Well, Christmas has come and gone and New Years is right around the corner! Lily had tons of fun opening her presents and surprisingly, didn't need ANY assistance :)
Lily is continuing her progress, but I think we've hit a slow patch. Not a big deal of course, but it only gets harder to watch her struggle and frustration with communication. She often starts rambling, then screams and throws herself on the floor because she just doesn't know what else to do. There are days that are better than others, but she's also at the tantrum age. She wants what she wants when she wants it and to not be able to express her wants means she tantrums more than the norm because even simple requests are not met with her expectations because I don't know what it is that she wants and she doesn't know how to ask.
On a more positive note, tonight she....
She pointed to something she wanted!!!! I could not have been more excited!! I knew what she wanted of course (her blanket that was out of reach in her crib), but I asked her what she wanted and she she signed "want" and pointed to her blanket! I hope she will continue to do that. That has been something that I've wanted her to do for SO LONG. She is also routinely saying bye-bye when she waves (not always clearly, but she does her best). I also asked her "who's that?" and pointed to Anthony and she said "Da da" which is awesome that she finally understands "who" because that can sometimes be hard for kids on the spectrum. My name is still "Bob" most of the time because she still has a hard time saying "ma ma" a lot of the time.
As far as speech goes, we've been working on getting her to say sounds for objects more spontaneously. If I ask her who her characters are she will say 't' for tinkerbell, etc. She also was able to make the "F" sound today (for Foofa, another character). I was excited that she did that one on her own, she has a harder time with mimicking the sound.
Daddy has been the one getting up with her in the night now. He has been able to get her right back to sleep, as opposed to the half hour to 3 hour stretch that it takes me. She just gets too excited when she sees me and can't get back to sleep. Which brings me to the whole separation anxiety thing that is not getting any better. I'm hoping that we can do something about that soon, because it's just not good for her. I'm not sure what can be done, don't some kids just grow out of that? It seems like such a far cry from the days when she didn't care if I was there or not. I could come and go at any time and she didn't take notice at all. Anyone caring for her would do. She didn't really have a preference. It's nice now when I come home and she gets so excited to see me and covers me with affection, but I'd like to be able to use the bathroom without her having a complete meltdown. Oh, how I would love a happy medium!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
12-20-08
Hard to believe that Christmas is just right around the corner! Lily has been getting a few gifts in advance here and there. It's more fun for her that way, since she can easily get over stimulated. My sister gave her a gift tonight (a Backyardigans playset) and Lily was very excited and running around all over the place.
Today Lily gave her most significant communication yet. Dad's feelings may have gotten a little trampled in the process, but the progress was something to be celebrated. She said "mama up" (which by itself was a big deal) for me to pick her up and then proceeded to wave bye bye to Daddy, indicating that she wanted him to leave the room. When he didn't, she then leaned in, gave him a kiss, waved bye bye again and then tried to push him away. Since communication (verbal and nonverbal) are a struggle for her it was awesome to see her put all that together. Oh the small things...though they'll never be small to me!
Today Lily gave her most significant communication yet. Dad's feelings may have gotten a little trampled in the process, but the progress was something to be celebrated. She said "mama up" (which by itself was a big deal) for me to pick her up and then proceeded to wave bye bye to Daddy, indicating that she wanted him to leave the room. When he didn't, she then leaned in, gave him a kiss, waved bye bye again and then tried to push him away. Since communication (verbal and nonverbal) are a struggle for her it was awesome to see her put all that together. Oh the small things...though they'll never be small to me!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
12/17/08
Last night Anthony and I had our first meeting for RDI therapy. It seems like it's going to be a tough thing to do initially, since it's very much "this is what we are going to do right now whether you like it or not" kind of a thing. It would be tough to do with any two year old, let alone one as strong willed as Lily! It will be a good thing in the long run though.
We had another meeting with the Dr. we are seeing for Lily's Floor Time therapy. This is the therapy where you are a participant in her world and she leads the play. It has been very beneficial to her so far and her attention span, eye contact and interaction have greatly excelled since I've started to do that with her. The Dr. was very impressed at all of her progress since the last time that we were there. We will be having a grad student work with her a couple of times a week starting on friday. Lily really has responded positively to most any intervention that we have done with her, so I'm looking forward to tons more progress!!
Luckily, Lily continues to progress though she hasn't been at therapy for the past week due to her cough. I'm always so proud of how much she really tries. Socially, she has excelled the most recently. She has been seeking my attention more and has been so much more engaging. She has wanted to "share" her food and toys with us. She has started to look to us to see our reaction to things as well. Her separation anxiety has gotten worse though, so we'll be working on that as soon as we get a behavior plan together. It would be nice if I could leave the room sometime without her having a meltdown. A lot of that has to do with how long she's been sick lately. Hopefully that will turn around!!
We had another meeting with the Dr. we are seeing for Lily's Floor Time therapy. This is the therapy where you are a participant in her world and she leads the play. It has been very beneficial to her so far and her attention span, eye contact and interaction have greatly excelled since I've started to do that with her. The Dr. was very impressed at all of her progress since the last time that we were there. We will be having a grad student work with her a couple of times a week starting on friday. Lily really has responded positively to most any intervention that we have done with her, so I'm looking forward to tons more progress!!
Luckily, Lily continues to progress though she hasn't been at therapy for the past week due to her cough. I'm always so proud of how much she really tries. Socially, she has excelled the most recently. She has been seeking my attention more and has been so much more engaging. She has wanted to "share" her food and toys with us. She has started to look to us to see our reaction to things as well. Her separation anxiety has gotten worse though, so we'll be working on that as soon as we get a behavior plan together. It would be nice if I could leave the room sometime without her having a meltdown. A lot of that has to do with how long she's been sick lately. Hopefully that will turn around!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
12-11-08
Since the last post, here are some cool things that Lily has done, some of which is a one time occurance of course:
- She got into the bathtub and said "Bath"
- We asked her where the moon is and she pointed out the window at it and said "dare"
- We were at a friends house and Mickey's Christmas came on the tv (her favorite) and she danced around and said "christmas"
- Anthony taught her awhile ago to put her arms up in the air when he asks her, "how big are you?" Then Anthony usually says "SO BIG!".....well this time when he asked her she said it for him!
- Lily has been cracking herself up lately. She'll just be playing with her toys and start laughing hysterically, so much so she gives herself the hiccups! It's my absolute favorite sound.
- I asked her if she wanted to watch a show on tv and she said "yes", without nodding (big for her)
- she finally dances around to music, particularly that song they play in Madagascar that says "I like to move it move it" (its her favorite)
- just before going down the slide, she said "up" (she doesn't understand the concept of up and down yet, lol, I still think it's cute)
Lily has continued to progress in her speech, though there's still the mountain to climb at least she has started with a few steps. Unfortunately, she is sick....AGAIN. I'm not sure what to do about her constantly picking up everyone's germs. I need her to go to therapy and also be around her friends socializing but she's always getting sick. This time she has a fever that continues on and I've been having to keep her pumped with meds to keep it down. I've never had that issue before, so it's worrisome to me (though I'm not suppose to bring her in to the Dr. till day 3 of a fever, so they say and we are only on day 2). She's very congested and has been miserable in the mornings but so far she has been pretty good once she's actually up for awhile (easier to breathe then I guess). Yesterday was a no-nap day, though she needed one desperately. I think it really freaks her out to not be able to breathe as she would normally (understandably) and laying down multiples it, especially with no distractions.
