Last Day Of Preschool!

The day finally came....Ethan's last day of Preschool. When Ethan first woke up he was full of energy & super excited for the day. However, once at school, he was a total bear! Did any of you notice that it was a full moon at the end of last week? Any of your kiddos in "moods?" Mine sure was! I told his teacher & principal that I was actually a bit grateful for his fowl mood. His attitude caused me to be frustrated & exhausted...instead of contemplative & sad.....it actually worked out! How's that for a positive outlook! LOL!!! HAPPY PRESCHOOL GRADUATION, ETHAN!

First day of Preschool 2012

Last day of Preschool 2013 

Walking in to school for the last time!

"It's the End of An Era"

This is a quote from my most favorite TV show of all time....FRIENDS. And that is all that is running through my mind tonight. 

http://www.popscreen.com

I just got home from watching some of my former Kindergarten students graduate from 8th grade. I haven't seen most of them since Kindergarten because that was my last year of teaching. I couldn't help but think back.....who was the talker of the class, who was the class clown, who was the shy girl, and so on. Some of them gave speeches during the ceremony as well. Their writing & speaking blew me away. These kids have grown up....almost over night, in my opinion....and I was one proud teacher.

Then, this Sunday, Corey's youngest brother...who we lovingly call "our first child" because was a constant companion during our dating & early married life...will be graduating from High School! Oh man....I'm gonna need more tissues.

He's Eating New Foods!!!

The last several posts (click #1 or #2 to read them) have been leading up to some very exciting news! ETHAN HAS BEEN EATING NEW FOODS THIS WEEK!!!! Pinch me 'cuz I think I'm dreaming!

 The food issue is sooooo maddening to me.....a girl who literally loves all food. I don't understand this "picky-eater" thing AT ALL! And I used to REALLY fight this battle with all my might. But, whether good or bad, I just grew tired of fighting with Ethan at EVERY meal. I just decided to focus on what I could help him with....table manners & sitting at the table LONGER than a minute. We also eat in our living room a lot now because we have an eat-in kitchen & the smells are too much for Ethan. In fact, we have even moved our dining room table INTO our living room!

But THIS WEEK....THIS WEEK ETHAN HAS EATEN & ENJOYED SEVEN NEW FOODS!!!

Beef Stew

Pizza Pocket made with crescent rolls

Pringles

Jelly Beans

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

Spice Cake

Chicken & Noodles

Ethan & I "cheesing it up" at dinner!

He also TRIED cheesy scalloped potatoes & LICKED apples slices in therapy at Easter Seals. This is from a child who wigs out whenever he sees apple slices approaching the dinner table! However, when we went to the new Chick-Fil-A restaurant & was served WAFFLE fries, he wouldn't touch them. Fries are not shaped like waffles. Oh, that kid cracks me up!

Now, I realize that all of these foods are not SUPER healthy, but they are foods that he would have NEVER tried in the past....and now he is willingly eating....and loving them!!! CRAZY AWESOME PROGRESS!

This just reiterates that doing sensory play at home as well as having Ethan in occupational therapy is paying off big time! I can't wait to see what new foods he will eat this week! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

***OH YEAH! One more thing! Ethan's school occupational therapist has told me that Ethan is able to zip up his own coat, but he has NEVER done it for me. It was always a frustration/trigger that would set him off, and I would end up doing it for him. Recently, we dug out a "new to us" hand-me-down jacket for Spring.....and ETHAN HAS ZIPPED IT UP EVERY TIME HE'S WORN IT!!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!

Messy Art Projects at Easter Seals

Ethan's snowmen & his name. This is simply amazing!

Last post, I talked about how we do a lot of messy sensory play in our home. This is to help Ethan overcome his heightened senses due to Sensory Processing Disorder. This has many benefits which should help him participate in daily common activities, such as sitting in a noisy classroom or eating a bigger variety of foods.

Well, leave it to Ethan's Early Intervention Team (including Easter Seals & School Preschool Program) to take things to the next level!!! THANK YOU!

I'm always so excited to see Ethan's take-home projects in his bookbag. Since he doesn't (or can't) relay to me in words what he is doing at school/ITAP, it is nice to see tangible items that helps me see the whole picture. About a month ago, I picked Ethan up from Easter Seals and noticed that Ethan's hands were dyed with colors. I knew immediately that he had been doing some kind of art project....but just what that was had yet to be seen.

Well, folks, let me tell you.....when I saw what Ethan had been doing, I was blown away. Ethan had been painting. Not just with a paintbrush, but with his fingers.....and his ENTIRE BARE HANDS!!!!

Monday, Monday.....

It's been a typical Monday around here today. Ethan wanted no part of any self dressing today which messed up our morning routine resulting in Ethan not having a packed lunch for school and me having fresh out of the shower hair. At least I got my shower & teeth brushed! We are all thankful for that!!!

After I dropped Ethan off at Easter Seals, I went to get coffee with Laura, who does the marketing for our area Easter Seals. In April, Ethan's ITAP program will be featured in the newspaper, and they have asked our family to participate as the "face" for this particular article. It was a very pleasant couple of hours, visiting & retelling about Ethan.....of which I could do all day! I am very excited to help Easter Seals promote this ITAP program since it has helped our family so much.

