Dx - One Year Later & ABC Video

Today marks one year since Matthew's Autism diagnosis. (And what a year it has been!) Matthew has progressed consistently and I am less fearful for his future than I was back then. Matthew still babbles sometimes but also had a large vocabulary and can put sentences together. He still stims but less so and doesn't act as spacey as he used to...he is more aware of his environment and has better eye contact. It's hard to attribute where his gains have come from...is it the GFCF diet, the preschool autism class, the in-home ABA, the private OT, the DAN supplements/anti-fungal meds/chelation, or maturity? We will continue his current treatments in the hope that one day he will get out of special ed and be "mainstreamed" in the school system. And if that doesn't happen, we'll accept that...all we REALLY want is for Matthew to be happy and healthy.

Here is a video I made last night after Matthew's bath. It is him is singing the alphabet song. He still has some pronunciation issues but has come a long way and we are very proud of him. Remember, this is a boy who only had 3 words at age 2...he didn't point, had limited eye contact, only sometimes responded to his name, and was often in his own little world. But even then, he was very loving and quite the little ladies man! :)

Hide & Seek Video

John will be leaving in a few days for 2 months (he's going to CT for a submarine course). Matthew's Occupational Therapist recommended that we make some videos of Daddy so I can play these for him when he asks "where daddy?" or "daddy home?". Here is the first one...Matthew LOVES to play hide and go seek with his dad. He requests it every night as soon as John walks thru the door!

P.S. Please cover your eyes when I show the dining room table!!! It is covered with Matthew's school art projects, his lab test boxes, etc. That room looks like a bomb went off in there...I will clean it one of these days!

TGIF! and New OCD Behavior

I can't believe I haven't posted in 11 days...I think that's a record for me! It's been hectic, plus I discovered Facebook and now have a semi-addiction to it. If any of you are on there, let me know and we can be "friends". :)

So it's another chelation weekend and we're getting the hang of it now. The only bummer is having to stay up late OR go to bed and wake up at midnight to give him his 3rd dose of the day. (I apply the creams at 8am, 4pm, and midnight.)

New since the last post: Matthew's obsessive-compulsive behavior. This started about the same time school did. He has to walk in a certain way or else he goes back to where he started and does it all over again (and says "no go this way"). He does this when coming down the stairs, walking thru the hallway, and going to the car in the garage. And today his teacher told me he is doing this at school as well. It is very frustrating, especially when we're in a hurry. I'm not sure WHY he's doing it or what to do about it other than try to redirect, but then he starts to scream/cry and create lots of drama. So if you have any insights/advice, please comment!

Round 2 of TD Chelation

We did transdermal DMSA again over the weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun - applied every 8 hours). I'm a bit tired from the midnight applications, but other than that nothing bad to report. Matthew is no longer afraid of the gloves and tolerates the creams. He does seem to be more verbal and is putting little sentences together. Now we have our 11 days "off".

Back to PAC!

After a 2 week break, Matthew is back at PAC (= preschool autism class). In his class, there are 6 students ages 2-5, one teacher, and 2 aides. Matthew, Heather, and Simon are returning students and the other 3 are new to the class (although one was in PAC at another school last year). Matthew was supposed to change schools this Fall but they "redid the boundaries" so he is staying where he is...which is good b/c he avoids the transition. Here is a picture of Matthew with his teacher, Miss Heather and his only female classmate (little) Heather. They attend 27 hours per week.

Doors, Elevators & Merry-Go-Rounds

Matthew has a door obsession. Over the last year it has changed from the electric garage door to the bi-fold pantry doors to the sliding screen door, and now it's automatic doors (especially glass ones that slide sideways) at public places. For the last week, we have been working on his sliding door fetish and it is getting better (at least when another person is around like John or his therapist) but still needs work. Matthew gets upset if he doesn't follow a certain order, must watch the doors close behind him, and likes to repeat the process. This can make Mommy a little nutty when she is trying to get into/out of the library or grocery store in a timely manner!

Matthew also loves elevators...hmm, maybe b/c they have sliding doors! He will go up & down 50 times if you let him. The funny thing is he used to be terrified of these as a baby...he would shake with fear and I'd have to hold his hand/tell him it was OK. Now, I have to pull him out!

He also used to be afraid of the merry-go-round at Burke Lake Park. I don't know when/how he got over this fear, but he really enjoys the one inside Springfield Mall. Here are 2 video clips...one of us in the elevator there and the other of Matthew with his daddy on the ride.