It feels like a never ending cycle: bring Lily in for therapy or playgroups...sick...stuck home having to cancel therapies...better...bring her back...sick...etc. etc.
Last week I brought her to a Kindermusic Winterparty. It's a place where all the kids dance and sing and play music (as much as toddlers can) but it's more structure than Lily can handle (sitting in circle, marching in a circle, sitting for any length of time...though it is geared directly for her age group and the other kids do great) and it really reminded me where Lily is at, as I watched kids half her age able to follow simple instruction, and kids of every age able to sit on their moms lap (I had to chase Lily the whole time and stop her from taking other kids things and getting into things she shouldn't). They dumped "snow" on the kids (a basket of tissues) and afterwards almost All the kids picked up the tissues and put them back in the basket and Lily went over and dumped it everywhere again. Now reading that it sounds pretty funny actually, but when you are there...it's not. I brought her there because it was a free event and Santa came and I really wanted to see just how she would respond to sitting on Santa's lap.....she didn't care for it to say the least. I also wanted to bring her there to see how she would respond, since I've brought her to a similar environment last september, she was slightly better this time, but not by much. Maybe next year.
We had a playdate at a friends house a couple of days ago. Her friend really tried to engage her and Lily was having none of it. Her friend didn't give up though! She was praising Lily for doing a puzzle, tried tickling her (Lily tried to run away but her friend was gently persistent). She's a few months older than Lily, but to me, seems very advanced for her age. She talks in full sentences and is VERY social. She was picking pretend apples out of a pretend tree and giving us each an apple to eat! It was very cute. She insisted on giving Lily hugs and kisses, which Lily tried to ignore initially, but did eventually except with some direction. It's possible she was having an off day, as I have seen her really engage her friend in the past. It's really hit or miss most of the time. I really think the interaction is good for her. Too bad she's sick half the time!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12/2/08
Trouble sleeping...again. It was so nice to have her on some cough medicine that had codeine in it while she was sick because she actually slept through the night every night while she was on it. Now that she's not sick anymore it's back to sleeping difficulties. On a positive note she had a GREAT day yesterday, despite her lack of sleep. She was quite the little chatterbox and talked up a storm the first part of the day using all kinds of words, too many to list actually. Here are a few things she said: Up here (when she was up on the window sill), turtle, car (and actually pointed to one when she said it!), yes, mickey, mommy and many more. She repeated a lot of what I was saying. She talked so much that others were pointing out what she was saying at playgroup and at occupational therapy. On the crummy side of things, after nap she was not able to say things again and she became very upset. Here is some information I found on the net to explain why she has so much trouble with speech. She has apraxia, which I believe (of course) was caused by her vaccinations.
What is apraxia of speech?
Apraxia of speech, also known as verbal apraxia or dyspraxia, is a speech disorder in which a person has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. It is not due to weakness or paralysis of the speech muscles (the muscles of the face, tongue, and lips). The severity of apraxia of speech can range from mild to severe.
What are the types and causes of apraxia?
There are two main types of speech apraxia: acquired apraxia of speech and developmental apraxia of speech. Acquired apraxia of speech can affect a person at any age, although it most typically occurs in adults. It is caused by damage to the parts of the brain that are involved in speaking, and involves the loss or impairment of existing speech abilities. The disorder may result from a stroke, head injury, tumor, or other illness affecting the brain. Acquired apraxia of speech may occur together with muscle weakness affecting speech production (dysarthria) or language difficulties caused by damage to the nervous system (aphasia).
Developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) occurs in children and is present from birth. It appears to affect more boys than girls. This speech disorder goes by several other names, including developmental verbal apraxia, developmental verbal dyspraxia, articulatory apraxia, and childhood apraxia of speech. DAS is different from what is known as a developmental delay of speech, in which a child follows the "typical" path of speech development but does so more slowly than normal.
The cause or causes of DAS are not yet known. Some scientists believe that DAS is a disorder related to a child's overall language development. Others believe it is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to send the proper signals to move the muscles involved in speech. However, brain imaging and other studies have not found evidence of specific brain lesions or differences in brain structure in children with DAS. Children with DAS often have family members who have a history of communication disorders or learning disabilities. This observation and recent research findings suggest that genetic factors may play a role in the disorder.
What are the symptoms? This is Lily all the way...
People with either form of apraxia of speech may have a number of different speech characteristics, or symptoms. One of the most notable symptoms is difficulty putting sounds and syllables together in the correct order to form words. Longer or more complex words are usually harder to say than shorter or simpler words. People with apraxia of speech also tend to make inconsistent mistakes when speaking. For example, they may say a difficult word correctly but then have trouble repeating it, or they may be able to say a particular sound one day and have trouble with the same sound the next day. People with apraxia of speech often appear to be groping for the right sound or word, and may try saying a word several times before they say it correctly. Another common characteristic of apraxia of speech is the incorrect use of "prosody" -- that is, the varying rhythms, stresses, and inflections of speech that are used to help express meaning.
Children with developmental apraxia of speech generally can understand language much better than they are able to use language to express themselves. Some children with the disorder may also have other problems. These can include other speech problems, such as dysarthria; language problems such as poor vocabulary, incorrect grammar, and difficulty in clearly organizing spoken information; problems with reading, writing, spelling, or math; coordination or "motor-skill" problems; and chewing and swallowing difficulties (Lily has always had problems in this area).
The severity of both acquired and developmental apraxia of speech varies from person to person. Apraxia can be so mild that a person has trouble with very few speech sounds or only has occasional problems pronouncing words with many syllables. In the most severe cases, a person may not be able to communicate effectively with speech, and may need the help of alternative or additional communication methods.
I believe that this will be Lily's biggest hurdle. She is doing so well in other areas. Her social skills are fantastic. She got so excited to see her friends in playgroup yesterday that she nearly knocked one little boy over! She is all about hugs and kisses and really enjoys the company of other kids. Last night she got out her baby dolls and fed them their bottles and pacifiers. She even gave one a big kiss on the lips! She was having so much fun with them that I put them in her crib for her to sleep with and she got so excited like she was having her own little slumber party! Today during speech therapy she actually said "Elephant". Of course most of what she is able to say (especially clearly) is when she doesn't have to consciously try to say it (she wasn't asked to say it). Anthony told me that over the weekend he was hiding under a blanket and she lifted it up and said "Peek". My one-hit-wonder is really progressing!
What is apraxia of speech?
