week 22.

This week was a big one for Emmett. :) He started using his new therapeutic listening system and has been really cooperative! We are so grateful to be able to have this system for Emmett to use at home. It is a blessing to be able to take advantage of such technology. We think it will greatly benefit him and help him to utilize all the parts of his brain. It's a pretty slick system; after it came in the mail we took it to Teanna and she set everything up for us. She assigned two playlists for him to listen to each day. In 2-3 weeks she will assign new playlists. Each playlist has different auditory exercises that help the neurodevelopment of his brain. It essentially "wakes up" the areas of his brain that he is unable to use. 

I feel like I am already noticing differences in him. One of the playlists causes him to talk to us nonstop! It's pretty funny. We have also noticed him singing more in front of people (he normally never sings in front of us). So some wheels are starting to turn in that brain of his that weren't turning before...

Emmett is still adjusting wearing the headphones outside of therapy. I think he was pretty confused at first because he associates the headphones with Teanna. He has to wear them for 30 minutes during each session, which is hard for him. Sometimes he gets frustrated and pulls them off, but if we set a visual timer that he can look at, he does better. He can watch and see how much time he has left. 

This week in speech therapy, Zena wanted to try the session without me in the room. It went really well. Emmett has been getting frustrated and shutting down early during speech. When he does this he buries his face in my lap and wants to give up. This time he lasted the entire hour and was focused and happy. I was a bit sad because I like to observe the session, but I can see how that can be distracting for him. 

We went and visited Emmett's school and were able to talk to his teachers as well. We are meeting with them again, along with the special ed team, on September 2nd for a welcome meeting. Emmett seemed pretty comfortable in his classroom, but that may change when the 20 other kids are are in there. We are going to visit the school a few more times before he officially starts so he can make the transition easier. 

weeks 20 & 21.

We have been noticing great improvements in Emmett's speech. Both family members and friends have noticed as well. He is speaking much better full sentences and makes more of an effort to describe things. :) We are proud of him! He always speaks the most with Ethnie. I love listening to them have a conversation. Ethnie makes him talk to her and loves to correct him (imagine that), but he doesn't seem to mind when she is the one doing it.
Next week at speech therapy Zena wants to try having Emmett in the room alone with her. The past two weeks he has been losing interest and it may be because I am there. Zena thinks if I stay in the lobby he might stay focused longer. I admit, I'd rather be in there so I can take notes on the session, but I understand.
OT has been going pretty well. Teanna is trying to get Emmett to sit on a different therapy swing, but he won't do it. He wants to use the same one every time. Change is hard for him AND he is stubborn; it's a bad combination. Hmph. Teanna is also working with Emmett to copy what she draws. We are trying to get him to draw the basic symbols he needs to start writing letters.
Yesterday, Emmett had a bad meltdown at a party we were at. We pushed him too far and didn't pay attention to the signs he was giving us, trying to tell us he needed to leave. He ended up having an ugly meltdown in front of everyone, which ended up in Matt carrying him to the car screaming, kicking, hitting and flailing. Yikes. However, he hasn't had a bad meltdown like that in a while. We are getting better at recognizing his triggers.
Good news - We are able to get Emmett a therapeutic listening system, which just might come in the mail tomorrow! We are so grateful to be getting one of these and can't wait to get Emmett started on it. I think it will really help with overstimulation.

week 19.

This week wasn't the best as far as Emmett's progress is concerned. Ten minutes into his speech therapy session he shut down and didn't want to do anything Zena offered him. He kept burying his face in my lap and shut his surroundings out. Zena said this happens with many of her patients where they become tired of therapy and "hit a wall" in progress. Some kids need a week or two break. Hopefully, Emmett just had a bad morning and will be back to his cooperative self next week. Because of his shut down in speech, OT did not start out well. Teanna had to dim the lights and calm him down with a massage. He responds very well to this. It's like hitting the reset button for him. Emmett spent the majority of the session on the therapy swing. He really relaxed and even let go with both hands while swinging. This is a good sign because it means his brain is processing what his body is doing while moving through space (proprioceptive skills).
I feel like Emmett has been fighting me lately on the things he needs help with. He hasn't been cooperating while I try to brush him and do joint compressions. He has also been asking me to put a diaper on him instead of wanting to go pee on the potty. I do not know why he is doing this. Structured eating times have been difficult as well. I have read a lot of material on autism in the past four months and many times I have read that I will want to give up trying with my child. However, immediately following that statement, the statement that always follows is DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR CHILD. Some days are harder than others and I need to keep repeating that statement in my mind each day. I cannot give up on my child.