The kids had a great time with Nana and Howdy in warm, sunny Florida. They were both really good on the plane--whew! Dad planned the trip very carefully for maximum success, and it worked!

Scott loved the ocean, and even got in the cold water. He especially enjoyed building sandcastles solely for destruction ("melting") by planting them directly in the waves. The littlest Godzilla. :)

Scott came back very happy to get back to work. His OT and SLP raved about his performance on Monday. We have also begun to focus on his classroom behavior, which needs a lot less support and a lot more compliance. Our BCBA has been trying to get his teacher to implement a behavior management program, but without much success. We're fairly frustrated as behaving appropriately in class is a linchpin of his future success, academically and especially socially. Now if only we can get the school interested in it...

We put up our family tree and Scott's special tree on Sunday. They are beautiful and both must be lighted at all times while Scott is in residence (although we turn them off when he goes to bed--don't tell!)

Off now to pickup at Aurora, which he enjoys, as always. We're looking forward to a very happy Christmas!

... and updating Scott's photo album. Be sure to look at the new one (marked "08/09") for updated photos from this year.

The autumn is racing ahead, and Scott is racing along with it. Halloween found our little Buzz Lightyear and his fairy sidekick stalking the streets of Middleburg in search of candy. Both kids held up really well under the strain of a late night and too much sugar.

Now we're looking ahead to Thanksgiving, and a visit to Nana and Howdy in Florida. Sun and sand at last! We will also be seeing Aunt Janet and Uncle Mike from California, as well as Mom & Dad's old friends Sandi & Michael (from back when Mom had a J-O-B).

Then on to Christmas, which we'll be spending at home, although we're hoping to visit Grammie & Grampie and the rest of our Ohio family. Scott has amassed an impressive Wish List for Santa. Most of these items are Thomas-related, although (thankfully) Thomas Mania seems to be on the wane. But nevertheless Santa will probably come through, given that this is the first time he's actually managed to maintain such a list over a period of months (he can even list what Katy wants!).

Scott started the '08/'09 school year back in Mrs. Berry's morning K class at Sycolin Creek. The big change for Scott is that he's been promoted from the autism classroom to the less-restricted Resource program. He now spends his entire school day in the mainstream classroom with support from an aide, plus an hour after school working on his IEP goals and getting used to eating in the noisy lunchroom.

We are using this last year of half-day school to pull out all the stops on his therapy. So Scott works hard every single day of the school week. We've also been able to expand the number and variety of providers in preparation for the upcoming years. Mondays he goes to OT and Speech therapy at KiDazzles. Miss Bea and Miss Christina are wonderful, and Scott really looks forward to working with them.

Tuesdays and Thursdays he's back at Aurora, where they have developed specialized programs just for Scott. In addition to working on his VB-MAPP and language skills, he spends time working on Social Skills videos, then uses the skills he learns in a special music class that Aurora has forged with the typical childcare center next door. We're really impressed by the ingenuity that the staff at Aurora have brought to Scott's case.

Scott has also joined a "Power Wednesday" social skills group with Autism Outreach, another new provider. This intensive program provides him with 1:1 and 2:1 therapy for 3 hours before a larger 2-hour "play group." Scott finds groups of more than 3 kids very challenging, and this is a long day for him (Dad picks him up at 6!), but we've seen great progress and are very happy with the folks at AOI.

Finally, he receives 1:1 in-home ABA therapy on Fridays from Miss Charlee, one of the therapists from AOI, to continue work on his VB-MAPP/ABBLS. By 3 on Friday he is DONE! But he rarely complains and usually works pretty hard, considering the constant challenges put before him.

He's a great kid. :)

Hello Friends! I have been off-line for an unconscionable time; sorry! But now it's time to catch up on Scott's summer and fall.

We had a very busy summer as you might imagine. Scott (and Katy) spent a fun week with Grammie and Grampie, and even went to an amusement park. Mom and Dad had 7 blissful child-free summer days of sleeping in and staying up late. Thanks Grammie & Grampie!

We also enjoyed a nice long visit from Miss Paula and Hannah, who came to visit from "Engel-land." Parties, pony rides and swimming occupied many days, and Scott was challenged to keep up with all the "big kids" coming and going.

We also spent a good deal of the summer angsting over his schooling for '08/'09. Our decision to keep him back in Kindergarten to give him more time to mature and more time for therapy (K is only half-day in Loudoun) was smart but difficult to execute.

