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.
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