Don't judge a book by its bureaucratically dysfunctional cover

If you are the parent of an autistic child in NJ, the good news is that the state has implemented a preschool program specifically for autistic children. The bad news is that it's implemented by the state.

It took 4 months before we finally had a meeting with the child study team. There were about 10 people in attendance (who are these people?) and at times I practically had to stand on the table in order to get a question answered. They didn't even let us see the classroom. I was hopeful when the director said "We want to get him in here as soon as possible"- but as soon as possible in state-speak turns out to mean 6 weeks. I walked out of there with serious bad-bellies. Is my son going to be preschooled at the DMV?

A week later we had the classroom visit.

We sat in the corner and watched these little miracle kids singing and talking about the weather, and it just made me well up with emotion. The classroom setup was great- 3 teachers and 3 kids (EJ would be number 4). The teachers seemed super nice and eager to help the kids to grow, not simply function. The teachers gave us tons of info on how they derive their curriculum and I feel confident that they would tailor Elijah's days to what would be best for him. I left feeling lifted and positive, and really looking forward to when EJ can finally start.

I love pleasant surprises :)

Guilty Momscience

I wonder what the statistics are on how many autistic kids never had a 3rd birthday party.

got Ricemilk?

We are on week 1 of the non-dairy diet. There's nothing like an experiment without a control group. Is his sleep getting better, or am I just wishful thinking?

I am shocked to see how many ways dairy products can sneak their way into a person's life. Luckily, the transition from M&Ms to Gummy Bears has gone smoothly.

A world apart

When I first felt ready to open a book on autism, I combed through the medical and child-rearing sections at the local bookseller. I found 2 books.

How could that be?

Weeks later, when I was wandering around looking for horse books, I stumbled upon a crowded end shelf: "Special Needs". It was shoved somewhere in between school workbooks and dog training.

I got up on my tiptoes, so as to see across the abyss to the books on cancer and pregnancy and terrible twos.

So that's how it is.


I did buy Jenny McCarthy's book Louder than Words. Good stuff. bring kleenex.

A horse, of course

my stubborn Dilly

I've been working with Dylan since the spring, and I have to say I just love this guy. Life is good.

The other day, I took a break from chores to walk over and give him a good morning scratch. He greeted me, mouthed around my hand, and proceeded to take a good bite.

ouch.

I went back to work, trying to massage that finger out. It had already been practically broken that morning by Elijah, who was trying to pull my finger toward some cookies on a shelf. What was Dylan playing at? He knew my finger wasn't a goody- his sense of smell is great. I looked over at him, standing in front of the gate that goes out to the fields.

standing in front of the gate that goes out to the fields . . .

!

the messages are loud and clear. we just need to be open to receiving them.

The Great Link

As soon as Elijah crossed over the dunes and saw the ocean for the first time, he ran to the water's edge and raised his arms up over his head. It's me, Elijah. I'm home.

Some things are bigger than our understanding, but can still fill us up with love.

Locutus

photo courtesy of EGI.com

We sailed through about 36 minutes of the dense array EEG at the neurologist yesterday. Not bad, considering 21 is minimum and 41 is ideal. The baby may look like it's been assimilated, but this dense array method beats the previous one (which involved scraping the outer layer of skin off the head). Ahh, technology. We just slipped on the net and sat and watched the IMAX Greatest Places dvd... until the strobe light segment of the test. That's when EJ decided it was time to go.