How to Improve Social Interactions with Your Child in Three Simple Steps.
I recently spoke to Jennifer and told her of how I have difficulty playing with Griffin, how we are in our own little worlds when are in at home, and it is as though she put together this article for me in particular because it really helped me . I am implementing the approach now and so far Griffin is really responding to it...thank you Jennifer, Griffin is slowly letting me play with him and allowing me in his room.
I have got to let all my readers know that Jennifer Lingle M. Ed. Director of AutismConsultingandTraining.com and also of AutismEducates.com has been STELLAR in her field of autism training and and consulting as far as helping with the issues that I have had with Griffin. Jennifer can be reached at 828-505-0248. She also has a free e-book Visual Tools for Homes and School. Some time ago I ordered her DVD and social skills workbook set, after hearing her speak at an Autism Society meeting and have been using it ever since. I started watching the DVDs right away and took notes but found myself needing to go back to watch them again for refreshers as I have learned something new each time I have watched them.
The social skills book has been helpful over and over because Griffin completes it in a new way each time he does it and admittedly, with his patience he and understanding there are parts that he is yet to complete still. So I think that it will do us good for a year or two longer until he is a teenager and perhaps he is not playing with Big Bird, Calliou, Teletubbies, Spongebob, and Disney figurines anymore. I only pray that by middle school the kids are as kind to him as they are now, at least he has one more year at the school where he is now before he moves on. On a really positive note, we got a great report from his teachers in the IEP meeting, he is really showing a lot of desire to be around his peers and to have conversations with them. His speech teacher is teaching him how to take turns speaking and to share interests too, not just talk about what he is interested in. His peers are very interested in him and treat him like a little brother in fact, the teachers have to tell them to stop doing things for Griffin that he has to do things for himself. Even with this encouraging news, Griffin does spend time alone during P.E. and recess according to Griffin because the other kids don't play with him....or maybe it is just because they both don't know how to play together. It's too bad that there wasn't a coach there who could interact with them and help them.
The team from RHA is still doing a tremendous job with him at home, he is learning to trust them and go places with them and talk to them about his feelings. I believe this is a big step for him and for me too, for both of us to trust other people in our lives and to talk to them about what we do with each other but I do think that it will be awhile longer before we make headway into getting to the root of the problem other than just my lack of good parenting skills. Still waiting for the eval on Aspergers. 6 more weeks. She is sick and then I have to get on the wait list. For now I am getting the Tony Attwood book, "Aspergers, A Guide For Parents and Professionals".
Griffin has been having hallucinations, he let me know that he is seeing people after taking his medications (Abilify, Clonidine, Melatonin) at night and that his eyes "look funny". I took this very seriously and called all the doctors I could and the prescribing nurse practitioner told me that as long as he is not scared then he had to wait for the appointment with the psychiatrist on April 1st, the first appointment that we could get with a psychiatrist on a waiting list no less! So Griffin is seeing things that he doesn't understand, I did explain to him that they weren't real and that they couldn't hurt him, but still....I would imagine that to a certain degree that some of it might be scary especially if he has blurry eyes or he might have vertigo. He is having a hard time describing what he is seeing to me. He was having sleep problems but I think that I might have that straightened out for now but his mood certainly isn't. The NP decreased his Abilify from 10 mg. daily for mood swings down to 7 1/2 daily at dinner in order to decrease his appetite.
It did decrease his appetite somewhat, somewhat mind you, he still eats plenty but his moods are more aggressive again. He had stopped hitting me and now he is doing it again. I also found out from his physical that because of his limited choice in foods ie...his restricted eating or some call it picky eater but it is more than that because I have tried everything under the sun to get this child to eat veggies! HE GAGS! He sees it, he gags! Sometimes he will touch it to his tongue barely one time but never again except he tried broccoli 3 times but still hates it. He will eat baby carrots, strawberries, apples, and bananas. We even tried with his occupational therapist but no luck, all she could get him to eat was snack foods. Now we are going to get him to go to a registered dietician for children. He has to go to a cardiologist too because his lipids and cholesterol was high not because he eats fried or junk foods but cheese and pasta. And because it runs on both sides of the family...probably his dad's side too because they were so large.
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