After Ethan was done with his morning preschool at Easter Seals, we drove through for lunch (since I hadn't made it that morning), and headed over to his afternoon preschool. He was showing no signs of distress, so I imagined that today's drop off would go smoothly.

Nope.....

As soon as I parked the car, he started. I opened the side door of our van, and he was already on the floorboards throwing a fit....not a meltdown....a fit. I guess I just am done being Mrs. Nice Mom when it comes to this daily situation. I just told him that I was going to school, and I walked away from him. I didn't offer any transition toy, no calming words, no bartering....I just walked away & left his door open. I was about 4 yards away from the van when I hear, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" He was panicking.....but coming.

He stayed about 4 yards behind me the entire time....and I kept glancing back at him. He kept his head down and was walking very slowly....but he was walking into school. YEAH! The last 2 days of school, I walked him to class & even stayed with him through lunch which is the first thing they do after hanging up bookbags & coats. Today, I wanted to see if I could just walk him to class. I did just that...and he was fine. No crying.

I just don't get why he is so determined to make that transition so tough, but I feel like the adults in his life are doing all we can & know to do for him. And if he still continues to have a difficult time, well......so be it, I guess.

Hopefully, the rest of the week goes a little smoother with getting him to school. As Scarlett O'Hara says, "After all, tomorrow is another day!"

School Stress Solved....We Hope!

Last summer, we place Ethan in Easter Seals autism preschool program, Intensive Therapy Autism Program or ITAP. We did this in order for Ethan to continue his progress that he had made through our school districtr's preschool program. He had made great strides...especially in his social skills....and we didn't want him to "lose" those things he had learned. Plus this program would include therapies that he desperately needs. It was perfect for us.

We were planning only doing the ITAP program for the summer, but we discovered that we could do it alongside of his existing district preschool program! We were thrilled! So, this year, Ethan has been going to ITAP for 3 hours, 2 mornings a week and attending his general education preschool every afternoon for 3 hours. Well folks, from the very beginning of this school year, Ethan has been fighting against this new schedule. At first we thought it was just due to his digestion issues. Well, that lasted for about 3-4 months before we discovered the issue & could help Ethan feel better. I assumed that once that subsided, his fits regarding going to school would stop. It didn't.

After Christmas, Ethan seemed to be even more agitated, and his teachers reported an increase in physical aggression towards his peers in the classroom. I asked the therapists at his ITAP program, and they too had noticed this change. We began looking into helping Ethan express his emotions in a more acceptable way by focusing on understanding his emotions. He can match an expression with a face, no problem. But actually knowing what that emotion feels like in his body.....there was the missing link. And that is a difficult thing to understand. Especially for Ethan who thinks that saying he feels anything other than "happy" is "wrong."

The other day, Ethan was frustrated with his fine motor skills. He became so frustrated that he threw whatever it was that he was playing with. Instead of getting upset about his reaction, I sat down next to him & told him that he was FEELING frustration. I pointed to the emotion card picture and repeated what he was feeling. "Ethan, you are feeling frustrated because putting the card back in the box is a little tricky. It's okay to feel frustrated. When you feel frustrated, use your words & tell me that you feel frustrated." This is how I have been instructed to help Ethan understand his emotions. A funny story...Ethan was in the bathroom taking a bath. I was in the living room picking up toys, and Ethan called for me to come & "watch him play." I told him that I was cleaning the living room and would be there soon. Pretty soon, we heard splashing from the bathroom & Ethan yelled, "Mommy! The face I am feeling is mad!"  Hard to ignore the splashing  behavior, but I was so excited that he recognized the feeling & verbalized it! I praised him with my excited voice from the living room....but I still didn't go in the bathroom. I didn't want him to think splashing equals mommy comes immediately.

So, this area has been going well. We have been using social stories about personal space, and ITAP has been working with him on what to do when you feel mad/sad/upet/etc. We even have given Ethan's preschool a copy of these materials to use at school as well. However, Ethan's willingness to go to school has still been decreasing. From the moment it's time to go to school to the time he walks into school, it is all out meltdown city. I have tried everything....an expected routine before school time, transition toys, positive & negative consequences, and even bribed him with fast food (his favorite). Somethings would work for a couple of days, and then back to war. I have taken him to the car literally kicking & screaming while I carry him...and this kid is 52 pounds! One particular day a couple of weeks ago, Ethan was so upset that he began banging his head against his car window & biting himself. I pulled into the parking lot of school, carried him inside, and he reluctantly went with his peers. I came back to the van, and guess what happened.....yep.....I lost it.

The next day as we started to begin to get ready for school, he started up again. Folks, I just didn't have it in me anymore. I deemed ourselves a "Snow Day" since several schools in our area were closing for bad weather. I just needed a break from war. He had worn me down, and I was waving the white flag in defeat. Everything is a battle with him....eating, sleeping, self help skills.....and I was ready to pull him out from school. At that point, I just didn't think it was worth the fight nor did I think I had any fight left in me.

