(no subject)
So while I have the laptop handy...an update on Joe.
Who actually goes by "Zeuz", for those of you not in the know...Joseph was named after my FIL 'Yousef', whose nickname when he was little was "Zu-zu". When Zeuz was born, my niece shortened it to "Zeuz", so that is how he is known. (Joe is just shorter and easier to type...;p). Anywhooo.
Zeuz is in a regular Ed. Kindergarten this year, with his own specific aide at school. She sits with him through everything to keep him on track, and she is WONDERFUL.
With his Autism, he has difficulties keeping on track, so having her there with him at every step of the way is KEY to his success.
We have also started him (after a 6 month fight with the school district) on At-home ABA (ie: one-on-one, it stands for "Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy. This just started last week, and the guy (therapist) is VERY new. It's been a struggle for the two sessions we've had, to show the new guy how Z rolls, and how to best engage him, but I hope things work out. If not, I'll ask for a more experienced therapist, but for now, I'm willing to give the guy a chance. He's into guitar (a BIG plus in Z's book!) and is patient, although I'm not sure of the experience he's had with autistic children.
As a mother, is SO HARD not to be able to take him into any kind of social situation and not have to explain his gifts vs. faults. He doesn't engage kids in social play really (although he's getting better at bossing his little sister around!), and mostly, he has a really hard time with staying on task if it's not the way HE wants to do it. For those of you who have met him in the past, he's a different kid, but he's still well behind where he should be with kids his age.
I have him on a Gluten-Free diet, because I'd read that it can really affect Austim. Apparently, gluten (found in wheat (flour), barley, rye and oats) attaches itself to the oppiate receptors in the body and causes one to "tune out". If I hadn't witnessed the repurcussisons in Joe, I wouldn't have believed it, but he is SO much more present when we cut it out of his diet. I mean, if he grabs a piece of bread off the table from a restaurant, within 20 minutes he's off spinning in a corner. It's AMAZING the impact it has on him, so I spend most of my time cooking gluten-free meals for him or coming up with something for him to eat. Eating out (except for In-N-Out burgers, protien-style (no bun), of course) has become non-existent for us, unless I bring him his own food. Sugar had a similar effect, as does too much dairy, and Nitrates/Nitrites found in deli meats, but they seem to exit his system more quickly than does gluten (2-3 days, vs. a week or longer). It makes snacks and meals hard, especially given a sister who craves regular food, but needs to keep up with her brother. But SO worth it.
He's still amazing in his math skills (exponentials!), and reading, but we've really tried to tone back the math so he can focus more on his verbal abilities. He still gets speech therapy at least 2-3 times a week. We introduced the "Rosetta Stone" program to him (the language disks) in Greek, and the kid is already up to level 8 in three weeks. He's spouting Greek to me and and I have no idea what he's saying. Crap....running out of laptop batteries...GTG for now. SO much more to say.
Who actually goes by "Zeuz", for those of you not in the know...Joseph was named after my FIL 'Yousef', whose nickname when he was little was "Zu-zu". When Zeuz was born, my niece shortened it to "Zeuz", so that is how he is known. (Joe is just shorter and easier to type...;p). Anywhooo.
Zeuz is in a regular Ed. Kindergarten this year, with his own specific aide at school. She sits with him through everything to keep him on track, and she is WONDERFUL.
With his Autism, he has difficulties keeping on track, so having her there with him at every step of the way is KEY to his success.
We have also started him (after a 6 month fight with the school district) on At-home ABA (ie: one-on-one, it stands for "Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy. This just started last week, and the guy (therapist) is VERY new. It's been a struggle for the two sessions we've had, to show the new guy how Z rolls, and how to best engage him, but I hope things work out. If not, I'll ask for a more experienced therapist, but for now, I'm willing to give the guy a chance. He's into guitar (a BIG plus in Z's book!) and is patient, although I'm not sure of the experience he's had with autistic children.
As a mother, is SO HARD not to be able to take him into any kind of social situation and not have to explain his gifts vs. faults. He doesn't engage kids in social play really (although he's getting better at bossing his little sister around!), and mostly, he has a really hard time with staying on task if it's not the way HE wants to do it. For those of you who have met him in the past, he's a different kid, but he's still well behind where he should be with kids his age.
I have him on a Gluten-Free diet, because I'd read that it can really affect Austim. Apparently, gluten (found in wheat (flour), barley, rye and oats) attaches itself to the oppiate receptors in the body and causes one to "tune out". If I hadn't witnessed the repurcussisons in Joe, I wouldn't have believed it, but he is SO much more present when we cut it out of his diet. I mean, if he grabs a piece of bread off the table from a restaurant, within 20 minutes he's off spinning in a corner. It's AMAZING the impact it has on him, so I spend most of my time cooking gluten-free meals for him or coming up with something for him to eat. Eating out (except for In-N-Out burgers, protien-style (no bun), of course) has become non-existent for us, unless I bring him his own food. Sugar had a similar effect, as does too much dairy, and Nitrates/Nitrites found in deli meats, but they seem to exit his system more quickly than does gluten (2-3 days, vs. a week or longer). It makes snacks and meals hard, especially given a sister who craves regular food, but needs to keep up with her brother. But SO worth it.
He's still amazing in his math skills (exponentials!), and reading, but we've really tried to tone back the math so he can focus more on his verbal abilities. He still gets speech therapy at least 2-3 times a week. We introduced the "Rosetta Stone" program to him (the language disks) in Greek, and the kid is already up to level 8 in three weeks. He's spouting Greek to me and and I have no idea what he's saying. Crap....running out of laptop batteries...GTG for now. SO much more to say.