Apraxia of speech, also known as verbal apraxia or dyspraxia, is a speech disorder in which a person has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. It is not due to weakness or paralysis of the speech muscles (the muscles of the face, tongue, and lips). The severity of apraxia of speech can range from mild to severe.
What are the types and causes of apraxia?
There are two main types of speech apraxia: acquired apraxia of speech and developmental apraxia of speech. Acquired apraxia of speech can affect a person at any age, although it most typically occurs in adults. It is caused by damage to the parts of the brain that are involved in speaking, and involves the loss or impairment of existing speech abilities. The disorder may result from a stroke, head injury, tumor, or other illness affecting the brain. Acquired apraxia of speech may occur together with muscle weakness affecting speech production (dysarthria) or language difficulties caused by damage to the nervous system (aphasia).
Developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) occurs in children and is present from birth. It appears to affect more boys than girls. This speech disorder goes by several other names, including developmental verbal apraxia, developmental verbal dyspraxia, articulatory apraxia, and childhood apraxia of speech. DAS is different from what is known as a developmental delay of speech, in which a child follows the "typical" path of speech development but does so more slowly than normal.
The cause or causes of DAS are not yet known. Some scientists believe that DAS is a disorder related to a child's overall language development. Others believe it is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to send the proper signals to move the muscles involved in speech. However, brain imaging and other studies have not found evidence of specific brain lesions or differences in brain structure in children with DAS. Children with DAS often have family members who have a history of communication disorders or learning disabilities. This observation and recent research findings suggest that genetic factors may play a role in the disorder.
What are the symptoms? This is Lily all the way...
People with either form of apraxia of speech may have a number of different speech characteristics, or symptoms. One of the most notable symptoms is difficulty putting sounds and syllables together in the correct order to form words. Longer or more complex words are usually harder to say than shorter or simpler words. People with apraxia of speech also tend to make inconsistent mistakes when speaking. For example, they may say a difficult word correctly but then have trouble repeating it, or they may be able to say a particular sound one day and have trouble with the same sound the next day. People with apraxia of speech often appear to be groping for the right sound or word, and may try saying a word several times before they say it correctly. Another common characteristic of apraxia of speech is the incorrect use of "prosody" -- that is, the varying rhythms, stresses, and inflections of speech that are used to help express meaning.
Children with developmental apraxia of speech generally can understand language much better than they are able to use language to express themselves. Some children with the disorder may also have other problems. These can include other speech problems, such as dysarthria; language problems such as poor vocabulary, incorrect grammar, and difficulty in clearly organizing spoken information; problems with reading, writing, spelling, or math; coordination or "motor-skill" problems; and chewing and swallowing difficulties (Lily has always had problems in this area).
The severity of both acquired and developmental apraxia of speech varies from person to person. Apraxia can be so mild that a person has trouble with very few speech sounds or only has occasional problems pronouncing words with many syllables. In the most severe cases, a person may not be able to communicate effectively with speech, and may need the help of alternative or additional communication methods.
I believe that this will be Lily's biggest hurdle. She is doing so well in other areas. Her social skills are fantastic. She got so excited to see her friends in playgroup yesterday that she nearly knocked one little boy over! She is all about hugs and kisses and really enjoys the company of other kids. Last night she got out her baby dolls and fed them their bottles and pacifiers. She even gave one a big kiss on the lips! She was having so much fun with them that I put them in her crib for her to sleep with and she got so excited like she was having her own little slumber party! Today during speech therapy she actually said "Elephant". Of course most of what she is able to say (especially clearly) is when she doesn't have to consciously try to say it (she wasn't asked to say it). Anthony told me that over the weekend he was hiding under a blanket and she lifted it up and said "Peek". My one-hit-wonder is really progressing!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
11-26-08
Lily is almost over being sick and back to her happy self with the exception of some very bad diaper rash due to the constant diarea caused by the antibiotic. If it's not one thing, it's another!
She's been doing a lot of the whole "being two" thing. By that I mean big temper tantrums and she has perfected her ninja move that makes it virtually impossible to pick her up!
Lily started her occupational therapy this week and has gone twice. She really loves it there. So far they've just been letting her explore and do what appeals to her and have just been getting to know her. They've quickly noticed her stubborn side, lol. One of her speech therapists describes her as "determined", I really like that description, lol. Bringing her to OT so far has been a lot like when I bring her to the gymnastics places. A lot of jumping, climbing, swinging, etc. I'm interested to see how they will use these things to help guide her further.
Since I have added more speech therapists to the mix, things have really moved along for Lily. I really feel that everyone has something to offer and that Lily benefits from multiple influences. She seems to be less distracted outside the home and is more responsive. I enjoy the therapist that comes to the home because she is wonderful at giving me many great suggestions of things I can do with Lily. Unfortunately, Lily has a really hard time during the in-home sessions. She cries and tantrums a lot for one reason or another it seems. She had a really good session yesterday at the speech therapists office. She was very responsive and was able to say a lot of words, or at least a great attempt at them. She also seemed very excited to be there. She ran right into the room and sat right down in her chair. It was good to see her so motivated. It was like she knew what she was there for and was ready to work!
Lily has been watching a dvd that was lent to us and immediately started doing some of the things she was watching! She made it through a whole thing of Simon Says and copied what all the other kids did. She also later pointed at something (I wasn't sure what or that she even knew either) when we went outside and said "what's that?" (they did a lot of that on the dvd). She's still doing her one-time-wonder stuff, but she's doing a lot more of it!
We don't have anymore therapy for the rest of the week, due to the holiday, but it will be nice to be able to have some time off while we are both feeling well. Hopefully we will be able to spend some quality family time and also get in a playdate or two! Lily really misses her friends. She really loves to be around other kids and I'm interested to see how she'll respond to seeing them again.
She's been doing a lot of the whole "being two" thing. By that I mean big temper tantrums and she has perfected her ninja move that makes it virtually impossible to pick her up!
Lily started her occupational therapy this week and has gone twice. She really loves it there. So far they've just been letting her explore and do what appeals to her and have just been getting to know her. They've quickly noticed her stubborn side, lol. One of her speech therapists describes her as "determined", I really like that description, lol. Bringing her to OT so far has been a lot like when I bring her to the gymnastics places. A lot of jumping, climbing, swinging, etc. I'm interested to see how they will use these things to help guide her further.
Since I have added more speech therapists to the mix, things have really moved along for Lily. I really feel that everyone has something to offer and that Lily benefits from multiple influences. She seems to be less distracted outside the home and is more responsive. I enjoy the therapist that comes to the home because she is wonderful at giving me many great suggestions of things I can do with Lily. Unfortunately, Lily has a really hard time during the in-home sessions. She cries and tantrums a lot for one reason or another it seems. She had a really good session yesterday at the speech therapists office. She was very responsive and was able to say a lot of words, or at least a great attempt at them. She also seemed very excited to be there. She ran right into the room and sat right down in her chair. It was good to see her so motivated. It was like she knew what she was there for and was ready to work!
