A month's worth of stuff

Well its been a month since I have written in our family blog.  Lots of new things have happened over the last month with our family.  Katie is talking so much more and becoming so mature for her age.  She is really a blessing to have and I am so grateful that she is a great kid with her own unique personality.  She really keeps us on our toes and I love that everyday she learns something new and wants to share it with everybody.  She currently is taking art and absolutely loves it.  She is not the cleanest or even the neatest artist but she loves doing it so that is all that matters.  She is doing really well in school right now and its amazing how much she has grown over the last few months with her language and personality.  She is so good with her brother which I am thankful for.  She tends to be a bit bossy with Alan but that is what sisters are for. 

Alan on the other hand just takes it and does what she wants.  I guess he is learning at an early age to just go with the flow when it comes to girls.  ;-)  He is doing great in school.  I am so proud of all he has accomplished over the last 3 years.  I am still amazed that he went from a non-verbal and non-functioning child to an independent talking child.  I was at a support group meeting last night and I was talking to another mom who is going through the same things as I am and I just love hearing about how much these children are  making so much progress.  Its going to be 3 years in February that Alan received his diagnosis, 3 years in March that we started ABA and 3 years in January that we started Biomedical.  Everyone asks me what I did to help my child to be where he is today which is fully mainstreamed and an independent functioning child.  I always start off with "we have to remember each of our children are different and not all benefit from what we did with Alan".  It saddens me that things we did for Alan do not work for all but I can only advise and help on my knowledge of what worked for Alan.  We had a guest speaker last night at the meet-up and he said something  important "you can only be an expert on your child".  Learn about your child and become an expert on him or her because our kids are not alike in many many ways.  So, when I help more people I can explain that the things we did worked for Alan, but it might not work on another child.  I believe I have gotten away from a lot of Alan's biomedical and even his ABA because he is doing so well.  I guess I slacked off a little because of all the remarkable progress and I just needed a little break.  I think its time to become more involved again and really diving in to help Alan become even more of an independent child.  Its time to set new short and long term goals. Alan is by no means recovered or cured as some would say.  He still has some deficits and we are currently working on those.  He has a lot of problems with conversations.  He has the communication part down and even his conversational skills are improving as long as they are about him and what he wants to talk about.  His main issue is giving information that I want to hear about.  Little things as tell me about your day, who did you play with, what did you do for recess.  He shuts down and says "I don't know" and that's all I get.  I spent all day yesterday asking about his day.  I started off with telling him about my day and what I did.  I even had Katie tell him about her day so he understands what I am wanting.  He did not give me anything but we tried and will keep pushing until he is bursting to tell us about what he did.  I did learn this morning that his class went to Australia and he went to music.  His class is visiting different countries this week and they are learning about different cultures.  We also have drawing and writing issues that are being address too.  He can write all his letters both upper and lower now we are working on him writing words and short sentences.  Its new and challenging so he is being stubborn, but he is moving along with it.  Anything new and different that Alan does not know how to do he always gets stubborn.  It is a good thing though because we have found something we can challenge him with.  The drawing and coloring is coming along and I know within a few months all of this will be mastered and we will have to find something else to challenge him on.  It is always like starting a new adventure in a remote part of land.  There are those easy treks across a flat piece of land then you come to a raging river, then a forest, a nice trek over a hill and finally you get to that mountain.  Once you are over that mountain you have that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.  I love that feeling and I am so happy I have a child to show and teach me all these new adventures.  My children are such a blessing and they make my life such and an enjoyable existence.  I would like to give a gigantic (new Alan word) thank you to my husband who has been my rock and has been so understanding through this journey.  Without him I have no idea if we would have accomplished as much as we have in such a short time.  He has sacrificed so much on this journey and I am thankful for all of his support.

Updates

Need to get use to blogging more.  I wanted to do this as a daily journal for myself and any followers but it seems it has become another thing I forget about. 

