Special Needs Preschool

     Matthew was diagnosed with Autism shortly after starting school at a Special Needs Preschool. He was 3 years old. After the school initially evaluated him they said he was Developmentally Delayed. I knew there was more going on than just having a couple of delays. After several attempts and long waiting lists, we got him into a Psychologist for an evaluation. When we got a diagnosis we felt a relief to know what he had and start early intervention. I will never forget the speech therapist at the Special Needs Preschool say to me "Why do you want him labeled?" She was irritated with me. I didn't want him labeled!! I wanted him to get the help he needed!! There was more going on with him than a speech delay and a fine motor delay. Many times and particularly at a meeting with the Preschool, the Principal kept telling me how cute he was and that he was going to be a "lady killer" one day. As if cuteness will make your disability go away.
     Matthew enjoyed Preschool once he got there each day. He struggled with transition and separation anxiety. Each day it was a battle to get dressed and head to the bus stop. We lived on a cul-de-sac, so I would either drive him to the bus stop at the end of our cul-de-sac and entertain him in the car to keep him from crying. There was lots of screaming and crying as we transitioned. I remember times I carried him to the bus stop screaming. I would get on the bus and help harness him in. He always had a Thomas the Tank Engine train in his hand for comfort. I will never forget the bus driver telling me "Mrs. King, I want to let you know that once we are driving he stops crying and many times he sleeps on the bus all the way to school." Basically Matthew was worn out from his screaming/transition fit so he would fall asleep. He would get off the bus when they got to school happy and in a good mood.

The First Therapy We Tried!

       When we received Matthew's diagnosis, the Psychologists highly recommended we start with Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, called ABA for short. ABA Therapy is used with individuals that have autism. "Behavior analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. Positive reinforcement is one such principle. When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning. ABA is the use of these techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior." (Autism Speaks website for more information)
     When we discussed this therapy program with the Psychologists, we learned that it is very expensive. We needed to get on the waiting list for funding on the IO Waiver. This Waiver is called The Individual Options Waiver, IO for short, it's for people with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities. We immediately got on the waiting list through our case manager, but decided to try and fund the therapy ourselves. They stressed to us the importance of early intervention for Matthew. 
     The Psychologist had a Behavior Therapist that would be in charge of our program. They helped us get the program going. We put an ad in The Ohio State University paper, "The Lantern" looking for therapists for the team. We were told that we could get college students that were studying Special Education that do this for field experience. So we got our team together and therapy was set up for Matthew in our basement.
     ABA therapy lasted six months for us. It was hard to maintain in the home. As you can imagine we had turnover with the college students plus it was expensive to keep up. One of the things that sticks out in my mind was how hard it was to have it in our home. Matthew did not transition well at all and when the therapist came he screamed all the way down to the therapy room. I was not allowed to help him transition. Many days he screamed in the transition and then all through therapy. This was so hard for me to listen to!! I wanted to help him really bad. There were many days that I put Brendan in his stroller and we walked the neighborhood until I knew therapy was over.
     Another thing we discovered is that Matthew was catching on to the things they were teaching him fast. The therapists thought that some of the screaming was from being bored with going over the same things over and over. They said he was smart. He did not have much language so a lot of times the screaming was frustration from him not being able to communicate what he wanted.
     I do not regret giving this therapy a try. Because Matthew showed them how smart he was with how fast he learned things, the Psychologist felt good about his future. He was diagnosed moderate to severe Autism in the beginning and the Psychologist mentioned High Functioning Autism as a possibility for him down the road.  
       

Many Early Interventions

     I will never forget when Mike and I were listening to the Psychologists tell us about Matthew's diagnosis. They told us that early intervention is huge for individuals with autism. The earlier they get the help they need the chances are higher for having a more productive life. They encouraged us to try everything. So needless to say I put Matthew in many different therapies. I did have to watch that we weren't too overly busy. It was easy to overbook our time. Here are some therapies that we tried:
     Hippotherapy- It's a form of physical, occupational and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input.
    

This therapy was a challenge for Matthew. He was scared of the horse and we had to work at getting him on to ride it with the therapist. She would do speech and occupational therapy exercises with him while riding.
     Aquatic Therapy- This therapy is being used as an effective recreational treatment. The water environment appears to meet several needs of a child with autism that enables the child to respond well to therapy and grow. The pressure of the water is comforting and the warm temperature often provides a soothing learning environment.

    
This therapy was probably Matthew's favorite. The water made him happy and relaxed! If our day was challenging he would get done with therapy in a better mood.
     Easter Seals had a Summer school program that we did for a couple of summers. They had a pool at the time and offered swim lessons once a week. Everyday was free swim. Swimming was always Matthew's favorite part of each day.
     Matthew also got involved in a local social skills group when he was four years old. He enjoyed going to group every week and earning a prize at the end of group. Matthew tended to pick out the same prize every week which was one of his obsessions. The Psychologist worked with him on this. Matthew made friends at group and the moms became friends in the lobby waiting for their children to be done. This was a great outlet for him and me.
     We also had our weekly speech therapy and occupational therapy. Speech therapy was to help Matthew develop more language and communicate better. Occupational therapy helped his fine motor skills like writing, picking things up, buttoning a shirt or zipping coats. Occupational therapy also provides individualized treatment for sensory processing difficulties which can go with autism. These therapies were our regular ones. Matthew still gets speech therapy today and occupational therapy he is on consultation for sensory needs.
      These are some of the therapies we did when he was first diagnosed with autism. I will share more with you in the next post. 
    

