Integration

With the holidays done and a new year upon us I thought it would be a great time for an update.
We had a wonderful summer with fewer tantrums and more fun. We were able to travel, visit family, attend weddings, and go camping. This summer we enjoyed our kids and watched as both kids enjoyed themselves. As the school year started to approach I noticed Logan becoming anxious and full of nervous energy. The stimming started to creep back in and behaviours we have seen before started to show themselves. Was this the beginning of a regression?
When I spoke with his team about the anxiety and behaviour they assured us it happens to many kids, not just those with an autism diagnosis. As I started to watch Ruby I noticed she was getting more frustrated with tasks and moody or snappy but with Ruby I needed to look for it. In Logan it was right there showing itself to me. I realized it was the pre-school jitters.
Logan knew he would be starting a new preschool, integrating to a typical preschool with typical kids three days a week. The other two days would be at his specialized school. He would also still have his morning sessions from 8-11:30. His first day at Bearspaw (the new school) was a huge success and as the year has progressed, Logan's anxiety is less and less. He has made many new friends and fits right in.I can't tell you how happy this makes us! After my volunteer day I could see the things that he still needed to work on but I can see the other kids don't really seem to notice these things.
In October our house was buzzing with Halloween talk. Logan wanted to be an Oreo Cookie, but ended up going as Iron Man to school and a as Hockey Player trick or treating. Ruby went as a Witch.
Come December, both kids were full of energy with the pending holidays. School was going smooth and the thought of a break was nice. Logan's sessions were going well and Bearspaw was the highlight three days a week. A decision has been made and his aide will be transitioning out of the Bearspaw class. There will be regular checks with the school that all in on track. It is bitter sweet for Bill and I because we like that someone is there making sure he is ok but if we really want him to fit in he will have to be like everyone else. The other two days at his specialized preschool were not as appealing and Logan started telling me he did not want to go and he did not like it. After a meeting with the director we decided to try and reduce the amount of time he spends in the specialized classroom and look for a kindergarten placement two days a week to get him around children his age or older and also get him used to kindergarten for next year. I am happy to report a placement has been found and Logan will be attending Dalhousie Jr. Kindergarten. If you are no familiar with Jr. Kindergarten it is a kindergarten setting but the kids like Logan were not ready or too young for Kindergarten but to old for a four year old preschool. Our home program has also changed a bit with three days a week as regular sessions and the other two having Logan taking part in activities within the community with other children. The goal for the rest of this school year will be to expose Logan to as many social opportunities as possible.
I am exited to report registration for kindergarten is taking place this month and Logan will be registered in a typical elementary school! This is something many families with children with Autism strive for and many can't find the right placement within the school board and are forced to go private. I count my blessings everyday that Logan has made such amazing progress and I will keep you posted.
The next few months should be interesting as Logan's Contract with (FSCD)Family Services runs out. He is doing so well in December I could have guaranteed he would not be renewed. After a recent meeting with his FSCD case worker and her supervisor they are on board with a transition year. This means his funding will be renewed but by this time next year he should be fully transitioned out of Autism Partnership. To my relief they are so happy at all the progress he has made. I love the feeling of a light at the end of the tunnel!
Logan's PUF (school funding) contract is also running out after this school year and it is up in the air weather he will get another year or not. PUF determines weather or not Logan will have an aide in the classroom for kindergarten or not. I am ok with whatever happens and will try my best not to worry. I think with the progress Logan has made we can handle whatever comes our way.

What I know now

I was digging through old pictures and videos of Logan and my reaction surprised me. They were from a time when this little boy was lost and unable to communicate. The images should have brought back all those feelings of helplessness, fear and uncertainty. I should have been crying. But I wasn't. I was laughing. From the crash course in autism I have had since Logan's diagnosis, I now look at these images and wonder how I could have questioned whether or not my son had autism. From the first day I noticed one of Logan's behaviours until the day we walked into Autism Partnership, I knew that Logan was developing differently than other children. I just didn't know if it was autism. People would tell me he was fine or that he would "grow out of it". I didn't believe them. As a mom, I knew and I accepted that Logan was different. I just needed to know what "it" was. As I learned about autistic traits, it felt like I was seeing "it" everywhere. I want to share with you some traits you often see in children with autism.

