Super cool....Super Smart

Alright, my super cool and super smart and crafty friends who take the time out of their busy lives to read my blog (I thank you and think you're awesome)!   We're having a pie auction for the support group and I have volunteered to put together a basket (I'm not gonna bake...that's just crazy talk).  Now I need help with a theme for a basket....gimmie some good ideas. :)

One Smart Cookie!

Parent Teacher Conferences happened.  Angelus' teacher just told us about how he got along with all the other kids really well, wasn't a behavior problem at all (but does tend to get a little chatty), and just "excels" in his school work.  She gave us the STAR Reading computer adaptive reading test summary that he took back at the beginning of September.  It said:  He reads at a level greater than 92% of other students nationally in the same grade.  BUT the part the blew my mind (he's in first grade), was Angelus is at least 80% proficient at recognizing words and comprehending material.  This means he is at least 80% proficient at reading second grade words and books...this was done a month and a half ago and I know he's just gotten better.  She gave him the BEAR Initial-Skills Analysis for 1st grade in which he made a perfect score and then she showed us the one he took for 2nd grade and they only tested him on two of those things....Reading Basics: 18/18 and Comprehension he got a 11/12...who knows maybe he would've done almost as good on the 2nd grade one as he did on the first grade one. :)  He REALLY wants to make sure he gets all A's (for the gift card at the end of the year, but I also know he likes recognition for doing well and he should get it, he's incredibly bright and just wonderful).  He's difficult subject was Math where he got a 91%, but also if she graded on penmanship he wouldn't do so well (he also gets that from his Daddy).

The teacher was telling us that at the beginning of the school year she was having the kids read their "readers" and "he just blew right through that thing! I have never had a student read like that before".  Then she said something to his old kindergarten teacher..."Angelus Brownell...he's really advanced with the reading" kindergarten teacher:  Oh yeah! He's just a good reader.  Oh yeah, after she told Angelus just how impressed she was with his reading, he's like "I know, I read comic books!" 
I commented to the pre-k teacher that I'm convinced the pre-k and kindergarten teachers had a lot to do with his advanced reading.  She said "I don't know about that, but I'll sure take credit wherever I can get it".  It's really a combination of the teachers, parents, and himself.  I mean you can't make a kid like to read as much as he does, or make them getting good grades as important to them as what it seems to be to him.  I think there's a lot of internal stuff within him and he just so happened to get a lot of fantastic support around him to help encourage his enjoyment of reading and doing well in school.  They may even have him read to the younger grades which he would LOVE to do.

Just needed to brag on my boy tonight (even if he wasn't "excelling" in school I'd still have to brag on him, he's awesome)!  He's the best son and brother we could have asked for.

"I Need That!"

Another week of Speech and Occupational Therapy.  Seems like things are going along well for our little one.  I'm SO excited to talk about this week.  Faith hasn't been feeling real well the past couple of days, but she wasn't running a fever or anything...So, onward to the therapy's!

We get to Speech this morning and the Speech Therapist takes Leonardo away (he's her security blanket) I don't know why he takes it from her, I think he thinks she works better without it, but she would work better if he would just let her keep a hold of him.  Anyway, she was saying "I need...." then he said, I think she's saying "I need that!" while looking at Leonardo, that's kinda what it sounded like, so he held up Leo and said say that one more time and I'll give it to you, she said "I Need That!" very plainly, easy to understand that's what she was saying.  So, of course he gave her Leo. :)  Then we were walking out of the classroom outside to check-out and she said "Oh! Me outside".  We ventured over to tell the principal how the session went (cause that's what we do at the end) I said Faith can you tell 'em 'bye-bye' she said 'di-di' which is pretty close in my book.

Occupational therapy she did music therapy today which she LOVED and I got an order form so I can send in and order the special headphones and a "belt" so she can wonder around as she is listening to the music instead of stay planted for 30min.  The OT and I also discussed potty training and she said we're probably looking around 6yrs old for her, she's seen some do it sooner some do it later and some not do it at all...but she was very confident that Faith would be about 6 and not 12 or not at all (shew!).

Angelus is still doing REALLY well in school and is super smart, a lot like his Daddy. :~)  Tomorrow he's gonna go check out the pumpkin patch and we also found a Ninja costume for him for Halloween.  He liked the "backpack" that went along with it because it had all the cool swords and things.  That's good because we weren't having any luck finding Luke Skywalker stuff this time around.

One excited and happy Momma.

I am Convinced life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% my Reaction to it. ~Charles Swindoll

I am now down to 4days a week at work because it was difficult for the grandparents to make sure Faith was getting to her appointments like she needed to be, and also I really felt like I needed to be at them.  Apparently I was correct.  8:30a.m. Speech for 30min.  We had her progress report today and she hasn't even hit 50% of what her objective/goal was, but the Speech therapist stated she did better with me than she ever did with the grandparents there.  He got her to pay closer attention, look at objects and she made a few more noises.  Right now we're trying to work on sameness and he sent us home a little "bucket" that says "Beginning Sounds" with different objects to take out of there.  We learned the sign for tomatoes and for egg because her favorite toy in there is a bird's nest with 3eggs in it.  We worked on that some this afternoon when we got home. 