Went to a support group meeting on Tuesday and it is so nice to talk to a group of ladies who understand where you have been and there to provide support for the future.  Sometimes I listen to new mom's and it takes me back to the days of when Alan was first diagnosed.  It is amazing to see how far he has come since being diagnosed.  I can still remember the sleepless nights and the fighting to get him to eat something.  The worries of when will he ever talk to me or will he ever talk.  My happiest moment is when Alan said "Mommy, I love you".  It's the littlest thing a child can do but to me it was the biggest thing Alan did.  My daughter says it all the time and I take it for granted now.  I am stepping back and remembering all the times with Alan and just questioning how we did it as a family.  He still has his good and bad days but we all do.  Everyday I see areas we can improve on and tweak to better his life.  I forget to step back and just enjoy what we have now.  I guess I am still on the train and I want it to keep moving 100mph until we reach our final destination.  I do not want to stop and enjoy the scenery.  Regression is my biggest worry.  We just added dairy back into his diet after 4 years of being off of it and he is doing great.  I only give him a little because that regression monster is still lurking in my mind. 

Other than those worries he is doing great and moving along nicely.  Now, we still have the battles to eat but not like it was 2 years ago.  He never stops talking which I love but then at times wish he would really like to play the "Quiet Game".  I observed Alan the other day in his class.  I went all day and watched and learned about his day.  He knew I was there but I did not bother him.  I worked with the other students and learned about his friends.  It was so great to see how well he worked with his group.  He talked, laughed, and enjoyed his day.  He still has areas where he can get a little overwhelmed but other than that he had a great day.  His teacher told me she assessed his reading and he is at an 8-10 level on the DRA.  It's great to see that he has a passion for reading.  He is also really good in math.  When it comes to handwriting, drawing, and coloring he still falls behind but we are working on that.  If he is anything like his mommy the art gene is just not there. 

Yesterday, in his class was awards day and he received the sportsmanship award.  Its an award where a student makes sure his classmates are happy and has all his or her materials that is needed.  The teacher said he is a great helper to his classmates and wants everyone to be happy in the class.  She also stated that when a student is absent he gets worried and wants to know if they are okay.  I was surprised at how much he was concerned about his classmates and excited that he has bonded with his classmates.  For a child that was supposedly never to talk or socialize he sure is doing a great job of it. 

I am going to have to blog more because I like having a daily journal for others to read.  I want to give hope to other parents and show you that your child can improve and function on his or her own.  It takes a lot of time and energy but as parents there is nothing more we would rather do than help our child succeed.  My last advice in this entry is to just enjoy each day.  Record it, take pictures, write about it, video it.  That is my biggest regret is not videoing more.  I wish I would have videoed everything good or bad to help me remember and show others that it does get better.

Take Care,

Ketzie 

Halloween 2010

After returning from the fair, we got ready for trick or treating.  This was the kids very first trick or treating for Halloween.  We always let them dress up but we actually went out in the neighborhood and did some trick or treating.  Alan dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Katie dressed as Snow White.  We went with our neighbors and the kids really enjoyed it.  They were so excited.  When we got home I let the kids give out candy for about 20 minutes before we called it quits.  Great night.

Carolina Coastal Fair

We decided to bring the kids to the fair on October 31st.  The kids were super excited when we pulled in and they saw the Ferris Wheel.  Alan starting talking about everything he saw.  As we entered the fairgrounds the kids were excited to see everything.  Our first ride was the Ferris Wheel.  The kids really enjoyed this especially when we stopped at the top and they could look down.  Next, we played some games.  Alan played hit the balloons with a dart and won a dog.  He did really well. Daddy tried to win a prize for Katie but the game was really hard so we moved on the balloon popping station again.  Mommy won her a orange puppy.  We then went on a search for the animals and found the kiddie park.  Alan was able to ride a dragon coaster.  Katie was too short so we went wait in line at the Bumble Bee ride.  I rode with both kids and they enjoyed it.  We walked on and found an elephant and camel.  We then rode a train and ended our day with this ride.  The fair was so much fun and I am glad the kids enjoyed their first fair. 

