So, now to introduce boy number 3. I usually call him pookie bear, but we'll go with Bear for short, or until I come up with something better! Little Bear is 4 years old, and was diagnosed with autism three weeks ago. Now, this really came as a surprise. I thought we'd dodged the bullet this time. Obviously, he's higher functioning than the other two boys, hence my surprise! I knew he had a speech problem (he still talks like he's two) and I was prepared for some speech therapy. Once he started playgroup in the autumn in became apparent that there were some other problems. He wasn't playing with the other children very much, and he was often found staring off into space. He also tends to use a sing-song voice.
The issues we've identified at home were things like he constantly rubs one of my moles for comfort (he's done this since he was a baby), he's afraid of the inside of his pillow (the pillow itself, if it pokes out of the case), he's terrified of the bath, he won't let me change his sheet or duvet cover, and he likes to act out the movie he's watching.
Now, Daddy and I are a bit eccentric ourselves, so things like this don't necessarily stand out. We're prepared for a bit of strangeness! More to come on that later....
We are still in the very early stages of finding out what this diagnosis will mean for him, and what steps we'll have to put in place. Again, school is extremely helpful, and they're already developing an IEP for him. He's on a waiting list for speech therapy with an autism expert and social skills groups. And, as with the others, I need to develop some visuals for him. My Bear is such a lovely wee guy. He's a cuddler and a giggler and just cute as hell. Bear has his moments of course, but what kid doesn't? And any tantrum he pulls just cannot equal The Prince of Darkness!
There you have it, the basic introduction for my three boys. You'll learn more about them as we go, and I'll give you a bit of detail about Daddy and me next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment