I'm sorry but it's for your own good

This week should be titled "messing with B". We are seriously rocking his world in a major way. We have 2 new programs that, while good for him in the long run, feel pretty torturous.

First, we've upped the ante for his PECS (picture exchange communication system). He's really good at giving us the pictures but not so good at pairing them with a vocal, which is really the goal. So, we kept only the pictures of things that we know he can say, stashed the rest and unless he says it, he doesn't get it. Period. These are not pictures of, say brussel sprouts, these are his favorite things. Cookies. Thomas. TV. Ipad. Etc. Etc. Needless to say, it's making him pretty mad. We have successfully gotten him to make some vocal requests though. We're still in search of that magic key to unlock communicative language for him. As hard as it is, if we can make it powerful enough for him to talk for it, it will all be worth it. In the meantime, it is unbelievably hard to deny him and be responsible for the inevitable tears.

On top of this fun challenge, we introduced a "tolerance" program. As B gets older, he is getting more rigid and resistant to change (aren't we all?). So this one really aims to mess with him - shake things up, keep him guessing. There are a long list of things but basically, we're attempting to get him to try new things and to tolerate them. Simple things like sitting at a different spot at the dinner table to more difficult things like getting in a pool of water or wearing a hat or sunglasses. This too is not easy on him. I caused a huge meltdown yesterday simply by cutting his grilled cheese in different sized pieces. It has been eye opening though. I can easily see how, without any intervention, we could spend our lives walking on eggshells, afraid of what might set our child off.

On a positive note, we re-introduced motor imitation this week. This was something B really, really struggled with and we ultimately had to put on hold. He was great at imitating things that involved objects but he could not do anything with his own body like clapping, putting his hands up etc. In just one week, I have watched him successfully clap, wave, put his hands on his head, touch his face, touch his toes, pat his belly and several others. This is HUGE progress and a major stepping stone for his learning. I've said it before but imitation is KEY. I feel almost giddy watching him and remembering where he was just a few months ago.

Also on a positive note, we had a fun "normal" afternoon today. We had a cancellation in therapy after about noon. Since I already had a sitter here, I decided we should take the boys out for some fun. B rarely gets out in the community these days so I kind of feel like I need to jump at every opportunity. We took them to an indoor climbing/park type place and he did amazingly great. Sure, he ran around like a madman but he played in the bounce house with tons of other kids, transitioned easily between activities, took direction and played appropriately. Most importantly, he had a GREAT time. I'm worn out from it but encouraged and ready for the next adventure.