Lily has been watching a dvd that was lent to us and immediately started doing some of the things she was watching! She made it through a whole thing of Simon Says and copied what all the other kids did. She also later pointed at something (I wasn't sure what or that she even knew either) when we went outside and said "what's that?" (they did a lot of that on the dvd). She's still doing her one-time-wonder stuff, but she's doing a lot more of it!
We don't have anymore therapy for the rest of the week, due to the holiday, but it will be nice to be able to have some time off while we are both feeling well. Hopefully we will be able to spend some quality family time and also get in a playdate or two! Lily really misses her friends. She really loves to be around other kids and I'm interested to see how she'll respond to seeing them again.
Friday, November 21, 2008
11-21-08
Lily's been really sick, so again, another week of no therapy. Not really a huge deal, she is still progressing as usual. She has a very bad cold and a sinus infection, but has been doing better since she started her antibiotic on wednesday night. She's also taking some cough medicine that has codeine in it which has really helped her to FINALLY get some much needed sleep.
Lily's been talking a little, but not clearly or consistently. She can say (with help and sound prompting)"up", "mom", "dada", "no" and "moo" (finally :) "open" and "help", but as I said, not clearly, even "no" is such a struggle for her that it doesn't sound quite right, but I am very happy with her accomplishments. She tries so hard and gets so frustrated that it makes my heart ache for her. When you ask her to say something she usually says "bob" and then gets mad that that is what came out and then starts to ramble a bunch of other sounds and starts to cry because she can't say what she wants to. But she is trying!
Lily is starting to point to things she sees, like a plane in the sky. Still no pointing for a request, but she is getting better at following a point. I started Lily on a multivitamin yesterday that a lot of kids on the spectrum use called Super Nu-Thera. I hope it helps her make some of the connections she's lacking. No one likes to watch their child struggle.
Lily's been talking a little, but not clearly or consistently. She can say (with help and sound prompting)"up", "mom", "dada", "no" and "moo" (finally :) "open" and "help", but as I said, not clearly, even "no" is such a struggle for her that it doesn't sound quite right, but I am very happy with her accomplishments. She tries so hard and gets so frustrated that it makes my heart ache for her. When you ask her to say something she usually says "bob" and then gets mad that that is what came out and then starts to ramble a bunch of other sounds and starts to cry because she can't say what she wants to. But she is trying!
Lily is starting to point to things she sees, like a plane in the sky. Still no pointing for a request, but she is getting better at following a point. I started Lily on a multivitamin yesterday that a lot of kids on the spectrum use called Super Nu-Thera. I hope it helps her make some of the connections she's lacking. No one likes to watch their child struggle.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
11-15-08
Lily is doing great as usual. I am getting over strep throat, so it's been a rough week, but I'm finally feeling better. Lily continues to make progress everyday. I've been trying to sign less with her, because I really feel like she is using it as a crutch. The other day she was gathering up all of her mickey characters and trying to bring them into the living room. I asked her if she needed help and since her arms were full she actually said "help" instead of signing it, lol, there's no way she'd drop her toys! It didn't come out perfect, but it made me see that signing was good for awhile, but we need to move past that now. It is really VERY difficult for her to speak, she gets very frustrated and prefers to sign rather than try to say the words that she just can't formulate. Anthony finally taught her to say "mom" on request and she said it so slow and forcefully that it really broke my heart that she had to work so hard to say it. I've been giving her any and all praise for trying to say words, even when they come out nothing like the word. She doesn't like to make mistakes, so she won't even try most of the time.
Her speech therapy is going well. We had to cancel a few appointments this past week, due to my being sick, but I've been working with her and she continues to do well. She tries to pick up on the sounds in words that she knows and will repeat those sounds. She use to be able to say the "t" sound. It was one of the sounds she preferred, but she seems to have lost that one and only says "ck" sound for the "t". I did hear her say "tinkerbell" or something like it while she was watching her movie. She's really all about hit or miss, my little one-time-wonder!
She seems to be MUCH less into TV now and more into playing with her toys. She use to consistently try to turn on the tv throughout the day, from the moment she ran out of her room in the morning, but she hasn't lately. Her spinning has stopped for the time being, but she seems to have substituted that for running around in a circle. Her favorite thing to do continues to be lining up toys (though she does spend time playing very appropriately with a lot of her toys). She is very easily frustrated if things do not "stand up" just how she wants them to. Some things fall over easily and it really upsets her. I have to try to take away anything that she is playing with that I know won't "cooperate" and substitute it for other things, but it's hard to do that unless she's not looking.
Lily's attention span is getting better. We played with playdough a couple of days ago for over a half hour!! Unheard of for her. Most of her speech therapy requires that she sit in a chair with a tray (kind of like a high chair) so that's been helping. Also she's been having to sit in the car more for the to/from appointments.
I know I've been saying this alot lately, but Lily's understanding of things is skyrocketing. I'm in awe of some of the directions and requests that I can ask her and she understands and actually does some of it! She never understood simple things before and now it's as if a lightbulb has gone on in some part of her brain. Just being able to give her directions at the playground on how she can climb something or that she can run across the wiggley bridge instead of scooting across on her butt and have her listen and understand is amazing to me. She's been much happier too. I can't imagine living in her world. How hard it must be. It's no wonder she's so much happier, she can understand so much more and communicate better than she ever has been able to. She still doesn't point for a request. Like if she wants something she doesn't get that she can just point to it. I still have to try to figure out why she is crying and what she is after. She has trouble following a point, like if I point to something that she is looking for I have to walk towards it until I'm almost touching it for her to be able to follow my point, but we're working on it.
Her speech therapy is going well. We had to cancel a few appointments this past week, due to my being sick, but I've been working with her and she continues to do well. She tries to pick up on the sounds in words that she knows and will repeat those sounds. She use to be able to say the "t" sound. It was one of the sounds she preferred, but she seems to have lost that one and only says "ck" sound for the "t". I did hear her say "tinkerbell" or something like it while she was watching her movie. She's really all about hit or miss, my little one-time-wonder!
She seems to be MUCH less into TV now and more into playing with her toys. She use to consistently try to turn on the tv throughout the day, from the moment she ran out of her room in the morning, but she hasn't lately. Her spinning has stopped for the time being, but she seems to have substituted that for running around in a circle. Her favorite thing to do continues to be lining up toys (though she does spend time playing very appropriately with a lot of her toys). She is very easily frustrated if things do not "stand up" just how she wants them to. Some things fall over easily and it really upsets her. I have to try to take away anything that she is playing with that I know won't "cooperate" and substitute it for other things, but it's hard to do that unless she's not looking.
Lily's attention span is getting better. We played with playdough a couple of days ago for over a half hour!! Unheard of for her. Most of her speech therapy requires that she sit in a chair with a tray (kind of like a high chair) so that's been helping. Also she's been having to sit in the car more for the to/from appointments.
