The Wonderful World of Will

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

2009-03-20T09:03:00.002-05:00

IT FELT LIKE SPRING!

2009-03-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful day it was!!!! It felt like spring. Temps were in the 70's and the winds were finally calm around here and it was just "picture perfect" outside. I can't wait for summer to get here and I know Will feels the same way.

Will LOVES playing outside. He played "hookie" from school today. No, not really. With the time change we have gotten off schedule. Last night we went to bed at 10 (9 the old time) and at 3 am he was up and ready to go. People don't seem to understand that we can't go to bed an hour early...it just messes up our whole sleep pattern. He didn't take any naps yesterday so I thought we'd be okay, but no it didn't work like that. By 7:30 he was already asleep on the couch. So I just called and said he wouldn't be there. He slept til nearly noon. HOPEFULLY tonight he'll be back on track.

Had to have some time with his puppy "Breezy". She's almost bigger than he is now. (she's half lab half beagle)

Daddy built him a fire in our little fire pit and he LOVES to pull his chair up and set by Daddy and watch it burn. He's always excited when Daddy gets home from work.BUT then he got bored sitting and wanted to start throwing stuff into the fire and when I told him "NO!" then we had a meltdown and fit in the yard. He was over it pretty quick but these are still a pretty frequent thing.

All and all it was still a good day.

SUPERMAN

2009-02-28T18:51:00.000-06:00

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RED & BLUE

2009-02-23T11:25:00.000-06:00

Most children on the autism spectrum have some form of obsessive compulsive disorder. Early on Will had obsessions...first it was rolling wheels on cars, then it was shaking things. TWO things. One in each hand. He'd fall apart if you just gave him one. Then he went to matching like items up. Two cows, two horses...then he got to matching things up at first glance you didn't think they were alike, but when you looked again, they had the same shape or something was alike about them. He can see so many things that we often miss. The little things. Sometimes I wish I could get inside his little head and see what he sees.

And then one day when we were coloring (that was the only way I could get him to eat) I noticed he always grabbed the red and blue crayon first and instead of coloring with them, he would "fly" them around almost mesmerized by them. He'd get down and as if he were in a trance he'd take off the crayons and get into "his world". He could sit and stare and fly them around for hours if you let him (which we didn't). It went from crayons to balls, then to blocks and now it doesn't matter what it is as long as it's red and blue and it matches. Alot of times after going shopping we come home with cups, bowls, bath sponges, watering cans.....you'd be amazed at how "blue and red" matching items are out there. But I promise you, HE CAN FIND THEM!!! He's not interested in toys except for their color. He'd rather have cans with red and blue lids, lip balm in blue and red tubes.....that was our fight light week and I didn't let him have them. I bought two bags of red and blue balloons and keep in the car and now after we get done shopping when we get to the car, I blow up a red and blue balloon and he's happy. And it's a lot cheaper on me!!!

There are days I think the obsessions are better...the next he's back at it. I guess the colors calm him. I don't know. I'm hoping someday he'll be able to tell us why he so obsessed with them. If he's upset all you have to do is hand him something red and blue and it's an instant calm for him (most of the time). I keep a bag of small red and blue items in my purse for emergencies. Will doesn't do "waiting" well and I keep a bag of red and blue "trinkets"for him to dig through if we do have to wait. Used to be he would take off in his "trance" with them but now though he'll come and tell you what he has or what shape they are (he also is obsessed with shapes) he still "flies" them around and stares at them but he will put them down after a while where before you literally had to get them and hide them just to be able to "get him back". It really used to scare me how so into his own world he could get staring at something red and blue. Funny thing is if he can't find red and blue he will substitute purple for blue or orange or pink for red.

About Will

2009-02-20T19:53:00.001-06:00

I have never really wrote "about" Will and told "his" story but I am going to start in the next few post trying to tell you about "The Wonderful World of Will". He is an amazing little boy who has really showed us how to see things totally out of the box.

Will is not your "typical" child (whatever that is). Everyone I talk to seems to have some kind of "issues" with their child but Will definitely has his own agenda and has his "own world" that very few people are allowed to enter. It used to when I saw him around other children and his lack of interest in them or the things they were doing, I would leave in tears (and it still happens sometimes even today) but you finally just have to realize that this is the way it is and "in time" things will get better. (I promise they will) Even though we have so far to go and he may never want to be or can be the "most popular" kid on the block, it's amazing how far we've came since we realized that there was something wrong. He's in preschool and I can honestly say of all the things we've done, that's probably the best. We still have our moments and our "regressions" but for the most part we've got the routine down and he seems to enjoy it and he is learning.

