Project Potty

What do you get when you have this:


And this:

Plus this:

And Little Guy:

We'll keep you posted!

Sssurprise

I was busy making dinner yesterday when Little Guy stepped outside on the back porch. While in the middle of peeling a potato, I heard him come inside and exclaim, "Look Mom - I found a treasure!"

'How cute,' I thought, as I cut the potato. Little Guy had just finished watching a Blues Clues episode, and here he acting out what he had seen.....or so I thought. But as I glanced over at the "treasure", something definitely seemed off. At first I thought Little Guy was holding a thick shoestring or a small rope, but it didn't take me long to realize I was looking at the underbelly of a snake dangling in his hands.

It appeared dead, but I wasn't taking any chances. I had Little Guy put it on the floor, then rounded up my snake expert and extraction specialist - Big Guy. He grabbed a paper towel and carefully turned the snake over. My heart started beating faster as I saw the markings; it definitely looked like a baby rattlesnake.

Meanwhile, Little Guy was starting to ask when he could get his "treasure" back.

So, what was a rattlesnake doing on our back doorstep? I'm guessing that one of the cats killed it and deposited it there; in the past, we have found birds, mice, and even lizards they have "brought" us. I'm hoping they found the snake on the hill just beyond our backyard; I don't even want to think about the possibility that it was lurking somewhere in our yard.

Most of all, I am extremely grateful that Little Guy wasn't hurt. Next time, I hope he'll go hunting for a more traditional "treasure"!

It's Wednesday!

Time for another installment of "Wonderful Wednesday"!

Little Guy had an exciting breakthrough this week; he's added another food to the very short list of things he will eat. And the new food?

Cold cereal with milk.

I probably had the only child in our county that had to be coaxed to eat their cereal, but hey - we'll take the victories as they come. I'm excited about this development, as many cereals are fortified with the vitamins Little Guy might be missing due to his picky eating habits.

Big Guy started his college classes this week and seems to be transitioning well to the new environment. The college has held several activities the past week, and he has actually attended two of them. I hope he continues to expand his comfort zone and find ways to be involved.

Comfort Behavior

When any of us have a bad day, we turn to something that helps us feel better.

Perhaps it's chocolate. Or a big bowl of ice cream.

A long walk in nature does wonders for me. That, or a hot bubble bath.

For Little Guy, it is sorting items and lining them up. For some reason, this helps bring a measure of security and control to him when he is experiencing disregulation due to anxiety and frustration.

This is actually a common behavior in kids with autism spectrum disorders, but one we hadn't seen on a daily basis with Little Guy until this last, extended round of disregulated behavior. Here are just a few examples of what we've seen lately around the house:

Notice how all coins are facing downwards:

Here, Little Guy has grouped these figures into those who are wearing hats and those who are "hatless":

Game pieces:

Vehicles are Little Guy's preferred objects to line up:

There were at least 30 cards in this line; it took Little Guy quite some time to line them up:

Here We Go

College classes begin Monday morning for Big Guy.

I have to admit, I'm feeling nervous.

This is a big step for Big Guy. It's big step for anyone, moving from a world where parents and teachers are calling the shots to suddenly being expected to do everything on your own.

Will he have the discipline to attend classes when attendance is not mandatory? Does he have the necessary organizational skills to complete his assignments and hand them in on time? Will he be able to prioritize his hours to allow time for studying?

Time will tell, I guess.

We do have a bit of an advantage though; my husband is an employee at the institution where Big Guy is attending, and his staff position allows him to interface regularly with the professors. We will be able to keep tabs on Big Guy's progress, although we plan to intervene as little as possible if problems do occur.

Because it's time for Big Guy to stretch his wings......
even if I'm the one who's not ready for it.

Terrific Thursday

I really meant to post yesterday, but school has recently started and it seems like I hardly have a minute to myself.

Okay, enough with the excuses and on to the part where I brag about my boys!

Big Guy is gearing up for college, which begins on Monday. He is taking 14 credits this semester. Big Guy also continues to show an increase with personal responsibility. My husband recently took the kids to a rental we own and had them help clean for a while, and he said that Big Guy stayed focused on each task and even came to him when each job was finished and asked what he wanted done next. This kind of thing just does not usually happen with our oldest son and it is gratifying to us to see these skills beginning to emerge, as they will greatly help Big Guy have a successful college experience.

Little Guy is finally back to having fewer meltdowns!!! I was able to take him to story time at the local library this week, which he tolerated quite well. Although I feel that we're not quite back to his optimum level of regulation, we are definitely back on the right track. This is especially important as school has started; with my "babysitters" back in class, there will be many times I have no choice but to take Little Guy with me during errands.

