Week 2

7 days with NOT ONE SINGLE INFRACTION!!!! Yeah!!! I seriously can't even believe it!! I lucked out because she was ok with having different pretzels than the other kids at Little Gym, and I was planning to provide snack for her preschool class, but my big girl ended up getting sick on Tuesday, and she was sooooo sick the rest of the week. :( It was seriously so horrible. I have never seen her like this. Her little brother had what we are assuming is the same virus last week, but he had 3 days of a fever and was done. She was 4-5 days, and her fever got REALLY high at times... she was almost to 106 at one point, at which I got her in the tub immediately, finally convinced her to take some ibuprofen, and thank God it came down. She had gagged on her medicine and thrown-up a couple of days before this, so it was a big struggle getting her to take any more medicine after that, but eventually I was able to convince her when she really needed it. If you could have seen this poor girl, oh my gosh, it was enough to make you cry. My sweet girl who barely sits still and bounces around all day, needs melatonin to go to sleep at night, etc... she would barely move for HOURS on end, and fell asleep on the couch during the day THREE different times over the course of the week. She was just so miserable. I can't tell you the relief I felt when she woke up on Sunday morning fever-free! I think the dr. was even starting to worry a little, as she called first thing on Sunday morning to check on her.

So anyway, things are back to normal around here. One thing I want to clarify regarding a previous post... I know I said this diet can be a giant pain in the ass... and it CAN be... events, parties, pretty much anywhere that someone else is having something she can't have. And yes, if I'm being completely honest, I kinda-sorta hope she doesn't have intolerances/allergies to gluten and casein, because it can be such a giant pain in the ass... but I also kinda-sorta hope it's that simple. I just don't think it is. I have seen ZERO withdrawal and ZERO changes in her behavior. Nothing. But... I know it can sometimes be a while. Doc wants us to give it a couple of months, so we will. I am VERY interested in seeing what test results come back as far as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, other food allergies, etc. I know several people who have seen great results with supplements and giving the body what it is lacking, or fixing what is off-balance, so I'm anxious to get to that part.

As far as the rest of the family, we are not exactly GFCF. For the most part, I would say we are, but we are not being strict with ourselves or our son. We don't eat anything in front of her that she can't have, I am trying to make all of our meals GFCF, but if my husband grabs take-out one night for us after the kids go to bed, or if our son is at his grandparents' house without our daughter, for instance, we are not forcing it. It's just becoming too hard, and what's important right now is that SHE is GFCF. That's the way that I'm looking at it right now. I'm afraid if it becomes too difficult that I will bail, and right now I can manage it this way, so I think that is what is in everyone's best interest. The goal is to see if GFCF works for our daughter, so that is what I'm focusing on. I'm figuring out ways to try to make her favorite things, and I have to say- it's not always working. The pizza I made yesterday from scratch... well, not totally from scratch, as I did use a brand of GFCF pizza crust mix... didn't turn out great. It was just ok. Our son LOVED it, or maybe he was just really hungry. My husband and I ate it... our daughter had one or two bites. The substitute products just don't taste as good, period. And that's fine for, and pretty easily tolerated by an adult, but a 4 year-old... not so much. I'm having better luck just giving her the yummy fruits and veggies that she's always loved.

I will say one thing about this experience so far:  any future party or event that we have, I will always try to provide common allergen-free options- i.e. simple fruit salad, tossed salad without dressing, etc. And for any larger future events, I will always ask about special dietary needs. This has just been such an eye-opener for me. My mother-in-law has life-threatening food allergies, and my sister-in-law is gluten-intolerant, so you would think I would have already been more sensitive to this. I've tried, but I haven't always been great at it. I'm pretty sure I will be better at it now. Just like anything else, you don't really understand until you are put in someone else's shoes.

