The first thing that you want to do that I really should have done to begin with is make sure that I had chain locks on all the doors. Way up high. Even though your child is still young, in most cases of diagnoses you still have to have some locks on the doors and windows that work properly. Doodle was notorious for wandering off. And it wasn't until a few years ago that I found out you can put a type of chain lock on the back sliding door. That was the day she found out how to open the back sliding glass door. Though it had a simple lock on it and a pole that locked the door in place, when she figured those out it was time to get something else to keep her in while I cooked. And yes I did a lot of cooking.
And again we had to move the chain lock on the front door when she started using chairs as ladders and figured out how to open that as well. The further out of her reach the better. Alarm systems for your house work great too because of the beeping noise every time someone opens a door. If you really can't afford that, as most parents of children on the spectrum can't. You can always get the kits for door and window alarms at the hardware store. Think of it this way, you're not just baby proofing your home. You're autism proofing you home. And it may sound weird but make sure your bathroom door doesn't have a lock on it unless you have a key for the door.
Eliminate the worry first. When you remove all that you worry about then you can begin to breathe easily.
The next step is to make sure that you get into therapy. I though Doodle would just need speech and nothing else. That's not the case. She needed occupational therapy as well. It did take longer for her to get into OT because where we received services at didn't have an OT therapist. It took a long time for them to get one and I loved loved loved the OT therapist she got. Tosha helped me to understand a lot of things. (Tosha and I are still really good friends. Love her to pieces and can't see my life without her. She was actually the person that discovered that Doodle had developed PICA, which lead to another thing to concur.) Like all the crayons I bought every single week because Doodle loved to doodle, well she refused to hold her crayons and markers the correct way and the crayons needed to be broken in half so she would no longer use the palmer grip. It forced her to hold the crayons correctly. Finding markers that were small were a bit of a challenge. Now all I have to do is a simple correction but saying no palmer grasp. But when a child is first diagnosed on the spectrum the most important thing to do is get into therapy.
I used to think that Doodle was diagnosed too late to get the correct therapy. I have a friend whose child was just diagnosed and her son is 7. I used to hear a lot that a child has to be diagnosed at at least 2 years of age. Doodle was diagnosed at 3. I've had a lot of people and I mean a lot of people tell me that I waited too late to get the correct help for Doodle. I don't feel that is the case. She did have early intervention. We had helping hands come to the house every single week for speech therapy since she was 2. The only problem is Doodle loved to play in the grass and they were under the impression that children on the spectrum didn't like grass because of their sensory issues. Well, first and foremost you need to remember that not every child on the spectrum is the same. Every child is unique and different. Though children on the spectrum share some of the same quirks they don't all share all of them. Some children on the spectrum flap their hands like a bird. Doodle doesn't. And the rare times that she does it's a single flap one you miss if you blink your eyes. And it's very rare that she does that. So rare that it's something that will happen once or twice a year.
Play games with your child. Teach them games, teach them to share and take turns. Doodle loves it when we play follow the leader and she's the leader. The look on her face of utter trust and comfort when I mimic everything she does that is carefree. When she pretends she's a plane and runs up and down where ever we are, she loves that. It's a simple way of connecting with her and accepting her and she knows that. She's not stupid, she's a very smart girl. All she wants is what every child with a disability wants and that's to be accepted and be treated like everyone else. That's your job as a parent too. No matter if your child has speech or not, don't speak about them as if they are not in the room. I know Doodle has vocalized her feelings on this to her father. Not to me. When I talk about her I praise her and include her even when I talk about her autism. It's her ability not mine. And no I don't call it a disability, it's her ability because there is so much that she can do. She may be lacking in some things but she is far ahead of other children her age. And those are "normal" children compared to her.
Well, time to get back to work. Vaseline doesn't make itself and right now my homemade vaseline is in high demand because it locks moisture in, removes the ash of skin, the chapness of winter and helps promote healing of broken skin. That I have graphic design work to do and an outfit to create for Doodle and her photoshoot. I truly hope that you have a great day!
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