In addition to his usual stint at Aurora, Scott (and, again Katy) went to YMCA camp for a week, which was fun but challenging, as he was forced to hang with the "typicals".  We are really pushing the social interaction piece, which along with language fluency seems to be the current #1 challenge.

Will post this and some summer pictures and continue later. Thanks for bearing with me.

We got back Scott's report from Dr. Kamara, and it's good news!

Dr. Kamara is the Speech-Language Pathologist who originally diagnosed him 3 years ago. She is a very well-respected clinician, and also an extremely kind, loving friend to Scott. I'm anxious and excited when he goes to see her, since she has the longest term relationship with Scott of all his therapists.

Although her report warned that Scott appears to have vulnerability in the areas of auditory processing and phonological awareness, overall she was very enthusiastic about our boy's progress. She praised the ABA training he was receiving, complimented the well-rounded effectiveness of his team (teachers, therapists and everyone else who wishes him well and takes special pains to help him) and even approved of the Play to Talk techniques we were using. In fact, she upgraded his prognosis from guarded to good, which brought tears to my eyes when I read it.

So if you're one of Scott's aforementioned "well-wishers", pat yourself on the back. Thanks to you and everyone like you, Scott's future looks bright.

Wow! So much has happened in the past weeks, I haven't been able to keep up with Scott's blog!

First, Scott received a really fascinating Sensory Integration Evaluation from the GMS Institute (www.gmskids.com), which found a number of gross and fine motor delays (including true crawling, residual palmer grip, and more). The crawling delay is especially frustrating, since I thought that he was actually able to do this. However, it appears that he merely creeps, which explains why he walked so early--10 months--since walking is easier for him than the mid-line crossing necessary for true crawling. Ugh. I was so proud of him for walking so early--now I discover that everything is pathology. :(

We also discovered that his core muscles are very underdeveloped--he can't do a single situp!

Fortunately, now that we know the delays exist, we can get on a program for eliminating them. I'm speculating that a lot of his restless motion (can't sit still in his chair) at home and at school might have something to do with the weakness in his core muscles. We will be developing a program over the summer to help build these areas. I am still deciding whether personal training, yoga or perhaps Tae Kwon Do would be most appropriate for him. He will be attending a week-long Sensory Integration camp at GMS that we're sure will give us greater insight into which route to take in this area.

Next post: His (third) evaluation by Dr. Kamara!

Spring has burst into bloom, and Scott with it. He's really starting to enjoy talking and playing with people, and we're starting to practice conversations a lot. I've found a great resource in Play to Talk, a guide designed to help parents and other caregivers develop conversational skills on a daily, hourly basis. It's been really helpful in knowing what--and what not--to do to keep kids' interest in interacting, and it uses everyday situations to do it, so you're not confined to formal "therapy sessions" with your kid.

Scott's also been busy checking in with his various therapists. He went back to see Dr. Kamara, the speech pathologist who first diagnosed him in 2004. We haven't gotten her report back yet, but she was obviously very pleased with how he's doing. She had high praise for the VB training he was receiving, and said he was doing even better than she had hoped he could be. "He's on the charts now," she told me, "and once they're on the chart, you can really make a difference." Hooray for Scott! All this hard work is paying off.

We also had Scott in for a Sensory Motor evaluation. This will give us an idea of where we need to be "feeding" his sensory deficits. This is an area that we've really neglected, but not anymore! We get a report from Dr. Youseffi next week some time that should help us make some decisions about Occupational Therapy plans. 

Another adventure! Today Scott's godfather, Mr. Mike, introduced Scott to his first airplane. Taking advantage of Katy's absence, Scott & I junketed down to Fauquier Airport, where Mike keeps his two-seater floatplane. The plan was to show Scott the plane, let him sit inside and drive around the tarmac to give him a "ride." Actual flying was sort of out of the question, since--in a two-seater with two sticks--Mike would have to control both the plane in front of him and the boy behind him. Mom was a little too nervous to go for that.

So they rode around the airport briefly, before stopping for a long conference. Then they started up again. A neighbor at the hangar remarked, "Looks like he's going to take off." Mom: "Oh, no, they're just driving around." "No, really, they're taking off."

And they were. And they did. It was glorious.

After a short lap around the area (it was very windy), they came back to earth. Apparently Scott kept urging Mike to "Make it fly! Make it fly!" Hence, the conference, where they agreed that if Scott would keep his hands in his lap and off the stick, Mike would indeed "make it fly."