SPD

Sensory Processing Disorder, from my understanding, along with constitutionally poor self-regulation across all domains, accounts for the majority of my daughter's struggles. I have so much to learn! It's truly a fascinating topic... I just wish my child was not one who had to struggle with this. Here are ten fundamental facts about SPD, according to the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation:

• Sensory Processing Disorder is a complex disorder of the brain that affects developing children and adults.
• Parent surveys, clinical assessments, and laboratory protocols exist to identify children with SPD.
• At least one in twenty people in the general population may be affected by SPD.
• In children who are gifted and those with ADHD, Autism, and fragile X syndrome, the prevalence of SPD is much higher than in the general population.
• Studies have found a significant difference between the physiology of children with SPD and children who are typically developing.
• Studies have found a significant difference between the physiology of children with SPD and children with ADHD.
• Sensory Processing Disorder has unique sensory symptoms that are not explained by other known disorders.
• Heredity may be one cause of the disorder.
• Laboratory studies suggest that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are not functioning typically in children with SPD.
• Preliminary research data support decades of anecdotal evidence that occupational therapy is an effective intervention for treating the symptoms of SPD.

– from Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children With Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD ) p. 249-250 by Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR

I also recently read a wonderful article that gives me lots of hope for more understanding to hopefully be entering our public schools. Though this is in Canada, maybe it's a good sign?? SPD is often associated with autism, which it DOES  very often accompany autism, but if you have SPD, you don't always have autism! One in twenty kids has some sort of sensory processing issue! I also saw this quote today:

"A lot of children really need 10 minutes of every hour on sensory-based activities to self-regulate and soothe."
~Dr. Stanley Greenspan via Fun and Function

We've been struggling with implementing some parts of the prescribed sensory diet (brushing, Therapeutic Listening)... it turns into a power struggle and it's pretty much impossible to force my daughter to allow me to do her brushing or listen to her therapeutic cd for the 30 mins. that she's supposed to. I'm going to try a reward system for this to hopefully get her to the point where she realizes how much better it makes her feel, so she actually wants to do it!

On another note, GFCF is going well this week! This is Day 3 of week 2, and so far... no dietary infractions in Week 2!! Woo hooo!!! Now, I was told she should be having withdrawal symptoms, and she's not. So I'll be honest... I'm wondering if she even has true allergies to gluten and/or casein?? Shouldn't she be having pretty bad withdrawal? I expected it after a day or two with ZERO infractions, so I'm not sure what to think. Maybe I'm just hoping... so we don't have to keep doing this? Although... I'm afraid of when we get the food allergies test back, to see what else we may need to restrict... ugh.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!!

Week 1

Well, all in all, I think we did ok. For our first week, for an extremely strong-willed 4 year-old, for having activities where I am not there with her, for Mommy still having A LOT to learn, for traveling in the car, and for going to the lake with lots of goodies around... we actually did pretty darn well, if I do say so myself! (In MY mind, but I guess in actuality we kind of sucked). There was one infraction each on six of the seven days. Ugh. Three were totally my fault, because I thought McD's fries and hashbrowns were GFCF, but alas, it seems they're not. Note to self: check and double-check what you read online! There was some snack-sharing that occurred at her Little Gym summer camp, birthday cupcakes were brought in to school (had I been aware, I would have sent a special one for her), and a family member taking care of her one day forgot about the diet and gave her a little piece of string cheese. So this is going to take some getting used to, and is going to be an adjustment for everyone involved. I have to say, though... I'm pretty happy with the way the first week went, as it went better than I thought it would. I am luckier than most, because my daughter is already a really good eater- LOVES her fruits and veggies, salads, loves healthy snacks... totally accepted having hummus to dip her carrots into instead of ranch. I know moms who have done this, and all that their child would eat before starting the diet were chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, etc... so we certainly are in a much better position to start than many. That being said... it's still pretty freakin' hard! Honestly, home is really not an issue at all. She eats healthy, I try to cook healthy, she simply hasn't been offered anything she can't have, she just can't see it if it's even here, and around her, we all try to eat GFCF. She has asked for things, and has been told that we don't have it, etc. That she is accepting. What I know she will not accept is when she is told she CAN'T have something... so I'm staying away from that word as much as is humanly possible. I have to give a HUGE thank-you to her Gaga (my Momma) who took care of her all day on Friday while I snuggled with and tended to my sick little boy. She took the new diet very seriously, which I SO appreciated, even when I told her to not worry about it because I was so overwhelmed and unprepared that day. That was one of her best days!! Also to her Mimi, who tried to keep all of the snacks hidden, which was super-hard to do with a little cottage at the lake and having to feed lots of people! It means so much that the most important people in our lives are taking this so seriously.

