Terrible twos twisted with autism

   Oh what a week it was.  My hands are most likely going to bare the battle marks from this week for years to come.  Jojo as sweet as he is, can be very aggressive when he feels any sort of anxiety or if he just doesn't want to do a task.  He automatically just goes into baby wolverine mode and scratches me like crazy.  If I'm not right there he will find me just to scratch me, gotta love it.  At this point I consider it a sort of flattering thing, hey at least he is showing his emotion and he wants to share it with me?!?!  He has stopped hitting his head with his hand but seems to like the wall.  So its usually a quick scratch followed by a head bang to the wall and then a scream.  He loves to do it all in threes, we call it the Jojo trifecta.  The week ended with his ISP meeting and goal setting.  It was a good learning experience for me and an eye opener to how he reacts in different situations.   Compile that with a full week of ABA and other therapy and it leaves you with a worn out child and mom.

  Jojo has definitely picked up on his abilities and he isn't afraid of trying anything now.  He used to shy away from the slide but now its climbing up and sliding down everything.  He also mastered the "look", when I say No Jojo, he looks at me like...ummm why not? and then he of course does what he started!  Trying to discipline a toddler is hard enough but throw in a side of autism and there is a buffet of behaviors that just don't make sense and trying to decipher whats typical of a kid his age and whats a stim or a reaction to anxiety is just mind blowing.  I decided on the good ole "remove and distract method"  I have to place him somewhere safe, like on the carpet or his bed because he goes bananas when I stop him from lets say, climbing on the counter.  So I anticipate that he will throw himself about and bang his head so its on to a soft safe place and then I walk away till he cools down.  It works for him.  XX fingers crossed  XX

  Jojo did so much in a week and I am so very glad we got through it.  I look forward to getting into the consistent and structured ABA.   We have a habilitation/ABA trained worker that comes to help now.  This is very hard for me but I'm sure I will get used to the help.  I'm so used to being able to do it all, so for me its hard to admit I need the help.  She started last week and just did some get to know you activities and he REALLY paired well with her. 

Today (02/19/13) he had his first real session with her and he did amazing!  He was able to sort colors into proper groups and his IPAD ability just is unreal.  He may not speak but this kids voice is loud and clear.  He was able to understand the task and that was so cool!  I loved seeing him accomplish his task and then the happiness when he got his reward (playing for 5 min with a favorite toy)  We did this in increments of 15 min on/5 min off  and he responded well.  He gets a break for lunch and downtime and then back at it from 230-530.  This is pretty much our new schedule for mon-fri.  Its alot and the adjustment for all of us is different.  I feel torn between therapy and my duties as a mom/homeschooling to my two middle kids.  Its so hard to feel like I'm always lacking in one area.  The kiddos are doing well and I keep them involved, sometimes they do activities with Jojo too.  We all love to see his progression and I'm so happy that my older kids are just that, older! They understand more and can grasp the idea of having a little brother who needs extra attention.  Jojo is so blessed to have siblings to teach him and walk this path along side of him.

My brother IS different, who cares!

Having a brother or sister with autism is a really hard thing for kids to understand.  Not only is there a new sibling to get used to but there now is this new thing that mom is worried about.  I had a huge reality check the other day.  I was at my local library with the older kids and I always go to the health section to see if I can find any new reads on Autism, well one caught my eye right away.  Its called, "My Brother Is Different." Its written By Barbara Morvay and I freaking love this book!  I read it the night I got it and was so super excited to share it with the kids.  The book is a three part read.  The first part is directed to parents only.  It explains the basics of the book and a small informative section on Autism its self.  The second part is a story of a big brother and little brother.  The little guy has Autism, the big brother is affected by all of it.  He goes on to explain that he feels left out (HELLO, my kids I am SURE feel the same) he feels like he could catch Autism from his brother(how scary) he feels like his mom is always stressed and his dad looks worried.  Oh this hit home three times over.

  Each one of my awesome kiddos needs me.  My teen is a freshman and that's a tough transition and I have to be there for the ups n downs that it brings.  My sweet 9 yr old son is the quiet one who sometimes tries to be too quiet so I don't have to worry about him.  Then my cutie pie daughter, who is 8, tries so hard to help.  At the end of the day, they all need me and Jojo needs ALL of us to be happy together.  I really learned alot from this book and how I can make sure I am taking in to consideration ALL of my kids and family.  Its hard to not always focus on my lil guy, but now I am learning balance.

FROM: My Brother Is Different
 

On a daily basis, families are trying to cope and are bombarded with information.  Yet, there isn’t much out there about the normal child in the household, the child witnessing the family in crisis.

 

This book is NOT about the Autistic child; it offers no theories or magic pills.  Rather, it is a recipe to help families cope with the overwhelming feelings, fears, and everyday life as experienced by their normal child. It will assist the parent with acknowledging fundamental yet painful truths while assisting their normal child cope with the life he or she lives.

www.mybrotherisdifferent.com