Tuesday 22 May 2012

Ouch!

Nathan is having a great week so far.....more eye contact, more focus, and he's very vocal for him.  Lots of babbling.  He is using his PECS (picture exchange communication system) pretty effectively right now.  We are only using it for food items (since this is the most important thing in the world to him) and only giving him 2 choices at a time, for the most part.  So on his little "tablet" I velcro a picture of his bread, and a picture of his cup.  I hand it to him, he takes off the item he wants and hands it to me.  Then I say the name of the item.  The idea is that he understand that he has to give something to get what he wants (communicate).  By saying the name of the item consistently, hopefully he will grasp that not everything is called "more", and he may begin to learn some object names.  We have heard him use the "b" sound multiple times when handing me the picture of the bread, and we both swear he said juice last night.  He was standing in his crib screaming "go" this morning.  Not a new word, but he was using it in a new way, so I'll take it.

It has to be so frustrating to be Nathan.  He comprehends so much, but is unable to tell us most of it.  And it's starting to show.  With his more "with it" state have come multiple tantrums.  He is two, first and foremost. But he has been showing aggression, both towards me, and towards Jack.  And I am worried.  He is strong now, but I really need to nip this behavior in the bud because if his communication doesn't improve greatly, the frustration is surely just going to build as he grows (and gets even stronger).  Every time Jack tries to hug me, or climb on my lap, Nathan hits him.  I tell him no, I grab his hand to stop it.  His response, he grabs my hand right back and just screams at me.  At least he's imitating me I guess.   If his cup doesn't hold the beverage he "likes" he gets very upset.  He threw his cup at me approximately 10 times last night, and by throw I mean hurled.  He has a good arm.  Every time I took it away he had a tantrum.....every time I gave it back he tried a sip, yelled "more" and the throwing would begin again.  He also does this thing where he walks directly to you, turns the palm of your hand upright and as carefully as can be, places the cup in your hand and says "more".  This is his most direct communication.....I always want to honor it, but the beverage that he does not like is the one with his supplements in it.  He has to drink it.  So when I say "no" he screams and tries to throw yet again.  The force with which he kicks during diaper and clothing changes is shocking and very hard to control.  I have taken to holding his legs down and telling him no each time, but either he is not comprehending what I am saying or he is just a really strong, pissed off two year old.  Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, ha.

This morning we were all in bed and Nathan was ticked off that Jack was there.  He was trying to kick him in the face, slap him, etc.  Jack does not have an aggressive bone in his body, I am worried that Nathan might really beat him up in the future.  So I separated them, and Nate was standing up and looking out the window by our bed.  I thought he was calming down, but then he began body slamming me, but with his head.  He is always sensory seeking and especially with his head.....likes to fall head first, likes to bang his head, etc.  I told him no very firmly and thought he got it because he stood up again and really did appear to be looking out the window.  Nope.  I closed my eyes just for a minute and bam!  Down he came, only this time his hard noggin hit me directly in the side of the nose.  Mommy has a whopper of a head ache right now.  I am not sure what to do about this.  With Jack, we had the book "Hands are not for Hitting", and it was a very effective tool.  And he was also able to express himself in other ways.  With Nathan.....I am just at a loss.  I know the behaviors have to stop, but I need to find him an alternative outlet or something.  In the meantime, I am hoping I am not going to end up with a big bruise on my face....that kid's head really hurt!

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