What I have learned this week is that in one way, this is going to be easier than I thought, and in another, it's going to be harder than I thought for an active kid like mine, who is out of the house a lot without Mommy. Her doctor had suggested "keeping her home" for a couple of months to see if the diet would work for her, and I almost laughed out loud. For one, I don't know what I will do if I don't get little breaks. She suggested getting a babysitter to come to the house and I go out. Ha! What she doesn't get is that my daughter will go CRAZY! She gets stir-crazy even in our relatively spacious house. She needs LOTS of structured activity, and I do the best I can, but the fact is that I also have another child at home who needs different things, and needs me in different ways. It is impossible to give my daughter all that she needs, all on my own at home. So we're just going to have to do the best that we can. I imagine it will take us a few weeks to get into a little routine, and hopefully to have my daughter, and all of us, adjust to these changes.

So far, Week 2, Day 1 is going well! Let's hope for zero dietary infractions this week!! :)

Day 1

So we got through Day 1 of GFCF. I honestly didn't know if we would. Now, Mommy did have some creamer in her coffee (bad Mommy!) because almond milk tasted like crap in it and I didn't think to pick up any non-dairy at the store, and Daddy did have a piece of bread with his salad at lunch... but the kids did pretty well. If I'm being 100% honest, though... OMG I want to give up already.  Some things are just a bigger pain in the ass, and the last thing I need is a bigger pain in the ass. Truly, my daughter already eats pretty well and loves her fruits and veggies, so we can get away with it at home. We have yet to attempt having a "different" snack than the other kids at camp and school, so we shall find out today and tomorrow. My plan is to have them offer and encourage it, but not force it if there is a meltdown, because that will just cause more problems than it is worth with me not around to help. I know it's cheating, and I know it's making a dietary infraction and probably screwing the whole damn thing up, but I don't know a better way to handle it for now. Same with this weekend at the lake. All the kids my girl will play with all day will probably go get ice cream after dinner... how do I tell my sweet babe that she can't have any? She LOVES ice cream. We tried coconut milk ice cream last night and she wasn't thrilled. I HAVE to have a good substitute on-hand to replace these things with, and that just isn't gonna cut it. So is this all going to be worth it if there are infractions sometimes? I don't know.

And I'm worried about my 2 year-old son. He's a picky eater as it is... I just don't know how I'm going to do this with him. I'm not pushing it with him outside of the home or when Sissy isn't here... but when we're all home together, I can't very well give him his favorite waffles or mac and cheese and not give Sissy any, (if she wants it) you know? But I also can't restrict his diet so much that he won't eat!!!! He's a baby.  So... I'm worried. But we'll keep plugging away and taking it day by day... that's all we can do.

My daughter's perspective

I can often tell when my daughter has some sensory stuff going on, and is craving more sensory input. This afternoon she started running, jumping, crashing, just moving her body all around, fiercely... she was trying to sit at the table and eat and just kept jumping up in her chair and kicking her legs, etc. I asked her "What does your body feel like right now?" She said "It feels uncomfortable. It just feels really uncomfortable." It has been described to me by some as feeling like "restless body syndrome," if you have any experience with Restless Leg Syndrome. I found a really interesting article written by a young woman with PDD-NOS, who helps us to understand self-regulation, and what it feels like to struggle with it. Read it here. So incredibly interesting, and just gives me a little peek inside of what my daughter may be feeling sometimes.