I know I've been saying this alot lately, but Lily's understanding of things is skyrocketing. I'm in awe of some of the directions and requests that I can ask her and she understands and actually does some of it! She never understood simple things before and now it's as if a lightbulb has gone on in some part of her brain. Just being able to give her directions at the playground on how she can climb something or that she can run across the wiggley bridge instead of scooting across on her butt and have her listen and understand is amazing to me. She's been much happier too. I can't imagine living in her world. How hard it must be. It's no wonder she's so much happier, she can understand so much more and communicate better than she ever has been able to. She still doesn't point for a request. Like if she wants something she doesn't get that she can just point to it. I still have to try to figure out why she is crying and what she is after. She has trouble following a point, like if I point to something that she is looking for I have to walk towards it until I'm almost touching it for her to be able to follow my point, but we're working on it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
11/5/08
I continue to be amazed at all of Lily's progress! She is now starting to say sounds for things all by herself (after quite a bit of practice). She will say the 'ka" for cookie, if she wants more and she is starting to say mm for mickey and "ck' for duck and several other things. She is starting more spontaneous requests (signing more and also saying mmm along with it). She is actually starting to try to imitate more words now, where as before she wouldn't even try. She said a handful for new words today, not many were clear, but you knew what she was saying.
This morning she did the most amazing thing! I was going through some of her old things and she found an elephant that you pull on the cord and it makes it vibrate. I told her to go show it to daddy and she actually did! She walked up to him and demonstrated how it worked (without giving it to him, which shows she is learning what "show" means).
I was trying to get her out of the tub tonight and she shook her head no. This is something she has rarely done (say no to anything spontaneously), so of course I let her play for a few more minutes :) I'm so excited that she is finally learning that she can express that! She has been doing wonderful with her bedtime routine, actually cuing us in when she is ready for books and also when she is done she goes right over to her crib and tries to climb in! It's been great that she has actually wanted to take baths now, where as before she would cry and run from the bath (usually ok for a bit once she's in, but now she runs to the bath when we tell her it's bath time and loves to play and swim around).
We went to see a doctor in Tampa today who gave us a lesson in the Floor Time approach. I learned SO MUCH today and I am very excited to implement what I learned. Basically we need to play with Lily without asking her questions or giving her direction (commands). This was REALLY hard for me! I get why I've been doing that, it's part of teaching, but I can't make it how she is talked to 24/7, which is what we've been doing without even realizing it. I found it so hard initially but it's been getting much easier and I've been very conscious of how I'm speaking to her and just from the afternoon I could see what a difference it really does make. We're working on engagement with her and trying to get her to attend to activities for longer periods of time. After we have made enough progress in that area, then we'll go back to learn more.
Lily is such a different child now. She has learned, grown and progressed so much despite all the obstacles and challenges that she is faced with. I couldn't be more proud or more convinced that she will lose her diagnosis. I can't wait to bring her back next year for her to be evaluated again! Won't they be so shocked with what they see!
This morning she did the most amazing thing! I was going through some of her old things and she found an elephant that you pull on the cord and it makes it vibrate. I told her to go show it to daddy and she actually did! She walked up to him and demonstrated how it worked (without giving it to him, which shows she is learning what "show" means).
I was trying to get her out of the tub tonight and she shook her head no. This is something she has rarely done (say no to anything spontaneously), so of course I let her play for a few more minutes :) I'm so excited that she is finally learning that she can express that! She has been doing wonderful with her bedtime routine, actually cuing us in when she is ready for books and also when she is done she goes right over to her crib and tries to climb in! It's been great that she has actually wanted to take baths now, where as before she would cry and run from the bath (usually ok for a bit once she's in, but now she runs to the bath when we tell her it's bath time and loves to play and swim around).
We went to see a doctor in Tampa today who gave us a lesson in the Floor Time approach. I learned SO MUCH today and I am very excited to implement what I learned. Basically we need to play with Lily without asking her questions or giving her direction (commands). This was REALLY hard for me! I get why I've been doing that, it's part of teaching, but I can't make it how she is talked to 24/7, which is what we've been doing without even realizing it. I found it so hard initially but it's been getting much easier and I've been very conscious of how I'm speaking to her and just from the afternoon I could see what a difference it really does make. We're working on engagement with her and trying to get her to attend to activities for longer periods of time. After we have made enough progress in that area, then we'll go back to learn more.
Lily is such a different child now. She has learned, grown and progressed so much despite all the obstacles and challenges that she is faced with. I couldn't be more proud or more convinced that she will lose her diagnosis. I can't wait to bring her back next year for her to be evaluated again! Won't they be so shocked with what they see!
Monday, November 3, 2008
11/3/08
I'm so proud of my little girl! Oh the small things...she learned to nod her head yes! And today we were watching Little Einsteins on TV and they were asking questions and she was shaking her head no and nodding it yes in response. I literally started crying I was so happy! I'm not 100% sure that she gets the whole "yes or no" concept, but she's very close.
I noticed that Lily slept better on the nights that we gave her a clay chelation (metal detox) bath. Since I can only give her those once a week, we've started giving her Epsom salt baths (they also detox) and she has been sleeping better and also has marked improvement in following direction, eye contact, etc. I'm not sure it will last, but I'll take whatever sleep improvement I can get, for however long I can get it!
Last week we saw a new speech therapist that came highly recommended and Lily has greatly improved in her sounds, just from the evaluation! We will be seeing her once a week and I may up it to twice. We also saw a new speech therapist today (through insurance thankfully) and she will see Lily three times a week.
We have an appointment for a Floor Time (play therapy) training on Wednesday. I'm very excited about everything and all the progress that Lily has had. Both new speech therapists have told me that Lily has the basics and the desire for speech and that she has a great foundation to work with. She has several sounds that she can make now on request (so long as you have something to motivate her). She can say the sounds for M, T, P, H, B, OOO and OHH and Ka sound (for Cookie). When I ask her to say "yum' she says "mum", it's very cute.
I have more things in the mix as well, so we'll see how it all pans out!
I noticed that Lily slept better on the nights that we gave her a clay chelation (metal detox) bath. Since I can only give her those once a week, we've started giving her Epsom salt baths (they also detox) and she has been sleeping better and also has marked improvement in following direction, eye contact, etc. I'm not sure it will last, but I'll take whatever sleep improvement I can get, for however long I can get it!
Last week we saw a new speech therapist that came highly recommended and Lily has greatly improved in her sounds, just from the evaluation! We will be seeing her once a week and I may up it to twice. We also saw a new speech therapist today (through insurance thankfully) and she will see Lily three times a week.
We have an appointment for a Floor Time (play therapy) training on Wednesday. I'm very excited about everything and all the progress that Lily has had. Both new speech therapists have told me that Lily has the basics and the desire for speech and that she has a great foundation to work with. She has several sounds that she can make now on request (so long as you have something to motivate her). She can say the sounds for M, T, P, H, B, OOO and OHH and Ka sound (for Cookie). When I ask her to say "yum' she says "mum", it's very cute.