Catch-Up

Well it has been awhile since I posted on our blog.  This week has been a bit hectic, but I finally have a little free time.  Alan had two soccer games last week and he had a great time.  He was focused, attentive, and had a lot of fun with his teammates.  I love the way the team interacts with him and how they all get along.  It is nice to see him making friends.  We are making a lot of changes to Alan's ABA programs and I am hoping with all these new changes we will see improved results in his conversation skills.  He is doing so great with ABA that I feel in a couple of years he will no longer need it.  I cannot wait for that day where we can be just a family without strangers coming in and out of our house all week.  I do not want to say being normal because well we will probably never be that normal family which I think is great.  Its good to be different and think outside of that box.  What fun is it to be just normal.  My son makes me laugh everyday with his quirkiness and great sense of humor, and I would not trade that for anything. 

This past weekend we decided to change the playroom into an even better playroom. We added a nice comfy couch, cable box just for the kids, Wii gaming system, and a nice 10' caterpillar named Jeffrey.  All of this was my husband's idea.  He always seems to come up with some great ideas and so glad he is here to help implement them.  Now, the 10' caterpillar might have been one of those "what were you thinking" buys but the kids love him.  Jeffrey was kind of hard to resist, just look at that face. 

I brought our daughter to see the Princess on Ice show and wished I would have brought Alan with us.  He would of enjoyed it too.  I guess next year's Mickey's Magic Show will have to make up for it.  It was a good day though.  Daddy and Alan spent some quality time together.  They went to Little Gym and then a train ride which Alan enjoyed a lot.

We also met with Alan's supervisor of his ABA program and I see great changes about to occur.  I like the fact we no longer need intensive teaching or table time.  He is such a smart and fast learner that he no longer needs that.  We no longer need to document behavior because well he rarely has behavior problems.  I call them just being 5 because well that is what it is.  He has an opinion and not afraid to express it.  I love the fact we will start doing community outings and show Alan what is out there for him to do.  I think we are about to start the fun ABA therapy.  It was all fun but I just felt he needed a change and this will help him interact with kids his age more and we can really work on those conversation and interaction skills.

We also had a visit from an old friend I guess I could say.  Alan's OT came to visit and see Alan.  It was nice to hear all the comments of how much he has improved and grown.  I enjoy all of these compliments because knowing what we did to help our son made all of it worth it.  I always wonder if I push my son too much and too hard.  Now, I just want to keep going because I can see that finish line.  It does not seem too far now like it did in the beginning.  I know now that all the hours Alan has worked paid off and he will be able to function in the real world.  He will graduate high school and go off to college.  We are lucky parents to have such wonderful children.  They are a joy every day.

Great Day and a Great Game

Another great day in our little world.  Alan had a great day at school today.  He came home and did his reading program and then we played a few games.  After a few games I told him I needed to do some paperwork so I laid on the floor with my paperwork and began to work.  He came and laid right next to me slipped his hand between my arms and snatched my phone.  He loves playing Angry Birds on my iPhone.  So we laid next to each other me doing my paperwork and him playing a game.  I want to say this moment was priceless.  I had a friend ask today if I ever thought Alan would be where he is today.  After the diagnosis I set so many short and long term goals so that I had something to strive for.  He has met all my goals faster than I would have thought.  My ultimate goal was for him to eat and communicate and he is flourishing with that.  My next goal was for him to go to Kindergarten and he worked so hard and met that goal.  I was asked what do I want now and that is for him to no longer need therapy and just be a kid.  I know he will meet this goal and I look forward to that day because I think that deserves a big party. 