Today I feel...

a myriad of emotions. That's a pretty normal day for us, where this mommy (and really, this whole family) feels a huge range of emotions. First, I have to say I am PROUD. So proud of my big girl for finally accomplishing a big milestone she's been so anxious to accomplish!! She is completely out of nite-nite diapers!!!! She's been daytime potty-trained for 2 years now, but nights were soooo hard for her. She kept wanting to try, especially within the last few months, but just could not wake up with a dry diaper. In fact, she would wake up pretty wet. Then completely out of the blue the other night, she woke up at 4 a.m. calling for me, which is a typical occurrence, but when I went in- she was ON THE POTTY and HER PULL-UP WAS DRY!!! She peed, went back to sleep, and when she awoke, HER PULL-UP WAS DRY AGAIN!!! She was just so proud, and I promised her if she had a second night of the same thing, that she could try panties the third night! So... success again the second night! Third night... panties. I was a little nervous, but SHE DID IT!! :) Last night was the second night in panties, fourth night overall of waking up dry!!!! YAY for my BIG GIRL!!! She wanted this so badly, as she kept telling me how uncomfortable her pull-up was to sleep in, for one... for two, she wanted so much to be like her cousin, (who is the same age and she is super-close with) who was able to be trained during nights and days at the same time.

I also feel quite BLESSED. Blessed to have two sweet, smart, silly, beautiful, loving children. Is there anything like hearing your four year-old say, "I just love you so much, Mommy"?? Or hearing your two-year old, still learning to talk, say "Mommy home. Daddy home. Sissy home. Happy." Just so, so sweet. I think my favorite part of watching a child grow is seeing and hearing the language development.

Then... the flip side. :) Your two year-old learning to talk... and really mastering the word "NO!" And a very defiant "NO!" with a foot stomp. Your two year-old picking up his sister's bad habits (ugh)... this is an especially difficult one. He's two... so he's not really "getting" time-outs or any attempts at discipline, so I'm struggling with how to handle this situation. And let's face it, his sister obviously has some very bad habits. So... this Mommy is having a pretty hard time right now. The words would be FRUSTRATED and OVERWHELMED.  Some days it truly feels like I'm barely keeping my head above water. I've been in survival mode for a long time now... probably since my son was born. Many days, I am just doing what I can to get us through the day. It's sad, but it's the truth. Many days, I feel more like a referee or a zookeeper than I do a mother. I know this is just a part of being a stay-at-home mommy to two young children, so I try to keep them busy the best I can. But the fact of the matter is, it is pretty hard for either of them to really do a whole lot independently while I try to get the everyday stuff done. For example, my daughter was busy coloring, which she enjoys, but within minutes had completely covered her body in markers. You would expect this from a two year-old, but unfortunately my four year-old has impulse-control issues that I am told are "off the charts..." and things like this happen frequently. So it's hard to not watch her every minute to keep things like this from happening. To say that everything else in life has taken a backseat to our children... our house, our marriage, our friends, our own interests and activities... would be the understatement of the year. But it is what it is, and they have to come first right now. I know (hope) it all will pass, and we will get through this tough spot in our lives, and we will live a new kind of normal that we will all adjust to... knowing that light is at the end of the tunnel really helps.

I'm also feeling GUILTY. For alot of reasons. Which is a whole other post that I will eventually finish. But I guess I wouldn't be a mommy if I didn't feel guilty, right??

I also want to say that I feel SUPPORTED. You are reading this because I shared it with you. And I shared it with you for one, more, or all of these reasons: You have been a good friend to me. You have shown love and compassion to my daughter. You have lifted me up when I needed it. You are important to me. So... thank you. :)

This is more than just bad behavior. This is more than just a child acting like a little brat. This is more than parents who don't discipline correctly or give in too much. This is more than just "a kid being a kid." A mother's instincts- from the age of 15 months- are rarely wrong. Her teachers were not wrong. The pediatrician, psychologists, therapist, (who has seen her weekly for 8 months now) and other mental health professionals... are not wrong. I wish it were as simple as some may think. Put your foot down. Don't give in. Show her who's boss. Be consistent. You're the parent. So easy to say when you don't live with it 24/7. So easy to do that with your kid when he/she may need discipline or parental intervention a few times a day- even once or twice an hour. So easy to see me and what I do/don't do and pass judgment.

