Progress update

Busy times around here! Anyway, Jayden is doing AMAZING! He's eating better, for sure. Last week he ate (and loved!) some teriyaki chicken with broccoli. He also loved some BBQ shrimp and green beans on Saturday night. We are working on switching him from his absolute favorite cereal in the ENTIRE world, Fruity Pebbles (yikes!!!), to Cinnamon Chex. Eventually, I plan to replace his cereal with a bowl of homemade Gluten Free Granola mix, but I have to take baby steps with him.

On the school front, there's certainly been an improvement! He's coming home with COMPLETED lessons done correctly. He's coloring in the lines and even getting creative with colors. He is more attentive. He's focusing better. He still needs to move around to learn, but he is a boy and he's only five (almost 6!!), so that's normal. I don't think anyone should expect a child his age to sit still to learn. He went from only knowing about 4 or 5 of his high frequency words, to know all but about 9 of them. And they are up to about 28 words now, so that's great!

We've decided to eliminate dairy from his diet again to see if that will help as well. We just implemented this change last week and he's going to miss his yogurt :( I'm headed to the store now to replace his yogurt with Clif Kids fruit ropes. He loves them and they fit in the exact same spot in his Planet Box lunchbox that his yogurt tube used to fit in. It's going to take some time, but he is getting there!

Week 1 Update

Late with this update, but it's really hard trying to find time to sit at the computer these days ;)

Anyway, the 1st week was a good one for Jayden, although he did seem EXTREMELY emotional. His notes from school said that he was crying about every little thing. He did the same thing this past weekend. At a birthday party he cried several times and then admitted later to being bullied. The same thing at Sunday school. I think perhaps some kids are teasing him and now he's getting sensitive about it :( Not sure if any of this has to do with the supplements and/or diet changes or if it's just coincidental. His attention and focus is still not where it should be at his age, but I did notice an improvement. Also, he is very easy to get back on track and to calm down when he gets upset. We've heard lots of "Yes Ma'am" and "Yes Sir" accompanied with him following directions on the first time this past week, which has been a great change. He's still behind on his high function words for kindergarten, but it will be a slow and steady stride to get him at least on track b/c of his attention issues. Last night, he enjoyed reviewing, though, and I think he actually LEARNED 6 words as opposed to memorizing what they look like.

His biggest improvement last week, however, was in the foods he will eat. Jayden is 100% gluten free and has been since he was 2.5 yrs old. Rice is (or should I say, should be) a huge staple in his diet. Not only due to his gluten intolerance, but also because he's part of a Filipino family ;) lol. Well, Jayden used to scream at the sight of rice. We were able to solve the screaming issues long ago and he'd allow the rice to share a spot on his plate but he'd refuse to touch it. If we made him try some, he'd gag. Finally, we got him to start eating it but he'd only eat one grain at a time...I kid you not. So, I decided that rice would be one of the first foods I introduced in his EAT program. The first night was tough and involved me feeding him and we were at the table for an hour. The next day, he fed himself some rice at my mom's house. By Wednesday, he was easily filling a spoon with kid sized bites of rice and feeding himself with no problem. SUCCESS!

He's having no issues at all taking his supplements. The fish oil, he wants straight off a spoon b/c he said it makes his smoothie taste funny. He complained of the oily texture at first but now he doesn't care. He always asks for an entire banana in his smoothie so we struggle with getting the smoothie to freely flow through his straw. I'm going to get him a smoothie cup today. Also, I just purchased a PlanetBox lunch box from a friend of mine so we can start to send a healthier and fresher lunch for him. His first request was for celery sticks and they fit perfectly inside the lunch box.

Changes

So...It has been some time since I've updated this blog! Unfortunately, my wonderful husband was laid off in May and still hasn't been able to find employment. As you know, we were a single income family, but his job was always enough to keep us very comfortable. I've had to work in order to keep us afloat, here. So I've been pulling shifts at the gym daycare (which I absolutely love but I miss my baby a lot), booking tons of photography sessions, and selling Scentsy (which I've been quite successful at). I don't think that I could ever match what my husband was bringing home, but it does help us to keep this roof over our heads! On top of all of that, I'm also in school, online, completing my Psychology degree. All of that plus trying to be the best mom I can be to my two precious boys. It's exhausting, to say the least! So you can see why I haven't had the time to update. However, we've come across an issue in our home that will require some journaling on my behalf so it may bring this blog back to life, just with a slightly different topic.