We had a soccer game tonight and he had so much fun.  He interacts so well with his team.  He talks and laughs with them.  It is amazing to see him socialize and interact with other children.  He brings joy and laughter to everyone he meets.  He is a joy to me and I look forward to everyday with him.  I just love when he talks because he makes me laugh at least twice a day.  He has a great personality and I am so happy he shares it with everyone.

Great Day!

Display my Art

Alan's school is having another fundraiser that I do not mind participating in.  Its all about him so what parent would not want to buy your child's art.  At www.displaymyart.com his art is displayed for all to see and buy.  His order number is 277366, for the State of South Carolina (SC).  I would love an interpretation.  As soon as my order comes in I want him to sit down with me and explain what he drew and why.  Its really remarkable how far he has come from not being able to draw lines last year to make this. It is a huge improvement from last year and I cannot wait to see more of his art.

Knock Knock Joke

My son finally make me laugh with his knock, knock joke.  While dressing for school he put on everything but his shirt.  When attempting to put on his shirt one arm came through and he left the other in the shirt.  He then said knock knock using his hand to knock from the inside.  I said, "Whose there", he said "hand", I said "hand who", he said "Hand wants to come out, hand wants to come out" in a really funny voice.  Its one of those things that you have to be there and  hear him.  It was so hilarious.  So proud he finally made a joke.  I always laugh at his other jokes but this one truly made me laugh so hard I cried. 

Soccer Game

Last night, Alan had another great soccer game.  He was a bit tired during his game so he did not play as well but he still followed all the rules and gave it his best.  Afterwords, we picked up Chick-Fil-A for dinner.  I had a support group meeting this night so we had to have a quick meal.  With the kids safe with their babysitter I was off to Mt. Pleasant for the meeting.  There were 19 of us in the room and we all shared our stories with each other.  It was difficult to hear from the mom's with older children and their struggles of having teenagers with Autism.  It was also great to hear how each family overcame these obstacles and how well their children are doing.  I am excited that this support group was started and I hope that we can help many parents in the future. 

Today, Alan had a great day at school.  He came home and wanted to play with his trains.  I told him he could play for a few minutes until his therapist came.  Well low and behold once "JD" arrived he came down about 5 minutes later and went straight to the play room.  That was awesome because usually he stays up there until the therapist gets him.  He had a great session with "JD".  His SLP came as well and she did some assessment testing.  Another great day in therapy land. For dinner I fixed Chicken and Rice.  Alan ate the chicken with some french fries.  He ate all his chicken and asked after dinner if he could watch "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom".  He said he would finish all his dinner so he could watch it.  He loves that show.  Put the kids to bed with no problems and now I am taking a well deserved break.  Till Tomorrow!

Today

Alan had another great day at school.  He rode with his friend to school and rode home with his friend from school.  It is so nice to have a great neighbor that is willing to carpool.  Our son's are both in Kindergarten and attend the same school so it really helps out a lot.  Katie got to sleep in this morning which I believe helped her with her energy today.  Alan had therapy today with his new therapist "S".  She deals mostly with Art and has some really great ideas for helping improve Alan's art skills.  I like the fact she also teaches me different ways to teach Alan how to do certain daily aspects by using chores around the house.  Today she taught Alan how to fold towels.  I asked if he would help with the laundry now and he was super excited, that he wanted to go do it right then and there.  Told him first I have to wash them.  He said "Hurry up and wash the clothes mommy so I can fold them".  My son says the cutest things.  "S" also worked on his soccer skills and he did really well.  Loving our new therapist. 

This weekend

Had a great time this weekend with the kids.  Took Alan and Katie to a park after school.  It is amazing how I can sit on a bench and just watch Alan instead of running after him.  He use to be a runner with no idea about dangers and now I can sit and relax and let him and his sister play.  I am simply amazed at how far he has come in so short amount of time.