I kept Ethan home from school the rest of the week. We still attended ITAP and went to our church's playgroup in order to get in some socializing. That Saturday, he spent several hours at my sister's house with her 2 kids, and she reported no aggressive behavior whatsoever. Maybe the break was doing Ethan some good as well. Maybe I should pull him out of preschool?

Well, after a few days of "recovery," I came back to my senses. Pulling Ethan from preschool would not solve any issue he was having....it would just be running away & Ethan needs to learn to work through things....not be put in a bubble...no matter how much I would love that protection. Ethan is able to handle this situation, and I needed to take my big girl pill and face it too.

This past Thursday, Corey & I had a meeting with his principal, his classroom teacher & his case worker. We found out that Ethan's behavior in the classroom had drastically improved in the last several weeks before our self given break from school. Seems as if working on emotions has been helping! So why the recent extreme fits??? We brainstormed several ideas, and it was a very wonderful meeting. We think maybe the transition from playing at home to coming to school is hard on him.....as transitions are usually difficult for him. Since a transition toy did not help Ethan, I am now the transition toy. :0) I will be walking Ethan to his classroom door, bypassing the students lining up at the door. And if I need to stay & eat lunch with him, I will do that too. And the last 2 days, I have done so. And it seems to be helping a lot.

Ethan is not the only one learning & progressing. I have learned a lot this school year, too. I'm so thankful for Ethan's team to be helping him but helping me learn as well. Would I handle this situation differently in the future? Probably. Did I learn a lot during this time? Absolutely. We all want the best for Ethan & want him to have a positive learning experience, and we are sooooo blessed to have these particular teachers & therapists in our lives. We all know that bad days will occur....maybe even bad weeks. But having a group of people that are flexible & understanding makes things so much easier.

Preschool Update

Below is Ethan's most recent clinic notes from his Easter Seals Summer Preschool. I have underlined some of my favorite notes! AND we have also noticed changes in him at home...for the better!!! He is playing with more of a variety of toys.....not just cars. In fact, we have been up now for an hour, and not one car is out of the car bin yet! He is playing more interactive-type games. He is playing with our Little People toys the most, which is amazing. He is doing "imaginative play" by having these little boy, girl & animal plastic figures do shopping, fly in the sky, eat/sleep....something I have NEVER watched him do before....it's awesome. He is also watching TV. Ethan has never cared much for TV. In fact, usually watching cartoons causes crying spells because he seems to have great empathy for the characters. So, if something bad happens (someone gets stuck, something gets lost, etc.), he cries & cries. He generally won't watch movies either. He LOVES Disney Cars, but refuses to watch the movie. I think it has something to do with the sounds because he will watch older cartoons without any trouble. Now, Easter Seals summer program doesn't use technology in anyway during those 3 hours, so I'm not really sure the correlation.....if any. But, Ethan has been able to watch morning cartoons without crying.....and he is really watching it.....sitting & watching. This is a new thing, and it's so nice to see him enjoying it!!! (PS....the car bin was just dumped & cars are now being driven all over my living room.)

                 June 18-20                                                          June 25-27

Ethan

ST-totally fine with following adult’s lead in play but not as inventive on his own, gets into a set routine very quickly and gets anxious when routine is varied, giving him options helps calm him, working on varying his language in play will help give him a bigger repertoire OT—Ethan absent 6/20/12. DT- didn’t mind adult mixing up play with certain toys (letters/pegs), played matching game at same time with peer but not actually with him—turntaking was structured by adult ABA-working on matching nonidentical verbs in pictures, finishing block structures, working on verbal instructions across distance, probed through matching functions, probed through all labels and instructions with objects

ST--Ethan enjoys cars the most. He responded yes when the therapist asked to join him, but then left the area to play with something else. He did this with every activity. He could be redirected back to the kitchen (or wherever he left) with verbal exchanges. Ethan needed a few prompts to ask for help, or respond to the therapist asking questions aobut joining the play or while in a play scheme. Ethan used full sentences and they were functional and appropriate although a bit scripted. He did not make eye contact with the therapist so it was difficult to know when he was scripting or truly trying to communicate. Ethan responded to I need to see your eyes, now ask me/tell me. Ethan asked for help when a toy was stuck. He talked about what he was doing or narrated his play but it was not necesarily directed toward the therapist. OT—No session this week—therapist vacation DT--Ethan picked his own activities and directed his play. When prompted, he used sentences to communicate his play scenarios with the doll house and shopping. He didn't use headphones in music and asked to pick a song. Ethan has been using headphones for music. He did not use them today but covered his ears with his hands during the first song. He did not cover his hands for the remaining songs and he copied the words and actions of the music. ABA: working on matching nonidentical verbs in pictures in field size of 10, finishing up making block structures, working on verbal instructions—going to locations, needs picture prompts for naming items by functions, finished clothing labels, will start labeling “he/she” in pictures.

Easter Seals Progress Report!

Today, we received a short & concise progress report from the Easter Seals summer preschool program for kiddos 3-5 years old who have been diagnosed with autism. It amazes me how quickly & how well teachers/therapists are able to know Ethan in a matter of days. I wanted to share this report with all of you as well as keep track for myself. I am so excited to see this program focus on our more challenging issues such as sound sensitivity & peer interaction. I love that Ethan has been able to be in this program, and I just know this will help him so much. I LOVE EASTER SEALS!!!