Just a little backstory: Elias was born almost 4 weeks early and he had the typical struggles of a late term preemie, but didn't require extensive care. He gained weight quickly, but of course always stayed on the lower end of the growth chart (He's 9 months and 16lbs now, at the 5th percentile). That was never a concern for us though b/c he nursed like a champ and now that he's eating solids he eats well. However, he seems to always get sick :( The Dr just associated it with him being a late term preemie. We found out at his 9 month well visit, though, that he's severely anemic. His Hg came back at 5.5 when normal range is 11 or above. The pediatrician simply recommended PolyViSol daily. I'd been struggling with anemia as well, and since I still breastfeed, I know that my lack of iron contributed to his. I found it strange that the Dr didn't recommend an iron rich diet since his levels were that low. Surely, he (and I) would benefit from it! This made me seriously evaluate the way we all eat at home. As I was thinking, I was overwhelmed by the fact that if Elias and I are both anemic despite the variety in our diets, then Jayden HAS to be deficient in so many areas b/c his diet is so limited (picky PICKY eater) and has been that way since he was 2.5 yrs old. I had been planning on putting Jayden in what I was calling "Food Boot Camp". I KNEW that Jayden had to start eating a wider variety of foods, but I was always waiting for the right time b/c I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Since he was 2.5, Jayden's diet mainly consists of (I'm embarrassed to share, but it's time for healing so I'm putting it all out there)hotdogs (we got him jennie-o turkey dogs to make me feel better),french fries, turkey rolls, beans&franks, and Nutella sandwiches on GF bread. For a while, he was on this vienna sausages kick, but I cut that out a long time ago b/c it was out of control. When I was sick and pregnant with the baby, I believe Jayden lived off turkey rolls b/c it was the easiest thing for his dad to feed him. Oh I forgot one...Fruity Pebbles cereal. It's like crack to him.

There you have it. That's what Jayden has been consuming for the past 3 yrs :*( Horrible. Junk. We expressed our concerns with the Dr and she would say that he was still on the growth chart so we should just give him multivitamins daily :eyeroll: Don't get me wrong, I love the boys' Dr but doctors in general do not give nutrition the credit that it deserves in our health and well being. She did refer us to a nutritionist who simply told me that it was a phase all kids go through and to give him pediasure. After 3 yrs of this, I think it's safe to say that this is not a phase and pediasure is not going to cut it when it comes to getting him all the nutrients and vitamins that he needs. So I knew it was time for a change. I had my butt kicked in to gear on Wednesday of last week though when Jayden's kindergarten teacher sent a letter home from school. It said that he's having a hard time keeping up with the kindergarten classwork. That he has a hard time understanding the instructions and cannot complete his assignments. He had been coming home with incomplete assignments or assignments that he'd done completely incorrect (i.e. number search to circle only the number 2, he'd circle every single number). We always made him complete the assignment or do it correctly at home and he has no problem doing it, without our help or instructions. I asked him why he couldn't do his work at school and he told me "It's too loud. They make my ears hurt." and he also says "I can't listen." which to me means, I can't focus. I know he has a huge nutritional gap that's causing these issues so I went in, head first, doing the research to heal both of my boys.

Elias has been pretty straight forward, as I've just been giving him naturally iron rich foods and he's eating them just fine (pancakes made with prune juice, apricots, bone broth, lentils, spinach, etc). Jayden, on the other hand, is going to be a process. That's why I wanted to use this blog to journal his progress.

The issues that we are currently dealing with and hoping will be resolved with nutrition include:
*hyperactivity
*inability to focus 
*irritability 
*fatigue 
*little, to no appetite 
*cognitive delay 
*blotchy skin 
*underweight 
*GI issues

We headed out to the health food store and the vitamin shop on Thursday, for supplements to begin giving him immediately. He was already taking a multi vitamin, but we added the other's as of Thursday:

*Multivitamin-Chewy Panda Vites (We plan to change these to Nordic Berries when we eliminate gelatin hopefully within the next month)
*Probiotics-Udo's Choice Infant Probiotics-I got the powder form so that Elias can take it as well. This is essential in healing the gut and keeping it healthy with good bacteria.
*Fish Oil- We usually get Nordic Naturals but we are trying Carlson for Kids tomorrow to see if he can tolerate the taste better. Fish oil is important in brain development and helps to improve concentration and focus.
*Topical Cream for Neuro support-Neuro-Immune Stabilizer Compound. This compound is used to help with mood improvement & stabilization, focus & concentration, and organization skills. *Antioxidants- We are using two different antioxidants for Jayden. CellWise and Provex Plus which also helps with mental sharpness in addition to fighting free radicals. Antioxidants fight the free radicals (destructive molecules that damage your cells) in the body.
*Total Nutrition Drink Mix-X Balance Kid's Superfood. We make this into a smoothie for him and he drinks it once a day and loves it :) Gives him a full serving of fruit and veggies ;)