1. Eye Contact - It was very difficult for Logan to make eye contact. I felt like I had to work really hard to get his attention. The doctors initially thought Logan had a hearing problem.

2. Flapping -Flapping is very common in children with autism. Because Logan was so young when he was diagnosed I didn't notice it as much as when he grew older. This is one of those things I look back on and see clearly now. To the unaware, in toddlers, the flapping may just look like they are excited. I can remember I would call Logan my little bird because he would flap so much. Our doctors initially tested him for seizures.

3. Toe Walking & Bouncing - From the moment he could walk, Logan would walk on his tippy toes and bounce a lot. Our doctors wondered if the muscles in his legs were long enough.

I am not sure why these traits are often present in children with autism but they are very common. The flapping is what sent me to the doctors with Logan. I was worried about seizures. His whole body would stiffen up and shake and it would happen numerous times a day. Once seizures were ruled out and his hearing test came back normal, they put it all together and suggested we have him assessed for autism. It seems so clear to me now but hindsight is always 20/20.... At the time, it seemed to take a long time to get a diagnosis. In reality, Logan was diagnosed with autism earlier than many children and therefore has been able to benefit from early intensive intervention.

I am happy to report that Logan is now able to control all of the traits listed above. It was a lot of hard work with his behavioral consultant and aides. It is also a daily struggle but he is aware of it and has control. We are so proud of him.

This video is of Logan "not cool" flapping.



This video is of Logan "cool" not flapping.



** "cool" and "not cool" are terms used in therapy with Logan. He understands that the goal is to keep his body "cool".

Logan Singing

Spring is here!

Great news our contract for Specialized Services has been renewed for another year. We are so happy to receive this news. This time around our experience with FSCD was wonderful. I felt that our worker was behind us 100%. I wonder now if it is because I understood the process, had more confidence and a past experience under my belt? Or was it that FSCD realized we are dedicated parents willing to do anything to help our son?

We had a wonderful Spring Break it was great that both Ruby and Logan were out of school at the same time. Logan continued with his morning sessions so it gave Ruby and I some one on one time together. I feel that our days are really full during a regular week so I tried not to plan too much. I just wanted the kids to have some fun at home together and spend time playing outside and just being kids.

We pulled the bikes out of the garage. Logan surprised us all when he got on his bike and started to peddle away!! This is huge...last year we tried and tried to get him interested to learn how to bike but he hated every minute of it. He would protest even sitting on it. He peddled to the bottom of a small incline then abandoned the bike and came back to the garage, I still consider it a major accomplishment. Since then he has shown interest in continuing to bike.

Biking is not the only thing Logan tried this past month. We celebrated Ruby's 7th Birthday. For her party we went Roller Skating. Logan gave it a try and loved it. They had a great time and it was a wonderful party.

Easter was so much fun. We created an Easter Egg Hunt for Ruby and Logan with 7 clues. Ruby is reading now and Logan has been working on listening for information. Ruby was told the Easter Bunny wanted her to read each clue and wait until Logan knew where to look. She read each clue to Logan and they made their way around the house finally finding their baskets in the tub! They were so into it they have make Clues a regular game at home. We are hoping this helps Logan learn how to play hide and seek.

I wanted to share with you a link from Autism Partnership (Logan's Service Provider)on The Today Show. The video is about half way down the page.
http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/04/15/6473011-finding-calm-in-the-storm-saving-my-family-from-the-chaos-of-autism

Hope you enjoy it talk to you soon!!

"Dad, when you want to do something, you need to stop and look ahead!"