I think what's hard for people to understand... even for me to understand sometimes, is that my daughter can have moments... minutes, hours, sometimes (although rarely) even whole days of normalcy... total and complete typical child behavior. She has the ability to focus, even hyper-focus, on things of great interest to her. It is at these times that the thought crosses one's mind... maybe nothing really is going on. But trust me... there is.

There are things that people say to parents that just don't help- they may even hurt. Please don't say: "I really don't think there's anything wrong," or "Maybe they were wrong," or "She can't have -insert diagnosis here- because -insert reason here." You never know how long a parent may have been dealing with this... how long it may have taken them to come to grips with the fact that something more might be going on... how long it may have taken them to pick up the phone and make that appt. for an evaluation... and how long it may have taken them to finally accept the answers they received, not to mention how long it may have taken them to actually share that with you. Please don't give parenting advice if you don't have a child with similar special needs, or if you don't work as a professional in dealing with children who have similar special needs. It doesn't help, and in fact can make me feel quite inadequate. I promise you, I am doing everything I can. I have already enlisted the help of several professionals to help me figure out what to do. It's slow-going, but it's a start. And what works for one child, your neuro-typical child, most likely will not work for my child. What you can and should say to someone who is parenting a child with special needs, and you want to help and be supportive, is: YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. If you know that parent is doing everything out of love, and what they truly feel is best, even if it's not what you would do.... tell them they are doing GREAT. Sometimes that's all someone needs to hear to give them that little extra boost to get them through the day. :)

WOW. That's all I can say.

Have you ever read or heard something that you just felt in your gut? That just shook you to your core? That just screamed at you- "YES! YES! THIS is what I've been searching for!"? (Please, please God, please let this be what I've been searching for). What I have just read REALLY makes me want to call Dr. Bock and get on his many months to a year-long waiting list, and make the drive to Rhinebeck, NY to see him. Hopefully the dr. that we are seeing, located east of our closest city, will be doing the same things... and if not, she seemed open to following his protocol. Apparently, they are actually friends, so I'm going to assume she could also consult with him.

I just read about a little girl named Alisa who sounded so much like my daughter. Not 100% exactly, but the closest I've come in my search for someone, anyone, who looked like her. Interestingly, her diagnosis was ADHD- both inattentive subtype and hyperactive-impulsive subtype- with bipolar features. She had rapid cycling mood swings. Signs of oppositional defiance disorder. Attendant colitis. Allergic rhinitis. Hypoglycemia. Are you freaking kidding me? My daughter is not as severe, but again, the closest I've come. And my daughter has all of these symptoms. Hypoglycemia has not been confirmed, but I suspect it.

