So Much to be Thankful for!!!!

Can't believe Thanksgiving is already over! We have so much to be thankful for this year!!! So thankful for our healthy children, and so thankful for our whole family! Most of all thankful that we live in a time with amazing medical and therapeutic professionals. Jo Jo has made such huge steps lately, the words are starting to flow, tantrums are getting better, and he is such a happy little boy!!!

Jo Jo has become very vocal, he is mimicking almost everything he hears. He almost sounds like a babbling baby at times, it is so cute! He can tell us if he wants a drink or if he is hungry. He has also become a very picky eater lately. He used to eat just about anything you fed him. Typical toddler!

We still have our busy schedule of almost everyday someone at the house or somewhere to go. But he is getting the best treatment! Everyone who has helped from Early Intervention, our doctors, and therapist have just been amazing!!! I am so bummed that we only have two months left of working with Early Intervention. When Jo Jo turns 3 in February he will transition to Rockland Public School's and Jo Jo will start school.

Jo Jo started occupational therapy on Monday, she gave us a temporary weighted blanket. We are testing it out for one week to see how he does with it. If he responds well to the blanket they have someone who will make us a blanket and our insurance will cover the cost. The first night seemed to go well, he stayed in bed all night, he was still in bed when I got up in the morning. Night two I did pick him up off the floor twice. Night's 3 and 4 he stayed in bed!!! I hope it stay's this way because it breaks my heart finding him on the cold hardwood floor. The occupational therapist think's the reason he may be getting up is the hardwood floor must be giving him some sensory input, because when he does get up he doesn't try to wake us up. We don't even hear him. The blanket is small, it just cover's him. It is very soft and has many little pocket's that have little bean bags in them for the weight. His blanket is 4 lbs. The blanket can also be very easily washed as long as you take out all the little bean bags first.

Every time Jo Jo makes the littlest step it is like the hugest accomplishment!!! He does things that make me laugh, love, cry and smile!!!

Yesterday was probably one of his sweetest moments. My Hubby Joe was half asleep on the couch watching movies and Jo Jo with his cup in hand opened his Dada's hand and placed his cup into his hand and said "me cup please" in his sweet little voice. It sounds more like "we up pease" but we knew what he wanted. That for us is such a huge accomplishment!!! He is much happier boy now that he can communicate with us! It is the littlest thing's that we are thankful for!!!

Our Top 5 Fun Idea's for Sensory Processing!

I am always looking for some fun activities for the kids and I to do together and I find sensory projects are always the most entertaining. I just wanted to share some fun Sensory Ideas I have found on Pinterest!!! We have also tried all of the example's listed and both of my kids love it!

1. Sensory Board's which can be made from item's found around the house and they are easily stored away in a shoe box or plastic bin. Just take some card board squares and let your imagination do the rest!!!
 
2. Our 5 Senses! This one is also very easy to do and can be down with item's found in your home.

3. Sensory Balloon's! Fill each balloon with a different texture such as rice, flour, coffee beans, sand, or bead's. Very easy!

4. Sensory Bin's! Thank you Mary for this awesome idea! Sensory bin's are easy and it is a lot of fun to do different themed bin's!

5. Sensory Bottle's! Fill with anything! Colorful or noisy, let your kids shake shake shake!!!

Temper Tantrum VS. Autism Meltdown

The past week has been a looooonnnggg one! Jo Jo's tantrums have escalated to a new level for us. We have never seen some of this behavior so it has been shocking and stressful for us. I have been doing my own research and talking with out therapist's to get as much info and education as possible on this matter since it is such a huge safety issue!

We have come to the conclusion that it is not a Temper Tantrum it is a Autism Meltdown. There is a difference between the two. Majority of the time a Temper Tantrum is to gain some sort of attention, and the Autism Meltdown usually is because they are denied a certain activity, or a sensory overload. After that being said I have realized that Jo Jo is not having a Temper Tantrum he is having a Autism Meltdown.

Temper Tantrums
A temper tantrum is very straightforward. A child does not get his or her own way and, as grandma would say, "pitches a fit." This is not to discount the temper tantrum. They are not fun for anyone.
Tantrums have several qualities that distinguish them from meltdowns.

* A child having a tantrum will look occasionally to see if his or her behavior is getting a reaction.
* A child in the middle of a tantrum will take precautions to be sure they won't get hurt.
* A child who throws a tantrum will attempt to use the social situation to his or her benefit.
* When the situation is resolved, the tantrum will end as suddenly as it began.
* A tantrum will give you the feeling that the child is in control, although he would like you to think he is not.
* A tantrum is thrown to achieve a specific goal and once the goal is met, things return to normal.

FACT
If you feel like you are being manipulated by a tantrum, you are right. You are. A tantrum is nothing more than a power play by a person not mature enough to play a subtle game of internal politics. Hold your ground and remember who is in charge.A temper tantrum in a child who is not autistic is simple to handle. Parents simply ignore the behavior and refuse to give the child what he is demanding. Tantrums usually result when a child makes a request to have or do something that the parent denies. Upon hearing the parent's "no," the tantrum is used as a last-ditch effort.The qualities of a temper tantrum vary from child to child. When children decide this is the way they are going to handle a given situation, each child's style will dictate how the tantrum appears. Some children will throw themselves on the floor, screaming and kicking. Others will hold their breath, thinking that his "threat" on their life will cause parents to bend. Some children will be extremely vocal and repeatedly yell, "I hate you," for the world to hear. A few children will attempt bribery or blackmail, and although these are quieter methods, this is just as much of a tantrum as screaming. Of course, there are the very few children who pull out all the stops and use all the methods in a tantrum.Effective parenting, whether a child has autism or not, is learning that you are in control, not the child. This is not a popularity contest. You are not there to wait on your child and indulge her every whim. Buying her every toy she wants isn't going to make her any happier than if you say no. There is no easy way out of this parenting experience. Sometimes you just have to dig in and let the tantrum roar.

Meltdowns

If the tantrum is straightforward, the meltdown is every known form of manipulation, anger, and loss of control that the child can muster up to demonstrate. The problem is that the loss of control soon overtakes the child. He needs you to recognize this behavior and rein him back in, as he is unable to do so. A child with autism in the middle of a meltdown desperately needs help to gain control.

* During a meltdown, a child with autism does not look, nor care, if those around him are reacting to his behavior.
* A child in the middle of a meltdown does not consider her own safety.
* A child in a meltdown has no interest or involvement in the social situation. 
* Meltdowns will usually continue as though they are moving under their own power and wind down slowly.
* A meltdown conveys the feeling that no one is in control.
* A meltdown usually occurs because a specific want has not been permitted and after that point has been reached, nothing can satisfy the child until the situation is over.

Unlike tantrums, meltdowns can leave even experienced parents at their wit's end, unsure of what to do. When you think of a tantrum, the classic image of a child lying on the floor with kicking feet, swinging arms, and a lot of screaming is probably what comes to mind. This is not even close to a meltdown. A meltdown is best defined by saying it is a total loss of behavioral control. It is loud, risky at times, frustrating, and exhausting.

The Tantrum Life

ABA Services has kicked off to a interesting and exhausting start. We started last week on Wednesday and so far I am loving the help we are getting. Marissa and Emmy Lou are so nice!!! Jo Jo is warming up fast and enjoys his time with them. It has been a challenge since we are not used to so many hours of service. For the first couple of week's it will be mostly fun and play time as they collect data to put together the correct programs for Jo Jo. The first week went very well.

This week on the other hand Jo Jo has done a complete 360 in the tantrum department. His typical tantrum usually consists of him throwing himself backwards and falling and he would cry for a minute and it would be over if left alone, usually if you would interfere with him he would tantrum longer. It's best to just let it run it's course as long as there were no safety concerns.

I have noticed in the last few weeks his tantrums have started lasting longer, he would sometimes try to get my attention, or he even get's more physical and will throw a toy or kick me if I was standing near him. I didn't think to much of it other than he is 2 1/2 they have tantrums, we will get through it.

