Autism Gone

I read an article today, that perfectly explained Jake's early diagnosis of Autism and to today, where his Autism is barely recognized.  The article is posted in it's full content below.

This article is the perfect description of Jake and where he was and where he is now.  Although, I don't really agree with the 'age out' reasoning.  I believe his success is contributed to the 40+ hours a week of therapies he was submerged into starting at age 2.  I owe so much to the therapist's that worked so hard with him and that were so patient with him.  Those therapists were the ones that gave my son his words and helped enable him to say 'mom' for the first time at age 2!  

My son has come a long way and I am so proud of who he was then, who he is today and who he will become in the future.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shawn-bean/my-son-had-autism-then-he_b_2498908.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

I'm trying to hold him, but he's squirming. The airport lounge is packed with people, and I can feel all eyes on me: the dad who cannot appease his toddler. Brandy sees me struggling, and comes up with a quick fix. She flips over the stroller. She places Jackson next to it. He begins to spin one of the wheels with his hand. He keeps spinning it. Over and over and over. He's completely absorbed. I look at Brandy quizzically. She shrugs.
PLUS: What is Autism?
Jackson was 3 years old at the time, and by all accounts -- from mother's intuition to the experts' definition -- he was on the spectrum. The behavioral psychologists saw what we saw, but were hesistant to make an official diagnosis. His brain is still developing. So much can change in six months. So time passed. His clothes went from 4T to 5T. Birthday candles were lit, blown out, and saved in the kitchen drawer. By age 6, the appointments with the behavioral psychologists were over. The autism books came off my wife's nightstand. Our tears were redirected to other things like kindergarten graduations.
It's a mystery we still don't understand. Did he have autism and develop out of it? Did he ever have autism? Slowly but surely, experts are unraveling this developmental disorder, and last week a small but groundbreaking study may just prove that Jackson is not alone.
PLUS: Should I Label My Kid?
The study, funded by the National Institute of Health, researched 34 individuals ages 8 to 21 who had been diagnosed with autism early in life. The study found that they no longer had the symptoms. The conclusion: Some people may age out of autism. Of course, the autism community is buoyed by the findings, but are cautious to say this is a common outcome.
Let's add to this discussion a study that appeared in Pediatrics last year. It focused on 61 children aged 14 to 35 months who were on the spectrum. Two years after their initial diagnosis, 20 percent of those children no longer met the ASD criteria, which suggests that either the children are improving or were misdiagnosed from the start.
Meanwhile, the prevalence of autism has consistently been on the rise. In 1998, it was 1 in 1,000. In 2002, it was 1 in 150. Today, it's 1 in 88. Is it our increasing awareness that's inflating those figures? Is something mutating in our DNA? Does it lurk in our air or cleaning products or groundwater?
That's the thing with autism: There is no pathology. It's not in the blood. Biopsies don't detect it. It doesn't appear when you shine a penlight into the pupil. It makes perfect sense that this disorder is represented in awareness campaigns by a puzzle piece.
For our family, the autism spectrum was like the Alaskan winter. There was no light. The darkness went on and on and on. Then one day, a yolk-hued color broke across the horizon. And it stayed. But we haven't forgotten what the darkness was like.

 

A Change of Direction

Lately, James & I have been leaning towards Jacob attending mainstream Kindergarten and were very excited that he and Grace would, finally, be attending the same school together.

Well, that is not to be.

His present teacher called me for a conference and expressed her concern about Jake attending regular Kindergarten.  She does not think he is ready.  I won't lie.  This deeply saddened me.  Here I had been talking to Grace & Jake about their new school, even taking them there on the weekends to get them familiar with the lay of the land.  And now, it is not to be :(

I really wanted to tell his Teacher that she was wrong.  That he was ready.  But in my gut, I know that she is right.  He is not ready.

Academically, he is perfect!  He is scoring above his grade, but socially, he is behind.  Not far, but still behind.  In Kindergarten, it is required that you do as you are told.  If you are told to sit down and do your work, that is what you should be doing and the Teacher should not have to be reminding you of this task.  This is where the issue lies.  He is probably hitting this command at about 50%.  We still see this behavior at home, which makes it easier to accept her recommendation.

