The Victories of an Autism Kid

December 28, 2018October 27, 20188 Comments

So it has been a bit since we talked about Antonio and his progress with his new program. I have had a hard time behind the scenes with what happened, but I am confident and couldn’t be happier with the way things are playing out.

I have learned SO much from this new place he is at, and I think that’s the most important thing. If I am not learning, is he learning? If I can’t implement at home, is it even worth the money?

We don’t need to have weekly or bi-weekly meetings because it is THAT good. We communicate a lot, and we have progress reports every day and have an app to interact through. I also email with any questions or concerns.

Everyone has seen SO much of a difference since he started his new program it makes me so happy that I want to cry.

Here are a few quick things that we are mastering at his applied behavior analysis:

Sign Language: We know about ten things now! We can communicate his wants and needs on a daily basis. It really DOES work!
He Stops: We tell him STOP, and he actually does it. This behavior is huge because before I was worried that he couldn’t walk in parking lots without holding my hand. Now, I feel better.
He Waits: We can count to make him wait. He understands, is patient, and gets whatever he asks for based on his sign language.
He Waves Hi and Bye: We worked hard on this for so long his wave is SOO cute. It’s like a pinched hand.
Imitate Sounds: We get in his face and make sounds, noises, and make funny faces to help get his verbalized vocals going. This accomplishment is super huge, and it has been amazing to see how involved he is.
More Interaction: We can interact more with other kids and people. He can sit still for long periods of time, and enjoy a book or iPad together without getting distracted.
He’s Independent: He carries his backpack and lunchbox now every day to school. This victory makes me so happy.

All of these things took so much time for us to master, but it was so worth it! All of these took some time to learn for him and myself but it is seamless now. We keep meeting our weekly goals and it is so incredible. Even though he isn’t talking it is such a relief knowing that we are making the progress that I hoped for, for so long.

The thing is that he doesn’t always need someone to say Antonio say Hi (wave). I can say Bye Antonio, and he knows to wave! I think that speaks volumes. These are all endless goals that we have been waiting for and wanting for literally months.

These might seem like they should have happened a long time ago because of his age, but this takes a lot of time with an autism kid. They think so different than other kids that it takes them a different way to learn.

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The Top Reasons for ABA

June 29, 2018May 23, 20187 Comments

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a great tool for autistic kids. It really helps them get the help that they need in order to be successful and learn properly. It covers so many topics, ideas, and curriculum. At first, I was scared of this program because I was still in denial about my child being autistic. I am not certified in any of this, this is all my opinion from a parent standpoint.

This program takes some time before you see results. Nothing will happen overnight and for the longest time I had to keep telling myself that. Here are the top 4 reasons why I would recommend ABA for anyone who is autistic:

They still get social interaction: There are other kids in the program and they do circle time in addition to fun activities. Most of the time people claim the children don’t get the interaction they need, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!
Non-verbal communication: Before we started ABA, communicating was a complete mess. We tried sign language. We tried a lot of things. Now, we are able to actually communicate either with pictures or sign language. Obviously, our end goal is verbal communication but we were able to really gain a lot from this and not be as frustrated!
Celebrate small victories: You can see the progress that your child makes. The program keeps you updated and lets you know what they are working on. This way, when your kid does it at home you can celebrate and keep track of each accomplishment!
Get a break: This might sound kind of rude, but parents need breaks. Especially when you have a special needs child. When I send my kid to ABA, I know he is in excellent care and is receiving the 1 on 1 he needs that sometimes I am not able to provide.

I am not an expert when it comes to ABA, I am just a parent who has her own personal thoughts and feelings. I’d love to hear how you feel about ABA and what has worked for you!

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How ABA Has Helped My Autism Child

May 16, 2018March 18, 20187 Comments

With Antonio going to ABA full time now, I find myself seeing some prgression and regression at the same time. I can’t beat myself up about it and I can’t study why or how because it is only natural and will happen. I have to be patient and let things just happen.

All of these small milestones that he has accomplished this week seem like it would be common for kids at a much younger age than Antonio’s age, but we can’t compare kids like this. I like to share our milestones for others who might be going through something similar.

He can brush his teeth!! Without actually hating it!! I still guide his hand a little bit but before we had to literally hold him down. We are now working on adding in new steps soon (like putting it away, etc). This has been a HUGE help!
He does the sign for more then points at what he wants!! This is mega huge he could either do one or the other but never both at once. It is a two step process which is great and is a form of non-verbal communication.
He sits (when asked and for long periods!!!). His attention is is there and he sits when asked, this makes me so happy knowing that her can sit and do some activities together. He can hold attention longer if something new is introduced and is exciting.
He picks up toys and puts them away when asked. We make him clean up his toys by picking up toys and putting into his toy box. We can do this for a ton of toys and actually be attentive! So we end up turning it into a fun game!!

All of these things we tried to do when he wasn’t in ABA, but it wasn’t consistent. Now, we are able to communicate non verbally! It is amazing how things have progressed and I can’t wait to see more of what will happen!

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