My Family's Experience with Autism: Choosing Preschools and Thinking About the Transition

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Choosing Preschools and Thinking About the Transition

Yesterday, Kevin and I went to visit 2 of the 3 preschools offered by our local school district for when the twins turn 3 in January. We plan to visit the 3rd one next month. Both of the programs we visited were high on the "likelihood" list for placement for both Rachel and Simon.

Unfortunately going into it, we were told that one of the programs would be great for Simon and the other for Rachel. I went to the visit hoping to see that one program or the other (or both) would be a good placement for BOTH of them. When we left, I had to concur with their team at MCITP. Rachel may do well in MPAC but she will excel in CAPP. Simon will be lost at CAPP, but MPAC should be a really good fit for him. PEP is still in the mix, but the impression I get is that both of them need more services than the 1/2 day the PEP programs provide.

We also just got their 6 month reports in the mail today. It's so depressing to see where they are according to these reports -- most skills for my 33 month old daughter is at the approximately 15 month level. My 33 month old son is approximately 14 month level for all but language skills (because of his echolalia, his language skills are not very measurable).

I'm coming to realize that this transition isn't going to be easy. Well, I always knew that.....but as it's getting closer that fact is becoming clearer and clearer. In theory though, once the transition is complete, life gets easier. If you believe that, raise your hand......(yeah, I really see you doing that right about now)

All right -- I think this about covers me this week -- 3 posts in 3 days -- I think that's a record......

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A Little Bit About Me and My Family

Every once in a while, something happens to a family that seems to change everything, whether that change is positive, negative, or in an uncertain direction. One such thing happened to us in March 2009, when we were informed our 26 month old twins (girl/boy) were BOTH on the autism spectrum. Their older brother (nearly 4 at the time) had always been ahead of the curve for most developmental milestones, so we had never really considered that some of the delays the twins were having had anything to do with autism. Well, we were wrong. Since then we have been learning about learning techniques and doing everything we can to make sure they get any and all help they need so that they can live normal lives. This blog chronicles that journey.

The Autism Pizza

I don't know where this came from originally, but I found it on a post on Circle of Moms. It's a good explanation of how things line up on the spectrum.

1. The Crust: Lack of Social Interaction (poor eye contact, not sharing interests with you, no pointing/gesturing)

2. The Sauce: Impaired Communication (possibly no speech, poor conversation skills, repetitive language, echolalia, no make-believe play)

3. The Cheese: Stereotypical Activities & Interests (extreme routine, strong interest in certain things, stimming [flapping, atypical play, etc.] -- like spinning wheels, lining toys up, stacking, etc.)

If you have all of those things: crust, sauce, cheese, you made an Autism pizza. It might have different toppings, but you can look at it and know it's still a pizza. If your pizza doesn't have sauce, that's Aspergers's. If your pizza is missing more than that but still kind of looks like a pizza, that's PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified)