We’ve finally gotten a final diagnosis of Autism for our son.  For those of you who don’t know what that entails, it’s a three hour set of tests designed to see where the little guy stands in certain levels of development and personal interaction.  It’s grueling for the parent and in the case of my son, it’s sheer hell involving rapid changes in activities and a level of contact that he’s not necessarily comfortable with.

For a child with autism, this is a form of sensory overload. It destroys the routines that the child is used to and pushes them far outside their comfort zone. In the case of Lil’ B. the half-way point was the breaking point. An unscheduled 30 minute break was added to the schedule to give him cool-down time at that point and a slow walk around the building where he was in charge of what he did got him back on track for the rest of the testing… Barely.

By the end of the session both he and I were frayed and frazzled, but in true style, he still didn’t nap.  He spent the rest of the day destroying anything he touched and trying very hard to find a comfortable place in life again. I spent the rest of the day trying to make sure that he didn’t do any permanent damage to himself or the furniture, but still lost the sofa in the process. (Yep, it’s a goner, he put three large tears in the back cushions.)

It’s not this one incident that has me writing today, though.  Both my wife and I are thrilled to have a formal diagnosis in-hand.  It’s been a long time coming.  The issue I have is that now every single agency that is supposed to be helping our son has slated another set of assessments, most of which are also full evaluations.  In the next two weeks my son will be in the center ring of his very own dog and pony show and playing the part of both ringmaster and clown.

I’m grateful for the help.  I’m happy that he’ll be attending preschool soon.  I’m glad that everyone is pushing so hard to get this done as quickly as possible, but I hate having to put him through this more than once.  It messes with his mind, it affects his moods and it makes him an emotional wreck.  The last is most difficult since Lil’ B. is almost totally emotionally detached and forcing them to the surface can be painful for him at times.

Trust me.  We’ll be at every appointment. I’ll do my best to keep from tearing yet another psychologist-wannabe into pieces for causing my child distress and we’ll get him into the school he so desperately needs, but I don’t like it and I won’t like it.  I won’t be happy until Lil’ man is done with the process and getting the help that everyone is promising.  that means two assessments this week, one next week and who-knows how many the week after.

I’ll be good, I promise.  He needs me to be, so I will.

Peace. I’m out.

five minutes in sequence.  That’s all I’m asking for.  In that time I could fill you in on some of the things that have been going on with Lil’ B.  In that time I could start writing several of the articles I’ve got jotted down on notepads next to my keyboard. If I only had five minutes in a row.

Unfortunately I haven’t had five minutes. I’ve already had to stop three times while writing this.  After checking email to make sure I’m not missing something from my Realtor, checking twitter to make sure that I’ve answered anything that’s pointed at me and checking my well overdue to-do list, I’ve barely had time to post a few recipes.  there hasn’t been time to work on any of the other projects I’ve wanted to get done.

(A brief pause while the kidling is diverted from tearing his headboard off the bed)

Things have been going well and Lil’B. has been making great strides.  I’m hoping that at some point this week I have the time to share all of this with you.  for now, I think I have to go put the lil’ guy back in bed…

Again.

Peace, I’m out.

Our hero seems to have decided that sleeping during the nighttime hours is not to his liking.  As one would expect, these forays into the wee hours of morning are taking their toll on everyone, including our young hero himself.  His mother and I are at wits’ end trying to figure out how to get him to bed at a reasonable hour.

We’ve tried the short nap tactic.  This results in a very cranky kiddo who is still more than willing to stay awake until 01:00.  Not letting him take a nap works in some instances, but in others he simply wakes up after a few hours ready to go until 02:00 or 03:00.  Keeping his mind busy seems to be the best way to get him tired, but there are times when he simply doesn’t want anything to do with either one of us, so this too can be a problem.

As for today, I’m going with the short nap coupled with at least one hour of solid playtime just before dinner.  Perhaps that will help him to nod off a bit easier.  It’s difficult for him right now, since he’s used to playing outside, but with the weather in the 30′s (currently it’s 32 degrees, or 0-C), that’s not really an option.

Do you have any insights you can share with us?  Is there some way you’ve managed to get your little one to sleep more easily?  I’d love to know.

It’s been a  very busy few days.  Our hero fell victim to that thing most adults know as “life” on Friday, when his therapist failed to make the scheduled appointment.  While annoying, this is no great cause for alarm to me.  I simply wait 30 minutes and then assume that there is a no-show. (A great amount of time and practice went into the ADHD father being so flippant about timeliness, I might add.)

Unfortunately, an autistic child thrives on routine even moreso than someone with ADHD.  If my schedule is broken, I can find my way to accomplishing at lest a bit of what should have been done for the rest of the day.  For Lil’B. a disruption in schedule is the end of the day, there is no recovery, and Friday was like that all afternoon.

Unfortunately for your kindly narrator and the Good Queen, our hero ws also running a mild fever and feeling cranky all weekend.  Whether or not it was teething or growing pains, I’m afraid we will never know.  The end result was a very surly hero indeed.  One who refused to eat, sleep or drink without displaying his ire in the only way he knows how to; a series of banshee-like shrieking sessions that lasted for hours at times.

The dawn of the new week saw our hero in better spirits and eating well.  His meeting with the “Wise lady of the plains” (played by Sandra) went strikingly well.  His attention span was admirable and he pushed through the entire session, though meltdown loomed on the horizon a few times.  After said meeting our hero took his repose for several hours and awoke seemingly refreshed.  A good day indeed.

Today however, has not been so peaceful.  Our hero started the day well, with playing and frolicking and other things that heroes of his age are wont to indulge in.  In the late afternoon we had a meeting with “The lady of song” (Played by his speech therapist, Carol).  The meeting went well enough, and for once the Good Queen was in attendance.  it was good that not only did she provide support to our hero, but gave this humble narrator a bit of time to handle other duties and responsibilities that wer wanting of attention at the moment.

Upon the end of his session, our hero made as if to rest himself, but it would seem that something was amis.  Not only has our hero still not taken his repose for the evening, but as the clock readies itself to strike ten of the clock, our hero is still in a rather unpleasant state and is trying the patience of his companions mightily.  This is not usual for our hero, and is something that both the Good Queen and I are in great distress over.

For the nonce, the only objective of our band of stalwart travelers is to quiet the hero and help him to seek the rest he so richly deserves after a day of training that would weary the greatest of heroes.  Tomorrow dawns a new day and that must be faced on its own merits.

For now I bid you all Good Night.  This narrator must be off to other duties.

Today is a bad day.  it’s only 9:00am and it’s already official.  It’s not going to be fun around here today.  Lil’ B. is into everything that he should not be.  when he’s not doing that, he’s throwing a fit about one thing or another.  Basically, if he can find a way to be in a foul mood, he’s going after it.  it makes for a tiring experience to say the least.

Bad days are not the undisputed territory of Autistic children.  After all, they don’t call it the “terrible two’s” for nothing. But having a bad day with a child that can’t express himself is a lot more trying than having the sme tantrum filled day with a two yer old that can at least tell you why they are upset.  It’s an experience that takes getting used to.

For now I’m off to try and tame the beast that my son has become.  perhaps if we can find him something calm to do we can avoid having the day go from bad to worse. That would be truly magical, since this humble narrator has no choice but to get some work done today.