Yes, you read that right...I am absolutely ecstatic that my 2 yr old girl and 4 yr old boy just had a fight!!! A real, in your face, yelling fight!
I wanted to have some peace & quiet so I could prepare my menu and grocery list for the next week so I thought I would put a video in. I don't usually ask their opinion with videos and just play one they haven't watch in awhile...or if Brycen is having a hard day, I typically turn to his favorite GeoTrax, Elmo, or Thomas videos.
For some reason, I thought I would be a nice mom and give them a choice...not really expecting much for an answer from either. Well, I held up a Thomas one and Brycen did his high-pitched yell that means he is happy, while Aubree said "no omas" (that was not a mis-spelling...that's what Thomas sounds like coming out of her mouth). So I started to put it away, and Aubree spotted the Curious George Christmas video and says "George" so I get it out and Brycen comes running over, crying, tears running down his cheeks and stands right in front of her and shakes his head no saying "uhuh." Aubree looks right at him and says "yes" like she really understood him! Brycen then took matters into his own hands and pulled the George case out of my hand, threw it down...and Aubree then yelled "sit!" to him.
I just sat there in awe of both of them! Before this, Brycen has always just used aggressive tactics towards Aubree when he doesn't like something she is doing by either pushing her down, hitting her back or stomach, or headbutting her. I was so proud of him for standing up for himself and I was also proud of Aubree for responding directly to him and treating him like a real sibling (despite the telling him to "sit"). Needless to say, I gave Brycen the winning point in this fight and guess what we are now watching for the next 40 minutes...Thomas the Train!!
"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, July 30, 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.
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