Lets Talk Obsessions!

Part of Autism is that when they find something they like, they become obsessed with it. At least this has been evident in our son Matthew. It's almost like getting stuck. They can't get the object or thing off their mind. Early on, Matthew found that he enjoyed Thomas the Tank Engine. We could not go anywhere without a train. When he attended the Special Needs Preschool he had to have a train in his hand to ride the bus. The train would help him calm down and distract him so he could transition to the next thing. 

Two years in a row we went to the Day Out With Thomas in Indiana. Now I have to tell you that we had every video, every train, toys, clothes, dinnerware and bedding. This lasted till 5th grade. 

He really had a hard time letting go of the comfort of Thomas. In elementary school he would watch his movies and shows and would slip in a Thomas to watch. Early on in middle school he decided he wanted to give his video collection to family friends of ours that had little ones that enjoyed Thomas. 
    
He also liked The Wiggles. At one point I read an article about how The Wiggles were good for the Autism community. They were consistent in their show. Each of the four men had a different colored t-shirt and they never changed their shirts. The colors were red, blue, yellow and purple.

Matthew also knew who each man was by the color of the shirt. It taught him some colors too. Matthew loves music and when he was little he would jump up and down and dance to their music. This is another group that we had every video and CD. We had toys, clothes and even saw them in concert. The Wiggles were great but nothing compared to Thomas the Tank Engine!
     
As he got older he became obsessed with Star Wars. He had every movie and would watch so much he knew it by heart. Then he switched to Harry Potter movies, then Marvel movies. Nowadays its sports. He watches soccer, NFL football, college football, hockey, baseball, NBA basketball and college basketball. You name it, he likes it and memorizes the players. Right now he really likes LeBron James and wants to get some of his tennis shoes.
     
I wonder what obsession will come next! :)

Autism and Church

    Going to church was a challenge. You never knew what was going to set Matthew off, whether it was the loud noises or crowds. He did not have much language so I was always guessing his needs or what was frustrating him. Separation anxiety was a big issue at Sunday School just like regular school. I would leave him at his Sunday School Preschool class and walk down the hall hearing him scream. There were many years in the beginning where we would try attending Vacation Bible School in the Summer and would never make the whole week. We usually dropped out by day two or three.
     The Pastors and congregation where we attended when Matthew was diagnosed with Autism were very supportive! We had some members that did Play Therapy with him. They would come over once a week and work with him. He loved it! The teachers in the Sunday school program really wanted him to be able to participate in class. We came up with an idea to have a High Schooler who enjoyed kids be his aide in the classroom. This went really well for Matthew. The High School aide would distract him so I could leave him without the screaming. Then he would help him participate in the activities. This young man also helped him participate in Vacation Bible School at church. It felt like such great success when Matthew finally made it through a whole week!
     In the pictures posted today Matthew's High School aide was helping him learn about Baptism. In the class everyone got a turn to Baptize the baby doll.

Hands on activities work really well with individuals with Autism. It helps them understand things better. The second picture is Matthew participating in the Sunday School Christmas play. As you can see, he was waving to us. He did not do what he was supposed to do in the play but stared at us and waved the whole time. Everyone thought it was very cute! 

We were thrilled that he was able to be a part of the program! This was a great start in our journey in the church. I have learned through the years that some are not supportive. Our family received a great blessing to be where we were when we were going through the diagnosis process with Matthew.

Diagnosis Bound Part 2

    
First of all I apologize that it has been a while since I posted on the blog. Life can get crazy busy at times! How appropriate that I am posting about Matthew's diagnosis during Autism Awareness month.
     
We finally got in to see a Psychologist. Matthew was over three years old by the time we got him in. He had all the classic signs of Autism - hand flapping, nonverbal, screaming due to sensory issues like crowds and loud noises, I could go on! We saw two Psychologists, Dr. Mary Smith and Dr. Janet Hansen for his diagnosis. They evaluated him together. This process took a couple of weeks. They observed him in the classroom at his Special Needs Preschool. They videotaped some of their sessions when they were evaluating him. Besides not having very much language, he had a very hard time with separation anxiety. Every time I took him somewhere he SCREAMED and did not stop for the most part until he was with me again. There were times during his screaming fits when he would kick the teachers and therapists. Some thought it was cute. I was embarrassed.

Anyway, Mike and I went to the office after all evaluations were completed to hear what they had to say about Matthew. The Doctors told us he had Autism, moderate to severe. They recommended therapy right away and said that early intervention was the key to Autism. The therapy they recommended we start with was ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis).
     
Applied Behavior Analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. Positive reinforcement is one such principle. When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning. This therapy uses techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior.
    
Mike and I walked out of the office numb and overwhelmed. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Yes, I knew he had something going on but was not expecting an Autism diagnosis! I felt depressed but I mustered up the strength to start making calls and getting him into every therapy I could find that would help someone with Autism.