baby blanket becomes a whirlwind weapon of doom), and a few items - one puzzle, one favorite book, and two of his calm-down glitter bottles we made together. I also added a visual aid to the wall.

The visual aid may have to change, which is the one road block we have hit. I meant for the list to be a visual reminder of things he could do, and explained he didn't have to do all of them but that he could do what he thought would make him feel calm. 

Instead...he insists on doing everything in specific order and wants me to verify each step. Needless to say that doesn't give him or I a break from the situation and raised emotions. So...I will figure out something else there. Maybe a choice board? But then that is too much when he is upset or wound up. If anyone has suggestions on that note, let me know. 

Overall though, I think the new space is working. For one, I don't always have to send him there. Several times in the past couple of days he has asked to go to Calm Down Corner when he feels out of control. That is a huge step for him, especially given he is three years old to begin with without all the other things he is dealing with. And when I do send him there to calm down, he is actually staying there and not making a game of it. 

While we need to refine the method a bit, I hope this is a positive change for us. While we still try to use "time-in" (comfort, hugs, deep breathes, etc) as much as we can, Rocket Boy tends to fight physical comfort from others when he is in the middle of a tantrum or meltdown. Hopefully this will give us a place to go when he doesn't know how to accept outside help. 

Signs of Impending DOOM

Or, you know, the start of a crazy week.

Sign One - Five million requests within five seconds of waking up. (P.S - I'm not a morning person to begin with)

Sign Two - Five million more requests in the ten minutes it took to get changed, walk downstairs, and hand out breakfast to all of us.

After this, all further signs blur together in a big mess of overactive excitement, stimming type behaviors, tantrums, and odd conversations.

Sigh, I love this kiddo. He is at the start of a bad run though, so we have to just buckle down and work through it.

Finally

After our evaluation with the school district I emailed the evaluation team to ask for advice and referrals in our local area. I got an email back a day or so ago with a nice list of evaluation centers who do full ADOS-2 testing, child psychologists and a few other resources. 

We decided to start with a child psychologist here in town who has a good reputation in the autism community here, as well as with the school district (specifically, that she sends very thorough reports and suggestions). I spoke with the booking clerk today and she spent a good 15 minutes on the phone with me listening to the concerns that lead me to make the call and writing down different oddities of behavior or developement we noted so far. While we didn't get the appointment set (the secretary for the specific Dr. we will see is out of the office until Tuesday) I did get a very good vibe from the initial phone call. She even let me know about local support groups for parents that I had been unable to unearth on my own. Fingers crossed we can get in soon! 

Life has been a bit hectic and stressful as of late, hence the temporary slow down in blog posts. Rocket Dad is pulling more hours at work (65-80 a week now), plus school and study time, so I am sorta floating on my own out here with parenting Rocket Boy day-to-day. It doesn't help that some of the support I thought I could count on has been less than helpful and I'm not sure where to turn for moral support of my own. When I feel the need to defend my parenting or our decision to seek diagnosis every step of the way through a conversations it sorta puts a damper on things. If we do get a positive diagnosis of ASD or similar...will those feelings ever stop? Something tells me not to expect it.

I am attempting to stay busy with the kids and find a lot of ways to occupy our days, which is difficult when a lot of the things Rocket Boy likes to do gets a bit destroyed by Rocket Baby. Maybe once Baby stops eating crayons and wants to join in the purpose of coloring time things will be a bit easier. Until then, well, lets just say we have had some colorful diapers. 

I couldn't resist. ;)

Book Review: The Asperkid's Launch Pad

I am an avid reader and a lover of the library; I could honestly spend all day in the quiet of a library, turning pages of books new and old. When we decided to seek help for some of the specific issues Rocket Boy was having I turned to the library and picked up books across a wide range of subjects.

One of the most helpful books I found was one I picked up on a whim - The Asperkid's Launch Pad, Home Design to Empower Everyday Superheros, by Jennifer Cook O'Toole.

While this book is focused on how to make a home more functional for a child with Autism/ASD, I feel that the tips and tricks would be helpful for anyone, young or old, Autistic or Neurotypical. This book breaks down how to help your child in each part of your home and contains extra little notes and tips along the way.

The photos in the book are beautiful without being overly-staged, making me feel that the goals are attainable and translatable. While some of it is beyond my comfort zone (accessible glass wear for toddlers/young kids to use) it does give me a lot to think about once we don't have a Rocket Baby getting into everything.

One of the most profound points of this book is the way it opens your eyes to how an "asperkid" sees the world. It points out how complicated tasks can be that we may take for granted, such as pouring a drink. After I read this book I started to verbally break down tasks for Rocket Boy and found that he did so much better with that extra direction. The visual schedule suggestions have worked very well too.

