Shameless bragging thread!!!!!

[Linda on the move]

We haven't done one of these for awhile, and I think it's time (partly because I'm so excited about something my DD is doing for the first time). Let's celebrate how GREAT our sn kids are doing!

My DD (who is 15 and is on the autism spectrum) is going on her first sleep over with a friend tonight!  I'm so excited. It's a really big deal for both girls. They got to know each other last year at the alternative school they go to, and developing a friendship has been a process for them, as neither really had much experience with friendship. My DD knew that other people valued having friends, but she didn't feel any desire for friends, only a bit of curiosity. The other girl really wanted friends, but is very quiet and not interested in many of the things her peers are. They started out by just going to see movies together, because they way they didn't have to talk! They've played over at each other's houses several times, gradually getting easier with conversing, and decided they were both ready to take the plunge into sleepover land. My DD really likes being friends with this girl, and enjoys spending time hanging out with her. 

For a long time, I really didn't know if my DD would be able to have friendships, or ever be comfortable spending the night away from us. this is really amazing for her.

Please feel free to share the wonderful things going on for your child.

[SpottedFoxx]

Oh Linda, that IS wonderful news!  How excited for all of you.  I can't wait to hear how it goes.  

My son (6) has been exploding lately (in a good way).  We just started him on ADHD meds in September and, while we are suffering a slight setback due to some side effects, his ability to learn is outrageous.  He's learning to read, noticing the world around him, the content of his speech (apraxia/severe articulation & expressive language delay) has just gone through the roof.  It's such a fun time watching him learn.

[~cassie]

That is wonderful!!

Let's see.  My 4 yr old is developing a wonderful imagination and is finally starting to communicate more complex thoughts.  He is seeming to really understand language now and it is a lot of fun!

My 6 yr old started on Focalin for ADHD and wow!  Such a difference.  He is learning to read and actually able to sit there for me to read to him.  He is making more friends and he made straight A's on his report card we just got.  He is so proud of himself and more importantly-his self esteem is starting to rise!

[FarmerBeth]

Such a nice thread!  Linda, I hope your DD and her friend have a great sleepover!

DS (11, ASD) volunteered to be an intramural volunteer and referee.  He's loving it and managing to be fair and calm.  At the IPP meeting I heard he's (hooray!) finally conversing with more than one word answers and not always on the pet topic (big deal for him, the whole team has been working on this for over a year). And, no skin picking for nearly two months now, after dealing with 4 years of this. I think the anxiety meds really helped. He didn't have any friends for about two years since moving (before he had one friend, but the friend's Mom is my close friend so that was a lot of it) but he made friends with someone this year and had him over to visit.  It was his friend's first time visiting anyone not family, and they're both quirky but had lots of fun hanging out.  They both say when they're "done" with talking and just leave the room, LOL, so at least no one gets offended.

DS (7, expressive language delay and auditory processing disorder) told me he can "hear words in his head if he's reading" a couple of weeks ago.  He's never been able to think words, just pictures, so this is a big deal.  He's also telling and writing simple stories, whereas last year he couldn't write a sentence.  I'm so pleased he's finding his words.

[mamarhu]

Well, this is a Good News, Bad News, Good News, Bad News, Good News story.

YoungSon is 15 and on the autism spectrum. Until the last couple years, he was quite seriously affected, and I wondered if he would ever be any sort of independent.

Good News: After many horrible school experiences and mostly homeschooling, we found an alternative school that works for him. He has career plans that include a standard diploma, and is very motivated to succeed. He enjoys going every day, and although he hasn't really made any friends in that environment, he is mostly functioning socially.

Bad News: I got a call from the school that he had been kicked off the school bus for threatening another student.

Good News: He threatened him because the other kid was drawing swastikas (my kid has ethics and stands up for what he believes, even if he expresses it poorly)

Bad News: He threatened the wrong kid, but in his autistic rigidity, couldn't back down.

Good News, Amazing Good News: The school gave him a pass for public transportation, and after never having taken a city bus in his life, he is getting himself to and from school everyday, including transferring and walking a total of a mile or so. This is the same kid who last year could hardly leave the house without me, due to extreme anxiety.

Re-reading this post, it doesn't come out as funny as when I tell it. But really, I am thrilled that he got kicked off the bus, or we never would have learned what he is capable of.

[AAgrippina]

Wow, these are great stories! Rhu, I totally want to give you a high-five--- way to go on so many levels.

I really need to remind myself of the progress instead of focusing on the challenges.  The "flavor of the week" diagnosis with my DS is Asperger's; while he is very high-functioning we have had tons of trouble finding the right "fit" for school.  He has had private Montessori schooling, homeschooling, a horrible public school year, all with varying levels of "success" (whatever that is... I have different conceptions of it than most administrators!) This year, we moved to England and enrolled the kids in a state school--- I've been blown away. It's like I have a different child. His social skills are taking off, he's become a "table captain" in his class (who would have ever thought he'd have a leadership role?!?), and he received an award in front of the whole school for modeling good behavior.  (Yeah. My jaw dropped open at that one. This is a kid who spent every other day in the office for "bad behavior" at his old school.)

Also--- this is the clincher--- lately he's been showing... drumroll please... empathy! Authentic efforts to put others first. Gestures of kindness and helpfulness that are not prompted by mom in any way.  Every time he does it, I have to try to keep a straight face (or else cry for joy/turn cartwheels). This weekend he was feeding some ducks from a snack bar he had brought with him (thinking ahead!!!) and turned to his sister, who didn't have one, to say, "Do you want to feed them as well? Here, have some." I nearly fell over.

To progress! And feeding ducks!

[Linda on the move]

I'm loving this positive thread!!!

DD's sleepover went great. They stayed up most of the night watching TV and laughing. They want to do it again.  