On Saturday, we went to Little Gym and Katie was singing the Alphabet along with a TV show and she was having trouble.  Alan kept fussing at her saying she was not doing it right.  So I turned off the movie and asked Alan to teach his sister the ABC's.  At first he went really fast.  I had to remind him she did not know the Alphabet and he had to do it slowly.  He would say a letter then wait for her to repeat it.  They did this 3 times until Katie said no more Alan.  He said "Ok Katie, Mommy can I watch TV now".  The little things again just amaze me.  He did great at Little Gym.  They had Little Zoo and he brought his snake as a zoo animal.  They did relays which Alan did really well.  He does so good in Little Gym.  Listens and has great focus with his teachers. 

On Sunday, which I feel is probably one of the best days yet.  There were two girls at the playground and Alan and Katie started playing with them.  A little girl had a whistle and there playing race.  He actually took instructions from a peer and listened to her.  He had so much fun playing with those girls.  He listened and played with them without one single incident where I had to step in.  They understood everything he said and did.  Truly amazing to watch and not have to help or prompt.  When we were leaving he said by to them without prompt and used their names.  He also said "I am going to miss them mommy".  He did get a little sad but I told him we would probably see them at the playground again.  When we got home he talked about what they did at the playground and said he had "Super fun".  Love that word "Super" (Thanks Daddy) :-).  Of course I have no pictures and forgot my camera I could have videoed it.  I will now be bringing my phone everywhere to make sure I catch everything little thing he does. 

This morning he woke up in a great mood.  Ate his breakfast while watching Special Agent OSO.  Love this show by the way.  He did his bathroom stuff and got dressed without any help.  My little boy is growing up.  My neighbor brought him to school this morning and will be doing so all week.  Its nice to have a neighbor who has a child in the same grade as Alan.  Carpooling is so nice.  I hope he has a great day and looking forward to hearing about his day when he gets home.

Soccer Game

Alan had 2 soccer games this past week.  On both games he did great.  He gave it all on his first game which went 20 minutes over the time due to time keeping issues from the coaches.  Other than that the kids had so much fun.  On his second game, he did really well too.  He got the ball several times and kicked it.  It was taken away by the other team.  He is not too fast yet but he is learning.  I am just so proud that he is getting in there and getting the ball.  Awesome Job Alan!

Weekend - Boat and Museum

We went on our first Harbor Cruise around the Charleston Downtown area.  We learned so much about the history of the place we live in.  The kids had a lot of fun going for their boat ride.  It was a bit long 1.5 hours but they did great.  Towards the end the kids were get antsy to get off the boat but we had a great day on Saturday.

On Sunday, we took the kids to the Children's Museum and had so much fun.  The kids really love the pirates boat and the castle.  They enjoy pretending the boat is being attacked by a large whale with big teeth.  Its really amazing at how their little imaginations run wild.  We ate at Denny's for lunch and Alan finished all his lunch (without coercion)  Yippee!  We also shared a banana split at the end which Alan really enjoyed.  Katie barely ate her lunch and did not like the banana split but she is still suffering from all her new teeth.  Overall had another awesome day on our family outings.

Success with Me Bag

Alan presented his "Me Bag" on October 1, 2010 in front of his Kindergarten Class.  His teacher wrote a note letting me know he got up in front of class and talked about his "Me Bag".  He also answered questions and thanked his class for listening.  This is a huge thing with Alan.  He is a shy boy and usually shuts down when he is put on the spot or has to speak in front of a large group.  I was SUPER excited that he did this and hoping his show and tells have success in the future.  I wish that I could have had a video of his presentation.  I am hoping next time there is a show and tell I am able to go and video him. 

Me Bag!

Tonight we put the finishing touches on Alan's "Me Bag".  We decorated the front with pictures of his favorite things.  He drew a self-portrait, stamped the bag with dinosaurs and car stickers.  After we finished his assignment, Alan looked at me and said "Mommy, I am Super excited to show my friends my Me Bag".  It is the little things that just want to make me so thankful for everything we have done for our son.  My goal was for him to eat and he is now eating.  My next goal was for him to talk, and now he will not stop.  My next goal was for him to be fully mainstreamed in Kindergarten and he has made that happen.  He is making friends and socializing.  He is so happy, full of life, and just a joy to my life.  I am so happy to have these moments with him. 