I have more things in the mix as well, so we'll see how it all pans out!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
10/29/08
Well Lily hasn't been napping lately......sigh....on the plus side she has been more interactive and seems to be in better spirits (we went through a little rough patch. I'm assuming another growth spurt caused her crankiness). She can do the sign for Duck now, can find her "butt cheeks" (as Anthony calls them) along with most other body parts (we're working on arms and legs), she knows what "smile" means and does so with the most effort I've ever seen, lol.
We're going to be upping her speech therapy through Early Steps (an early intervention service) to three times a week (starting in Dec.). I'm hoping to get her some occupational therapy at a place I visited on Monday. We will also be starting RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) as well as another therapy known as the DIR model or "Floor Time", both kinds of therapies are done by parents at home and are used in your everyday life activities. They basically teach you how to interact productively with your child to help them develop specific skills that they are lacking (but doing it a natural, fun way). I've been doing that kind of thing with Lily all along, but I need lots more ideas on things that will help her with specific needs. It's hard to think up things all the time since she is nonverbal and her gesturing is really not where it should be either.
Autistic children need to be taught many skills that typical children gain naturally. One small example of this would be social referencing. A 12 month old baby is placed on a platform with a "visual cliff", meaning it's set up to look like half the platform is solid and the other has a drop, which is really just clear glass and is perfectly safe, but because the baby can see the cliff, but feel the floor underneath them, they are confused and look to their mother to see her expression to see if it is ok. The test they did showed babies avoid the cliff if the mother looked concerned or nervous but went across the platform if the mother looked content and calm.
There are so many things that moms of typical kids take for granted. Lily has a lot of potential, but needs help in so many areas that come naturally to most other kids. For example she only just learned what "bring me" means, and she doesn't understand the word "want". She rarely points at anything unless you ask her where things are, she doesn't point to things spontaneously to show you things or indicate what she wants. She understands thing much better when you use fewer words (I have a hard time remembering that usually). For example I need to say "Lily, sit down for shoes" instead of "Lily, it's time to put your shoes on so we can go bye-bye. Please sit down right here for mama". She could process the long version, since it's something we do routinely, but it will take her 3 times longer to respond. A different scenario would likely get me ignored.
A friend of mine is on a similar journey to the ride we're on. Her little boy just started making improvements in his eye contact and she is overjoyed! Such small things are missed so much when they are absent from the equation and it is such a thrill when you see your child attain skills you wished they had from the start. You watch other kids and wonder why your child struggles to achieve the same natural things that so many don't give a second thought. I suppose it's what wheelchair bound people may think of from time to time "if only they'd appreciate their ability to walk". We take things for granted in this world and don't see all the true blessings around us. I see what Lily struggles with and it saddens me, but at the same time I know she will get through it and we will all be better for it. Lily is our whole world and she makes our lives worth living. The most awesome gift that we have ever been given. I appreciate the little things all the more, and maybe that's a gift as well.
We're going to be upping her speech therapy through Early Steps (an early intervention service) to three times a week (starting in Dec.). I'm hoping to get her some occupational therapy at a place I visited on Monday. We will also be starting RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) as well as another therapy known as the DIR model or "Floor Time", both kinds of therapies are done by parents at home and are used in your everyday life activities. They basically teach you how to interact productively with your child to help them develop specific skills that they are lacking (but doing it a natural, fun way). I've been doing that kind of thing with Lily all along, but I need lots more ideas on things that will help her with specific needs. It's hard to think up things all the time since she is nonverbal and her gesturing is really not where it should be either.
Autistic children need to be taught many skills that typical children gain naturally. One small example of this would be social referencing. A 12 month old baby is placed on a platform with a "visual cliff", meaning it's set up to look like half the platform is solid and the other has a drop, which is really just clear glass and is perfectly safe, but because the baby can see the cliff, but feel the floor underneath them, they are confused and look to their mother to see her expression to see if it is ok. The test they did showed babies avoid the cliff if the mother looked concerned or nervous but went across the platform if the mother looked content and calm.
There are so many things that moms of typical kids take for granted. Lily has a lot of potential, but needs help in so many areas that come naturally to most other kids. For example she only just learned what "bring me" means, and she doesn't understand the word "want". She rarely points at anything unless you ask her where things are, she doesn't point to things spontaneously to show you things or indicate what she wants. She understands thing much better when you use fewer words (I have a hard time remembering that usually). For example I need to say "Lily, sit down for shoes" instead of "Lily, it's time to put your shoes on so we can go bye-bye. Please sit down right here for mama". She could process the long version, since it's something we do routinely, but it will take her 3 times longer to respond. A different scenario would likely get me ignored.
A friend of mine is on a similar journey to the ride we're on. Her little boy just started making improvements in his eye contact and she is overjoyed! Such small things are missed so much when they are absent from the equation and it is such a thrill when you see your child attain skills you wished they had from the start. You watch other kids and wonder why your child struggles to achieve the same natural things that so many don't give a second thought. I suppose it's what wheelchair bound people may think of from time to time "if only they'd appreciate their ability to walk". We take things for granted in this world and don't see all the true blessings around us. I see what Lily struggles with and it saddens me, but at the same time I know she will get through it and we will all be better for it. Lily is our whole world and she makes our lives worth living. The most awesome gift that we have ever been given. I appreciate the little things all the more, and maybe that's a gift as well.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
10-23/24-08
10/23
Lily hasn't been sleeping, again and I've been busy trying to figure out a plan of action with her as far as therapies go. I was having trouble finding ANYONE who takes our insurance. I know we'll have to pay out some out of pocket expenses, it's expected, but I'm trying to utilize what we DO have first, because realistically, it can be very easy to spend thousands each month on therapy and I have to be somewhat practical. What I've been wanting to do is find someone who can teach me what to do, so I can work with her at home (at least part of the time) and I think I've finally found some help in that department with a wonderful doctor that I met with today (who also directed me to a place that takes my insurance for some other therapy as well, yippie!).
As a mom of a child with autism it is very hard to not try to put everything in one pot and stir it around. By this I mean I want her to have every therapy that I can get for her and put it all into place right now, especially since it feels like we have been stagnant lately and not really making as great of strides as we have in the past (hence the drop in number of updates). The problem with going about things that way, is #1 it can be overwhelming for Lily and #2 it may be hard to descern which therapies are doing the most good. I'm praying that the Lord will direct me to make the right decisions for her. Too many cooks in the kitchen can sometimes be a problem, but at this point I'm just really interested in having dinner and not caring how it gets made.
10/24
Lily has been trying to use her signs more, though it has been a little problematic. Now she signs "more" just when she wants something but can't tell me what! Yesterday she spontaniously handed me her giraffe and then showed me the sign for it (which I had quickly taught her yesterday) so that was neat. She also took the pen out of my hand, handed me her ziplock bag of pompoms and signed "open", so that was great as well! Lily also "sings" now. She has a Princess book that has musical buttons on it and she "sings" along with the music, it is very adorable.