So I'm reading about what actually happens in my daughter's brain, and I am both fascinated and sick. I am reading about different areas of the brain and what happens with them- way too lengthy to get into here. To sum it up, here are two paragraphs from page 98 of  Dr. Bock's book, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics- Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking New Program for the 4-A Disorders:  "The net effect of all of these classic contributing factors to ADHD is a brain that just can't take good care of itself.  In particular, it can't have a good talk with itself, in the same way that you might have a talk with yourself when you're trying to make a difficult decision.  The higher brain simply can't engage in a smart dialogue with the lower brain.  The lower brain hogs the conversation and thoughts and feelings get bogged in a mire of fear, anger, and selfish desire. Negativity builds upon negativity, until bad behavior finally bursts forth like an uncontrollable fire."  "When this unfortunate process occurs, people lose what neurologists call executive function.  Losing executive function means that the frontal lobes aren't in charge anymore. The Boss is out of the office.  Chaos reigns, and the lower instincts prevail. When people lose strong executive function, they can have the best of intentions, but just don't have the biological means to harness those intentions, and do the right thing."  The psychology major in me is fascinated. The mother in me is sick that this is happening.  On page 96- "It's been said that 70% of the brain is there to inhibit the other 30%. In some ADHD kids, however, this ratio seems to get reversed, and it's very difficult for these kids to control themselves. A person with this neurological makeup can go through his or her life feeling as overwhelmed by temptation as the proverbial kid in a candy store. This is part of the reason why so many kids with ADHD grow up to become adults who overindulge in alcohol, drugs, food, and other avenues of immediate gratification." You can see why I have fears for the future, and you can see why when told about these possibilities by the pediatrician, that I said- yes, I will try anything! Even stimulant meds, if that's what my daughter needs. Well, 30% of children with ADHD are not helped by stimulants, and my daughter is one of them. And let me tell you, if the meds had worked for her, I can guarantee you we would be on them and stay on them. I'm sure at some point along the line I would have tried to get her off of them and then perhaps investigated biomed, but that didn't happen. I don't know for certain what the statistics are for biomedical intervention to help my daughter, but let's say it's even 30-50%. Worth a try, in my opinion. Worth every penny it's going to cost. Worth every fit she's going to take when she can't have a certain food or treat (I say that now- LOL). Worth EVERYTHING if this is her answer.  I read a blog the other day about a mother who tried biomed for her son with ADHD and it really didn't do anything. So I know that can happen. But I also know there are many success stories, and I'm praying that we're one of them!

Happiness and a glimpse of relief

We have had two pretty great days. Two days where we did some "normal" family things... and things actually went pretty well, all things considered. I'm not sure if you realize how huge this is. It started on Sunday with spending the day at my parents' house, swimming and playing. No huge meltdowns, no big fights, nothing too crazy happened. Just a nice, fun day spent with the family. Was it perfect? Certainly not. But an improvement, for sure. Transitions are probably one of the toughest things for my daughter, so leaving is never easy. Of course she will do anything to stay, (and often anything to be defiant as well) so the obvious choice for her was to jump in the pool naked after Mommy told her pool time was over. I choose my battles, I do... and let me tell you, I have to, otherwise ALL I would do is discipline this child and never enjoy her. It wasn't THAT big of a deal, although she did, in fact, not listen to me. But she had such a good day up to that point... whatever, I just dried her off, got her dressed, and we left... no real harm done.

Yesterday we went with my whole family to an amusement and water park. Daddy had to work, and I was very hesitant to take both kiddos on my own, so I made sure that my parents were willing to help me- someone always being designated to one of my kids. It can be, at times, like I actually have two 2 year-old boys, if you know what I mean.  Well, the whole family stepped in and grandparents, aunts, and uncles helped me tremendously!! My daughter loves her cousins SO much, and wanted to be with them every second, so I thank God that everyone helped and was willing to take responsibility for my daughter when I had to stay back with my son, etc. I really am so blessed with amazing families on both sides. Again, the day wasn't without... situations, but it really went so well. Even 6 months ago, I don't know if she would have walked hand-in-hand... not darted and run away from us constantly... (she only did twice) not melted down at least 5 times (she only really had 1 or 2 small ones)... or let me leave her side (she did!). I'm learning, slowly but surely, what her triggers are, how to see them coming and how to avoid them as much as possible, and within reason. Like I said, some of that is picking and choosing my battles. There are some things I just HAVE to put my foot down about, and there are some things that are small, and just aren't worth it, ESPECIALLY in a place like we were yesterday. The meltdown can be so severe, and can last for SO long, (it has up to an hour- and I mean an hour at FULL-BLOWN meltdown... and remember, she is 4 1/2 years old) that I just can't put my foot down on everything if ANYONE is to have any fun. Some may call this "letting her get away with things," when the behavioral specialists we have gotten to help us call it "avoiding her triggers,"- again, within reason. I have mixed feelings about some of this, as I want my daughter to learn that you JUST LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS, you know? This is the way the world works. Mommy and Daddy (and grandparents, aunts, and uncles) really do know best, we're trying to keep you safe and teach you right from wrong. But one of my daughter's many team members said something to me the other day that helped me to understand. She said, "I'm sorry, but your daughter IS different. You have to do things differently. And some people may not understand. But that's ok. It HAS to be ok with you, or you're never going to get anywhere. The sooner you realize and accept this, the better off you and your daughter are going to be." She explained the tantrum behavior and what it turns into for my daughter- how it will turn into a full-blown tantrum that she can't come out of, because she has an actual physical reaction sometimes, depending upon several different things- perhaps her blood sugar levels, for one thing (which is one trigger we are picking up on as a possibility). Her physical reactions actually trigger anxiety and then panic and perseveration... no one knows until they see this happen.