ST = Speech Therapy

OT = Occupational Therapy

DT = Developmental Therapy

ABA = Applied Behavior Analysis

Last Day of School With DADDY!

The following post is from Ethan's Dad, Corey. I was planning on participating in Ethan's last day of school "Fun Day", but a terrible ear ache kept me up most of the night before....leaving me feeling exhausted & even more sick. Thankfully, Corey was able to sneak away from work for a few hours. Here is the day in Corey's words......

Please excuse my poor grammar and punctuation. I am not as good of a writer as Jessica.

When we left for school, I let Ethan choose which vehicle to take. He said my car which kind of surprised me. I figured since he thrives on routine, he would for sure associate going to school with going in Jessica's van because she takes him to school in it every day. So we drove to his school, and I let him know that today was different. Daddy was going to stay with Ethan at school today. He said "I like my friend Daddy to stay at school". I smiled really big and kept reassuring him, yes, I would be staying with him. I was feeling pretty anxious myself as I don't do well with unfamiliar events. However, I was excited to share this moment with Ethan so reassuring him....I also was reassuring myself.

We got to school, and he fell right into the typical routine of what he does every morning. I had never seen his routine, so it was interesting to have Ethan leading me on what to do and where to go. He put his book bag on the table, and then got out his daily binder & snack. He handed me the snack to hold, and placed his binder on the table where all the kids put them every morning. Then, he came back to the table, zipped up his book bag and put it in his locker. I am just watching Ethan, and so proud to see him do these things without any assistance or prompting from anyone! We then got in line to walk to the gym where all the kids eat their breakfast. Ethan took me by the hand and walked me down the hall leading the way again. The class stopped at the restrooms. Ethan went in while I stayed out. He did his business then came around and started pushing the soap dispenser to wash his hands. No prompting from anyone at all. He then got in line and waited for his classmates.

Once everyone was  ready, we continued our walk to the gym. He stopped at the little cooler they have outside the gym. In the cooler, there were crates of milk and then an empty crate. Ethan went past the milk and looked in the empty crate. All he said was "No juice today". One of his teachers let him know that they would get some juice in the gym. However, Ethan didn't get upset in any way. He again just lead the way to the table and sat down. He said "Daddy, will you sit by me?" I said "Sure buddy." We sat as he ate his snack and got his juice. It was cool to see this routine that I had never been a part of and that he seemed to know so very well. I just sat and watched him. Again, beaming with pride at how my little boy seemed so grown up.


Once everyone was done eating and threw their trash away we all lined up again to go do some activities outside. Outside, they had the following stations: water table, fishing pool (numbered and lettered paper fish with magnets on them and a doll rod with a string and paper clip to "catch" the fish on), sand table, sidewalk chalk, and a station with paint brushes and water so the kids could "paint" on the brick walls of the school. Again, I started to feel anxious because kids are running everywhere. But not Ethan....he immediately went to the water table and jumped right in with the other kids! He played in it for a while...mainly with the boats and sticking his arm in it. Then he went to the fishing pool. He couldn't get the fish to stick and to be honest neither could I because the fish was heavy and the paper clip didn't get much grip on the magnet. So he improvised and just grabbed a fish. :)







Then he went to the sand table and picked up the little hand rake scratched around in it a bit and then walked away because the sand was sticking to his wet hands. He doesn't like messy hands!






Next he decided to go play with sidewalk chalk he just wrote his name and said excitedly "E-T-H-A-N......ETHAN"! Next station...

On to the last station...(yes he did them in order). 4 little buckets of water with paint brushes in them. The kids were "painting" the school. Ethan painted a little bit in the midst of all the other kids, stuck his arm in the water then was all done with that station.

I thought it was great that Ethan was ready and willing to just jump in and try every station. Watching Ethan just move from station to station and interact with some of the other kids was something I don't get to see. Then it was time to line up and go play in the grass area stations.

In the grass area there were several stations the kids could choose to do. A sack hop, hula hoops, bean bags you could toss through foam hoops, and a little putting green with flowers around it. Ethan immediately ran to the putting green which surprised me because typically (like his Dad) he could really care less about sports (we are car guys) :)

My surprise was quickly tossed out when he said "Look at this beautiful flower garden!!!" (which is a clip from an Elmo game he plays on computer). By now I am feeling a LITTLE less anxious. I think I only slightly deal better with transitions and new environments than Ethan. The Ethan I am watching at this school event seems pretty fearless to try anything and interact with his classmates. He was dealing with all the new events very well. Then he started charging at me like a bull. He would keep trying to run his head into me. Usually when he does something like this it means he is getting overloaded or tired. He is looking for me to spin him or flip him or wrestle with him. So I did just that. I spun and flipped him in the field. We laughed and had a good time and it helped him kind of relax a little...and me too :)

Ethan & his AWESOME Teacher's Aide! (See the flowers by the putting green in the back?)