As for as his diet is concerned, it's going to be a work in progress for sure. I've started him on the E.A.T. program by Kelly Dorfmann It's pretty simple: Eliminate any possible foods causing reactions. Add one food at a time. Try one bite of this food each night for two weeks. So far, so good and it doesn't seem like we will need to drag each food on for 2 weeks. On Thursday night, I had a big talk with him about nutrition. I told him that he needed to eat more than just hot dogs if he wanted to grow up big and strong like "Spiderman". I also told him the honest truth, if you continue to eat only hotdogs everyday you won't be healthy. You'll be sick :( And always tired. I asked him if he would be willing to try new foods and he told me yes. That same night, I served him rice and brown gravy with some green peas. He eats green peas when we serve them to him. He just has a hard time eating rice, so I really only added that one new element to his plate. He was excited to try it and he even asked to sit at the big table with us for dinner (he usually sits at his small table beside us). Great idea! So he sat there and took 20 minutes to eat the tablespoon full of green peas that I gave him. He was eating one grain of rice at a time and he started to get frustrated when everyone else was done eating. So I helped him. An hour later, he had finished the entire tablespoon of rice and gravy. Sure it took much longer than that should have, but he ate it. Progress. And if I have to feed him to get him used to eating, I was prepared to do so. Friday night, I asked him what he wanted for dinner and he told me he wanted "real food", "no hot dogs"!! Woo Hoo! We ate left overs that night and he actually fed himself!. On Saturday, my mom cooked dirty rice (southern style rice dish), green peas, and baked chicken. I served Jayden a very small portion of everything and sat at the table prepared to help him. I asked him if he needed me and he said no, the proceeded to feed himself!! He didn't finish everything on his plate but he ate just about all of his rice! RICE!!! A food that he used to gag on! I was so impressed and I'm proud of him! He is going to do just fine :)

We've already started to eliminate some things such as artificial colors and flavorings, high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified foods, and processed foods. We plan to remove much more in the near future, but right now, getting him to actually EAT food is my priority. Once he is able to trust the food that he eats, then I will start to eliminate more.

 As I update this blog, the updates will be based on his progress. Like I said, we started supplementing him on Thursday, My husband said that he noticed that Jayden was very calm and well behaved this weekend. I didn't think much of it b/c he hasn't been struggling with behavior much lately, so I just chopped it up to him having a good weekend. However, he got off the bus today with COMPLETED worksheets!! AND! AND!!! They were done CORRECTLY!!! He did it!! The teacher sent a note home that said "Jayden had a WONDERFUL day today. He did great in his academics!" She has no idea we started supplements so I don't see why she would make it a point to say that he did well in academics unless he truly did show her some real progress. Man, it makes me soooo happy! We are scheduled to meet with her tomorrow afternoon to discuss his issues with schoolwork and I plan to ask her if she did notice a change in his focus on today (and tomorrow) as opposed to the last few weeks. I expect her to say that she has noticed a change. Hopefully, he can adjust and be able to remain in his class with his friends and still be able to learn and do his work. I am very positive about his situation.

Nutrition ROCKS!!!

Back to bloggin ;)

Missed me?? (As soon as I typed in the title, the baby woke up from his nap, so this will be shorter than intended!) So, life is wonderful, yet busier, with two boys! Obviously, a 5 yr gap between babies is the way to go. Jayden is SUPER helpful and he is absolutely in love with his brother. He's never shown any jealousy. He waits his turn if the baby is upset. In fact, when Elias cries, Jayden will give him his pacifier and rub his head and say "Mommy's coming Elias. It will be ok!" Totally melts my heart! Jayden cannot wait for Elias to be able to play hide n seek with him. For now, I hold Elias (facing outwards) and we "Find" Jayden together. Elias thinks it's hilarious! Toys...that will be our main issue, I'm sure. Jayden has already broken 2 of Elias' toys. Sophie the giraffe lost her voice (squeaker) to the hands of Jayden after only being in Elias' possession for less than 24 hours. I have a feeling Elias' hands will do the same to Jayden's toys really soon. It won't be pretty! Jayden is still doing great in school. He is still in the regular pre-k classroom with the option to go to the PEI class if needed, but he never needs to go. He gets off the bus and tells us all about his day. He LOVES school. He's also reading now! 3 word sentences! Smart boy! He goes to Kumon twice a week for help with math and they also help him stay on track with reading. He's playing t ball and loves it (as long as he's winning). He's a little ladies man, for sure! Whenever someone tells him how handsome he is or how gorgeous his eyes are, he says thank you then tells me "She wikes me mama!" lol! Elias is 4 months now and is just as sweet and good natured as Jayden was at this age! He loves to be talked to. He has a head full of straight, black hair and we've gotten the "toupee'"comment on more than one occasion. He has the greatest smile and cutest voice ever. He's sleeping through the night and learning to grab for things and bring them straight to his mouth. He is a drool machine right now and I think he has 2 teeth ready to pop through on the bottom very soon. I planned to add pictures here, but I'm typing one handed so I will be back later to add some! Stay tuned.

