a new child

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Our son is almost 4 now. For the last year, has been receiving:
Occupational Therapy 2 hrs per week in a gym
Speech Therapy for social skills and social language 2x's a week
(plus we sent him to speech camp 1 month this summer and special needs camp the other month)
Adaptive p.e. 1/2 hr per week (1 hr /wk of physical therapy before he turned 3)
Behavior Therapy - whenever we can squeeze it in
Therapeutic preschool 2 1/2 hrs a day
daily multi-vitamin and omega369 supplement

He is like a brand new child. Everyone we know has commented to me about him this summer. He can answer questions that people ask him and have short phone conversations. He plays with other kids sometimes, even though he doesn't always understand their games. One of our friends said, "Who knew he had such a personality under there all this time!" He actually cried today because his friend didn't go to a festival we went to.

At the pre-K orientation, he was freaking out because they announced that they would take the kids to another room to hear a story while the parents stayed. When the teacher called his name, I walked him to the line, and he walked right out the door with the rest of the kids! I was so incredibly proud of him.

He still runs like a 2 yr old and has a lot of weakness in his muscles, but his fine motor is at or above what you would expect from any 4 yr old boy. He has also started having mega-tantrums, but I am kind of glad in a way because he was too lethargic at the age of 2 to have them. He also still lines his toys up once in awhile, especially if he has not had a good sensory diet.

But basically I think that he is making great progress. I think that our developmental pediatrician saved him by recognizing what was going on in the first place and recommending the right kind of help. Then the OTs and everyone else saved him by helping him regulate his sensory input.

I know he has a long way to go. Socially, he is so far behind his peers. I don't know what is going to happen to him in the future. But I do know that he is so much better off today than he was last year. Maybe he'll always be that quirky kid who knows the names of all the dinosaurs. But at least he is not afraid to be in the world like he was before.

This is such an encouraging post. I am so happy for you. And happy for your child, who has such loving parents and has achieved so much. It can only get better, I know that.

Beautiful. Lots of hard work, love, tolerance and the right kind of interventions are so beneficial. You are on the right track. You're little guy will mature even more and you will be so surprised. Stay positive and focused on what's best for him.

equinn.

Your post is EXTREMELY encouraging! It's just great to hear that your son is doing so well.

And, surprise, surprise, I can say from experience that your son probably won't be a 45 year old man still naming all of the dinosaurs. He'll probably be naming something else . . .

But really, with this help and therapy that you're providing from an early age, he will most likely be fine. He will be an interesting character of a person, for sure, but one that people will like. Some of the things that start out as a negative, such as naming dinosaurs to the exclusion of socializing, will morph into really positive skills and make for an interesting person. I've got a 21 year old who was lining up toys and knew ALL the names of the dinosaurs, as well as the latin names for all animals in the animal kingdom (and it was mighty weird, back in 1991), and now, he's in college and dating, and has lots of friends. He still has unusual interests -- like an encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary music, or an unusual love for maps and atlases, but the latter has turned into his career choice -- urban planning/GIS systems -- and so it's a GOOD THING.

We have another son who had more severe symptons than our first son, and I wish I had had the diagnosis as early on as you obviously did. But even with the late diagnosis, he's 11 now and doing just fine. He just started middle school, has a group of friends, and had no problems adjusting to new teachers, classes, and school.

Your son is going to do GREAT. It really seems like you've got your, and his, act together.

Kris

remember, one step at a time, but it sounds like he is doing wonderful! You are lucky to have accomplished so much already! You are definitely on the right track! congrats!

Great improvement !
may the force be with you !

NB: AS can be a gift, if we use these traits (good memory, etc, ...) properly