Today I spent the morning down at Hopebridge Pediatric Specialists where Boston receives his ABA Therapy along with Speech and OT. I have mixed emotions about ABA. I have seen some amazing changes in him – but at the same time I just hate the idea of him being there altogether. I want to drop him off at preschool, not all day therapy. But Autism and Down Syndrome is our reality – ABA therapy is our reality.
The center is great because they have lots of great activities to balance out his sensory needs….and most of the time he LOVES it:
Especially, any time he gets in the swing!
And the crash pad :)
Now…if only feeding time was more fun…come on guys…this goes quicker if YOU feed ME! <no buddy , its time you get the hang of this self feeding stuff!>
But then there is trampoline time….more smiles.
And he LOVES Ashley, his ABA therapist! Watching them together makes my heart happy.
Today he was REALLY showing off with the shape sorter – got them ALL in!
One of his favorite things in the world is the deep pressure massage, it is amazing – he can be turning in circles, screaming, having a completely tough day and this calms him right down (who wouldn’t love it really??!!)
You can almost see his eyes roll back in is head, so calm….
He just started with a new speech therapist so they are still getting to know each other but I am sure he will love her!
These pictures show lots of fun and smiles (which I love, of course) – what they do not show are him biting two therapists, him hitting himself in the head with the stackable wooden circles when he becomes completely frustrated, and tears streaming down his face with us left wondering what he needs….all three of these things also happened today. There are NO pictures of that – what mom wants to document that? You tend to not take pictures of those times in your life that simply suck. But being non-verbal, dealing with apraxia, sensory processing issues, and all the other nuances that come along with being a preemie, having Down Syndrome AND Autism is just too much for him at times. Let’s be honest, it’s too much for me sometimes.
So….we are in intensive ABA, we are in OT, we are in Speech. We are also IN LOVE with him, we hold him, we kiss him, we remind him in a hundred different ways each day that we are trying so desperately to help him figure out this crazy world.
Hang in there! You are doing a great job with all the therapies at once! I like ABA and how it teaches them how to communicate their needs and wants. You will get there. Just be patient…sometimes the parents need to learn the “wait” too. ;)
If not engaged in one-on-one learning and playing like this, our children with autism spend their time stimming and doing perseverative, repetitive actions. So, it’s wonderful what you’re doing.