Anybody there??

I'm still around, but I'm a mom of 2 now so don't have much time to update as I would like to!!

Really quick before little Elias wakes up: Jayden is doing WONDERFUL!!! NO SEIZURES! And best of all, he's back in his regular preK classroom! In fact, the principal decided he needed to be in the 100% mainstream classroom b/c I had him in the inclusion class. He's thriving!!! He has LOTS of friends and according to him, he has 2 girlfriends :) He's such a great kid! He fell into his big brother role with no problems at all and he adores his baby brother.

I don't think I ever made an official announcement here, but meet Elias Parker! Born on 12/20/11, 3.5 weeks early and completely healthy!

Still here!!!

Honestly, I've been meaning to post an update here for about 3 weeks now, but just http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcouldn't come up with the right words. I probabhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifly still can't at this point, but I'm hoping that by blogging it will therapeutic for me. So...

Remember when I posted here how well Jayden was doing in Pre-k at his new school? Well, about 3 weeks after that post, it's like something happened overnight to turn that entire post upside down. I started receiving daily calls from the teacher concerning Jayden's behavior. At first, her tone was always positive and she'd send home notes saying what he had trouble with but that he's working on it (and she'd add a little smiley face). The calls continued, daily and by say the 5th or 6th call, her tone changed. I cannot remember what her complaint was on that day (he was mostly being disruptive during naptime) but when I hung up the phone with her I told my husband that I could tell from her tone that she was just about done dealing with Jayden. His behavior notes were coming home now with a negative tone and of course no more smileys! Well, the next day, she called again. She told me that the speech therapist came to get him during arts and crafts time (I assume they have no control over when the therapist comes b/c taking a 4 yr old away from arts and crafts for something that's frustrating to him is just not a good idea, IMO) and Jayden saw her and started screaming "NO!!" She told me he was throwing his arms around so that she couldn't grab his hands and just kept screaming "No!" (perhaps he was trying to communicate something to them?? Far fetched???) She told me the speech therapist went to grab him by the arms to hold his arms down and he grabbed his scissors and swung them at her. I was speechless. So are you telling me that my son intentionally grabbed a pair of scissors with the intention of actually HURTING the speech therapist? Because that's what it sounds like you are saying and that's not my child. He has NEVER been that aggressive. Now, had you told me he grabbed the scissors and threw them across the room, I'd totally buy that. Just as he would have grabbed a book, a box of tissues, crayons, papers, or just about anything in his reach to express his frustration when words are not working. But he would NEVER intentionally cause harm to someone. So anyway, she goes on to say that she stepped in to help the therapist and Jayden hit her in the nose really hard. I remained speechless. Who was this child she's describing to me?? Once I could compose my thoughts I simply said "I have no idea what to say. This does not sound like my son AT ALL. He has NEVER behaved in this manner. Ever." So then she says "Well, I'm not sure there's much else I can do to help Jayden, at this point." and she went on to suggest moving him back into the preschool class with non verbal 3 yr olds or to a VERY restricted classroom for children with extreme special needs (Jayden does not fit either category). Mind you, she was saying all of this after only 7-8 days of behavior problems. He was once a very well behaved child. It's as if she wasn't willing to take the extra time needed to figure out WHY his behavior changed so tremendously. I got off the phone with her but emailed her later requesting an IEP meeting (definitely something that she should have scheduled prior to suggesting a placement change over the phone), an OT eval, and to let her know that I would be stopping by one day during the week to see if I can tell what's causing him to act like a totally different child.

