Daddy Saves the Day

See this creature?

His name is Big D.  He's the mascot for Dixie State College.

Little Guy LOVES Big D.

Last week, my husband invited Little Guy to attend a DSC basketball game with him so they could have some bonding time.  Basketball games are full of sensory issues (noise, crowd, etc.) so Daddy planned in advance by bringing along Little Guy's Superman hat (see post here) and arriving at halftime for a shorter stay.

However, Dad forgot one thing:  Big D.

Or rather, I should say Little Guy's obsession with Big D.

As soon as they walked in the arena, Little Guy's mission became to catch the mascot's attention.  Every time Big D would face their way, our son would excitedly wave his arms - only to be seemingly "snubbed" by his idol.  My husband sent Little Guy a few rows down where Big D was talking to a group of kids; but by the time he got there, Big D had turned his back and was walking away. 

Little Guy became increasingly upset and frustrated as the game wore on.  As an adult, one can understand that Big D's job is to work the crowd and get them cheering for the team.  He has a lot to do, and the mascot head is large and makes it difficult for him to see everything - making it easy to overlook a small child.  However, Little Guy didn't understand these details; he could only see that Big D wasn't paying attention to him.  He was trying hard not to "lose it" but was becoming dangerously close to having a big meltdown.

This is where my husband intervened.  After watching Little Guy's thwarted efforts and sensing our son's growing anxiety, he decided to take matters into his own hands.  Although it was a close game, Dad decided it was more important to help Little Guy track Big D down and get the "high five" he was so desperately wanting.  So up and down the aisles they went in an effort to catch the mascot; apparently at one point, they were even running down one of the empty rows, hopping over the chairs in order to reach him.

Finally...they had success!  Daddy said they'd had many strange looks during their "chase", but that it was all worth it to see the big smile on Little Guy's face when he shook Big D's hand and received the long-awaited high five.  Little Guy came home ecstatic; Daddy came home exhausted :)

Thanks to my hubby who was so understanding of Little Guy's needs and was able to turn a potentially disastrous situation into a positive one.  I am so glad he stepped in to save the day!

The Right Direction

Last week, Little Guy had his initial assessment with a new therapist.  During the session, we discussed many issues, especially my main concern that Little Guy seems to be quite disregulated lately.  The therapist asked if we'd recently had any major changes within the family;  as I thought about it, I realized there have been many disruptions in our household the past several weeks:

We celebrated three major holidays.

Big Guy and Sis both moved back home.

My husband has been out of town more than usual.

We just welcomed a foreign exchange student from Japan who will be staying with us for two months.

Yes, I guess one could argue we've experienced some major changes lately, which might help explain some of Little Guy's increased anxiety levels.  Individuals on the spectrum do NOT take to change very easily - as any of you who live or work with these children know :)  However, I feel this doesn't completely explain Little Guy's behavior, as it began regressing about 3 or 4 months ago. 

Perhaps it's the stress of attending a  more "normal" school? 

Whatever the reason, tomorrow we begin weekly therapy sessions to address Little Guy's anxiety issues.  Our first goal is to help Little Guy begin to recognize when his anxiety levels are escalating.  Once he realizes he's in danger of feeling overwhelmed, his next step would be to let us know so we can help him calm down.  Our ultimate goal is for Little Guy to eventually learn his own ways to regain control over his emotions and behavior when he is feeling anxious. 

I know I can't expect change to happen overnight;  in fact, this could be a long, arduous process.  However, I feel we're taking a step in the right direction!

Back to the Drawing Board

I apologize for the gap between posts - we had a crazy holiday break, and it's taken me some time to get back into the swing of things.

December was NOT a good month for Little Guy.  For a few months now, we've felt he's regressed in several areas of his behavior; last month, our suspicions proved correct.  Little Guy has been having a much harder time staying regulated at home and school, which is translating to more frequent and more intensive meltdowns.  

We are doing all we can at home to help manage these outbursts, but unfortunately, it just isn't enough.  Little Guy struggles with a great deal of anxiety, which we've been unable to help him cope with.  This, in turn, triggers feelings of frustration and anger when he's dealing with certain situations.  This cycle is affecting his ability to maintain relationships, perform at school, and is creating a lot of stress in our home. 

In other words, it's time for a change.

We've gone back to the drawing board for ideas on where to turn next, and have decided to pursue a few different routes.  First, we are having him evaluated by Intermountain Southwest Behavioral Health.  They have a couple of therapists who work exclusively with children and are  experienced in dealing with autism disorders.  We are also working to get him seen again by Dr. Roth, a psychologist from Primary Children's who gave Little Guy his initial diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome a couple of years ago.  If these measures don't work, we've recently learned of a new program in the area that appears to take a comprehensive, aggressive approach to treating autism.

As Little Guy will be entering public school in the fall, I feel it's extremely important we address these behaviors as soon as possible.  If Little Guy was expected to go to kindergarten now, I honestly don't think he'd be able to handle it :( 

Luckily, we were able to get our little one in for his initial therapist evaluation this coming Monday.  I'm interested to get feedback from a professional standpoint and hope this is the beginning of a positive era in our family's battle with autism.