This has been a very tough week on our family.
We have been in a battle with the school district for a year now to accept our son's diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder - to which they refuse.
J was terribly bullied last school year. Even with me fighting the school district, they wanted him back at this school... But still refused the ASD classroom.
We finished the first week of school. J ended up with extreme paranoia because of going back to that school.
He had to be admitted to a behavioral hospital for a couple of days to get everything under control. Then he will be at their day treatment program.
We are under so much stress that we will need to put AVE on hold for a little bit.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
8-17-2010 Three
Tonight we did the A1 Session on all four children.
School starts next week. We've decided to do therapy on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays as those are our less busy nights. This way we will be on a set schedule instead of hit or miss like our therapy has been the last month.
Honestly, this summer was tiring and I am pretty burnt out! I am very thankful all 5 children will be in school this fall for full days. It is our first year of full day school for all of them.
N: I have not noticed any additional changes or improvements. I think it is time to switch to the B4 session that the Symptom Survey directed us to use. I am still amazed at how much his language has increased. Thursday we go to "Meet Your Teacher" and I cannot wait for N's teacher from last year hear him talk!! His tantrum's are lessen, but his Autism "prickliness" is still evident. The hour long tantrums are gone though.
T: I have not noticed any additional changes or improvements. We will start the Session that his Symptom Survey directed us to. I am still amazed that his tantrums that were lasting over 30 minutes are completely non-existent!
J: I want to add that we have put J on Strattera. He has gone to Extended School Year over the summer. His ADHD inability to focus was so overwhelming, the staff and school psychologist were unable to even see Asperger symptoms. After 2 weeks of being on Strattera 60mg, he has calmed down a lot. He said that his "brain fog" is gone and that he can think better. We will still do the therapy.
E: This is only her 3rd session. I have not noticed any changes.
~ Debra
School starts next week. We've decided to do therapy on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays as those are our less busy nights. This way we will be on a set schedule instead of hit or miss like our therapy has been the last month.
Honestly, this summer was tiring and I am pretty burnt out! I am very thankful all 5 children will be in school this fall for full days. It is our first year of full day school for all of them.
N: I have not noticed any additional changes or improvements. I think it is time to switch to the B4 session that the Symptom Survey directed us to use. I am still amazed at how much his language has increased. Thursday we go to "Meet Your Teacher" and I cannot wait for N's teacher from last year hear him talk!! His tantrum's are lessen, but his Autism "prickliness" is still evident. The hour long tantrums are gone though.
T: I have not noticed any additional changes or improvements. We will start the Session that his Symptom Survey directed us to. I am still amazed that his tantrums that were lasting over 30 minutes are completely non-existent!
J: I want to add that we have put J on Strattera. He has gone to Extended School Year over the summer. His ADHD inability to focus was so overwhelming, the staff and school psychologist were unable to even see Asperger symptoms. After 2 weeks of being on Strattera 60mg, he has calmed down a lot. He said that his "brain fog" is gone and that he can think better. We will still do the therapy.
E: This is only her 3rd session. I have not noticed any changes.
~ Debra
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
08-11-2010 - Two
Tonight we did Session A1 on all 4 children.
T- no changes in symptoms other than what I've previously seen. Results are still amazing! The tantrums are gone. When he gets upset, we talk through it.
N- no changes in symptoms other than what I've previously mentioned. He is still talking in sentences.
I do want to state this: though he is using his words and will speak in sentences, he is NOT at the same developmental level as his identical twin T. There is definitely a difference between them.
J- Results are now starting to show! J is starting to SLOW DOWN and become more FOCUSED. We are having calm conversations together. His expressive language is still lacking but we are working on this everyday.
E- no changes. This is just her second time.
T- no changes in symptoms other than what I've previously seen. Results are still amazing! The tantrums are gone. When he gets upset, we talk through it.
N- no changes in symptoms other than what I've previously mentioned. He is still talking in sentences.
I do want to state this: though he is using his words and will speak in sentences, he is NOT at the same developmental level as his identical twin T. There is definitely a difference between them.
J- Results are now starting to show! J is starting to SLOW DOWN and become more FOCUSED. We are having calm conversations together. His expressive language is still lacking but we are working on this everyday.
E- no changes. This is just her second time.
Monday, August 9, 2010
More unscientific evidence
A friend that had been on vacation for the past 6 weeks came over today.
She thought N was T because N was talking in full sentences and having a back and forth conversation with her.
Hooray!!!!!!
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
She thought N was T because N was talking in full sentences and having a back and forth conversation with her.
Hooray!!!!!!
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
Sunday, August 8, 2010
8-8-2010 - One
Hooray!! We have the second machine now! Thanks to my FIL :) Thank you Trey!
So now, we begin again. All 4 kids will be on all the same sessions for the first 10 - A1 sessions from today on out. Then I will do symptom surveys to determine their next 10.
I still see improvements coming from the A1 session, so I am starting over with those.
I've been told by my father in law that we should do 40 sessions to make lasting changes. Then we will have to do a session a week for maintenance.