Will was about 18 months old when we realized there was a "problem". In looking back, the signs were there had we known what to look for. This was our first child and I will be honest I had heard very little about autism. "Rain Man" was the only thing I associated autism with and that wasn't Will. I guess our main concern with Will in the beginning was that he wasn't talking. That was the first red flag. But when he was younger he loved rolling wheels on cars...obsessed with it actually. We thought it was cute at the time but we had no idea it was an autism "sign" but it was. We took him to daycare "thinking" that being around other children he would start "talking".....That was the first moment I truly realized that the problem was more than not talking. When I saw the other children there....some Will's age and some younger doing so much more than he could....communicating, interacting with each other, pointing, dancing, waving, rolling trucks and cars on the floor and NOT rolling just the wheels. I remember being in tears when I walked out of there because at that moment I knew something was wrong with my precious little boy. From that moment on, autism has been an everyday word in our life and our life hasn't been the same. Suddenly your "dreams" for your child change and some nights I still wake up in the middle of the night worrying about "someday" and who will take care of him when we're gone. We're trying hard to plan for his future.....but I still worry.

HE DID "REMARKABLE"

2009-01-05T20:31:00.000-06:00

I am so excited. Will's first day back from Christmas break went "remarkable" to quote what his teacher told me when she called!!!! I was so thrilled. I packed the phone around with me from the moment he got on the bus til it got back off this afternoon. I just knew they would call BUT they didn't! Ms Marcy, his teacher told me he came in the classroom smiling this morning.... I just didn't know how he would handle it. I knew it could go either way but he did very well getting on the bus so that was a good sign. He got up at 4 AM this morning so I wasn't sure how the day would end up going but it's nearly 9 PM and he's still going strong. The only "nap" he's had is about a fifteen minute one on the bus ride home. But it's about time for "beddy-bye".

He's been in the best mood since he came home and has been very cooperative and have had NO meltdown's today!!! That's always good.

Sleepy Saturday

2009-01-03T09:37:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get Will ready to go back to school on Monday. I dread it because I have no idea how he's going to handle it. He's been out of school now for three weeks. Two weeks for Christmas and the week before because of a snow and ice. I've tried to start talking about school and showing him pictures of his teachers and therapists, but he doesn't seem to pay any attention. I am going to try to get him to ride the bus because I think it will be easier. If I take him in, he gets so upset when I leave the classroom. He's gotten where he really likes the bus so maybe it will be the best thing. I hope it is at least.

The doctor visit went well yesterday. He started to cry when he tried to look in his ears, but all and all he did great and even gave him a hug as we were leaving. We had a good day til last night and he began to have meltdowns over the least little thing. I'm not sure if something was hurting him or if he was just tired. That's one thing that is so hard to figure out with him. But usually when he's that cranky. there is something going on. You just have to figure out what it is. He wouldn't eat...which is not that unusual. He woke up before 4 AM this morning and was reciting a couple of episodes of "Oobi". It amazes me how his memory is and how he can say a whole episode nearly word for word. He drank his breakfast (Pedisure & Carnation Instant breakfast combo) and has been playing in his room and running around still singing Jingle Bells (he's even learned the second verse). So far the day has went well. Usually when he gets up that early he's a little irritable but so far so good. We have to head out in a bit to go check on my mother who is in the hospital and I always dread that because he doesn't do well there and it's hard to visit with Mama and keep an eye on him too. He doesn't understand the "boundaries" of the hospital.....and trying to make him stay somewhere just makes things worse and of course you get those stares from people who think you don't know how to keep your child in check....if they only knew how hard I tried.......

Going to the Doctor...UGH!!!!!!!

2009-01-02T07:31:00.000-06:00

Well today Will has to go back to the doctor to make sure an ear infection he had before Christmas is gone. I always dread this.....I "try" to explain where we are going, but right now he doesn't understand what it means. He's always hard to manage in the waiting room and then in the "ever so tiny" room where we wait for the doctor to come in and see him. And he hates for the doctor to touch him. His pediatrician is very nice and is very patient with Will, but he just doesn't handle it well. I can't say as I blame him much. I hate going to the doctor myself. Of course, I have his "bag of tricks" packed....lots of red and blue things he loves to keep him occupied while we wait. I got him a View Master for Christmas and he loves it so I packed it along with some reels he hasn't seen yet. Maybe that will help some.