His current Teacher, Ms. C., wanted me to go and tour the school they are recommending.  It is what they call an 'SDC' (special day class).  Where there is a Teacher and four Aides to 10 kids vs, 1 Teacher and 1 Aide to 25 kids.  The individualized attention is so much more and will benefit him greatly.  The plan is to have him in this class, but during part of the day he will be mainstreamed into the general Kindergarten class so that he can see what is expected of him and be ready to rock 'n roll when the time comes!  The goal is that by the time 1st grade rolls around, he will be ready to attend 1st grade in a general session.

So this morning, I met the school Psychologist at the new school and was more than pleasantly surprised at the class.  The Teacher, Ms. K., is a woman that has the most calm way about her.  I was there for a good 35mins and she had those kids listening and participating without raising her voice in the slightest!!  Heck..I need parenting classes from her!  She had them saying the Pledge of Allegiance, counting the days that had past of the school year in ten's, she even had them doing yoga!  So cute to see the little ones in the doggie down pose ;)

Now, my heart and soul feel great about him being at this school.  I know that he will succeed and soar!  I have no doubts in my Bubbi!

I attached some pics....well just because he is so stinkin' cute!  He was showing off his Mohawk :)

God gave me a miracle

I read this on a CaringBridge site and it hit me hard. 

As most of you know, Jacob has special needs and they have hinted that he has Asperger's Syndrome, but with early intervention, we have been able to turn around most of his delays.  

I never would have believed that he would be making the progress he is making.  When we started his therapy, there was talk that it was questionable that he would be able to start Kindergarten on time.  Now, it is a sure thing that he will go off to Kindergarten.  The only thing we are trying to figure out is if he will need to be in a Special Day Class.  In SDC they have aides that help kids with learning disabilities.  It gives those kids, just a little omph to help them prepare for being in a general class where he would be 1 of 25, vs. 1 of 6 which is what he is in now.

Anywho, at 2 years old, Jacob was still not talking and we weren't sure if he ever would.  We started intensive therapy at home, working 40hrs a week with his therapists on everything from speech therapy,occupational therapy and ABA therapy.  And after a few sessions we had THAT moment where he looked over at me and said "Mama".  I can't even find the deep words to articulate how it felt to hear him say that.  It was a true gift and one that was not taken for granted.  I know how hard he had worked to get those words out and never had I been soo proud of him. Tears immediately filled my eyes.  

Mom's that have special needs kids, will find solace in this.  I know I did.

~Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year thousands of mothers will give birth to a premature baby. Did you ever wonder how mothers of preemies are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

“Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron saint, Matthew. “Forest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron saint, Cecilia. “Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron saint... give her Gerard. He’s used to profanity.

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, “Give her a premature baby.” The angel is curious. “Why this one, God? She’s so happy.”

“Exactly, “ smiles God. “Could I give a premature baby a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel.”

“But does she have patience?” asks the angel. “I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it.

“I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence that are so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I’m going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that’s not going to be easy.”

“But, Lord, I don’t think she even believes in you.” God smiles, “No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness.”

The angel gasps, “Selfishness? Is that a virtue?” God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she’ll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child who comes in a less than perfect way. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she is to be envied.

“She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says ‘Mommy’ for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations.

“I will permit her to see clearly the things I see - ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.”

“And what about her patron saint?” asks the angel, the pen poised in mid-air.

God smiles. “A mirror will suffice.”

~Author unknown

The Bird Has Landed!

I don't know why I chose that title, but it seemed to fit!

Jake started Pre-K on 8/23 and we decided that we would no longer put him in pull-ups.  So we sent him into school in his big boy undies and lots and lots of extra clothes.  And guess what...he has done fantastically with it!  The last few days of last week and yesterday, he has come home in the same shorts and underwear that we sent him to school in! 

And then last night.......

He was in taking a bath and I was cleaning up the kitchen, when I heard "MOM, COME HERE!!".  Much to my surprise, he had gotten out of the bath and went poo poo in the potty!!  I called for the rest of the family to come see!  Everyone was sooo proud of him and he was soo proud of himself!!  James took a picture of it, but I am quite sure, that no one really wants to see it!

It is a tradition in our family that when you poop in the potty and are using the potty consistently, you get to go to Target and pick out whatever toy you want! 

I immediately got him out of the tub and dressed and off to Target we went!  Here is what he picked out...

Sorry for the picture quality

I love how proud Grace is of him in the background!! 

He's awesome!