If you are looking for ways to help your child now, I really can not recommend this book enough. In all the turmoil of facing a possible diagnosis for your child this book can cut through the suggestions and scientific talk and get right down to practical advice and application. 

Visual Schedule Time!

Rocket Boy is definitely a visual learner, so a visual schedule seemed like a no-brainer. I have searched high and low for a schedule and cards that would work for us but could not turn up anything. I found a card builder as well, but for some reason it didn't want to load any of my clip art. So, I made my own.

I created a table in Word - 3x5 with 0.5in top and bottom borders. This gave us pretty good size squares to work in. Then I found clip art for each activity through Word or a quick Google search. I have started with 30 different activities but I am sure I will need more at some point. 

I printed them and cut them all out. Then I cut pieces of poster board for the back of each to make them a bit more sturdy. I had a crinkled bit of poster board in the craft closet I couldn't use for much else, so it finally went to good use. 

Then I got down to "laminating" - aka, covering everything in packing tape. I am sure this would go a LOT faster with actual laminating material, but for now my tape method works just fine. Then I cut a bit of magnet tape for the back of each since I got a magnetic board to post them on. You could also do velcro and a different type of board for the back. 

After a long while, I got all of them "laminated" and applied all the magnets. I think they turned out pretty sturdy and they stuck to the board really well. 

I added a ribbon to the back of the board since I want him to be able to move the board from upstairs to downstairs to see throughout the day. I also added some lines in permenet marker to denote some "reading lines" - he is in the pre-reading stage and I want to help him get comfortable reading left to right. 

I already see a couple more things we need, mainly some multiples of a few activities (like two "brush teeth" and another "watch TV" since we have a couple of viewing times each day). I will most likely wait to make more until I have at least half a page worth to print. 

In case anyone wants a starting list, these are the activities we used: Get Dressed, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Errands, School, Set Table, Clean Up, Watch TV, Bath, Stickers, Brush Teeth, Bed Time, Play Dough, Coloring, Story, Mommy Time, Daddy Time, Grocery, Target, Church, Doctor, Quiet Time, Visit Friends, Park, Dance Party, Puzzles, Library, Movie Night, and Special Activity.

Special Activity will be used for one-time events - like going to a festival or the pumpkin patch. I just put some festive pennants on that one. We actually have a square just for shopping  at Target - it is his favorite place. Every family will have slightly different activities, so customize this to your needs. 

I also made sure to choose pictures that would really resonate with Rocket Boy and not cause issues. For instance, most of the boys shown look like him (blond hair, small boy) and in the "errands" spot the car picture actually looks like our vehicle. I know my son and I know that if the pictures were not close to reality he would fixate on that. A good way to avoid all that is to take photos but I honestly like clip art better. 

I will be adding a folder pocket to the bottom to hold "done" items and the activities he can choose from each day. The extra magnets will be kept in the bottom of our calender, which already has a great little pocket. 

Hopefully this will really help with transitions and changes in schedule which are especially hard for Rocket Boy. Do you have a visual schedule for your kids? How did you make yours? Let me know in the comments!

School District Evaluation

The start of our journey with Rocket Boy was a high ASQ:SE score. He scored a 170 (not including the extra points from areas I marked as concerning) and the cutoff for "normal" is 70. This confirmed for me that the issues we were having was not all in my head. The public health nurse who helped us with the screening suggested contacting our school district as a good place to start since Rocket Boy was past the age for the Early Intervention programs.

And so, we contacted our school district. Initially we were told it could be two months before we would be seen, even with the high ASQ:SE score on file. I decided to send the evaluation team a document outlining some the behaviors we were seeing at home and socially, hoping that it would speed up the process. It did, and they fit us in just a week after that email went out.

Today was the evaluation. Rocket Boy did super, as I knew he would. He is very smart, but of course I think that since I am his mama. When it comes to cognative skills and learning ability, RB is ahead of the curve. Today just confirmed that again for me. We won't know the actual scores for a few more weeks but their initial tally today showed that he is advanced. Since I tested within "gifted" range as a child, this wasn't a huge surprise to me - but it doesn't stop me from feeling proud!

However, given my concerns and his ASQ:SE score, they want to observe him at preschool. They will not be looking so much for educational delays or issues but more for social abilities. They want to see him among his peers and trying to "attend" (pay attention) to tasks. They agree that while he may be able to sit still for three hours right now, his immediate meltdowns after school time is over shows just how much effort that takes for him.

They were able to give me the names of some Occupational Therapists and Child Psychologists in town who we can contact for private evaluation. His social/emotional issues will not receive help from the school if they don't interfere with learning, therefore we will most likely need private evaluation to get any therapies or help.

Step One of this journey is completed, or at least mostly completed. I will sleep a little better tonight just knowing we put one foot in front of the other today.