What a great kid. And what a terrific man. I am so proud and grateful for Scott--and the village that's raising him. :)

Scott had a wonderfully restful Spring Break. Every morning he woke up and said, "No school today!" He loved sleeping in late and going on "adventures." We visited a dairy farm in Maryland (stinky) and saw "Horton Hears a Who" (where Scott impressed us by reading one of the credits--"Blue Sky"--perfectly succinctly).

Scott also took in his first college basketball game, travelling on the Metro (!) with Daddy to see Purdue defeat Baylor from really excellent seats. Both Dad and Scott were faintly discernable in the crowd in the next day's photo in the paper. Very memorable indeed.

He spent as much time as the weather permitted outside, riding his bike and helping build a new bridge over our itty-bitty creek, dubbed "The Easter Bridge." He also enjoyed a visit from his Grammie, Grampie, and Aunt Peg, who came into town to sweep Katy off on a two-week whirlwind tour of northeast Ohio. (I wonder if she knows how lousy the weather is there.)

Scott was very sorry to see his family go--even Katy. But I am looking forward to having him (mostly) to myself for the next two weeks. We are going to work on his writing, which continues to be challenging, and on his play skills, which are improving all the time.

He gave me a very entertaining impression of Buzz Lightyear accidentally opening his space helmet at lunch today, complete with gasping and gagging and letter-perfect dialogue ("My eyeballs could've been sucked out of their sockets!"). He's really excellent company, especially one-on-one.

We are still sorting out the summer activities, but are happy to have decided that Scott and Katy can go to the YMCA camp together for a couple of weeks this summer. All day outdoors with a bunch of other kids of every type. What could be better?

It's been a couple of months of tough slogging for Scott. He's doing well with reading and other academic skills, and still struggling with some entrenched behaviors. We're coming up on decision-making time. What to do for the summer? What camp? Any vacation? Where will he be next fall? Kindergarten again? First grade? Can we continue private therapy? Is there something else we should be doing? We've got a lot of factors to weigh. <sigh.>

Of course, he's also just a little kid doing little kid things. He lost his first tooth last week! Very exciting and he was very brave about it too. Or at least, that's what Lilly, the babysitter, led us to believe. :) The tooth was extracted while he was with her at church! He scored a really cool pocket Etch-a-Sketch from the Tooth Fairy for it; Katy is desperate for a (pink) one of her own, and is hopefully exploring her teeth for any "loosies."

We're off to Deep Creek this weekend to see if we can get in some end-of-the-season skiing. And then on Sunday to the Baltimore Aquarium because we're really just crazy. :) Scott LOVES the aquarium.

Another exciting development in Scott-world is his music class. Right now I'm uploading some videos to YouTube that hopefully you'll be able to view! You can see how much fun he's having--he's sitting pretty still, making a lot of eye contact, and is absolutely mesmerized by the guitar. I'll post the URL once I'm done.

Scott is reading! He's learned all his phonemes and has moved on to putting words together. He's working really hard and every day makes progress. We are grateful to the folks at Aurora--especially David--for their dedicated work with Scott.

They've also started up a music "class" with his pal Ryan that he seems to be enjoying. Miss Ashley plays the guitar and teaches them songs. Scott loves to sing. I think it's probably a real break for him in his long day.

Kindergarten is also providing Scott with a lot of challenges, mostly to his behavior. We have been working with the school to get a handle on these so that he can spend his mainstream time more productively (and not annoy the heck out of the other students). After much back-and-forth, we seem to have hit on a plan of attack; now we are waiting to see how it pans out. Academically, I think he's having the hardest time with writing, although mostly I think because of his fine motor difficulties. I see a computer in his future. :)

WHEW! So much for a restful Christmas break! What was I thinking??? Christmas itself was a lot of fun for everyone. Scott really enjoyed opening and playing with all his presents--once he could tear himself away from the train station Santa brought him. And he really enjoys the little keyboard we got--especially the microphone.

Then we had the bright idea to travel after Christmas. Let's see...first, off to Grandma's for 3 days (and 2 different beds) and a large party WITHOUT Daddy (very, very difficult) and two days at Deep Creek for New Year's (a third bed, but at least we were reunited with Daddy), return home New Year's Day, go to bed, get up go to school.

The good news is *Scott* seems astonishingly well rested, considering how stressful his travelling was. Went off to school wide-awake this morning; I'm pretty sure he was wide-awake at 4 a.m. No report yet on how school went, but he was VERY excited to see his friend Ryan at Aurora this afternoon. He was all smiles and gave Ry a great big hug.