Here's hoping that the rest of the week is "terrific"!

Impostor

Could the real apple juice step forward, please?

Actually, they are both bottles of apple juice manufactured by Wal-Mart. However, the store is changing the look of their brand of food, which is causing some problems at our house. You see, Little Guy is convinced that the bottle with the new label (the one on the right) is NOT apple juice. The bottle on the left is the look he is used to.....and it was the last one of its kind on the shelf.

Apple juice is the only liquid Little Guy will drink regularly, so this could potentially pose quite a problem. However, I think I've figured out a way to work around the dilemma; as both bottles are identically shaped, I'll just remove the labels.

Wasn't that clever?

I just hope they don't change the bottle shape anytime soon!

Blue Skies

We've seen a lot more of this lately:

The past couple of days have thankfully brought fewer meltdowns with Little Guy.

I'm hoping we've turned the corner and will continue to see blue skies and a sunnier disposition.

Pretty, pretty please.

A Break From the Storm

For my "wonderful" Wednesday report, I'd like to share something positive that happened yesterday which concerns both of my Aspie sons.

School begins very soon in our area, so I thought I'd take the kids on one last "hurrah". As it was very hot, I decided that hanging out at a nearby lake would be an appropriate way to spend the afternoon.

Big Guy is somewhat of a loner. He also doesn't like to spend much time in the water, so I wasn't sure if he'd agree to come along. To my surprise, he did! It was so wonderful to have him with us, as he often elects to stay home for our family outings.

As far as Little Guy is concerned, he was GREAT. He tolerated wearing the life jacket without complaint, and did not have one single meltdown the entire time we were there! The kids and I floated around on the rafts, skipped rocks on the water, and went hunting for crawdads. It was perfect.

Well, almost perfect. The only thing that would have made it better is if my husband could have joined us. As he was busy at work supporting our family and enabling me to be a SAHM, I guess I'll forgive him this time :)

A Long and Lonely Road

I've held off blogging since my last post because things are pretty much the same.

We are in a terrible slump with Little Guy's behavior and are having one heck of a time coming out of it.

There have been major meltdowns EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 2 weeks - some at home, others in public places. We had some neighbors over for dinner last night, and Little Guy screamed for at least an hour during that time. They are aware of his diagnosis and were very understanding, but it was still hard.

I am getting to the point that when I think about running errands with Little Guy or inviting company over to the house, I feel sick to my stomach.

I know this won't last forever. I think that sayings like "this too shall pass", "every cloud has a silver lining", and "it's often darkest before the dawn" have a lot of truth to them.

It's just that when you are in the middle of a mighty struggle, it can seem like a long and lonely road to travel.

In the Dark

There won't be a Wonderful Wednesday or Terrific Thursday this week.

I'm just not in the mood.

Maybe it will pass, and I can gear up for a "Fantastic Friday".

Why the bleak outlook? It has been a VERY stressful week with Little Guy.

He's been experiencing some very major meltdowns, and unfortunately, the majority of these have occured in some very public places. In less than one week's time, I've had to physically remove a screaming and kicking Little Guy from the grocery store, the mall, and the swimming pool.

Just when I thought some of these behavioral concerns were coming under control and I was bragging about it (read my post Managing Meltdowns ), Little Guy had to prove me wrong. Big time.

I'm really in the dark about what to try next.

I guess it's back to the drawing board.....

Uncertainty

Not long ago, I was raving about how confident I felt about Little Guy's chances of being accepted into the district preschool program.

Now, it appears that events have taken a 180 degree turn.

During our last visit with Little Guy's occupational therapist, I was happily relaying my discovery that Asperger's Syndrome was recently added to our state's list of diagnosis' that qualify for acceptance into the special educational program. The therapist grew very serious, then admitted that he'd seen children with "guaranteed" diagnosis' get denied approval for the preschool.

WHAT??!!

Apparently, part of the problem lies with the testing. The evaluation definitely gears towards identifying speech, cognition, vision/ auditory impairment, and motor delays. Little Guy excels in these areas; it's social skills, sensory integration, and self help he is struggling with.

Suddenly, the odds of getting accepted aren't looking quite as favorable.

As if this information weren't daunting enough, the coordinator of Little Guy's sensory group recently commented she wasn't sure that the ABA protocol the district preschool uses would be the best thing for him right now as many of his behaviors are naturally very structured and rigid.

That's just great.

I guess it's a good thing we have over three months before a final decision needs to be made about the next step in Little Guy's schooling. The only bad thing is that our area just doesn't have many resources for these kids, other than the district preschool. As Little Guy's advocate, I hope to have the necessary education and guidance in making the best decision regarding this important part of his future.