~Brycen's 2011 Year End Summary~
2011 has been a BUSY year for us, especially Brycen! As I was compiling a list of his "success stories," I am once again in awe of just how far he has come in so many areas. He is a special little boy that has so much determination to keep up with his classmates and he has shown every single person in his life not to underestimate his ability to do so!
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| Created by Mallory Hinkeldey |
Success Stories of 2011
- Began wearing an ID bracelet
- Adding the medication Fluoxetine is to decrease his repetitive and anxiety behaviors.
- Completed genetic testing
- Received his Alt-Chat communication device
- Began verbalizing the letters of the alphabet in and out of order, as well as spelling a variety of simple words and our names.
- new word approximations and signs
- successful move with Mike's job promotion
- counting on his fingers, writing numbers, counting objects
- successful dental procedure requiring tooth extraction and anesthesia
- learned how to pedal his bike
- began riding the bus home from school two times per week
- started kindergarten and is successful in the general education room with the assistance of a 1:1 associate
- expanded length of therapy appointments, frequency, and added Physical Therapy
- Writing his name independently!
- Team Brycen 2011 raised over $5000 for the Iowa Walk Now for Autism Speaks in June
- Learned how to undress and dress himself almost independently
- Increase in imitation skills
2012 Goals for Brycen & Family
- Continue to work on understanding safety and decrease his running from us while in public
- Expand our fundraising to include more activities in April for Autism Awareness Month
- Create Team Brycen 2012 and set a goal to raise over $5000 again
- Continue to work on potty training by developing a routine in conjunction with school
- Program more "functional communication" buttons on his device so he can have mini-conversations
- Work on decreasing aggression
- Work with OT on addressing sensory concerns such as acquiring a weighted-compression vest
- Sleep!!!
- Encourage appropriate play and socialization
- Encourage more independence in daily tasks
We are looking forward to a fabulous 2012 and know his success will continue!
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
Winston Churchill
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.
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