After yesterday I realized I was wrong. Marissa was over for her scheduled time of 8 to 11. Jo Jo seemed himself that morning and he was happy to see Marissa and both kids were playing and having fun. Jo Jo was working on a alphabet puzzle. Just so everyone know's Jo Jo is obsessive with letter's and they all must go in order from A to Z. Anyway he was putting the letter's in order and Caylee tried to help and placed a letter in the puzzle but it was out of order. That's all it took. Jo Jo had the most explosive tantrum I have ever seen!!!

The tantrum lasted a good 15 to 20 minutes. He tossed the puzzle, he tossed himself backwards and hit his head. He got up and started running all over the living room crying and screaming and just tossing him self around. If there was anything in his way it frustrated him. He would kick it or throw it. At this point I was very concerned and I stepped in to try and console him which only enraged him more. He hit me in the face with both hands and arched back and kicked me. I knew at this point he was at his worst that I have ever seen. I got up to get his sippy cup and Marissa followed Jo Jo around to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Finally he calmed down when he got his cup and I snuggled him until he wanted to go play again. He continued to be easily irritated from the rest of the session.

We had a 4 hour break before the next ABA session which would start at 3:30 so we went out to do some Christmas shopping. Jo Jo is always so goof in store's. He sits in the wagon and doesn't say boo! It's like he is in a calm state of mind. We picked up lunch and headed home.

At 3:30 when Emmy Lou arrived I informed her immediately about our eventful morning with Marissa and she seemed extremely concerned. As we talked about addressing his tantrum issues and how to handle them and work on eliminating them and redirecting him, Emmy Lou told me she was going to have to provoke a tantrum. She had to see what was actually going on in order to come to a solution.

After our long morning it wasn't hard to provoke a tantrum. We started with a number puzzle and he was placing all the number's in order and Emmy tried hiding one of the number's from him so he couldn't put them in order and that was it the fuse was lit! Except this time the tantrum was in fact the worst and longest yet!!! It went on for a solid 30 minute's. He was hitting his head, throwing himself, throwing toys, crying and so on. The tantrum didn't end until he exhausted himself and he had nothing left. WOW!!! I was speechless!!! Emmy Lou expressed deep concern for Jo Jo's safety and she did tell me she was going to have to contact her supervisor and just let her know what was going on. She also told me they had some questionnaire's for me to fill out based on his behavior so we could find the underlying cause of these tantrums. for example if they were attention seeking, trying to escape from doing something, or a sensory issue. This would ultimately be the decision maker for the plan for treating and teaching other ways for him to react to situation's.

We ended the session with some fun play to keep him happy and it wasn't long before he was out like a light and he slept 13 hours last night!!!

Today's session was amazing!!! Not one tantrum today!!! Jo Jo was in good spirit's all day. Emmy Lou's Supervisor Michelle did come out to the house today to talk to us about Jo Jo's behavior and help explain what they do to find out why this is happening and how we can work on it. We also completed our questionnaires to find out a possible reason why he is doing this. Majority of the time the tantrums start it because he is not getting what he wants. It is less likely attention seeking, and more so because he may not want to do something we or he is doing. and least likely a sensory issue which is a huge relief!!! If it was due to a sensory issue it is much harder to work on and correct. It would also mean that he like's hitting his head. Thankfully that is not the case.

Well I am one exhausted Mama!!!

Halloween was Awesome!!!

Jo Jo had an amazing and fun Halloween!!! We had ABA in the morning for 3 hours, and Jo Jo's sister Caylee had a fun day at preschool. Caylee had silly hat day and chose to wear her pink princess hat, not surprised LOL! She came home wearing pink butterfly wings, I have no idea where they came from. I brought them back to school and Caylee's teacher told me that Caylee insisted that she was a butterfly LOL! She is something else.

It was our first time taking the kids Trick or Treating! They both had so much fun and really enjoyed it. We used our wagon for Jo Jo. Caylee insisted on walking. We probably went to about 20 houses on our street. Every time we stopped at a house Jo Jo through his leg over the wagon and climbed out and ran up to every door and knocked with his little finger. It was so cute!!! Sometimes he waited for the door to open, sometimes he turned away and ran back to the wagon and climbed back in. Caylee waited patiently and said "Happy Halloween & Trick or Treat". Then off to the next house. It was fun for all of us!!!

Both kids were exhausted and sound asleep in bed shortly after we got home. Couldn't have asked for a better night!