Waiver Program

February 14, 2012--Valentine's Day!

I received a phone call today and nearly cried!  Aiden is now on disability, and officially on the waiting list to receive services through WEAP.  Although that is great news, it still means Aiden won't receive intensive therapy until after his 5th birthday (around April).  Fitting in 20 hours a week of therapy on top of  a 7 hour day at school will be a significant challenge; however, for a short while, Aiden will still be in Early Childhood, and only be going to school for 2 1/2 hours a day (April-September).  By some miracle, he could be potty trained and communicating by then, which Abe and I agree are our goals for Aiden this coming year.  

I've been thinking a lot lately about potty training Aiden.  I was hoping Austin would set the example, but he isn't quite ready yet.  Austin will pee on the potty often, but only when he wants to.  Maybe this summer things will change in that regard (he is only 26 1/2 months old).  So, I'm moving on for awhile, and focusing on Aiden.  I'll give it a try again this week and see how it goes.  Now that he is on disability, I can apply for diaper assistance.  Thank goodness, because 3 children in diapers will be rough financially!  

Aiden is making great progress in many areas!  He interacts more, speaks more, plays more appropriately with toys, and seems to understand and respond to nearly everything we say!  Those are great blessings and miracles!  I'm a little nervous when baby #3 comes, but that will be an adjustment for ALL of us...not just Aiden.  It will all work out, because I know Ashton is a big part of Heavenly Father's plan for our family too :)  

Waisman Center Part 2

Almost a year later, Aiden was finally reassessed at the Waisman Center today....

I observed as the psychologist assessed Aiden for 2 hours today.  Aiden surprised even me!  He has made more progress in the past year than I realized, and I was SO proud of him!  The labeling criteria in the United States (not Europe) is changing.  There will no longer be labels such as PDD or Asberger's.  The label for all people on the spectrum will be ASD--autism spectrum disorder.  This is because practitioners can vary in their assessments so greatly.  To me, autism is autism no matter how you label it.  We know that Aiden is mild.  In fact, I watched as a little boy (maybe a year younger than Aiden) lost control in front of us, and I thought about how blessed we truly were.  How different our lives would be if Aiden wasn't going to have some sort of functional capacity, or failed to make great strides in his development.  I would dedicate my life to making Aiden's life a quality one if he struggled more than he does, and there definitely would be no more children in our family.  My heart went out to that father.  

Aiden was assessed at a 3-3 1/2 year old level for cognition and fine motor skills (he just turned 4).  His speech however, is at a 2 1/2 year old level.  I expected that.  The prognosis for someone with Aiden's level of function is very good.  In fact, children like Aiden are usually those that do the best in Behavioral Therapy.  This is what we were told today.  So, now the only thing we can do is wait for the Waiver Program to go through.  It will take another year for that, but given Aiden's success and progress with Early Childhood alone (and a lot of love and support from us), I'm confident Aiden will continue to make great strides without intensive therapy.  I only wish for more help with potty training!  Who knows, by some miracle he could decide to talk on his own one day, and potty train soon after!  I KNOW the words are in there!  

Problems

It amazes me how much a complete stranger can make--or completely break--your day.

I was in a really good mood today.  Things are going pretty well, and I was feeling grateful and happy, but right now my spirit is broken.  I took the kids to McDonald's playland tonight.  Abe is gone for the weekend, and we have no food in the house, so off we went...just the 3 of us.  All was well until it was time to go and the kids wouldn't listen.  I stood by the door calling their names, holding their coats, waiting.  Suddenly, a lady screamed, "hey, your kid is beating up my kid!"  She yelled at Aiden, "get out of there!  You need to go home!"  And then at me, "you need to pay attention to your kids!"  I started to cry.  All I could say to the lady was, "my son is autistic.  That was the rudest thing anyone has ever said to me."  I will note here that the "a" word didn't need to be said at all--there is NO reason for hitting, but the word just came out.  I'm overprotective of Aiden, and she was trying to protect her son.  I have no idea if Aiden was hitting her kid (they were both in the slide), but her son wasn't crying or upset at all.  I pulled Aiden aside and asked him what he did.  Of course, Aiden didn't respond verbally, but he did kiss me, seeing that I was clearly upset.  I said, "you know we don't hit, right?"  Aiden just let me hold him.  Another mother approached me, and tried to give me some comfort.  Her oldest was also on the spectrum.  "Autism or not, they are boys, and they are going to be rough".  I agree with her.  There was no reason for that ladies reaction.  I already struggle with feelings of inadequacy, and she threw that right in my face.  If only she knew how much she hurt me.  I do the best I can.  If only that lady knew how much I DO pay attention to my children.  I'm terrified to let them out of my sight for a minute, especially after losing Aiden at the mall.  I sincerely hope I never make anyone feel the way that mother made me feel tonight.  Never. 

In the car I wished I would have done things differently.  I should have had Aiden say, "sorry".  Then again, I probably would have said something nasty, and that would have made the situation worse.  We left right away, and that was probably for the best.  I cried all the way home, but I said a prayer for her tonight. 

Mean people suck the life out of me.  I sure hope I'm not one of them!