The Dreaded Haircut
Today was the day...I've been planning it all week as I had to gain momentum for myself to get through it. A few people have asked recently if the haircuts are getting any better. Yes and No is my answer. Yes because I know what to expect now, but No because Brycen knows what to expect also. While the area on his neck and around his ears is the worst, cutting the top of his head is actually not too bad. I just need to be on top of wiping any hair off of his face and skin or he gets very fussy and squirmy. His haircut today took 45 minutes to complete which is the norm. I did not have to hold him down at all though, but I did have to put a lot of pressure on his head while I was cutting around his neck and ears to help decrease the squirming. I think he actually likes this pressure because he doesn't resist it! Above is the before picture, and below is obviously the after picture. He was starting to cry when I took the before picture because I had all of the tools out where he could see them and he knew what was happening. Afterwards, it took a lot to get him to stand still long enough for a picture because all he wanted to do was jump and flap out all of the pent-up energy.
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.
Today was the day...I've been planning it all week as I had to gain momentum for myself to get through it. A few people have asked recently if the haircuts are getting any better. Yes and No is my answer. Yes because I know what to expect now, but No because Brycen knows what to expect also. While the area on his neck and around his ears is the worst, cutting the top of his head is actually not too bad. I just need to be on top of wiping any hair off of his face and skin or he gets very fussy and squirmy. His haircut today took 45 minutes to complete which is the norm. I did not have to hold him down at all though, but I did have to put a lot of pressure on his head while I was cutting around his neck and ears to help decrease the squirming. I think he actually likes this pressure because he doesn't resist it! Above is the before picture, and below is obviously the after picture. He was starting to cry when I took the before picture because I had all of the tools out where he could see them and he knew what was happening. Afterwards, it took a lot to get him to stand still long enough for a picture because all he wanted to do was jump and flap out all of the pent-up energy. 
He's a cutie! By way of encouragement, 'Bot is nine, and we're finally able to progress past crew cuts. Enjoy begging to rub, kiss, and touch that little bald head while you can. Before you know it, he'll be wanting something not as precious.
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