DD did spent most of the rest of the weekend alone and opted out of our family fun activity because she needed downtime. But she has a friend and is giving and taking in a peer relationship, and enjoying it. 

[BookGoddess]

I love this thread too.  Bumping it up for more happy updates.   

[Wild Lupine]

My son has a feeding and swallowing disorder. A few months ago we found a new OT and he is making huge strides. He has such a wide range of foods now that I no longer need to pack special things for him when we go out, I can always find a meal or snack he can eat. He's even eating vegetables now!

[raksmama]

I am so happy for you and your daughter Linda!

Hmmm what can I brag about?  DS 13 with a  learning disorder just got an A+ on his science exam!

[littlestar]

Instead of just whining, I should share some good news on my 6 year old DS.

He is doing so well at school this term. He just got his reading assessment and he was assessed at grade 3+.

He got his empathy award from teacher because he was very nice to and offer help to a handicap boy in the class.

His teacher told me no one can tell he is any different from NT kids. It has to be a very experienced special need teacher to take a while to notice there are some difference in him, like DS has to pick certain pencil.

[isisreturning]

DD started using "I want" phrases this week!

She's 4.5 years old and it has been a long journey to language of any sort, including verbal language. Her verbal language skills are starting to really take off in the last six months and her language is becoming more functional (in terms of communicating her needs). For so long, we had no idea what was going on inside her brain, and could only make educated guesses. We are thrilled that she can finally "clarify" things for us!

This week she told us:

"I want pink one" - picking out a pink shirt to wear

"I want car" - telling me she wanted to go somewhere

"I want black cuter" - telling DH she wanted to use his black computer (as compared to my silver computer!)

Yay! This comes at a good time, as she has also been showing aggression towards other children and we've been really stressed about how that is going to impact her daycare situation.

[RiverTam]

DS#1 got a haircut at the hair salon for the first time! Ever! He's 9. He managed to sit in the chair and only flinched a little. He has had a really hard time with the sensory input at the hair salon, so this was a huge step.

And his principal and teacher told me in a meeting today that he has shown tremendous growth and maturity from the start of the year until now.

[FarmerBeth]

Wow, that's great, RiverTam!  I remember my son having his first the same age and I was so impressed.  It's nice when our kids can participate in the things that usually you can take for granted that kids get to do.

[cristeen]

We spent 2 months in ST trying to get 2yo DS to use the word yes spontaneously (he could do it when prompted with the ASL sign).  We quit ST when we got the HFA diagnosis (since he has echolalia ST is a small piece of the bigger puzzle at this stage).  But we haven't started ABA yet (supposed to be this week).

I took DS to the beach today for the first time, he never actually made it near the water, he just wanted to roll in the sand.  After about half an hour, as he was pouring sand over his head with this big grin and giggling, I asked him if he was having fun.  Without hesitation he said in a really giddy tone "yes!"  I nearly cried.

Oh, and yesterday we went to my dad's for our Xmas celebration, and he had a full house (14 people).  DS usually reacts very badly (last year was one screaming tantrum after another) to so many strange people.  But this time he just asked to "play rainbows" (have the iPad), sat in the "thinking chair" (recliner) and chilled for about 2 hours before he decided he could come interact in small doses.  We didn't have a screaming tantrum the whole afternoon/evening, it was so nice!! 

[ErinYay]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

I took DS to the beach today for the first time, he never actually made it near the water, he just wanted to roll in the sand.  After about half an hour, as he was pouring sand over his head with this big grin and giggling, I asked him if he was having fun.  Without hesitation he said in a really giddy tone "yes!"  I nearly cried.

AWESOME!!! It's stuff like this that almost makes me pity parents of typically-developing kids- they have *no* idea how exciting and important these "little things" are.

Our 2-yr-old (speech, social delays, sensory issues, as yet undx'd) just used "yes" and "no" appropriately today for the first time, too! (She's also very echolalic.)

I asked her what she wanted for dinner.

V: "Dinner?"

Me: "Hot dog?" (so sue me)

V: "Hot dog? Nooooo."

Me: "Soup?"

V: "Soup? YES!!!"

She only started even saying "no," without meaning, a month ago, and we've been working a lot with that- "Do you want candy? Yes?" "Candy. Yes." but I was being lazy tonight. You coulda knocked me over with a feather.

[Linda on the move]

I love reading this thread!

[PikkuMyy]

Originally Posted by ErinYay 

but I was being lazy tonight. You coulda knocked me over with a feather.

Sometimes you never know what will be the catalyst for a great step.

I was once working on potty training with a 4 yo boy, nonverbal, with autism, who used PECS to communicate. As we were moving away from habit training to teaching him to tell us when he had to go, I wanted to encourage him to choose the potty icon before we went on an outing, so I looked through his book to choose an icon I was sure he wouldn't pick. I chose an apple, as he hadn't eaten any fruit in two years. Well, of course when I offered him the choice, he chose the apple. I brought him an apple, and he sat on his exercise ball by the window and ate the whole damn thing! And that opened the door to eating any fruits that were round like an apple, and then willing to try any other fruits! When I moved away, he was eating a huge variety of fruits (and veggies )

[FarmerBeth]

My 7yo DS has an expressive language disorder and a lot of problems with abstract concepts like time.  Up till now, month, day, season, before, after, year, yesterday, tomorrow, have been really interchangeable.  He just did a unit on time for math and had a test.  I had been terrified of the results, but he came home with an 88%!  I was astounded.  His only big difficulty (actually it gave me a chuckle) was that when he was asked "What month is between month A and month B he took all those questions literally according to what it looked like on the calendar provided, so if it was down a row he'd answer the "between" month (physically) on a diagonal.  But really, I'm just really pleased he's getting what a month or hour or day is!