Is this week OVER yet?
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| Wed, 07-19-2006 - 11:01pm |
It is vacation bible school week. usually it is loads of fun but Mike and his outbursts are MAKING ME CRAZY! I have had enough. Today he was fighting with a girl 1/2 his size over a friggen squirt bottle. I have a group of a great male jr. crew leader (8th grade), Mike(5th grade-10) , and then 4 small girls all 6-7 years going into 2nd or 3rd grade. Seemed to work out well but the girls are beginning to shy away from Mike and who can blame them? A perfectly verbal normal looking kid who acts like a 2 year old and can't share. Who has outbursts at the drop of a hat.
Typically it is 1-2 days of getting used to it and then he does great. This year I thought it was going smoother. No HUGE anxiety to start with and he did well for the first few activities but instead this year it is getting increasingly worse each day.
I am so bummed. I don't want him to ruin the week for those little girls who mostly are fairly shy. I had really gotten them out of their shell the first couple days and they were having fun but I can't keep it there if he keeps yelling or acting like he is 2.
Then yesterday after VBS I got a verbal lashing from the orthodontist because Cait just can't get her teeth clean enough. She has definite motor skills and oral sensitivity issues. She has no cavities and hates to have me do it so I am sorry but it isn't the biggest deal I have to deal with now. But after being "talked too" by one of the station leaders at VBS, being "Talked too" by the ortho, having to tell a whole lot of people about Mike's autism to explain behavior and feeling guilty as heck about those girls I am SOOOOOO ready for autism to go away now.
DH was sweet. He bought me "Animals in translation" yesterday. I told him I can't read about autism right now. I want autism to GO AWAY!
I feel like I have spent so much of my life reading about autism, implementing, trying to teach my kids for friggen nothing. I am beat, I admit it. Meds are looking really good for him. Even the ones that totally dope him up. Hopefully I will be over this tomorrow.
Ya know what REALLY kills me. Sometimes Mike decides to do great. Be just friggen perfect. Always when he is around folks who are used to severely autistic kids after I have given them his whole behavior program and they look at me like I am nuts. He plays with his hands a little and likes to talk off on tangeants and doesn't have great eye contact. So what? It must be ALL my fault.
I told you all about Mike's first experience at music therapy? Then for the last 2 sessions he has been completely perfect. She didn't have to use visuals or anything. I hate being crazy.
Renee


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Hi Renee,
I am feelin' for ya! Poor you, poor Mikie, poor little shy girls. So many things influence our kids and upset their systems. Last summer Day Camp ended up like this for Malcolm, and those girls he was with do still look sideways at him if we see them. Malcolm has made huge progress with his outbursts on the Zoloft, but not without alot of work. He's just much more verbal about what is bothering him now, and he doesn't escalate nearly as often or go as far when he does. I can understand your considering medication again. Mike is older, might work better this time. But you had such a rough go when he was younger...
I think I would be speaking firmly to that orthodontist, and say that you can't take the lectures any more. And if you don't stop getting them, you will need to take Cait's mouth somewhere else. Dh and I used to go to dentist where the oral hydienist used to do this to us every visit, and we finally switched dentist. We referred to her as the Dragon Lady, she also HURT when she cleaned. And honestly, we have good teeth, OK, maybe we aren't PERFECT at our dental hygiene, but really. Our new dentist provides much gentler cleaning and corny jokes, much better.
Anyways, here's some big hugs and some delicious cyber cabernet and chocolate. And I really relate to your wanting autism to go away. I am tired of it, too, and sad for my fabulous son trapped with all these struggles, so unfair!!!
Sara
((((HUGS))))
I'm sorry that VBS is so hard for Mike! and I wish for you and those sweet little girls that he was following the "normal" pattern and getting better as the week went along. I was really surprised at how LOUD and CRAZY our VBS was this year. It's like they're getting louder and crazier to keep the kids entertained and wanting to come back. This may be great for the kids that want and need that extra to keep them interested but for my son it was too much (he was rocking and stimming constantly by the end) and for my neighbor's son (ADHD) he became absolutely uncontrolable and manic.
and PPPPPPPTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHhTTTTTTTT! on that orthodonist! Cait is doing an ok job and no cavities geeez! We had a hygenist that used to lecture me about my kids teeth every time, she moved-- yay, and the new hygenist would patiently show my kids how to brush, have them practice and then tell them to set their timer while brushing-- she'd not mention anything to me except to remind them to brush 2x a day. She felt that as soon as they were 8 yrs old the teeth were the child's responsibility! I loved that woman!
hope today goes better!
Betsy
I have the perfect sollution!
Eviscerate all of them in fiction. Works great for me.
**wink**
Renee,
You're not crazy!!! I'm sorry you had such a rough day. Is there anyway you can cut yourself some slack and find Mike a sitter for VBS?
Samantha
UGH
(((((((Hugs)))))) Girly, I'm sorry.
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
YOu guys are so funny! Sure fiction. I will get right on it when I find my fiction partner *wink*.
Mike wants to finish VBS. It hasn't all be bad and he is enjoying a good portion of it. When he blows up he is then fine right after and doesn't realize how his behavior affects others. No remorse or embarrassment. I guess in a way it is a good thing. He has been warned if today is like yesterday he will stay with grandma tomorrow because it isn't fair to the other kids.
I unfortunately can't fire the ortho. Already paid him for the entire treatment (10% discount if you pay cash). Once those braces go on you have to pay for the whole thing either yourself or with a contract and payments at a higher rate.
Over all the ortho is usually very nice. Usually it is just a quick mention from the nurses when she comes out "Cait needs to brush better" (Yea and she needs to study better, do homework better, clean her room better, make friends better. I am on it) Then once they gave her a motorized brush which she HATED now. It used to not bother her. Then they would reshow her and me how she is supposed to brush. This time I got the "we have been reminding you....." He recomended more frequent cleanings by the dentist. I can't afford the extra right now.
I did lay into the ortho and gave him what for. I told him what I told you about her motor skills, the lack of cavities, etc. So he backed off hopefully. Nice enough guy they just don't get special needs. People think when you say aspergers that it is some quirky kid who will be a genius when they get older. Or they think that it can't be autism because they don't look it. It never dawns on them just how pervasive a disability it is. Yeah, it even affects thier ability to brush thier darn teeth.
Thanks for letting me vent all.
Renee!!!! We should all start a crazy mom's club - no discussions of kids, ASD, therapies....etc. Just jumbo margaritas and lots of guacamole and chips (have I mentioned I make kick ass versions of both?) and plenty of stupid, mindless movies that make us laugh out loud til we pee our pants.....I'm a big Keven Smith fan - Anyone for Clerks 2?
I know what you're talking about re - feeling crazy about Ds's behaviors and then he goes and is a perfect angel!Argh! Whatiswiththat?!?!?!
Sending hugs your way and hopes that the rest of the summer goes smoothly.......
Chrystee
jumbo margaritas
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Ahhhhhhhh, the Cabana Boys.
Yup, I need back rubs, neck rubs, soles of the feet rubs, anything else they wanna rub, Margaritas, Chips, killer Salsa, killer guacamole, Sex-on-the-beach (the DRINKS, of course), suntan oil, sand in my toes, midnight swims in salty. balmy water. Sleeping in til noon and dancing til dawn, snorkeling and scuba-ing with the little and big fishes and boating with the dolphins.
Ahhhhhhh.
Sara
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