One of Ethan's teachers came over and told me a crop dusting plane and was going to fly over the field while we were out there. So again...my anxiety starts to creep up. How will Ethan react? What will I do if it scares him? Before I even had the chance to tell Ethan, his teacher told him there was going to be a plane coming soon. Giving him his warning of the environment change. This relieved my anxiety even more than before. These teachers know Ethan very well. Awesome.

Our time at these stations was up, so we went back inside and to the library. There was someone making cotton candy and passing it out to all of the kids. There were a lot of kids in the room but Ethan still
seemed to be doing OK and in fact was sitting with his classmates while I was on the other side of the room just watching him. We got our cotton candy and went back to the classroom to eat it. Ethan tried
one bite. I said, "Do you like that Ethan?" He said, "Yes!" Immediately followed by, "No, I don't like this Daddy." We stayed in the classroom while the other kids finished eating their cotton candy, and Ethan's
teacher put some fruit snacks and goldfish in everyone's book bags. By now, Ethan is flopping all around on me. Again normally this means he is overloaded or tired (or maybe both). Normally, my own anxiety would be getting worse....looking for things to comfort Ethan in case he had a meltdown because he was overloaded. I felt pretty calm though. To notice how well these teachers deal with not just Ethan but all the kids was comforting. There is probably nothing Ethan would do that they hadn't dealt with at some point in the school year. So why should I worry about it?

Once everyone was done, we went to get book bags & line up to go back outside for the last activities for the day. Ethan's teacher accidentally put his book bag about 3 lockers to the right of where it normally is, I guess. Ethan got upset and his teacher apologized for not putting it back exactly where it was. I said, "It's not a big deal. He is OK." I comforted him for a minute, then we lined up to go outside. His teachers realized the kids probably needed to go to the bathroom one more time, so we did that. Now...Ethan lost it. He actually told me "There are too many choices Daddy". It was odd because I felt soooo happy that Ethan just told me why he was upset but at the same time felt so bad for him that he was getting overwhelmed. I said, "It is OK. Let's line up and go to the bathroom, then we will go play outside." He cried while we walked to the bathroom and while he went to the bathroom and while we waited for the other kids to be done going to the bathroom. Now, I am not sure what to do. I try to comfort Ethan and he is just not calming down. Ethan's speech teacher noticed him having a hard time. She said, "Do you want to come into my class and get a tissue?" He said, "Yes" through his tears, and she took his hand and we went into her classroom (right by where we were waiting in line). So I start analyzing and troubleshooting. Was it the noise of all the kids in the hall? Was it the book bag? Was it the change of his daily routine? Was it all of it? Before we even got all the way into the classroom, Ethan had stopped crying. She wiped his nose and talked to him for a minute. Ethan had calmed down and even let me take his picture with her! Do these teachers have magic powers?

Ethan & his AMAZING speech therapist!

We joined the class again and started heading outside. The kids could choose from coloring and making paper airplanes or playing with bubbles. We walked over, set his book bag down and headed towards the coloring pages. Just then there was a breeze. Ethan lost it again. The wind blowing is something he has been getting anxious about lately. He talks about it and cries about it sometimes. This time he started crying and saying, "The wind is blowing the papers Daddy." I said, "Yes but that is OK we can just pick them up...no big deal." He continued to cry more and more. So, I picked him up and began to talk softly to him telling him the breeze isn't scary and it was OK and look at the trees they move with the wind. He still didn't stop crying. So I started swaying back and forth with him. I feel bad that Ethan is having such a hard time by now. I think maybe we should just leave. He has had enough. But then I think no...we can do this. The day is almost done. He began to calm down. So I put him down and he just stood there. I encouraged him to try the bubbles or the coloring. He said, "I don't want to Daddy. I want to go home." My natural instinct is to grab him and take him home....where I know he can calm himself much easier. But I know that Ethan needs to be stretched (and so do I). I know when I get overwhelmed, I just need a break. So, why not see if that works for Ethan too? DUH! So I say to him, "It isn't time to go home yet, Ethan. Do you need to take a break?" He told me yes. So, I went to his book bag and got out the fruit snacks his teacher had put in there (thank you!) to give him something chewy to help calm him down. We found a quiet spot in the pavilion (that Ethan picked) and sat down. We just took a break and watched the kids play. I could feel us both calming down. Sweet!!! It worked for him too!!!

A classmate of Ethan's came over and asked if I could help her make an airplane. So I did...while Ethan just calmly watched. After he finished his fruit snacks, he went over to the bubbles and popped a few. Then asked again if he could go home. It was a few minutes before class was officially out but I asked his teacher if it would be OK if we went. She said that would be fine. I took Ethan's picture with her and he said good-bye.

Ethan & his FABULOUS teacher!

We went to his other teacher and said good-bye, and she gave him a hug. We got into the car and started home. It was a very quiet ride. Overall Ethan did AMAZING. There were a lot of new things and transitions. Just him telling me that there were too many choices is HUGE because of the fact that he realized that is what he was upset about. We both had been stretched and overloaded...but we did it! I am glad we did it together!

I personally felt great. I struggle with anyone taking care of Ethan except for Jessica and myself. I know that is not good for him or us...but just being honest...it is something I struggle with. I don't get to be involved with a lot of the school stuff because I am at work during those hours. However, I felt very blessed after the day we had. To see his teachers help and guide him. To see them recognize the little things that would bother him. To see them help calm him when he is upset. It was very clear that these teacher care for Ethan A LOT!

While they still challenged him they knew exactly when to comfort and when to let him continue to try on his own. I am personally very grateful for these women that care for and teach Ethan in such a way that warms my heart. Thanks so much for all you have done for Ethan!

Ethan's First Field Trip!

Last Friday, Ethan's entire morning preschool went on a field trip! I was so excited because parents were able to go too! So, I took they "day off" from watching my sister's kiddos, and headed to the park where the school buses filled with excited 3 year olds were going to meet us.

After I paid my entrance fee, I found Ethan & his class, signed him "out" to my care, got our animal feed (inside an ice cream cone that the animals could eat as well), and we were off! This particular park is a place full of barn yard type animals. We saw ducks, rabbits, chickens, horses, cows, goats, pigs, sheep, and a turtle.....which upon closer inspection was actually a floating clump of dirt in the water, but we will say it was a turtle.

To say that Ethan loved it would be an understatement.....he was ECSTATIC! He kept saying, "Let's go see ANOTHER animal!" It was so cute! Here's a short video.....

I was so impressed with my child during this field trip. He was getting right in there....in the midst of all of the kids.....and looking at the animals, playing on the playground, going down an ENCLOSED slide, and just being a kid! All of these things.....ALL OF THESE THINGS.....he wouldn't do at the beginning of the year. He was too terrified. He would be so overcome with anxiety to do any of these things that he would either cling to me or have a meltdown. So, I would have to do these things with him. BUT NOT TODAY!!!! YEAH!!!!  I just watched in amazement as he did every single thing on the playground all by himself!....and was having FUN!!!! We did every single thing there and NO MELTDOWNS!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!

Before we left, Ethan wanted to feed the rest of his animal feed & ice cream cone to the "Big Horse." When we made our way over to the horse pen, someone was already feeding the big horse. So Ethan just threw his cone inside the pen, and was ready to go. It happened so fast that I didn't even realize what he had done until one of the park's volunteers retrieved the cone & handed it back to him. She took Ethan's hand & helped him feed the small horse the entire cone. She was telling him how to hold it while keeping her hand over his on the cone. She was very encouraging & calmed Ethan's nerves of feeding the horse as well as being so close to someone he didn't know. Ethan was laughing & smiling by the time the small horse ate every morsel of that cone. I am so glad that I had my sunglasses on because my eyes were red with tears. The kindness of this stranger is rare for us. Usually we encounter looks of confusion or stares of annoyance or smiles of pity....but not from this sweet young lady. She kindly took Ethan up to the horse without asking him & happily held his hand in place while they feed this horse.....and Ethan loved it. Here are some pictures of this wonderful moment.....

It was a great field trip, and I'm so glad I was able to go with Ethan's school. Ethan has asked us every day since last Friday if we could go to the Farm Park. He even had an entire spontaneous conversation with my mom about it! (Spontaneous means Ethan came up with his own words.) I am thinking we may be making many trips to this park & probably the local zoo as well. I love to see Ethan so happy & so independent. I never thought I would see him do the things he is doing.....and that calls for some celebration! Let's get another cup of coffee while we look at some more pictures!!!!

Holding his animal feed & excited to see the animals!

He's not chasing the ducks...he is waving & saying hi.

Watching the rabbits

Checking out the chicken coop!

 

He wanted to climb in with the baby cows.....future Dr. Temple Grandin???

This calf wouldn't go near the group of kids but came straight over to Ethan. He was so excited to pet her!

His favorite of the day! Baby pig!

 

Playing in the barn with the stuffed animals

He WANTED to wait in line AND go down the curly slide INSIDE a silo! AWESOME!

Playing in the old school house

Resting for a bit...

"Say Hamburger!"

I was so excited to see him get right in there with the other kids & PLAY!

Having a great time!

YES folks! He is playing WITH other kids!  YEAH!!!

I just KNEW that he would want to play with this!

The cutest little cow I've ever seen!

Good Teachers Make All the Difference

This past week was Teacher Appreciation week, and I was very excited to be able to pamper Ethan's teachers a little bit. Each day Ethan would take his teachers a small gift, and Ethan LOVED doing this! Note cards, candy, drinking cups, etc.....very small things in comparison to what these amazing teachers have done for Ethan.

Last week, Ethan's classroom teacher told me that she caught him reading a book to another student.....sitting side by side together. That is amazing....both the actual sitting & the sitting NEXT to a child. She also told me that he sought her out & verbally asked for her help with something. She said that this was a first time. AWESOME! His speech therapist told me this week that she is working with Ethan on being quiet & LISTENING to others. This small statement almost had me in tears. It wasn't that long ago when I didn't think Ethan even HAD a voice....and now he is working on controlling it. AMAZING! His occupational therapist sent home several things from earlier in the school year, and the change from then to now regarding his penmanship is OUTSTANDING!

All of these things happening are because of Ethan's awesome teachers. They not only care for Ethan but they push him to do his best every day. I love that! They have told us that he is doing very well with transitions, he no longer fully relies on his support aids, his speech is better than ever before, his motor skills are becoming solid, and his social skills are growing a little each day. The word "thankful" just doesn't do justice to how I feel about Ethan's teachers. Grateful? Blessed? Who knows. But these 4 women are laying the ground work for Ethan's future success.....and they are doing a FANTASTIC job! We couldn't be happier!

I also am so thankful for Ethan's two Sunday school teachers. They, too, love & care for Ethan. They are teaching him about Jesus through crafts, singing, stories, play, and through their own lives. Awhile ago, I attended a Temple Grandin conference, and a woman asked this question: "How can we teach children with autism about Christianity? A very non-concrete concept?" Dr. Temple's answer? By living it out in your actions. Show them what it means to love your neighbor. Show them what it means to love like Christ. Show them how to follow the 10 commandments. Show them, show them, show them.....

Awesome.

And Ethan is blessed to have 2 teachers that show him & show him & show him. This week, after reading My Church Party, one of Ethan's teachers came to our house. Since we hadn't gone to church this Sunday due to our weekend road trip, we hadn't received any of our weekly Sunday school materials. So.....his teacher brought them to us. Are you crying? Because I am! Thank you, Ms. Randi!

Good teachers make all the difference in the lives of children. I knew that as a teacher, but now that I am a mom....I see it first hand. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of Ethan's teachers! We are so blessed to be under your care & knowledge. You have all impacted this family's life for the better in so many ways. We love you!!!!!

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me

and do not forbid them for of such is the kingdom of Heaven." Amen!

How did you know? FINAL

Ethan was placed on a waiting list for the Easter Seals diagnostic clinic in October 2010. The earliest they could get him into the clinic that was closest to us was July 2011....9 months away. Ugh. Or we could go to a clinic that was an hour away, and they could get him in in May 2011....7 months. So, we chose the later. And, so, began the LLLLLOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG  anxiety filled countdown. The whole time we were waiting for the clinic, we were still trying to diagnose him ourselves. Does he have it or not? If so, what can we do for him. What are his specific issues. We were driving ourselves crazy. May couldn't get here fast enough.

In the meantime, he continued with the Early Intervention Program. He quickly started his developmental playgroup twice a week. And he loved it! He loved going to "school". When we would get there, he would run right in....no goodbyes or tears or apprehension....he loved it! And he thrived....this was one of the best things for him. We also started him in speech therapy. A speech therapist would come to our home once a week for an hour. I thought this would be wonderful, but Ethan had a difficult time focusing. Since he was in his own home, he wouldn't change his behavior simply because the therapist was there. He would play with her toys, but he wouldn't engage with her. He would take the toys behind a chair....he wanted the toys, but he didn't want to talk. So, we called Glenda our Fairy Godmother, and she found us a speech therapist at our local hospital. Ethan did soooo much better because it was a new environment. When he went into the speech room, he knew he was going to have to talk. We had good sessions and bad sessions, but it was much better for Ethan to go to her. This is also the same place we had Ethan's occupational therapy.

Ethan didn't start occupational therapy until after Christmas 2010. The Early Intervention Program put on a Christmas party for it's staff & students. I was so excited. We were going to finally meet parents & families going through the same things we were facing. I dressed Ethan in his cutest Christmas shirt & off we went to our local library....were the party was going to be held. When we walked in, Ethan wanted to go to the right...where we normally go on our weekly library day. However, the party was in a room to the left. Meltdown #1. I should have known at that moment that things were not going to go like I had hoped.  Once I finally coaxed Ethan into going into the party room, he was met by one of his playgroup teachers. We also saw Glenda our Fairy Godmother. They led us over to the tables where Ethan could make a snowman craft. He did it with his teacher. Then he wanted to play with the balls that the children were throwing in different containers (like the bags game). Well...we told him he couldn't take the balls out of the containers. He had to wait in line for his turn & then throw the balls......meltdown #2. Then, once he recovered, they had us all gather for story time. He did fine. Then they handed each child a bell to ring as they sang Christmas songs. HUGE meltdown #3. So, I took Ethan out of the party room & into the bathroom.....a quiet place where he could calm down. Little did I know that the bathrooms had movement activated hand dryers that went off as soon as you walked into the bathroom. MAJOR MELTDOWN #4....MAYDAY, MAYDAY, WE ARE GOING DOWN! Ethan was so upset, he was crying without sound. It was horrible. Once the dryer went off, we both sat on the floor in the corner of the bathroom, rocking & crying...both of us. It was awful. Once we both recovered, we exited the bathroom to a group of about 10 concerned staff members all trying to help Ethan & I.....meltdown #5. All Ethan was saying was, "bye-bye?" over & over again. I just told the staff thanks, but we were going to go home. They were all so sweet & understanding. They gave Ethan his gifts, party snacks, and a bag of other goodies. This was the worst day of my life. Alone again. We didn't even fit in here.

