...and rolls and spins and flaps and loves and laughs."
I saw this quote recently on multiple websites/blogs but can't seem to find the person that said it. This really describes Brycen right now...literally! For the past few weeks, he has been on constant stimming-mode, very aggressive, not transitioning well, not accepting change, etc. When we first started his medication a few months ago, many of these things decreased. We know that these things are never going to disappear, but our goal is to minimize what we can so it is not interfering into his daily life as much. At his last appointment with the child psychiatrist, we discussed the option of increasing his dosage as summer approached knowing how routine changes can affect him. It's not that I want to continually rely on medication to help him, but it's obvious that he benefited from starting the medication many months ago. Well, with the recent changes in our lives, we are starting to see increase in the stimming again, as well as his irritability and not accepting the changes he was accepting before. I put a call into the nurse and she just called back to say it's ok to increase to 6mg instead of 4mg of the Fluoxetine, so we will be starting that tonight already. It would be great if we could go back to 4mg after we are moved and settled into a new routine, but if not, that's ok too.
The plans for our move are coming along well! I am taking Brycen to a new therapy clinic in the new town next week for an evaluation, and will also be meeting with the new school to discuss plans for that change. We have found a rental house in town so we will be officially moving over June 14/15. His respite and SCL services will be staying the same, and the paperwork is already moving forward for his transfer to Jackson County Case Management. I still have multiple places to call regarding his services, but these were the most important ones for him so I'm feeling accomplished at this moment.
Over the last year, I have had many people ask me the question about why we choose to continue with the moves with my husband's company when we know that Brycen has a hard time with change. Honestly, my answer varies on the day. Sometimes I think it is not the best for him, and other days I feel like throwing change at him is just preparing him for the real world. I know that my husband's job provides us with financial stability, a family-friendly company, good insurance, and in several years will give us the opportunity to be settled in one town. Every family makes sacrifices to better their lives and this is one that we signed up for before Brycen was even born, which means obviously before he regressed and was diagnosed with Autism. We choose to continue on this path knowing the final outcome will be great for all of us, especially Brycen. The changes that come along the way will present him with many, many challenges...but challenges make us better people, including a child with Autism. Life doesn't always go as we would like and I cannot protect him from the inevitable change he will face throughout life, so I feel that preparing him with regular change now when he is young will help him adapt and accept later in life.
"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
Friday, May 20, 2011
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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.
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