Scott and Ryan were in preschool at Mountain View and we saw a lot of  him over the past summer. We are delighted to see him at Aurora and hope they find lots of chances for socializing there. :)

A tough week for Scott. It started well, with his supporting role as a shepherd in the church Christmas pageant gaining rave reviews, but Monday brought some stressful changes.

His favorite aide has apparently left the school, and his teachers are implementing a new plan to get him to stay in his seat and stop acting out his protests. The combination seems to be making him more exhausted than ever, dark circles under his eyes and almost constant thumbsucking. He often crawls into his bed to "rest" as early at 4.30, and is generally asleep 10 minutes after lights out. However, if he's going to be successful at school, these are pretty essential skills, and the sooner he learns them, the better off he'll be, even if a little exhaustion is necessary.

He has made a leap in reading, as his trainer at Aurora pointed out that he's been making unique and novel letter combinations. But even this "safe haven" demands a great deal from him--3 hours of one-on-therapy, three times a week, which increases his weariness.

As he trudged out the door this morning at o'dark-thirty towing his backpack, he paused, waved, and said "Bye Mom! I'm going to work!" This cheerful trooper is definitely in need of a little liberty. Christmas will come just in time.

Christmas is very big around our house these days. We put up our"family" Christmas tree last night, and had a very family-fun time at it. The ornaments are a little haphazard (Katy doesn't get the one-per-branch rule), and mostly congregate around the 3-foot mark, but they get rearranged so frequently that it hardly matters.

Scott is learning his name, address and phone at school, so we spend a lot of time discussing who lives where and what that's called. He's really enjoying both his public school and his time at Aurora--I can't believe it's only been 9 months since he started there!

Santa will be bringing a much-coveted Thomas the Tank Engine roundhouse, but Aunt Nancy is coming through with a keyboard that we have high hopes for. All is calm, all is bright--til we plug it in! :)

We enjoyed a very lively, boisterous Thanksgiving at Aunt Deb's, along with 40 other adults and kids. Scott had his hands over his ears sometimes, but, aside from a toy-related meltdown, he was came through like a champ. Katy was in heaven--lots of big girls to worship and to take care of her. Aunt Luisa was a particular hit.

Deb and Amy's dad gave Scott an impromptu introduction to the trumpet, which was so thrilling he couldn't stop jumping up and down. Sadly, I was so involved in the lesson that I failed to get video, or even a picture.

Scott put up the little Christmas tree that Grammie made for him on Thanksgiving Day. He LOVES it. It must be lit at all times, and he studies each ornament ("A candy cane, mommy." "That's Mickey!") carefully. He is full of "Merry Christmas" for everyone these days. We are all looking forward to it so much!

The big Christmas parade in Middleburg is this weekend; Katy is riding on her preschool's float. Hope to get pictures of that, as well as the kids' trip to the Wakefield basketball game this Friday. Stay tuned for much busyness through the Holiday season.

So many things to be thankful for! :)

Yesterday we took advantage of a suggestion from our brave friend Miss Nik and day off from school to travel up to the Strasburg, PA railroad (check out pix on the album). What bliss for Scott! Real steam trains and coaches, a whole store devoted to everything Thomas the Tank Engine, and a ride on a real train. By the end of the very long day we were exhausted but triumphant. Katy was less interested, but willing, and was perfectly satisfied since her friend Sarah was there to play with.

Today's another day off, but we're taking it easy since this afternoon is our first parent/teacher conference with Scott's Kindergarten teacher. Dad's in NYC for a couple of days, but we're looking forward to seeing him tonight; both kids have been missing him, since he's been travelling a lot lately.

Today, Scott, Katy and I sat down to a rolicking game of Cariboo!, and for the first time ever, Scott stayed with it from start to finish, taking turns (occasionally wandering off, it's true, between his turns, but always returning), helping his sister, and cheering and shouting when we uncovered a ball.  We played two games and had such a wonderful, normal time all together.

Scott also spent some time modeling his new Buzz Lightyear costume from Aunt Laura. Much zooming around and "pick me up, Mom!" and "To infinity and beyond!" I squelched the impulse to make a bargain for him to sleep in it if only he would remove it for his bath. He got the bath anyway, and a warm pair of pajamas. :) Hopefully I'll be able to get a picture to share next time (tomorrow, probably) it goes on.

We've retrieved Katy from Grammie's and had a wonderful visit with our cousins, Lyndsey and MoMo. Grammie (with some help from Aunt Laura) made Halloween costumes for both Scott and Katy, and boy are they cute. Grand Aunt Marilyn managed to catch all 4 sitting still in their costumes for a memorable picture (see Scott's photo album).