But, ironically, it wasn't the worst day ever. Because of this, the PARENTS at the party told Glenda our Fairy Godmother that their child suffered from similar sound issues, but because they were working with an occupational therapist, they were able to "endure" the party. Glenda called me with the idea of starting Ethan with an OT, and I quickly agreed. We were both crying...both of us upset for Ethan. I wasn't alone.

And over the last several months, we met more & more families, staff, and shirt-tail friends that were dealing with similar things. And even our family & friends were beginning to see/understand our situation. We weren't alone, and we were starting to reach out for help & support from everyone that would let us. Ethan continued with playgroup, speech & OT. And it finally came....May 4th at 7:30am.....the Easter Seals Diagnosis Clinic was about to focus their attention to our child. The day was long, but Ethan was AMAZING! He didn't have ANY meltdowns even with the new surroundings, sounds, and people. Prayer works baby! We felt that everyone who was observing & studying Ethan got to see the real Ethan...his strengths & weaknesses. Testing concluded at noon, and we were to meet the panel back sometime that afternoon. They would call us when they had reached their conclusion. So, my mom took Ethan home with her (she works in that town..she took a half day), and Corey & I stayed in town. We went to lunch & discussed the day. We both felt that whatever decision was made was going to be accurate...we both felt that they had heard/witnessed all of our concerns as well as experienced Ethan's sweet personality. They got a crash course in Ethan, and we both felt that that outcome would be a true reflection of our child.

So, they called us back about 2pm. They sat us down, showed us his scores, where he fell within the range for each one, discussed the video we had made, and on & on & on. And then the announcement. Ethan has "classic" autism. You would think I would have lost it, but strangely I felt relief. The waiting was over, the long day was over, and the jury had spoke what I knew to be true. Yes, I was still sad....and overwhelmed at the journey ahead.....but we now had even more resources...more people to help us & Ethan. I was relieved.

This was just a new beginning for Ethan & our family, but with the help of some amazing people placed in our life, Ethan is thriving! He is spelling more words today than he was SAYING a year ago. And Ethan's story is just one of many. But I am so thankful & blessed to be Ethan's mommy. He is my entire heart, and I will do whatever it takes to help him, to reach him, to support him, and to love him. And even autism won't stop Ethan....just wait & see.

How did you know? PART THREE

By March 2010, Ethan's speech was still very sparse, but we were hoping the tubes in his ears would be just the thing to encourage his language growth. Also, Ethan was 21 months old, and his behavior was starting to become an issue. Nothing out of the ordinary....typical toddler stuff. So, my sister let me borrow her book Dare To Discipline by Dr. James Dobson. As I was reading this book, I came across a section that talked about exceptions to the rule...what that rule was, I don't know. But what I remember was he was giving an example of a child with autism & the child's particular characteristics. The ones I remember were walking on tippy-toes, delayed speech, and lack of eye contact. There were more, but those are only ones I can remember now. And I remember reading that section over & over again.....and crying. It was Ethan. That was the moment that I knew. The words on the pages were describing my child. Well...I stopped reading that book, and began reading about autism. The more I read the more I knew in my gut that this is what my child was dealing with at his young age.

I wasn't about to tell anyone about my findings other than my husband, my mom & my sister....the people that know me the most in this world. All of them discounted it, saying to give the tubes time to "work".  By Ethan's 2nd birthday, he was becoming more withdrawn from his peers and family. We saw his peers developing social skills that Ethan was clearly lacking. I remember one day a family member asked me if I ever thought about Ethan having autism. I was heartbroken. My shameful secret was out. I played it off as if I hadn't, but I was dying inside. We couldn't ignore the signs any longer.

Late the Summer of 2010, we were at our town's annual festival parade. I was looking forward to Ethan & I watching the floats, clapping & dancing to the bands, collecting candy in our bag, and enjoying a celebration that I look forward to every year. My plans didn't exactly go as planned. What's that saying? If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans! Ethan wouldn't go near the street, so we decided to just keep him close to the house but still outside. He wasn't happy there either. So, we watched the parade alone in the house...looking out the window. This, I decided, was my new life. Watching the world happen from the window of my house....just me, my husband & Ethan. I was devastated. We were alone.

A few weeks later, a friend of ours who was at the parade with us, told us about an Early Intervention Program. She told us that this program provided free screening. They would check his development in every area. HALLELUJAH! A resource that could help us! So, I immediately contacted them. Ethan & I went in for the the screening. Out of 7 areas....Ethan was delayed in all of them....severely delayed in 2 or 3. (I can't remember exactly.) You would think this would be a low point, but it wasn't. They were going to assign us a coordinator who would be able to do further screenings as well as hook us up with any needed services that Ethan would need. HELP WAS COMING FOR MY BABY!!!!! This was a major turning point! This is were we met Glenda - Our Fairy Godmother.

Glenda met with me & we talked all about Ethan....pregnancy, birth, development and so on. After the interview, she set up a time for her & two therapists to come & play with Ethan. The day arrived and everyone was present.....me, Corey, Glenda the Fairy Godmother, a speech therapist and a developmental therapist. They played with him for about an hour. When it was over, it was decided that Ethan would be placed in a developmental playgroup twice a week, participate in speech therapy, and his name would be submitted to the Easter Seals Autism Diagnosis Clinic.