Today we went to the mall play area and she got to play with all of her friends whom she had missed so much! She had an absolute great time and really tried to interact with them. She was clearly so happy to be there and it felt great that she could just run, climb and play. I really want her to have the opportunity to still play with her friends. I'm hoping that everything will get scheduled well enough to allow for enough of a balance for her, that's the goal anyhow. I wish that I didn't have to work weekends, it would give me another couple of days to work with!
Lily hasn't been sleeping, again and I've been busy trying to figure out a plan of action with her as far as therapies go. I was having trouble finding ANYONE who takes our insurance. I know we'll have to pay out some out of pocket expenses, it's expected, but I'm trying to utilize what we DO have first, because realistically, it can be very easy to spend thousands each month on therapy and I have to be somewhat practical. What I've been wanting to do is find someone who can teach me what to do, so I can work with her at home (at least part of the time) and I think I've finally found some help in that department with a wonderful doctor that I met with today (who also directed me to a place that takes my insurance for some other therapy as well, yippie!).
As a mom of a child with autism it is very hard to not try to put everything in one pot and stir it around. By this I mean I want her to have every therapy that I can get for her and put it all into place right now, especially since it feels like we have been stagnant lately and not really making as great of strides as we have in the past (hence the drop in number of updates). The problem with going about things that way, is #1 it can be overwhelming for Lily and #2 it may be hard to descern which therapies are doing the most good. I'm praying that the Lord will direct me to make the right decisions for her. Too many cooks in the kitchen can sometimes be a problem, but at this point I'm just really interested in having dinner and not caring how it gets made.
10/24
Lily has been trying to use her signs more, though it has been a little problematic. Now she signs "more" just when she wants something but can't tell me what! Yesterday she spontaniously handed me her giraffe and then showed me the sign for it (which I had quickly taught her yesterday) so that was neat. She also took the pen out of my hand, handed me her ziplock bag of pompoms and signed "open", so that was great as well! Lily also "sings" now. She has a Princess book that has musical buttons on it and she "sings" along with the music, it is very adorable.
Today we went to the mall play area and she got to play with all of her friends whom she had missed so much! She had an absolute great time and really tried to interact with them. She was clearly so happy to be there and it felt great that she could just run, climb and play. I really want her to have the opportunity to still play with her friends. I'm hoping that everything will get scheduled well enough to allow for enough of a balance for her, that's the goal anyhow. I wish that I didn't have to work weekends, it would give me another couple of days to work with!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Lily Turned TWO!
We've had a busy week! Some of my family came into town to visit and celebrate Lily's birthday (which was yesterday). We had a really fun, chaotic time and made some nice memories. Lily really seemed to enjoy spending time with her cousins, her aunts, and also her grandpa (as did I of course!).
We had a family birthday party yesterday, which went great. Lily actually blew out her candles! It was a proud moment for me. She is learning more things (of course) and having fun with all of her new toys (most of them have therapeutic reasons behind them, but she'll never know :0).
She did the most amazing thing yesterday. She was able to follow directions to give her ball to everyone in the family! Rarely has she ever followed the direction for giving anything to anyone. I'm not sure she quite understood what that word meant, but she does now! We've been having "ice cream parties" to enhance her listening and pretend skills. She really seems to like it. I have a lot of things I'm going to be working on with her, now that I have some more supplies (they keep adding up though and I'm running out of room!). We were reading some books the other day and one of them was a "words" book that has the objects with the written word underneath them. There was a picture of a toothbrush, and she leaned in and tried to brush her teeth with it! Then she tried to eat some of the food on the page as well. It was very cute.
Her crib went back up, but her bed tent is still up in her room and is utilized by her quite often. She really loves it and often gives herself kind of a time-out in there when she needs some quiet time. Lily has become quite the climber now and gets into EVERYTHING. She's got two lovely shiners, one on her eye and one on her chin, that make her look like she went a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson. She really craves height and is climbing everything to get it. I'm trying to figure out a way to give her what she craves, in a safe way, but how do you combine "height" and "safety"? Still mulling that one over.
Lily has her co-birthday party with her friends tomorrow at a bounce house place called Pump It Up. Her boyfriend's birthday is only a week after hers so we're celebrating them together! Here's hoping for a hopping good time!!! (I know, I know, that's corny, but it's late and I'm tired!)
We had a family birthday party yesterday, which went great. Lily actually blew out her candles! It was a proud moment for me. She is learning more things (of course) and having fun with all of her new toys (most of them have therapeutic reasons behind them, but she'll never know :0).
She did the most amazing thing yesterday. She was able to follow directions to give her ball to everyone in the family! Rarely has she ever followed the direction for giving anything to anyone. I'm not sure she quite understood what that word meant, but she does now! We've been having "ice cream parties" to enhance her listening and pretend skills. She really seems to like it. I have a lot of things I'm going to be working on with her, now that I have some more supplies (they keep adding up though and I'm running out of room!). We were reading some books the other day and one of them was a "words" book that has the objects with the written word underneath them. There was a picture of a toothbrush, and she leaned in and tried to brush her teeth with it! Then she tried to eat some of the food on the page as well. It was very cute.
Her crib went back up, but her bed tent is still up in her room and is utilized by her quite often. She really loves it and often gives herself kind of a time-out in there when she needs some quiet time. Lily has become quite the climber now and gets into EVERYTHING. She's got two lovely shiners, one on her eye and one on her chin, that make her look like she went a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson. She really craves height and is climbing everything to get it. I'm trying to figure out a way to give her what she craves, in a safe way, but how do you combine "height" and "safety"? Still mulling that one over.
Lily has her co-birthday party with her friends tomorrow at a bounce house place called Pump It Up. Her boyfriend's birthday is only a week after hers so we're celebrating them together! Here's hoping for a hopping good time!!! (I know, I know, that's corny, but it's late and I'm tired!)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Side Note...
I've gotten some emails from time to time with questions regarding certain aspects of what I write about. I've been writing this as kind of a personal journal for Lily, an organized way for me to document all the information that I know I will need to reference, as well as a way for family and friends to see what we've been up to. I apologize if I haven't elaborated on definitions for things or have used abbreviations. I will try to explain things better, since it has only just dawned on me that it may possibly serve to help someone who may be going through a similar situation. I am very happy that I am able to use this venue to spread the word about autism. :)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
10-8-08
We've had quite an interesting couple of days. Yesterday I got the bed tent that I ordered in the mail, so we went to pick up a twin mattress and tried Lily in her 'big girl' bed last night. I figured we weren't getting a whole lot of quality sleep anyway. She really did like it and really did her best to try to sleep in it, but she had a very hard time. My original thinking was that she would still have the need to feel "enclosed", hence the bed tent. However what I came to realize is the stability that the bars on the crib provided for her and give her that "grounded" feeling that she craves. She likes to put her legs and feet on the bars and sleep with her back against them as well. She tried like crazy to get those sensations from the tent, but it definately wasn't sturdy for her. Neither one of us slept much (I was with her to help her feel more secure, which worked great for that aspect), so up went the crib again tonight. She was SOOO excited! She immediately wanted inside of it and wouldn't let me get her back out. It was as though she had been without her long lost friend. At bedtime she past out in it immediately. Here's hoping she'll sleep through the night!