We are learning this is going to take work. We are learning that she simply DOES NOT HAVE, or is SEVERELY LACKING, the coping skills she SHOULD have developed naturally. It's just something that happens, and is all a part of her different diagnoses put together. We are learning that this is a marathon, not a sprint, when we obviously want it to be a sprint. But it just doesn't work that way. It's going to be little steps at a time, with alot of people involved, and all of them on the same page.  The goals on her treatment plan I received from her BSC (Master's level behavioral specialist) include:

Will develop compliance skills and will decrease defiant and aggressive outbursts.

Measurable Objectives

·         will display a decrease in aggressive behaviors(ie. Hitting, screaming, throwing things) to around 20% of the time and measured using frequency and duration recording and reports from family members and teacher

·         will display a reduction of tantrum behaviors(i.e. crying, whining, etc) goal to around 20% of the time using frequency and duration recording and reports from family members and teachers

·         will follow through with a request within 0-2 prompts about 80% of the time.

·         will eliminate her manipulative behavior in order to get her wants and needs met.

·         will reduce her impulsive behaviors to around 20% of the opportunity.

Will develop age appropriate social skills and will expand play, reducing behaviors 80% of the time.

Measurable Objectives

 ·        will engage in age appropriate interactions 80% of the time without displays of aggression

·         When interacting with her peers she will not dominate play 80% of the time.

·         She will interact with her brother in a gentle manner 100% of the time

Will increase focus and awareness of her environment with 80% accuracy.

Measurable Objectives

·         When in the community, will respond to adult instructions and safety command (e.g. STOP) within 1 prompt 100% of the time

·         When in public or unfamiliar setting, will stay with in arm’s length of familiar adult with 100% accuracy.

·         will increase attention to task to 10 minutes 80% of the time

The treatment plan includes antecedent intervention strategies, replacement intervention strategies, and consequence intervention strategies. It is all VERY overwhelming to think about, and I know it's going to be even more overwhelming to implement. I think one strategy that's going to be hard for us is "planned ignoring." I already do it sometimes- but essentially any "attention-seeking" behavior should be ignored. Holy smokes- that's ALOT of behaviors for our daughter. How in the world are we going to do that? And how in the world am I going to get over the fact that I'm afraid people will think I'm not doing my job, when in fact it is a RECOMMENDED INTERVENTION STRATEGY for my daughter? I wish I didn't care what people think. I need to work on this.


I think one of the hardest things for us is dealing with her off-the-charts impulsivity. She can be SO impulsive sometimes. We have been told, by her therapist and by a psychologist, that she seems to be missing the "stop and think" piece of what most people have, which is "stop, think, do." This can be anything from dumping a glass of water or grabbing things off of counters to running away in a parking lot to see something she wants to see, or even when she will yell and scream mean things sometimes. It can be so frustrating, but we are doing our best to understand that there are some things SHE JUST CAN'T HELP. Something is not working correctly in her little brain to tell her to "stop and think." It angers my husband, and yes it angers me, too. Now, this is not everything, and that's where it gets even tougher, as there are times that she is just being manipulative and does know what she's doing, and this is one of the biggest challenges... trying to tell one from the other.


Either way, I'm really very proud of how she handled herself the last two days. It makes me feel like maybe we are making progress, even if it's little by little... but this felt really big. :)