AIT, Berard Ear Training: Week One

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We started SensiGirl's AIT listening training. It has been eventful from the get go. Sensi was okay with wearing the headphones, since she had done other listening therapy in the past. Everything started well, at around the 20 minute mark she started screaming and took the headphones off and refused to put them back on. There were many screaming refusals and we finally gave up after about 5 long minutes of trying to convince her that  she needed to complete the session.

image via:  http://www.ehow.com/how_4788335_stop-tantrum-using-positive-parenting.html 

Our listening therapist gave me a social story to read to SensiGirl about some of the possible effects of the therapy. They had explained to me before we started the therapy that there might be some regressions in toileting and behavior otherwise. What I didn't expect was the Sensi party in the wee hours of the morning. She was up singing and bouncing at 4:30 and I think stayed up until I arose at 7:30. I can't be sure though because I think I fell back asleep around 6:00. We completed the second day; saying that she would be extra sensitive is a bit of an understatement. She plugged her ears at the TV, at the sound of the mailbox clanging open and shut and the squeak in the door. She was also extra bouncy and silly and spent some time just screaming because she could.

image via:  http://www.newsline.dot.state.mn.us/archive/10/feb/24.html 

The third day, Wednesday, was tough. She was compliant enough about wearing the headphones and listening, but she was having trouble with transitions. It didn't help that we had a few extra since her brother went to his auntie's for fun and games. She also wouldn't leave the building after her afternoon session. She kept telling me "A boat, a train!" I finally made the connection that she felt sort of seasick. So I picked her up off the floor, put her in the car and headed across town to pick up Random Guy from his visit at his auntie's house. There has been a lot of screaming but when I asked her if she felt scared or sad or sick she could answer me. She said she felt sick. That is a huge step.

image: http://loscuatroojos.com/2008/06/01/still-in-hospital-dizzy-and-itchy/

Then on Thursday we had no trouble with listening or feeling sick, she was popping out 5 and 6 word sentences here and there and playing hand clapping games with her brother. The down side to the day was the gigantic melt down at bed time with flopping on the floor and kicking and screaming. She was mad that she didn't get to finish watching the Angelina Ballerina special she picked for her Netflix turn. She eventually settled down but we had to compromise on nightclothes. She kept her dress on from the day and she let me put on her p.j. pants. She went to bed singing sad melodies; eventually she cheered up and went to sleep.
Friday, we made it through the last sessions of the week. I have noticed she was tired and a bit crabby, well a lot crabby. When we picked her daddy up at the airport she said "Hi Daddy," in response to his greeting. She usually has to be prompted. She fell asleep at her usual time.

image via:  http://www.scientificamerican.com/gallery_directory.cfm?photo_id=70669B02-9E06-A500-D55E65529708E864 

Over the weekend, the Atomic Punk (DH) noticed she is speaking more, and is more apt to answer questions now. She did request to be spun in the office chair for a good half hour on Saturday. She still plugs her ears at certain songs and sounds, but she is talking more about her feelings, she said she felt fidgety.
Sunday morning she slept in, which she will do from time to time. She was much more interactive with us. She had more to say about what she watched on TV and what she was drawing. In general she was sharing her thoughts with us more.
We have one more week to go. I will write the next update after next week is over. If you have had an experience with AIT listening therapy, it would be interesting to hear how things went for you.



resources: http://www.kidsenabled.org/articles/index.php/200603/the-power-of-sound-a-therapy-worth-listening-to/
http://www.autism.com/index.php/understanding_ait_summary
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/ait-institute-podcast
http://www.drguyberard.com/
http://www.georgianainstitute.org/

Success...?

image via: http://www.thanksmailcarrier.com/2011/08/angelina-ballerina-shining-star-trophy.html

I've been thinking of taking down the printed up email from our potty training guru this last month. It's posted in the bathroom above the toilet to remind me of what to say and do for SensiGirl while we were potty training. SensiGirl has been successful in toileting for the last month. I mean really no accidents at all. I thought I was going to have to buy a pack of underwear for her every week for the rest of our lives there for a while.

image from: http://shopping.yahoo.com/798704550-girls-brief-panties-6-pack/

 We started potty training in earnest right before she turned 5. We had tried the methods we used for Random Guy for almost a year before that and were having no luck with her. It was a half-hearted attempt I admit it, but really, if SensiGirl couldn't tell me she had to go, how was I going to help her get there in time?
The potty sticker chart meant nothing to her. She didn't care. Sticking to a routine didn't work either. I tried rewards: candy, stickers, toys, etc. No luck, she just didn't seem to care if she pooped her pants. The potty videos from the library were a huge step back. Terrifying Potty Power jesters were not the path to toileting success.
Add in that SensiGirl has been constipated for years, and there is a recipe for frustration. I would give her something because she wouldn't go for days, (since she didn't recognize the need) then she would have to go too much because of the Miralax or apricot juice I gave her. We went round and round with that for quite a few months. I got it to where we were only using the Miralax every other day and the apricot juice on the off days and that was working well. Since she is always growing, the amounts she needs to help her go are a moving target. We are now using a different brand of apricot juice, and also pear juice (in the baby aisle.)
I was loaned the book below from SensiGirl's preschool teacher and it was very helpful. Another bit of knowledge to use in our process.