Scott seems to be engaging more with his Kindergarten class. When I asked him last night whom he played with at school that day, he replied, "Miss Hashagan", a tough name and one I've never heard him utter before. She's also his general education Kindergarten teacher. I'm hoping that means he's enjoying her class and that she's enjoying having him there. We haven't been able to meet with her about Scott's progress, but October is the month for Parent/Teacher conferences so we hope to know more soon.

Scott is getting into the swing of school, and seems to be maintaining pretty well. We're dealing with some "behavior issues", but academically he's doing great, learning to write his letters and working on phonics. He also counts really well, and enjoys interacting over his books. 

With Katy at Grammie and Grampie's in Ohio, undergoing potty training and communing with her cousins, Scott is enjoying the undivided attention of his parents. Daddy has been working pretty hard lately, but still finds time to make Scott breakfast every morning.

Scott is becoming much more "conversational" and he is really fun to talk to. He has a great, little-boy sense of humor, mostly focused on--ahem--physical humor. But he has a laugh like music, and once he gets going he's hard to stop. He's also gotten much more manageable in terms of complying with verbal directions--much less picking him up and moving him to where you want him to be. Good thing, too; he's getting BIG. :)

Whew! A tough week at school has finally ended, and we can all relax. Everyone slept in this morning, then Scott climbed a tree, took a hike in the woods (Scott is an enthusiastic hiker), where we encountered a pair of box turtles, and finally stretched out on the grass observing the trees and the hawks. Sometimes it's very nice to live in the country.

Katy is off for a visit to Grammie and Grampie's next week for almost 3 weeks! Lots of Scott-intensive time. We are looking forward to having him all to ourselves. :) 

This month Scott is adding to his ABA program at Aurora with a new verbal behavior protocol developed by Dr. Mark Sundberg (http://www.marksundberg.com/vb-mapp.htm ) that targets and addresses developmental weaknesses. We are very excited to be a part of this cutting edge therapy, and are hoping to strengthen some of the areas where Scott has the most trouble. His evaluation is still in process but we will keep you posted on his progress.

Scott is doing so well in his new Kindergarten! He's already increased his inclusion time by 20 minutes, and he's working on his handwriting. David, his trainer at Aurora, is going to start teaching him to read. We're so encouraged and proud of him.

He is *soooo* tired, however. He works so hard, and I know the new bus, school and schedule are really stretching his coping skills. My admiration for this kid grows every day as I see him get on a bus he's not too sure about, far too early in the morning, to go to a school and people he's never before seen. He never shrinks or whines, even though I know he's "scary" every day. His 5-year-old courage is breathtaking. 

It's official--Scott is in Kindergarten! He was off to his "first" day of school at 6.40 a.m. He was "scary" but brave; got right on without a protest. He seems okay with his new school, and they tell us he is doing great in his mainstream classroom. Although he's very, very tired (he's the hardest-working 5-year-old I know), he seems very happy at school. He wants to read and is working on his numbers. He's shining at Aurora too. We couldn't be more proud of our boy. :)

Back to catch up on this summer's activities. Our "away" vacation time was limited, with Scott in Aurora School 3x a week, but we still managed to pack a lot of fun into this summer. A short trip to Kings Dominion went over well; Scott was really very patient at waiting in line. Fortunately, it wasn't a crowded day, so lines weren't a big problem on most rides. He is showing his father's passion for roller coasters, riding the little "starter" coaster over and over with obvious glee.

Our beach trip to Uncle Henry's in Rehoboth was a bit of a bust; in a summer marked by drought, it rained all three days we were there, and red flags were out on the beach. Scott and his sister still managed to play in the sand and get knocked over by a few waves. We also got to visit the Ocean City boardwalk and indulge in the rides there as well.

More roadtripping came in the form of a visit to Nana and Howdy in Indiana. Both kids got to play with their grandparents and all the old toys they've preserved over the years. They also got to sleep in Daddy's old room in Daddy's old beds, probably the last kids to do so, since Nana and Howdy are moving next spring and getting rid of a lot of stuff.

Scott woke up this morning chattering away--and not just rote echoalia stuff, but whole sentences; asking questions, commenting on the local scene and *making jokes*!! Hooray! He's off to church with Katy and Daddy so Mommy can work on his website.

We have been talking about his upcoming visit to Grammie & Grampie's, and he's quite willing and more than a little excited to be going. Hopefully, with a little more preparation, this transition will be smoother than the last time we tried this (yikes!).