Well, I went the next day. During naptime, since that's when she claims to have the most issues with him. We walked in and he was COVERED in play doh. in every single nail on both hands, all over his pants, all over his socks, on his FACE! She gives him play doh so he can be quiet during naptime. Play Doh has WHEAT in it. Wheat is off limits to children with Celiac Disease. I mentioned this right away, but I didn't blame her b/c I didn't send her the teacher's form I usually send to his classes. Instead, I sent him GF play doh with his supplies and foolishly assumed he'd only have access to what I purchased for him. But no, it all goes into the classroom supplies and they are shared, which then would cause cross contamination issues. So right off the bat, I saw he'd been exposed to gluten. As I talked to her, I was extremely distracted by the music she had playing DURING naptime. It wasn't a soothing lullaby type song. It was music with different pitches. All over the place. Very distracting...and loud. Jayden has neurological and sensory issues. That music was definitely setting him over the edge. He was noisy during nap b/c he was attempting to block out the music, I'm sure. Even at home, if music comes on TV that he can't tolerate, he makes loud noises. He has always done this. It's a defense mechanism for him. Well, after naptime, the kids started to get up and go to centers. Jayden started out at the painting center. There's a limit to 3 kids per center and the way it's set up is not very kid friendly. They have their pictures on a stick and they stick their pictures inside of a see through envelope. Before entering the center, they have to stop and count the pictures. If 3 are in there, the center is closed. Maybe I'm just used to my kid, and I know he's not as advanced as others, but there is no way he will decide he wants to try a center, then stop and figure out if there's room for him by actually counting stars. He just doesn't have the attention skills yet for that. He's very impulsive. I think for him, velcro tips would work better. If he doesn't have velcro, he can't go in. However, he's not understanding WHY he cannot go into the ceter if he can still open that envelope and stick his picture in. Frustrating. So anyway, it was quite simple for him at first b/c kids were slowly getting up and putting away their mats so the centers were free. Well his best friend woke up and Jayden wanted to play with him. His friend went into the blocks center and two other boys got there before Jayden. Jayden wanted to play blocks with his best friend so he stuck his picture in, making it 4 kids in the center. His teacher told Jayden it was closed and he needed to go to another center. Jayden had a fit. He screamed and cried and was in a frenzy, trying to figure out a way to get in the blocks center. He even grabbed his picture and stuffed it in an envelope in the center next to the blocks. The teacher looked extremely frustrated with him and was not really trying to get him to look her in the eyes so she could calm him. Eventually, one little boy left the center, so Jayden was able to stay. The teacher then said "See, if he wouldn't have been able to stay he would have never stopped." Hmmm. I asked her about the scissors incident, and all of a sudden the story changes to something that sounds more truthful. "Oh I don't think he was intentionally trying to hurt her. He just grabbed the closest item to him. And I think his hand hit me in the face b/c he was still upset and swinging his arms." Of course, his IEP progress report says that he "attempted to hit speech therapist with scissors..." This report will follow him throughout his school history. I am in touch with the superintendent about this...

I emailed her my concerns and suggestions. I sent him a white noise machine from home to use for naptime and I did mention to her that the music was probably making him defensive with his ears. I also sent his weighted vest to help calm him. I continued to suggest the OT. About a week after that, we had the IEP meeting. I noticed that Jayden came home with 2 behavior reports that said he spent "some time" in the preschool class to "cool down" and another day he was bit pretty hard and they had to send a note home about it and the preschool teacher signed it. So he obviously was bit while in a class he shouldn't have been in. I planned to bring that up in the meeting. We arrived 15 minutes early, just in time to see all of the pre-k classes walking to their rooms. Jayden's class passed...no Jayden...About 5 minutes later, the preschool class passed. Mind you, this is the early intervention preschool program for kids with special needs. There were 4 students and 3 teachers. 3 of the students were visibly disabled. The 4th student was the leader of the pack and obviously not disabled and much larger than the other students. The 4th student was Jayden. My husband was pissed. We had not given that teacher permission to move him. I even expressed my concern with it over the phone and told her I didn't want him moved, yet she still moved him. This was going to be a wonderful meeting.