This book was helpful too:
 http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/1843104911.html

I tried Oh Crap! Potty Training , it is an e-book, blog and forum, and I got email access to the trainer. The ability to personally discuss our process and progress with an expert was a great help in getting away from no pull ups during the day. It helped me be really committed to getting through the process and not back tracking as we had done before.
We also started occupational therapy when SensiGirl was almost five and a half. We started listening therapy and listening to Mozart for Modulation helped some, but just as we would get into the groove, the disc rental would be over and we would move on to another disk to follow her listening therapy guidelines.  I discussed this with her therapist and we decided she should listen to that disc for a month. I purchased that disc for our own home use too and tried it again for a whole month to establish the habit before we ended our listening therapy at the occupational therapists' for now.
What has been the final step in it all is recognizing that SensiGirl has trouble with interoception. This is known as the awareness of liquids, solids and gases moving through the internal organs.  I then noticed the accidents she was having were while she was deeply involved in things like watching TV or playing with her iPad. So I made a rule that SensiGirl had to poop before she could do those activities. Luckily these activities are highly motivating and usually are requested after a meal, so much the better for getting her to go. She still chooses a pull up at night about 60% of the time but waking up dry about 90% of the time.
There is no magic thing to accomplish potty training with your SensiKid, but a combination of support and information for you and understanding for your child makes it happen eventually.

resources:
http://www.spdbloggernetwork.com/2011/05/18/the-poop-on-interoception/
Jamie Glowacki @ http://ohcrappottytraining.com/
http://mdenoya.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/navel-gazing/

Sleepless - The Tide Is Out

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I think we can all agree that once you have children you almost never get enough sleep. Either they keep you up by being up themselves or keep you up with worry.  I thought I had a good handle on things lately, but short me some sleep and the tide goes out and all I can see is all the crap on the beach.

SensiGirl was at the speech therapist yesterday and I made the mistake of asking where SensiGirl stood age wise with the speech skills. I was told she is still at 2 years old. Her sticking point is "Wh" questions. A two year old should be able to answer those questions, SensiGirl doesn't very often. She can answer to "What season is that episode?" when she wants to watch something on Netflix, but she won't answer "wh" questions for the teachers or therapists who assess her. Her therapist did say SensiGirl has made some gains that aren't measurable, such as increased spontaneous speech and her vocabulary are stellar.

Also SensiGirl hasn't been sleeping regularly since she started the latest EASe listening CD. Last night she was having her own party at 4:30. I can't sleep when I hear her do that, so I was up until she fell back asleep at 6:30.  I wonder why she wakes up at night so often, although usually I am not worried because she is happy when she is awake in her room, singing and chatting to herself.

 While I was up listening to her, I was thinking about should we have her see an audiologist, how are we going to pay for therapeutic music therapy, should I  have her see a neurologist and get an EEG to test for seizures.  I know of a couple of kids who have been diagnosed with seizure disorder apart from their autism diagnosis. They seem to be doing much better; they are making great progress with speech and language processing.  I will broach the subject the SensiGirl's doctor the next time we go in, or call for a referral.  I think it is like the allergy tests we did when she kept breaking out in rashes when she was a baby.  We ruled out that it was anything she or I was eating, so we could drop the subject of diets and move on from there. If we get an EEG and it comes back normal, we will proceed as we have been.

There are a million things to worry about with a typical child, and a million and one with a neurodiverse child. I didn't post the other day because the tide was out and I had to just take care of myself and my family that day. Once I get some sleep I am sure that I will be back in the swim of things.

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She's So Sensitive

SensiGirl was born sensitive. She is a screamer, the kind of scream that vibrates your eardrums. I've been told she has the scream of a grown woman.  She really started screaming when I left her with the teachers in ECFE,(Early Childhood Family Educacion.) The other kids really didn't seem to mind when the mommies went to have a little coffee and sit down talk about child development. They would cry a little and then notice some cool toy or have a snack and they were over it. SensiGirl did mind. She minded so much that we had to work for months to get a chance for me to spend some time with Random Guy in the bigger kid classroom or to participate in parent group for a few minutes.
The screaming was one of the reasons they thought a special ed. preschool classroom was warranted. There was testing when she was 18 months old and every few months thereafter. She wasn't keeping up with the other kids in speech acquisition. She was too sensitive to her environment, she was too sensitive to everything.

When I saw this study at the Autism Speaks website it made sense to me.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/autism-risk-gene-linked-sensory-overload

We tried some different kinds of therapies but the one I think that has really helped her get over some of her reluctance to join us in our world was listening therapy. She was either checked out and spacey or she was screaming because something was too bright, too loud, too much.
When we started TherapeuticListening last year, I was hopeful, but didn't really know what to expect. Since we started Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy all at once, (due to insurance changes,)  it is impossible to tell which one is having the most therapeutic effect, but I know she doesn't scream at family gatherings any more and she can now go into a gymnasium and not lose it.
This therapy is done in concert with other therapies recommended by her Occupational Therapist, so I warn you not to do this without professional input as some of the tracks can have unexpected or upsetting effects. They are trained specifically in how to do this therapy and it shouldn't be done on you own to just try it and see.

http://www.vitalsounds.com/CustServ.aspx

photo from: http://www.aitinstitute.org/AUDITORY_INTEGRATION_TRAINING/boy_white2.jpg

She is learning coping strategies that help her deal with uncomfortable situations. Last Thanksgiving instead of leaving early because she had been crying for a hour, she spent the first half hour at Grandma's house with her fingers in her ears. She chose to stay in a quiet part of the house and after a few hours told me she was ready to go home. That hadn't happened before. She can tell us things now, she has figured out sometimes life is too loud and how to do something about it.  I am thankful that she is making progress.