September 27, 2010

Present

It is now September 27, 2010 and my son has been officially at school for 6 weeks.  Not one single behavior, transition, or episode at school.  In the beginning, he was not eating well but that has changed.  He loves school and all ready has friends.  He is in a great class with understanding teachers.  The teacher is using the daily sheet I came up with which is awesome.  I know exactly how his day is going.  He is doing well with drop off and picking up in the car line.  He is truly mainstreamed in every way.  I am so happy he is able to enjoy school.  My dream was for him to attend Kindergarten fully mainstreamed with no support and that has come true.  Now I have to shift my goals and come up with some more.  I know my long term goal for my son is to no longer need ABA, SLP, IEP’s, and any other services.  I want him to totally function as an individual and he is doing it one day at a time. 


He still does 18-22 hours of ABA a week, 2 hours of speech a week, Little Gym class, and now Soccer.  He currently takes multi-vitamins and is still Casein Free.  We added Gluten back to his diet a year ago and he is doing well.  No regression has happened and he continues to make improvements.  

His new skills are:

·        Independent reading

·        Segmenting words

·        Counts to 100, counts by 5s and 10s

·        Can do all parts of a calendar

·        Can draw all parts on the body

·        Can write all letters and numbers

·        Emerging imagination

·        Emerging communication and conversation skills

·        Social skills are excelling

·        Loves and plays with his sister all the time

·        Enjoys camping in our Family Room

·        Learned how to fish

·        Learning how to play a Leapster

·        Computer skills are excellent

January 2010 - July 2010

2010

Alan is doing great in the CD4 (Child Development class for 4 year olds).  He is making friends and listening well.  Had some transition issues but the teachers helped Alan work through them and he is doing remarkably well.  Our IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is due in May.  By March 2010, Alan is talking in sentences, requesting (demanding :-)), eating different foods, listening, awesome eye-contact, and attending well.  He enjoys school so much and I am looking forward to see how he does in Kindergarten.  Well, the end of the year is here and he finished CD4.  He graduated with his class (too cute)!  It has been decided to mainstream Alan into Kindergarten next year full day with little to no support.  I am in full agreement.  I have declined OT for the following year.  I kept his speech at 1.5 hours a week but moved it from individual to group to encourage more conversations with peers.  He no longer needs any type of special education and his IEP is being handled by a case manager now.

May 2010:

·        Counts to 31

·        Knows days of the week and months of the year

·        Knows Upper and Lowercase and sounds for each letter

·        Can write all Upper and Lowercase (needs some find tuning)

·        Can say his first and last name

·        Write and spell is first and last name (if you knew our last name believe me this is a great accomplishment)

·        Write his numbers

·        Social skills are emerging

·        Large Vocabulary

·        Understands "WH" questions

·        Understands Verbs, adjectives, nouns

·        Starting to learn He, She, Him, Her, I, You, and We

·        Rides a big boy bike with training wheels

·        Ride a scooter

·        Reads up to 100 sight words

·        Learning how to swim

·        Drawing and Colorings has improved

·        Attends well in Little Gym Class

·        Loves to act out scenes using favorite characters

·        Knows his age, Birthday, phone number, and address

Summer 2010

Alan went to Camp Good Times again this year and enjoyed it.  I think this will be his last year.  I am thinking of putting him in more sports and other camps that he can learn more social skills.  We declined ESY.  Alan continues to receive ABA.  During the school year, Alan does 18-22 hours of ABA.  During the summer, he did about 24-30 hours of ABA.  We are getting ready for Daddy to come home from deployment.  I have setup a countdown for the kids so they know when Daddy is coming home.  We have planned a big surprise to Disney World.  I am so excited this is our first time going on a family vacation.  Over the summer his language has doubled and his attentiveness and listening skills have improved dramatically.  Behaviors have been eliminated.  I call them “Just being a 4-5 year old”.  Typical tantrum or stubbornness is all I see now.  

