Oh Sunny Day

Today was a beautiful day and I did not plan to stay in doors with my kids, so we drove to the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands and enjoyed the day there. We got to see live insects and Sinclaire got to touch it, the assistant asked if David would touch the snake, "no...he'll just tap it to hard thinking its a toy", I said, so the assistant just smiled. David really liked being there, he loves the fish and he got to listen to some bird calls. Right after we decided to go get ice cream and as soon as we parked, David had a fit, he just wanted to go home. So, we waited and sang to him and then kind of dragged him out, he was upset but soon after he tasted that yummy yogurt and was watching You Tube video's of Noggin, he calmed down. I was nice day and it was better then sitting at home watching T.V.

Tantrums

This week David has had a rough time, he is going through his sensory overload tantrums-that's what I call them. What ever is on television, depending on the sound and noise it brings out, David will start to cry and scream as if someone had just spanked him. He hasn't really wanted to eat as usual and he scratches you out of fear or out of anger because of the noise he is listening to or what he has just watched. I remember the Disney movie intro would make him flip, so I am assuming that certain pitches of sound make him cry at some vulnerable moments. David has to be talked to in a calm voice and comfort him at the same time, take him away from the noise and put him in a quite room for him to calm down. He use to do this  when we would go out to eat, so you can imagine how difficult it was for him to be around all those people and have his sensory go out of whack. I have  the patience to overlook the fact that he is pulling my hair, screaming and crying at the same time I am trying to leave the place. I am not embarrassed at what my son does in public because as far as I know it he is normal in my eyes and should not be treated any different then any other child.

David's love for rice pudding

David has a thing for rice pudding, and not just any rice pudding, but Ariza rice pudding. He can tell the difference from the package if you try to give him another brand, even by taste he will reject it or just simply toss it to the floor. You don't mess with a kid and his rice pudding, when I get it out of the fridge he jumps (literally) with joy, its so cute.

David's communication

My son, who doe's not speak at age 10, seems to find his own way of communicating with us. For example, he grabs our hand and directs it towards the item or thing that he wants, and he knows what he wants because I will give him one item and he would push my hand back towards the specific item. When he was born he did not cry and they had to spank him a couple of times to get him going, around age one he babbled and made goo sounds, at one time he even repeated the Spanish word for water "agua" for a while but then he just stopped saying it. He never did say any clear words, as for sign language, it was hard for him to use his fingers because he twirled his hands to often and crissed-crossed his fingers a lot. At school they used PECS to identify objects and ask for a specific object and that really helped him.Speech is still a goal in David's IEP and I will not give up trying to teach him how to respond with words, he understands what you say to him, as long as its a simple command with or without hand gestures, so I know that he will be able to learn, even though there is that neurological  issue that his brain does not comprehend how to respond. I believe it is possible and if takes years for David to say his first actual word, I am willing to wait.

Spring Forward

Every time we "spring forward" or "fall back" regarding our time, my son's sleeping schedule goes out of whack. He now falls asleep late and wakes up late, the little booger just wants to play before bed time. He has been going to school late for this past week, it usually takes him 2-3 weeks to get used to the time and then his back to normal. I always try to get him use to the time change by putting him to bed early one week prior to the change, but even that seems to be a challenge. He thinks it's the funniest thing on earth when I put him to bed early because he knows his own body clock and he just laughs about it, like telling me "mom...really...bed time?" even though he  can't speak, its in his thoughts.

No sleep for the restless

David has been going through his stages of not wanting to sleep when prompt to do so, he gets very excited before bed time and refuses to sleep in his room. When I lay him to bed I count to three and turn off the lights and usually he will knock out within minutes, but lately he gets out of bed and begins to play with his musical toys, I enter the room and in the dark sits my little boy laughing at the lights. So, I say to him "meme time" and direct him to my room where he flops on my king size bed and makes himself at home. With in a few minutes he falls asleep, next to his daddy, who he loves to push to the edge of the bed.

David's bus ride

When I stepped outside to get David from the bus, the driver told me that David had gotten upset and was crying because he had taken the seat belt straps away from him so he does not chew on them. I know those straps are filthy, the bus driver stated that last time David had the straps he splattered the entire windows around him with saliva...lol. It is a texture thing that David enjoys chewing on things and then swings them around causing his saliva to spread everywhere. I guess I will need to attach his soft toy to his belt again, keeping him busy, the bus windows clean and germ free. Thanks Richard (bus driver) for your patience and understanding.

David

Today my son came home from school, mind you he is developmental delayed but the kid knows what he wants. As soon as I bring him inside, he heads to the kitchen looking for his juice cup, if its not there he grabs my hand and takes me to the fridge and navigates my hand towards the juice. My son who is 10 does not speak but his ability to communicate with hand gestures and sounds amazes me daily. He is so routine that if you alter his day drastically its chaos for him, and he will let you know exactly how he feels. Crying and whining till things go back to normal for him. Having a special needs child has been a challenge since day one, but I would not change it one bit, he keeps me going and I improve on my patience daily with him. If you have a child with fragile x or developmental delay and need some little advice, just keep it simple, routine and constant repeat of his goals and they will achieve what you expect them. PATIENCE is the key...don't forget.

Starting a Special Education PTA | PTA

Starting a Special Education PTA | PTA

Zombie Dance Party! - Face Off-Episide 106

Zombie Dance Party! - Face Off-Episide 106: "Zombies come to life and dance for the contestants and judges."