So our plan is for us to finish these 40 sessions and be on maintenance therapy by October. That is when I am planning on hiring back the ABA therapist. She will be here 16 hrs a week. *as of now, the only therapy we are doing besides AVE is medicine and vitamin supplements we found they needed from the Spectracell Labs testing.
The twins, T and N will be receiving OT/sensory curriculum at school daily - one more thing that I don't have to worry about!
When I am out in the community and we talk to people who understand Autism, they say my kids do not seem like they are on the Spectrum. Hooray!!! Wearing out myself and our finances for all these therapies is WORKING!!!!!!
OK ---------->
We did session A1 for J, T, N and E.
Tonight was E's first session. She is definitely not a relaxed sleeper! It took Michael and I both to uncurl her from the fetal position she sleeps in,lay her on her back and leave the machine alone!
T was doing something odd tonight. Actually he has done this every time we have put him on the machine. He twitches. His fingers, wrists and elbows twitch. Not sure if this is good or bad or harmful or if it means nothing. I know this machine is changing brainwaves. So I am concerned.
Edited to add a response I received from Trey (my father-in-law who bought the machines for us): I called Mind Alive regarding the twitches. David Siever says not to worry. T is probably switching between deep sleep and REM sleep.
That makes me feel better! :)
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
So now, we begin again. All 4 kids will be on all the same sessions for the first 10 - A1 sessions from today on out. Then I will do symptom surveys to determine their next 10.
I still see improvements coming from the A1 session, so I am starting over with those.
I've been told by my father in law that we should do 40 sessions to make lasting changes. Then we will have to do a session a week for maintenance.
So our plan is for us to finish these 40 sessions and be on maintenance therapy by October. That is when I am planning on hiring back the ABA therapist. She will be here 16 hrs a week. *as of now, the only therapy we are doing besides AVE is medicine and vitamin supplements we found they needed from the Spectracell Labs testing.
The twins, T and N will be receiving OT/sensory curriculum at school daily - one more thing that I don't have to worry about!
When I am out in the community and we talk to people who understand Autism, they say my kids do not seem like they are on the Spectrum. Hooray!!! Wearing out myself and our finances for all these therapies is WORKING!!!!!!
OK ---------->
We did session A1 for J, T, N and E.
Tonight was E's first session. She is definitely not a relaxed sleeper! It took Michael and I both to uncurl her from the fetal position she sleeps in,lay her on her back and leave the machine alone!
T was doing something odd tonight. Actually he has done this every time we have put him on the machine. He twitches. His fingers, wrists and elbows twitch. Not sure if this is good or bad or harmful or if it means nothing. I know this machine is changing brainwaves. So I am concerned.
Edited to add a response I received from Trey (my father-in-law who bought the machines for us): I called Mind Alive regarding the twitches. David Siever says not to worry. T is probably switching between deep sleep and REM sleep.
That makes me feel better! :)
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
8-3-2010
We are back to doing daily sessions for a while.
Since we took a break during our vacation which resulted in regression in N, I have decided to start at the beginning again. I will have all the kids on the same sessions so I will be able to keep track easily.
We will have all 3 boys complete 10 of the A1 sessions again.
At that point, I will complete additional Symptom Surveys for each of the boys to determine the next 10 sessions.
E has her CAPD evaluation in the morning. Tomorrow night I will start her on the machine as well.
I'm going to have to somehow get another machine. Two hours a night for 4 kids to do this therapy is too much.
Today's sessions for N, T, J : A1
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
Since we took a break during our vacation which resulted in regression in N, I have decided to start at the beginning again. I will have all the kids on the same sessions so I will be able to keep track easily.
We will have all 3 boys complete 10 of the A1 sessions again.
At that point, I will complete additional Symptom Surveys for each of the boys to determine the next 10 sessions.
E has her CAPD evaluation in the morning. Tomorrow night I will start her on the machine as well.
I'm going to have to somehow get another machine. Two hours a night for 4 kids to do this therapy is too much.
Today's sessions for N, T, J : A1
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
Regression
I am no longer skeptical in regards to the positive effects from AVE Entrainment.
Since our vacation, and lack of therapy, I have noticed a regression in Nicholas. Every day the regression is more pronounced!!
*He is losing language again. He is grunting more instead of using complete sentences which he had been doing after a couple therapy sessions.
*He is having more sensory issues: easily overstimulated, needing to be wrapped more, clinging to his blanket and his thumb.
*His anxiety is definitely more pronounced. Even while he is taking his Prozac.
I am convinced and a firm believer in this therapy for Nicholas! We are starting back tonight now that we are settled back into our home from vacation.
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
Since our vacation, and lack of therapy, I have noticed a regression in Nicholas. Every day the regression is more pronounced!!
*He is losing language again. He is grunting more instead of using complete sentences which he had been doing after a couple therapy sessions.
*He is having more sensory issues: easily overstimulated, needing to be wrapped more, clinging to his blanket and his thumb.
*His anxiety is definitely more pronounced. Even while he is taking his Prozac.
I am convinced and a firm believer in this therapy for Nicholas! We are starting back tonight now that we are settled back into our home from vacation.
~ Debra
~ Chaos Controller
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