Occupational Therapy

One of the services Isaiah receives is Occupational Therapy through the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin - Fox Valley. Isaiah has so much fun with Miss Kathleen. She is helping with exercises that will build his muscle tone and various self-help skills, such as eating with utensils and dressing.

One Year Later

We took Isaiah to Madison today for a one-year follow-up appointment with his developmental pediatrician at the Waisman Center. It was a pretty uneventful visit - which we like. :)

Here is a brief summary of the things we discussed with the doctor:

1) Leg cramps - Isaiah continues to get "Charlie Horse" cramps in his legs while he is sleeping. We notice them more after he has spent a lot of time in heavy physical play, such as climbing or running. Usually after one dose of Tylenol, the cramps go away for the night. For now, we are to try 1 tsp of Tylenol every night before bed.

2) Constipation - Isaiah often goes 4-5 days between bowel movements. When he starts to get backed-up, he becomes quite irritable, eats less, and misbehaves more. The doctor suggest trying Miralax, as we have been trying fiber gummies but they obviously aren't doing what they should.

3) Toilet training - my BIGGEST frustration (and source of feeling like a parenting failure). Isaiah talks about the potty, yet he absolutely REFUSES to go. The doctor said that the worst think we can do is fight with him about it. He has to decide. We need to determine some type of reward. She suggested making an attractive Treasure Box with fun prizes from the Dollar Store. As a teacher - HELLO! I certainly can handle that, though I don't think it's going to work for getting Isaiah to go. I'll try anything, though.

So, bad news - there really is no way to convince Isaiah to go on the toilet. She does think preschool will help motivate him to go. Good news - we can have a prescription written for Pull Ups because he is over the age of 4 and has an Autism diagnosis. Next on the list to do - call insurance to see if they will pay for Pull Ups. If not, apply for Katie Beckett - which I probably should do anyway.

4) Diet - Isaiah has not been the best eater lately. Because he is still such a small little guy, the doctor suggested I follow-up the diet discussion with our regular pediatrician and possibly get a referral to see a pediatric dietician. At least when he gets picky he eats fruits and vegetables! It's protein and iron that we're concerned about.

5) Perseverative behaviors, such as Coke machines and elevators. Three things to try - distraction, substitution, and foreshadowing with the use of social stories. I'm going to try to find a special toy with buttons that we will allow him to push in place of the Coke machine buttons. I think we're going to need lots and lots of prayers to get him out of this behavior...

We won't see Dr. I until next summer. I'm glad we'll be going back because it's always good to stay connected with a specialist just in case. I'm even more glad that Isaiah is making so much progress and doing so well that we don't have to go back sooner. :D

- becky

Coke Machines

One of the things Isaiah really enjoys is pushing the buttons on a Coke machine. I think it is calming for him, but I'm not sure. He starts at the top, pushing all of the buttons from top to bottom, and sometimes names the color of the soda pictured on each button.

For the most part, this is not a big deal. It takes a couple of seconds, and then he is good to go. At times, however, it can be a problem. When we went to the Milwaukee Zoo, he was so overwhelmed by everything there was to see that all he wanted to do was push the buttons on Coke machines. And there are a LOT of them at the Milwaukee Zoo. We know. Isaiah pushed every.single.button.

- becky

Excellent Advice

I'm almost done reading the book Daniel Isn't Talking by Marti Leimbach. At the end of chapter 18, I came across some excellent advice.

Andy, a therapist, was talking to Daniel's mother who was concerned about what people (strangers) might think about her son when they see him out. His advice - "Other people don't have children with Autism. They are not entitled to an opinion."

I.Love.This.

- becky

Sometimes...

As Isaiah gets older, it seems as though we get more and more stares from people. Maybe it's because he is somewhat verbal, but not always in a functional way. Maybe it's because something in the room is too stimulating for him. Maybe it's because he doesn't understand what we are doing or asking him to do. Maybe it's because we have broken routine. Whatever the reason, it makes my heart sad.

Sometimes, though, a stranger will look at my child and see a little boy who does not appear to have developmental delays. This morning, I was pushing Isaiah and Mallory in the double stroller up to church for a pot luck picnic. An older gentleman was walking toward us, and Isaiah peeked his head out from under the awning and said, "Morning!" The smile on the man's face made my day.

- becky

Oh So Literal

Sometimes I have to giggle at the literal response that I get from Isaiah.

Tim was outside grilling today, and I was preparing the rest of lunch inside with the kids. A timer beeped, so I asked Isaiah to "open the door and tell Daddy, 'The timer went off.'"

Well, he did that all right.

But which door did he open?

Not the door to outside where Tim was grilling...he opened the refrigerator door and said, "Daddy, the timer!" It was the closest door to him, and I wasn't specific enough in my direction.

That one made me Laugh Out Loud!!!

- becky

Way Late EEG Update

So I have been really, really bad about updating this blog. We're busy. That's my excuse. I'll try to get better.

It turns out the neurologist is not entirely convinced that Isaiah is/was having seizures. In lieu of putting Isaiah through (potentially traumatic for him and quite expensive) tests, we have decided to monitor his staring spells. If we notice him zone out, we are supposed to pinch his finger. Should he respond, his staring spell is realted to his autism. Should he not responds, back to the neurologist we will go.

We're good with this decision. We have noticed so much progress with Isaiah over the last few months, with very few staring spells. It seems the time that he has them, he has a cold or is tired - and he responds when we pinch him (in a loving, yet please-respond-so-we-know-you're-not-seizing way).

- becky