Wow is all I can say about Aubree and her burst of language! We never got to this point with Brycen so we are really in awe of all the new words, imitations, and things she can do.
On the other side of things, it is a sad moment when you realize your 22 month old is now communicating far past her brother that is almost 2 years older than her:(
While Aubree's words and actions are spontaneous (example: I was filling Mike in on the latest news of Brycen's upcoming IEP and DHS questioning paying milege for speech therapy out of town and was asking him why they have to make things so much more difficult in addition to the issues we already have to deal with...and Aubree just started yelling "why? why? why?"), Brycen's are prompted or just imitation. He has very few spontaneous words, so when I was excited to report a few months ago that he knows 20+ words...I was really saying he can pronounce these words (or most of the word) and be understood, but he does not say these words spontaneously. Spontaneous words are a must in order to have effective expressive communication. Not only that, but he definitely lacks in the receptive communication area also, though we have seen a huge improvement in him following basic 1-2 step directions as long as they are something he is familiar with or part of his routine.
I have quit counting Aubree's spontaneous words and phrases just like the parent of a typical child does when the child gets to 50+ words. I continue to count and keep track of Brycen's prompted and imitation words like a proud parent does of a child with autism. So despite recent improvement and exciting moments with him, the gap just keeps widening between his chronological age and developmental age in communication. When we started this whole thing, he was about 2 1/2 and rated at a 16 month old which was just over a year gap. Now he is almost 4 and rating at a 1 1/2 yr old level (at the most) which is now almost a 2 1/2 yr gap. This is definitely one of the times when I say "Autism SUCKS!"
While we look forward to seeing Aubree progress and hearing her sweet voice saying new words, phrases, and carrying on a basic conversation with us...it really puts into perspective what Autism has taken from Brycen.
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
Helen Keller
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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Autism and Our Family
"Autism"----It's one word that can change the life of a child and family in so many ways. Autism Spectrum Disorders are being diagnosed at a rate of 1 in 68 children currently. If you do not already know someone that has been diagnosed, the statistics say it won't be long before you do.
Our son developed typically until around the time he turned 2 years old. We heard words...we saw him play with other kids...we watched as he played with his toys appropriately...we made eye contact with him...overall we understood his wants and needs. In a matter of a few months, that was all taken away from him. He began lining up toys, lost all of his words and signs except for one word "ball", ignored other kids, could not sleep through the night, lost eye contact and the ability to follow directions, and he had no way of letting us know what he wanted or how he felt. It was heartbreaking to see something happening to our child that we couldn't stop!
Brycen began receiving home therapy 1-2 times per month for about 6 months before we realized it wasn't just developmental delays. We knew it was Autism...we just didn't want to say it outloud to anyone. He was officially diagnosed with Autism (classic form and regressive), as well as Mental Retardation in August 2009 by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
We continue to learn as we make our way through this journey with Brycen and we will continue to share this journey with you on this blog! The blog has been a great therapy for us to be able to vent our frustrations and struggles with accepting that we have a child with special needs, while sharing how blessed we are to have a child teach us what life truly means. It has also been a great way to inform others of his progress and changes over the last couple of years.
Thank you for your support of Brycen and our family! We hope you are able to learn something through this blog no matter if you are a parent of a child with special needs or a neurotypical child, a teacher or therapist, a family member, or just someone that is interested in the journey that a family goes on as they learn their child is battling a life-long disorder.
Our son developed typically until around the time he turned 2 years old. We heard words...we saw him play with other kids...we watched as he played with his toys appropriately...we made eye contact with him...overall we understood his wants and needs. In a matter of a few months, that was all taken away from him. He began lining up toys, lost all of his words and signs except for one word "ball", ignored other kids, could not sleep through the night, lost eye contact and the ability to follow directions, and he had no way of letting us know what he wanted or how he felt. It was heartbreaking to see something happening to our child that we couldn't stop!
Brycen began receiving home therapy 1-2 times per month for about 6 months before we realized it wasn't just developmental delays. We knew it was Autism...we just didn't want to say it outloud to anyone. He was officially diagnosed with Autism (classic form and regressive), as well as Mental Retardation in August 2009 by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
We continue to learn as we make our way through this journey with Brycen and we will continue to share this journey with you on this blog! The blog has been a great therapy for us to be able to vent our frustrations and struggles with accepting that we have a child with special needs, while sharing how blessed we are to have a child teach us what life truly means. It has also been a great way to inform others of his progress and changes over the last couple of years.
Thank you for your support of Brycen and our family! We hope you are able to learn something through this blog no matter if you are a parent of a child with special needs or a neurotypical child, a teacher or therapist, a family member, or just someone that is interested in the journey that a family goes on as they learn their child is battling a life-long disorder.
Melissa - I definitely share your pain. It's so hard to watch them pass by their siblings in ability. Yet, as we both know it's such a blessing! I always am reminding myself of Jeremiah 29:11
ReplyDelete"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and hope."
That's a promise that I cling to. While God's plan may not be what I had planned, he promises that it is for "good" and to give a "future" and "hope." Those are promises I like!
Hugs,
Angie