So his teacher starts the meeting by saying "We called this meeting because..." Um, correction. You did NOT call this meeting. I had to request one when you told me you no longer could handle him in your class. Anyway..."Because Jayden has been exhibiting aggressive behavior and refusing to transition in the pre-k 4 classroom. We would like to move him to preschool early intervention, where there are less transitions. more one on one, and less stimulation. I immediately expressed my disagreement with that. I said that I didn't agree with the placement change b/c it would definitely affect his speech. I feel that typical peers are THE BEST speech therapists he could have b/c he wants to be like them. His speech soared within the first 3 weeks of school. He was more sure of what he was saying and wasn't afraid to talk to strangers anymore. He was proud of himself and we were proud of him. I was also concerned about him mimicking behaviors in the special needs classroom. We had this problem at his last school. He would notice other students getting positive feedback for utterances and any sound they made to communicate, but that's b/c that's what they can do. They were non verbal. He is verbal. He needs to be around peers that are verbal. The preschool teacher chimed in and said "Oh but we talk! We talk to them all day!" That's fine, but Jayden follows other kids. If he has the choice to act like a 3 yr old or act like an adult, he will act like the 3 yr old. Also, I was concerned about his social skills. He's an only child (for now) and has had a hard time with learning to share, but has been slowly getting better. Now, in the preschool class, since he's so much bigger and older than the other kids, they teach him to tell the kids "Walk away." Hmmm, not sure that will work for him in kindergarten, other than getting him laughed at by everyone else. After I expressed my concerns, his pre-k teacher shut down. Didn't say a single word for the rest of the meeting. Perhaps b/c she knew she'd messed up by moving him already, without our permission. The meeting was a little over an hour, and in the end, I agreed that since he was already moved to the preschool class (which is where he wanted to be b/c he rules the roost so to speak) he has won the battle and for us to pull him out and place him back into the pre-k class (where he obviously no longer wants to be) would make things worse. He was in the preschool early intervention last school year so he may just be more comfortable. So the plan is to slowly move him back into the pre-k 4 classroom. An easy transition. They want to make it seem like it's a treat for him to go to play with his friends in the pre-k class. For the first week, he had a hard time spending even an hour in the class. The teacher even sent him back to preschool early b/c he wouldn't pick up toys. How stupid?!?! I do think he was acting out at first b/c he thought he was being sent back to her permanently and he's not ready for that yet. The next week, I think he realized that he's only spending a little time in the pre-k class and then he goes back to his comfort place so he's doing much better. They say that he LOVES going to pre-k to play with his friends and he even transitions well while in there. His time will be increased next week.

All in all, he's doing 10 times better in the preschool class, as far as behavior goes. He's doing his lessons, transitioning, helping in class, not screaming, NAPPING (maybe the lack of crazy music helps??), and wanting to impress his teacher daily. He's even doing better in speech and meeting all of his goals. On the other hand, he's not using his words as well at home. He babbles A LOT. He doesn't want to play any game that involves another person holding a toy or game piece. He wants it all to himself. He prefers to play with smaller children now and when he plays with them, he does not talk. He makes LOUD babbling sounds. But then if an adult talks to him, he will use his words. He ignores kids his age. IMO, this is regression. I don't want my 5 yr old seeking the company of a 3 yr old b/c he doesn't feel he has to talk to communicate with them. How is that building his self esteem? He obviously prefers the smaller kids b/c they don;t have the words to outwardly judge him and how he talks. Kids his age do. I know it's hard for him, but he has such a strong spirit and he does continue to try. How long do we continue doing what's comfortable for him before we attempt to push him (even slowly) towards where he needs to be? He's not being prepped for kindergarten in a preschool class. In kinder, they have to share. In kinder, they talk to each other. We know his speech is delayed but if he learned so much from typical peers in only 3 weeks, imagine how much he could have learned in 9 months with his peers?

I'm also still in a fight with the OT. When I asked (several times) whether or not he was getting OT, she never answered my question straight forward. After a stern email about my concern for Jayden, she called me and finally told me that he is INDIRECTLY receiving OT. So basically, she goes to the class to do individual therapy with the other kids and Jayden has the option to either join in with them or continue doing what he's doing on his own. If they are doing something he WANTS to do then he will join in, but if not, he ignores them. OF COURSE. That's not therapy. That's BS. I am truly tired of fighting these people but I can't give up b/c it's all for him. He doesn't know what's best for him. However, being 7 months pregnant, it's really hard to carry such a burden so I'm in the process of getting an advocate.

On the medical side of things, he saw the neurologist today and she thinks he is having small seizures and auras again :( Not nearly as bad as he was last year, thank God for that, but it's still something she wants to address b/c it may have a lot to do with the behavior changes he's exhibiting. He will be admitted to Children's Hospital on November 1 for a 24 hour EEG. Depending on the results, he will either have his medications increased or switched.

Hoping for the best...

But preparing for the worse. Stay safe, everyone on the Gulf Coast!