Pain management and IEP's Autism

We are in the middle of IEP season and life still goes on. If I ever think that my life is exhausting I know that Doodle's teacher is working harder then I am. We are in the middle of IEP season and that's every single special needs child IEP that has to be updated to carry over to the new school year.

I discovered that the reason why Doodle was acting up so much was that she had a yeast infection and now she is feeling much better since she's been on medication.

Fast fact, a lot of children on the spectrum suffer with yeast infections. And yes this can cause a lot of their horrible behaviors. Behaviors that feel as if you are living in a nightmare. I know how Doodle is suppose to act. As her parent I am suppose to know my child, what she likes what she hates and what makes her tick. I know when she wakes in the middle of the night but the hardest is knowing when she hurts. That could be stomach pains or it could be something else. She's normally so happy that even if she gets hurt she will only show pain for a single moment. But the behavior is something that should be a tale tale sign. She now has a new pediatrician where we live and we are learning about her and she is learning about Doodle. It's hard because our old pediatrician knew Doodle since birth. Worked with us to get services for speech and occupational therapy. I miss our old pediatrician but that's okay. We are in a new chapter and we shouldn't be afraid of change in our lives.

Living with autism is not easy as much as people would like to think it is. I now have to deal with a child who has become obsessed with other children on the spectrum and loves watching YouTube videos about them so she tries to get away with they do such as throwing tantrums and biting herself. Are we seriously going to another form of self harming? Not on my watch we aren't.

I have a business to run and a child that needs to be hugged and loved on even when she doesn't want to be touched. That was always an issue with Doodle when she was a bitty. She never wanted to be touched. She was a NICU baby for 2 and a half weeks. And that was so hard being a new mom and not being able to hold my baby or rock her. I wasn't able to sing to her, kiss her or even touch her. She had to be on pure oxygen because she had a bowel movement in the womb so her lungs were compromised. She was the baby in a bubble. I couldn't even touch her little hands. All I could do was look at her inside her containment and long to touch her. It was like being at the zoo and watching from behind the glass. It was so oxygen could be pumped into her bubble. The only ones able to touch or hold her were the nurses. It was so hard.

So yeah, she's come a long way. And she's my only baby, who I want to be happy at all moments of the day. There were so many tears shed throughout her life and so many prayers lifted up for her. I used to put her to bed and when she would finally fall asleep I would lean over her pray over her and whisper in her ear that I loved her. One night clear as day she said I lub ewe. And that was the best thing in the world to hear come out of her mouth. She was still non verbal at that time. So I knew that if she had the potential to speak when she was in REM sleep she had the ability to change the world and it was my job to unlock her potential. To push her and mold her.

The world will never conform to her and her disability but we can be somewhat of normal when she is out in public. I love my child more then anything in the world and I will support what she wants to do or be. If it's to be a doctor I will go broke making that a possibility. If she wants to be an artist I will do everything in my being to make it her life's work. I'm an artist but I'm also a creative. Which is why my company is called JSNcreative. And like my title we have to Just Start Now. Don't let anything hold you back. Don't let anything stand in your way. Be the locomotive in the video Breakthru by Queen. Move the barriers. Don't let anyone stop you from being the best for your child.

I'm a parent most teachers hate but I'm also the parent that a lot of teachers love. I'm the involved parent. I can't help my child or her teacher without that support system. And we all have to be on the same page.

At this point I just can't write anymore. As I type this there are so many changes taking place with my Grumbacher career that is leaving me devastated. There is so much going on in our lives and so many changes that are taking place as I type this. I will see you guys on the flip side.

 

That's one hell of a meltdown Autism

So this morning should have been like any other Monday. Get ready for school catch the bus and my day should have gone on like any typical day. No, having a child with autism doesn't work that way. It was time to brush her hair. We were somewhat on schedule. Just a few minutes behind. Nothing out of the normal. And that's when it happened. Doodle saw my coffee cup on the wrong side of the desk and dumped it over. Right into the animation computer and the publishing computer.

I thought OMG I need to get that cleaned up. I grab paper towels on my desk and start trying to get the coffee out of the vents of the laptops. And that's when her meltdown started. I was like it's fine, it's fine! I promise it's okay!!! But no it was not okay. Her meltdown escalated. I'm covered in coffee, the laptops are covered in coffee, the floor is even covered in coffee, even my phone was covered in coffee. It was only half the cup and this stuff is everywhere. If anyone should be having a meltdown it should be me!

So much for having on clean clothes. So she's taking a mental break from school today cause there is no way I'm going to subject her teachers to that.

So here I sit, thankful I got the magazine finished last night. I'm a little upset, I will admit that. I have so much to do. That to do list, yeah it's covered in coffee. Most parents deal with there kid tearing up walls. I'm dealing with having to teach this morning and I can barely read my to do list. And it's a doozy of a list. Today I'm trying to catch up on 2 weeks worth of stuff. That way the magazine can be early at the end of the month.

I'm debating just going back to bed. There isn't enough energy to deal with this day. But while Doodle is home for mental break issues I have to keep going. She lost the iPad and I put her to work on being in social situations in public. She even had to push the grocery cart at the stores we went to.

This all went down last week which is why there was no blog. That was a lot of coffee to clean up. It also basically set up the rest of my week. And I was having a really hard week thanks to that one incident last week. So here I am now, still trying to play catch up. And Doodle well, she's now taking naps at school.

So here's what was found out. The reason why her behavior is so bad. She's got a yeast infection. For those who are not aware children on the spectrum normally get yeast infections. Yes, even the boys get yeast infections. So she's now on medication for the yeast infection. We are going to get this under control and get her back to focusing. Because yeah, her behavior is really bad right now. Her first pill was on Friday and her next pill is next Friday. I've taken a good portion of her snack away and instead of juices for snack she gets a bottle water. Healthier yogurt, cheese, fruit and cheese crackers instead of cookies. Her teacher gets a rice crispy treat cause we are headed into IEP season and my kid is absolutely horrible at school. Her teacher needs a pick me up.

Hopefully soon we can get this all straightened out and can get back to what I know to be a normal life. I'm looking forward to that. Because there is no normal when it comes to autism, but it's normal to me. Let's hope this week is much better and I can get work done. I have taken today off from everything and just rest. I can get back to work tomorrow. Hence the reason why the blog is not only a week late but over 8 hours late.

See you guys on the flip side.