I went and checked out an Autism Clinic in St. Pete yesterday. Hopefully Lily will be starting some ABA therapy there soon. We will likely start out with a couple hours twice a week and then go from there.
I went and checked out an Autism Clinic in St. Pete yesterday. Hopefully Lily will be starting some ABA therapy there soon. We will likely start out with a couple hours twice a week and then go from there.
Monday, October 6, 2008
10-6-08
Well, it's 1am and I am making an attempt at getting Lily back to bed. Someday soon I pray she will turn into a good sleeper!! On the plus side, for the couple of hours that she was up, we practiced some shapes (triangle, circle, square and heart) which she can now identify, as well as learned the signs for please, thankyou, and help (We're also working on a sign for Mickey Mouse). I am pretty confident that she will remember them tomorrow, since we practiced them quite a bit as she was constantly wanting "help" up and down from one of our bar stools. She is doing wonderfully (and still quiet, so I'm off to bed)!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
10-4-08
Lily is saying "Bob" now (she used to say it a long time ago) and saying it when I ask her to (she has a hard time repeating what you want her to, so I'm really happy about that). Anthony watched her play with her stuffed animals in her crib and he said it was totally cute. We're so happy that she is showing pretend play (it's a big deal for her). She has been playing inside some tents that we bought for her last christmas (she didn't care for them then but LOVES them now). I'm hoping that she will transition to a big girl bed easier as she gets used to them. We are going to buy her a twin mattress and just put it on the floor with the bed tent we bought for her.
Lily has been saying a lot more, and babbling all day now, since I started her on the new suppliment. Always nice to see progress. I'm going to check out new services for her this week to see if it might be something that would work for us. She'll start occupational therapy a week from tuesday.
Lily has been saying a lot more, and babbling all day now, since I started her on the new suppliment. Always nice to see progress. I'm going to check out new services for her this week to see if it might be something that would work for us. She'll start occupational therapy a week from tuesday.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
10-1-08
So things have been going slower than I would like in regards to getting services in play. Doing the call again and wait again thing now. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, it has taken us 9 months to get as far as we have(an official diagnosis and a little speech therapy)! Just another reason why early intervention is SOOO important! I will make some more phone calls for my "plan B" tomorrow to see what else I can put into play for her. She just started speech twice a week but that's been it. I'm very anxious to get her going with everything, but I've decided to use the "waiting period" to get in a bunch of play dates for her. She enjoys them and they are good for her.
Lily can now "high five" (for some reason she had a hard time with that and would always just clap your hand inbetween hers). She can now "give knuckles", since Daddy has taught her that as well. She can sign "car" now. Her signing is going well, but she definately looses some of the signs if they are not practiced (me too, actually lol).
I've been trying to test her and not give her anything to eat or drink to see if she will make the request. I ultimately end up asking her if she wants a drink, and then she will sign drink but not be interested. She does sign eat if you ask her if she is hungry.
We've been contemplating the "big girl" bed thing, since she has been showing signs that she might topple over and hurt herself trying to climb out. I feel like she still needs the security of her crib so I may just take off the one side and put something next to the crib (it's a little high up because it has a drawer underneath). I dread the transition and will probably put it off for as long as possible, but likely it will happen over the next few weeks.
I've started her on another suppliment today that comes highly recommended and has helped some develope speech (DMG with Folinic Acid and B-12). I will likely start her on more suppliments myself (more vitamin type things), since I am having a hard time with return calls. I'd like to wean Lily off the formula (which we're working on and it is causing her to have less BMs which is making her more cranky) and would feel more comfortable doing so if I knew she was getting her nutrients. No formula would then equal no bottle (after 2 years we are so sick of washing them!) but I want to have her evaluated first so I can ensure she is getting anything and everything that she may be lacking. I still haven't heard anything back from the hair sample that I sent in, I'm hoping I'll get the results back sometime this week.
Lily can now "high five" (for some reason she had a hard time with that and would always just clap your hand inbetween hers). She can now "give knuckles", since Daddy has taught her that as well. She can sign "car" now. Her signing is going well, but she definately looses some of the signs if they are not practiced (me too, actually lol).
I've been trying to test her and not give her anything to eat or drink to see if she will make the request. I ultimately end up asking her if she wants a drink, and then she will sign drink but not be interested. She does sign eat if you ask her if she is hungry.
We've been contemplating the "big girl" bed thing, since she has been showing signs that she might topple over and hurt herself trying to climb out. I feel like she still needs the security of her crib so I may just take off the one side and put something next to the crib (it's a little high up because it has a drawer underneath). I dread the transition and will probably put it off for as long as possible, but likely it will happen over the next few weeks.
I've started her on another suppliment today that comes highly recommended and has helped some develope speech (DMG with Folinic Acid and B-12). I will likely start her on more suppliments myself (more vitamin type things), since I am having a hard time with return calls. I'd like to wean Lily off the formula (which we're working on and it is causing her to have less BMs which is making her more cranky) and would feel more comfortable doing so if I knew she was getting her nutrients. No formula would then equal no bottle (after 2 years we are so sick of washing them!) but I want to have her evaluated first so I can ensure she is getting anything and everything that she may be lacking. I still haven't heard anything back from the hair sample that I sent in, I'm hoping I'll get the results back sometime this week.
Friday, September 26, 2008
9/26/08
Lily is doing fantastic with her signing! She is learning very quickly. Today she learned the signs for baby, book, and monkey. She went on the potty twice today. The first time she took off her diaper (which was dry) so I put her on and the second time she went on it all by herself (unfortunately with the lid on! It has since been taken off permanently, lol). I hadn't put her on it for the past week because I didn't want to push the potty issue, but she seems to be telling me she is interested.
Lily's been having some gas lately, so I've put her back on some probiotics. She did sleep through the night last night, so I'm hopeful that will take care of any discomfort she's been having. She's been fighting going to bed at night, they always have to test the waters from time to time!
I'm very confident about her comprehension at this point. She has come so far in such a short time, praise God for chelation! She just continues to absorb so much around her. I pray that the speech will come easier for her. Some children speak later than others because they aren't ready or don't want to. Lily wants it and tries everyday. It's hard to watch your child struggle for something they want so badly. She'll get it though. Before I know it she will be chatting it up and driving me crazy, but I will NEVER wish for anything different!
Lily's been having some gas lately, so I've put her back on some probiotics. She did sleep through the night last night, so I'm hopeful that will take care of any discomfort she's been having. She's been fighting going to bed at night, they always have to test the waters from time to time!
I'm very confident about her comprehension at this point. She has come so far in such a short time, praise God for chelation! She just continues to absorb so much around her. I pray that the speech will come easier for her. Some children speak later than others because they aren't ready or don't want to. Lily wants it and tries everyday. It's hard to watch your child struggle for something they want so badly. She'll get it though. Before I know it she will be chatting it up and driving me crazy, but I will NEVER wish for anything different!
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