August 2010

We went to Disney World and stayed at the best resort ever.  Thank you Uncle Glynn and Aunt Wendy for making our family vacation memorable.  The hotel had a water slide which was Alan’s favorite.  It was this 2 story high water slide and he went down it all by himself.  We enjoyed Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.  I am looking forward to our future years at Disney.  We did learn a few things:  Epcot is not for us, do not ever go to Disney in August and double check the luggage your husband packs.  Other than that the character dinners were great.  The kids had a blast eating with the Princesses, Mickey Mouse, Donald, Minnie, and many more.  Great times and cannot wait till next year.

Alan starts Kindergarten on August 16, 2010.  I am so nervous about how he will do with no support.  First day of school and my son walks into class and just fit right in.  No “bye, mommy”, “I love you, mommy”, “I will miss you”.  Nothing.  HAPPY DAYS!  His teacher this year understands what Autism is which is great.  There is no need for the endless meetings of explaining why he does some things or if she could change things for him.  Nope she knows and I am so relieved for that.  I was worried in the beginning but all my fears have been settled.

In the beginning of August, I signed Alan up for Soccer.  I was anxious, fearful, and excited all at the same time.  I never thought the day would come where I would get to sign my boy up for a sport.  We bought the cleats, soccer shorts, shin guards, and soccer ball.  First day of practice he did really well.  He had some attention problems but it was his first day.  Each practice after this got better.  He had his off days but he did so much better than I thought.  Our first game, Alan did great.  He stayed with his team while on the field.  He had problems listening to his coach and had to be carried off several times, but I know it will get better.  The second game was so much better.  He listened really well and enjoyed himself.  We had some issues at the end but he was upset that he could not get the ball.  As parents, we talked to him and hopefully he understands that soccer is supposed to be fun.  All we require of him is listen to his coaches, follow directions, no whining or crying, and just try.  I know at his next game it will be much better.  He is doing so well and I am so proud of how far he has come.  

Brief Overview of the Year 2009

2009

By January 2009, Alan was attending a full day program at school and doing 20-25 hours of ABA a week after school.  Alan is now eating almost all snack foods presented to him, freeze dried fruits, grapes, juice, cereals, tater tots and a little bacon inside of chex cereal.  He would drink his milk from a cup with Tara and bottle with me.  He currently signs about 60 items.  Knows his entire upper and lowercase alphabet, knows his numbers 1-10, knows and signs all colors, receptive language is awesome.  It was a very slow process but I feel as if we are moving along and making great strides towards Alan's recovery.  In March 2009, Alan no longer needed the bottle and was attempting to eat table foods.  He started mostly with snack foods, yogurt, puddings, etc.

• Alan can receptively ID over 800 items.
• Alan can sign over 100 words.
• Alan can say bubble, girl, go, papa, bye bye, cookie which everyone who works with him can understand him clearly.
• Alan can do up to 48 piece puzzles with no help.
• Alan can now swing like a big boy (not pumping legs yet) and ride a trike with minimal help.
• Alan can now jump.
• Alan can now blow bubbles and easy whistles. 
• Alan loves playing with his sister, giving her hugs, and blowing her kisses.

In April 2009, we started a new biomedical treatment called HBOT (see entry on HBOT for more information).  By May 2009, Alan was eating some table foods such as chicken nuggets, French Fries, chips, cookies, bacon, pudding, fruits, and many varieties of snack foods.  Over the summer of 2009 Alan attended Camp Good Times for 3 weeks and attended ESY (Extended School Year).  Camp Good Times is for children who have disabilities that require more one-on-one attention.