My mother is the hospital the same place Will goes for speech therapy and that's been a difficult situtation. Will doesn't understand why we aren't getting on the elevator (he loves pushing the button to go up) and of course when we pass it by, he has a meltdown and then it takes him at least ten or fifteen minutes to get over it. He hasn't had therapy because of Christmas break and will start back Tuesday. Yesterday when we got in there to see her, he was better than usual but he was ready to go in about ten minutes and just kept saying "BYE-BYE" over and over. That means he's ready...and you better be ready too!!!

Hello.....Let me tell you about Will

2009-01-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

Hello....My name is Chris and I am the mother of Will who is 3 1/2 years old. "Autism" has been an everyday word in our household for the past two years now. Up until that time, I didn't even know that much about it. Will was "officially" diagnosed with autism back in September of 2008 though we were pretty sure of it long before then. He has been in early intervention since he was 18 months old and we had taken him to be evaluated when he was 19 months old and they told us then "significant developmental delay" NOT autism. I remember leaving there so happy...It's NOT autism. (by this time I hated the word) . I called all of our friends and family. The pediatrician had been wrong (and I thought it was a possibility from all I had read)....but it didn't take many months to realize that THE SPECIALIST had been wrong. There were still lots of things besides "developmental delay" going on. And I knew in my heart it was autism. When we went back this time, there was no question in their mind and I knew what they were going to tell us and so did my husband. I still cried....(and I still do) and I came home and sat for several days barely able to move.....nothing had changed....but yet it seemed everything had.

He's come a long way though He is starting to talk. He does ask for a few things and he actually sang "Jingle Bells" this year for us!!!! (and he's still singing it) He will do simple commands now...turn on the lights, shut the door, bring me your shoes. You just have to be simple and direct with what you want. Sometimes I forget just how far we have come. Christmas of 2007 he wasn't saying anything and didn't really seem to understand alot you were saying to him or even what Christmas was. He still doesn't call for me...but if you ask who I am he will respond "Mama" and if I leave a room and he doesn't' know where I went he will ask "where Mama go". Everyday he surprises me of the "new" things he can do. We have done so much with pictures. I take pictures of all the people and things that he is contact with on a day to day basis and make my own "flash cards". Will is such a visual child (most kids on the spectrum are) and he understands so much better with pictures than just words. And he can identify so much through pictures. He may not use the words in sentences, but at least he knows who and what they are.

He is enrolled in preschool now and that was very hard at first...infact I wasn't sure he was going to handle it (or me either for that matter...I don't know who cried more me or him) but now I think it's the best thing we could have done for him. He seems to enjoy it and though he's "different" from the other "typical" children in the classroom (he's the only child with autism in the class) he does pretty good. He has a great teacher and aide and they work hard with us to make sure things are going like they should. He even rides the bus now something I never could have even imagined that would have ever happened. The classroom size is small and he gets lots and lots of extra attention and he even has his own "center" where he works and where they work with him. He still doesn't pay alot of attention to the other children, but every once in a while he will go up and touch one and has even went and hugged one little girl a couple of times.

Will has obsessive compulsive disorder also (which goes hand in hand with autism). His obsession is red and blue MATCHING items. He can see things red and blue that I never even knew were there. He HAS to carry around "matching" red and blue items...all the time and EVERYWHERE we go. Needless to say, my entire house the backside seat of my Tahoe and my purse are FULL of things like that. I don't want to be somewhere and we don't have something. And it doesn't have to be toys. He carries around bath sponges, hangers, pencils, lids, clothespins.....but as long as they are red and blue and "match" in his eyes (sometimes you have to look close but you will see the "match") Most of the time Will doesn't play with toys like they are supposed to be played with but I have noticed lately he is doing a little better with that. He is kicking a ball now and I saw him rolling a red and blue truck last night on a table TWICE!!!!

But the main reason I started this Blog was to share our world and how autism has affected us and maybe talk with other people who are going through the same thing we are. We love our son more than life itself and we work every single day trying new and different things with him. I will try to post daily with things that are going on with us and how we are dealing with the challenges of raising a child on the autism spectrum.