Nate- Progress and Planning For The Future

Well hello there, it's been awhile.  We've been quite busy continuing with interventions for both boys not to mention just regular summer stuff.  I've been finding it harder and harder to make myself sit down and write in the evening.  My life is pretty full, and really I do like it that way.  But it's still nice to get a chance to process things.

We are continuing to see positive changes in Nate.  We are working with the recommendations that came from the zyto scan we had in April and using quite a bit of homeopathy as well as treatment for chronic infections- I can say with great confidence that this is the best period of improvement that Nate has ever had.  His speech continues to improve, he is repeating more and more words, he said "mimi" to his grandmother for the first time a few weeks ago (that in and of itself is tear worthy after 4 and a half years), he is saying the names of more foods,  he is trying to tell us where to go, what he wants, what to do, etc.  He has a "tv technique" now, and boy is this kid bossy!  He hands you the remote, shouts go when you land on the wrong program (this is netflix or amazon streaming) until you land on the right one, then as you select episodes, he grabs the remote from you, and when the episode comes on, if it is the wrong one, he hands the remote back and says go- once you choose the right one, he takes it away and sets it down.  I of course verbalize "not this mommy", "yes this mommy" as we do it, but he is certainly doing a good job of selecting.  Same thing with food- if you try to hand him an item he doesn't want he almost knocks it out of your hand, until you produce what he wants, then he double taps and says "want" (and then I make him say the name of the item).  He also clearly comprehends what we are saying at a much higher level, as evidenced by the tantrums he throws when it's not what he wants to hear.

And of course it's not just language- it's his level of awareness.  Let me tell you- having waited for this as long as I have, I appreciate every development so much now.  I mean watching Jack learn how to read this year was completely miraculous, especially after watching Nate struggle so much with communication, and these other new developments are no less amazing.  John feels the same way.  One day last week Nate noticed Darby our little dog, he laughed and said "dog".  Yep, he noticed the dog and thought he was cute- how awesome is that?  And another really cool thing he is doing is looking at family pictures- literally picking them up and looking at family members- he particularly likes one of my whole side of the family from Thanksgiving last year and then another one of all of us with his mimi from Halloween.  He is totally noticing that they are pictures of people he knows.  He has an "interest" in dinosaurs on tv, and he is actually looking at dino books- seeking them out.  He turns his head the FIRST time I call his name every single time.  I can't say that he does for everyone else on earth but for me he does- and he did for my girlfriend last week now that I think of it.  Tonight he was pulling out his dresser drawers and investigating for the first time in years- both John and I were like- WOW!  Yes, he is 4, and yes, WOW!  Last week he pee'd on his bed and laughed at me.

We are seeing so many good things from Nate.  So I am going to keep plowing through with these interventions.  And.....these improvements are giving me some hope for his future for sure.  In a year, no matter what, he will go to kindergarten equivalent.  Whatever he is ready for- it will not be mainstream- that much I know, and I am not going to set myself up for devastation.  So it will either be a specifically special needs school, or what's called an autism "cluster" site classroom, which is in a mainstream school, and enables the children to be mainstreamed for things like lunch and "specials" (gym, music, art), and eventually academics if  they progress to that point.  It would be much easier for him to start there than for him to move there (or at least that's how I perceive it and what I want in my mind).  The biggie?  He has to be potty trained.  Potty training.  Potty training a second child with autism.  potty training.  ok.  I am doing my research and girding my loins.  I will NOT have this be the obstacle if all of the other things that we are doing bring him to a place where he has the opportunity to be in a mainstream school.  So this is going to be the new focus- even if we have to spend the month of August at home.  all the time.

Expect an upcoming everything potty training and autism post.  But don't get me wrong, this is a great challenge to have- a year ago- it wouldn't have been an option- I feel blessed that we're here!