By July 2009:

• We no longer need OT - YAH!  Alan is where he is suppose to be except for Potty Training.
• Alan has a vocabulary of 25 words (3rd party can understand it)
• Alan has about 150 Vocal approximations.  He will try really hard to repeat the word you say but the Apraxia hinders him.
• Signs over 130 words.
• Alan can do up to 100 piece puzzle with minimal help on newly introduced puzzles.
• Alan can now ride his tricycle up to 1/4 mile.  We are introducing a Big Boy Bike for his birthday.
• Alan can write his First Name and Last Name (with guide) and all the Alphabet Letters and Numbers 1-10. 
• Alan can sight read up to 200 words.  Alan is also reading Beginner Reading books.
• He can draw a stick man and Smiley Face
• He can draw all his shapes/lines - Square, rectangle, circle, X, +, vertical and horizontal lines, triangle
• He recognizes numbers up to 30
• Cutting Individually
• Peels Stickers, Cuts and Pastes
• Coloring has improved a lot.  He stays within the picture region
• Knows his parts & features, adjectives, actions, emotions,
• Understands hurt and sorry
• Recognizes crying 

Alan started back at school full day in the Autism class.  Within 2 weeks we had an IEP meeting to push Alan into a regular education class.  The school agreed to push him in for 3 hours in the morning.  At this time Alan was not fully potty trained.  We gradually increased his time in Regular education class.  By the end of August 2009, Alan was talking in one word utterances.  We just completed his 2nd session of HBOT on August 22, 2009.  The first week in October, Alan was fully potty trained.  Alan was moved into all day regular education class except until 12pm.  His special education teacher worked on rest time with Alan so that he could attend all day in regular education.  After about 3 weeks Alan was ready to attend all day.  Alan showed remarkable progress in his regular education class. 

Brief Overview of the Year 2008

I would like to give a brief overview of what we have done over the last 2.5 years.

Alan was diagnosed February 6, 2008 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Moderate-Severe) at MUSC.  We were devastated to have our fears confirmed.  Alan didn't need parents who were in denial so we jumped on the bandwagon and ordered books, researched everything about autism, and started Alan's journey to recovery.  He was non-verbal, eating baby foods, drinking from a bottle, lots of sensory issues, no eye-contact, hand-flapping, stimming, hyper-active, non-compliant most times, and did not answer to his name or acknowledge his family.  We started the GFCF Diet early March 2008.  We also started ABA therapy April 1, 2008 with SCEAP (South Carolina Early Autism Project).  SCEAP came in and trained all the people that would be working with Alan.  We started with four college ladies with limited ABA experience and knowledge of Autism.  At this time Alan was receiving Speech and Occupational therapy as well.  After about 2 months Alan's ABA program was up and running with him doing 30-40 hours of ABA therapy a week (7 days a week).  In May 2008, we started Biomedical Treatment with Dr. Kalb in Nashville, TN.  He immediately tested Alan for yeast, bacteria, viruses and heavy metals.  He started Alan on MB12 shots and started a yeast protocol.  We did Nystatin for 3 months along with Antibiotics.  After the first week on the MB12 shots Alan realized he had a sister (8 months old).  He seemed to wake up from his little world and join us.  Eye contact was increasing and vocals were getting stronger.  He still babbled but he was making noises.  It wasn't till July 2008, his new OT (Occupational therapist) Melanie joined our team that Alan started to actually try cookies.  She started him on Brushing and AIT.  We saw lots of improvements with Alan in his body and environmental awareness. Melanie became one of the most important people on Alan's journey.  In August 2008, at age 3, Alan started school.  He attended Goose Creek Primary in Tara’s Autism class until 12pm.  Tara also became another important person during Alan's journey.  In October 2008, Alan was diagnosed with Developmental Apraxia of Speech.  We also started seeing a new Speech therapist at this time.  He received 2 hours of speech at school and 2 hours of private speech.  He continued to receive 1 hour of OT a week with Melanie. He was doing around 30 hours a week of ABA.