The title for this post came from Logan this morning. What he doesn't understand is how true that is! A year ago I would never dream that he would say that phrase! My name is Bill and I am Logan's Dad. I wanted to share some thoughts on the past year and half since we had found out Logan had Autism, looked for options and then started his therapy. Initially when Glenda first started talking about something being wrong with Logan and that he might have have Autism, I brushed it off and was adamant that he would grow out of it. He was just behind a bit on some things and it would sort itself out as he got older. I also thought that there was no way Logan had Autism as he wasn't sitting in the corner banging his head against the wall like you see in the movies. Glenda didn't buy it and thank God for that! Mother's intuition, it's a very real and powerful force! The weeks passed and he didn't change and I came to the realization that something for sure wasn't right. Glenda had done a ton of research by this point and through various processes we received funding, Logan started therapy and we are where we are today. Sounds easy right? Well, what you don't see is the time spent angry that this happened to your little man, the time spent crying because you didn't think there was anything that you could do for your boy, the time spent thinking about what kind of life would Logan lead and feeling so helpless that I had no control. It's a roller coaster of feelings, but you are in the dark on this roller coaster as you don't really know what your are dealing with each day! I wish I could say it passes, but there are still days where these thoughts run through my head and I still feel angry, sad, helpless. What I do know is there isn't anything that we as parents wouldn't do for him.
It's funny because one of the first things I thought of was that Logan wouldn't want to go to hockey games because it was too loud and that he would stop liking hockey and probably never play hockey either! Selfish right? Well Logan does like to go to the Hitmen games and likes to watch hockey with me just before he goes to bed and plays hockey taking turns being from the Hitmen, Canucks, Coyotes, Capitals, etc. on the living room or playroom floors. Hockey, amidst all the therapy, clinics, emotions, feelings, etc. has become the one thing that seems "normal"! Logan loves to read this new comic book "The Guardian Project" which has superheroes for all 30 NHL teams in it. Well I am here to tell you that Logan is one of my superheroes! Not surprising as he was named afer one.(No there was no Logan in our family tree but his name comes from his Dad's favourite superhero, Wolverine.) This past year I watched as my son initially had no control over a great many things and now today has mastered many of them! He works so hard! When he gets really excited and he starts to stim and you can see him work so hard to stop doing it. He corrects himself when he says the wrong things, such as he/she, her/him "what did/do you", and during therapy, school and clinics he tries so hard and does so well! He has come so far this past year and as far as I am concerned he is the real Wolverine! Well I'll leave it there for my first post, but there is lots more I want to say, so until next time...

We have made progress

The title is a bit of an understatement. There are so many things that we have accomplished since our last post! First off we began potty training in November. Logan is now successfully using the facilities to go #1. #2 on the other hand has been hit and miss. We have now resorted to bribing him. We are using Hot Chocolate and the Guardian Project (an NHL comic book). Both are favorites to Logan and very motivational. I thought we were done with 'training' before Christmas but after the flu, colds and some other setbacks, we had to start again. I am looking forward to the day when #2 is always deposited in the toilet but we are not there yet!
Next on our list of accomplishments was a successful roadtrip to Edmonton. Until now, we have only stayed with Nana and Pop, Aunt B, Aunt G and of course camped in our trailer. On this most recent roadtrip, we ventured into new territory and stayed with friends. It was awesome and Logan did great. Ruby and Logan got in lots of playtime with their good friend Erin and we got in a great visit with friends. We were so happy Logan did well and thankful our friends were so understanding and supportive. During this trip we went bowling (disco style). The combination of bowling, flashing lights and loud music were all new experiences to Logan. There was some stimming and impatience from Logan but all things considered, the outing a success. I should also mention Logan won! He bowled a 96 (highest). I, on the other hand, bowled a 74 (lowest).
Now onto our best news. The Executive Director of Logan's specialized preschool has recommended that Logan might be ready in September to begin integrating into a regular preschool. This year, Logan's days are divided between one-on-one with an aide at home and half days at BTLC (a specialized preschool). In September, Logan's preschool half days would be split between time in the new regular preschool program and BTLC. Logan would have an aide in the 'regular' classroom to support him in following direction and interacting appropriately with the teacher and other children. In addition to the half days in preschool, Logan would continue his one-on-one work with an aide in our home. Although it is not a change in the amount of time Logan spents in school, integration will bring a host of changes for Logan. Fortunately Logan loves the structure of his programming and works very hard both in his class and in one-on-one time.
Beginning with the next post, Logan's dad will be adding his perspective to the blog. Two bloggers will mean more frequent posts (hopefully!).
We hope that you will consider becoming a follower on our blog so that you will receive notification of new posts. As always, we welcome your comments and questions. The whole reason for this blog is to get the word of autism out there and for people to see what life is like on our journey. We want to share what we have learned and are learning! One thing we will not do is pass judgement. Thanks for joining us on this journey.