Occupational Therapy went well too.  She is still loving the swing.  Today they went from just swinging straight to spinning a little.  She likes spinning, but only when she's in control of the spinning.  She also did really well with putting some toys into a little barn kinda thing that made a "Moo!" noise when she put these token things in it.  They are wanting to work her up toward at least taking a ball and handing it back to them.  I think it's overall objective is to learn turn taking type behavior.

We went to pick up Angelus from school and his teacher asked if she could borrow a costume of mine from a couple of years ago because apparently the teachers are going to dress up like Superhero's this year.  They get into the Halloween stuff, it's really pretty awesome.  His teacher also told me that Angelus hurt his leg, she thought she wasn't quite sure, but she let him lay down in the back of the room for a little while because she noticed that he still wasn't moving very well.  I think through my questioning I've figured out that he pulled something at the end of P.E. and he is getting sick b/c he feels like steam is just radiating off his head right now.  So, normal everyday "hurts" are hurting 100x more.  It could also be some kinda growing pains in there too, but he said that wasn't the case because that doesn't happen 'til he's 7.  Not sure where he got that idea, but alright.  Dude is sick.

OH and also we've found someone who is willing to work with us to do family photo's because I knew just a regular photo booth kinda set up wasn't gonna work for Faith.  I'm so excited to have a family picture/ kid's pictures (together) taken.

Frustrating news, Social Security wrote down some of our information wrong so we got back pay stuff, then we got nothing because they wrote our account # down wrong.  I've called them twice now to get it sorted out, but I called the "main" one and apparently I need to call the local one even though they said it was taken care of.  They were incorrect, but maybe by the end of the day tomorrow it will be taken care of.  I sure would hate to start the whole process all over again because of their mess up, but we'll do what we need to do.

Reactions.

This was a question posed on 'Autism Mother's': 

How about sharing the answers to four questions about when your child was diagnosed. How old was your child? What were you told? What was your first thought? Where did you go when you left the clinic room?

The first appointment with someone was at my house who did a pre-screen.  We were told there needed to be a multidisciplinary evaluation of her.  My thoughts were "yea!  I'm not crazy!".  I was here in my house.

 

Multidisciplinary meeting:  I was told: "While I can't give you a diagnosis, I know in my heart of hearts she's Autistic".  verbatim.  I still remember the words, where everyone was sitting.  It's almost like a photo stopped in my head.  Tommy, Faith and I all went to Subway for pizza (Angelus opted not to go). Then we came home and I came in my room and cried a while.  Even though I had a 110% idea that she was Autistic.  I think mine was more just a relief and a release of emotions more than anything else.

 

Hearing Assessment in a Sound proof booth (she wouldn't let them do it any other way):  Tested her, the lady said "It's not her hearing".  She had the kindest smile and was very kind.  I told her I pretty much knew that, but it was another thing on my "check list".  Faith and I left and came home.  Don't think we stopped anywhere.

 

Pediatric Developmental Specialist:  She said "She is definitely on the Autism Spectrum" and answered all the questions we had at the time and even a time or two when I called her up later to ask more.  She said that she would get us the referrals we need to get her into a neurologist and geneticist.  Tommy, Angelus, Faith and I left there and went to Burger King.  A few weeks later I got a letter saying..."Saying:  Diagnosis:  Autism &Global Developmental Delay.  My thoughts where "I knew about the Autism, but what in the heck is Global Developmental Delay?"

 

We did her Speech Evaluation and the Speech Therapist said "I don't think she is Autistic because she doesn't do fecal smearing".  My thought was "Really?  Do they have to be doing stuff like that? 'Cause I'm pretty sure not all of them do that".  I left there very confused (he was the only one who ever said that, and has since changed his mind completely after having worked with Faith the past month and a half).

 

On to her Occupational Therapy Evaluation:  The lady said "She has classic Autism" and I would say it's severe, she seemed really timid to tell me this (although I asked her opinion because I was totally confused after the Speech guy).  She was very kind and had a great bedside manner as well.  After we left there, Faith and I went through the drive thru at Braum's. She got a milk and I got a shake.

 

The "final evaluation" so far...I took her into see the Clinical Psychologist and after visiting with Faith for 2min. she asked, has anyone ever told you she's Autistic?  I said, "yes, but we still had to come see you".  My Mom, Faith and I left there and went to a place called "Pasti's" where Faith went into full blown "melt down" mode.  A couple days later I had my own little melt down within the quietness of my car (I've got thinking time to spare in there some days). 

 

Tommy's reactions seemed a lot more "leveled" than mine.  Seems weird, but it is what it is. 

 

This all occured between 2yrs and 11mos to 3yrs 1mo. so all within a matter of a few months.

 

Still waiting on the Neurologist and Geneticist. Scared of them a little, too.  BUT, it's what's best for the little one so that's what's gonna happen.