All Things Noah

It's been a month now, since Noah started preschool and he is finally adjusting to it. He still acts worried when I drop him off and he says "Momma sit" over and over hoping I will come in his class and sit with him. But he hasn't cried in a bit and now when I pick him up he's happy and excited. You know he's having fun when he has to say "byyyeeee" over and over and even yell it from across the parking lot. His teacher/aids say he's doing much better. He's trying the snacks, playing and participating, and he is NOT falling asleep. Today I was informed that he's yelling outbursts for no reason and throwing things. I was happy to hear it knowing he's finally opening up and being his true self.

His speech is coming along. He hasn't made any huge break throughs but it's a work in progress and he's trying really hard. I feel so blessed that he has such a fabulous therapist who is familiar and knows how to treat Apraxia. The fact that the service is free through the Scottish Rite is even more of a blessing since my paycheck can't seem to keep up with all of expenses these days.

One new therapy we just started is feeding therapy. I've always figured this was in store for Noah since he is by far the worst eater I have ever seen (the kid does NOT eat anything besides cheese). I've kept him on Soy Milk (since milk aggravates his diarrhea) mixed with Carnations since he loves it and it gives him the nutrition he wouldn't be getting otherwise. The only problem with that is that he only drinks it in a bottle. Yes, my 3 1/2 yr old drinks several bottles a day. O-well. It's just not a battle I want to fight right now. I'm more concerned with his nutrition than the bottle dilemma. I've tried refusing the bottles for almost a week before and he still won't eat. Lately, I've been following him around the house feeding him bites of food. Its helping him eat but not really solving the problem. Anyways, now that we have started therapy for it, I hope to see improvement. Instead of a sensory approach like I suspected he would need, we decided to do a behavior approach. It's very similar to what his speech therapist does (which really works) so I figured it was worth a shot.

He still needs some major Occupational Therapy intervention to deal with his sensory issues - I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but Noah has Sensory Integration Disorder. I've been working with him as much as I know how. Doing lots of jumping, swinging, throwing, etc that seems to help him cope but it's fairly obvious from his behavior and aggression that it's not enough. I'm trying to get him in a program that will be a bit more affordable for us but if this doesn't work out I will be setting up the therapy through the hospital. He will be getting an OT eval and most likely services through the school district and his special education classroom but those services are so limited (and usually a group setting, not one-on-one) that he really needs a more personal program. But since I've spoken with his teacher about these needs, she found him a trampoline to use and allows him to bring a ball to throw which has made all the difference in the world. He started opening up and enjoying school more once he was able to do this.

The final update about Noah is his psychology appointments. He's been through a few hours of evals now and has been accepted into treatment. What type of treatment, I'm not sure about yet. Those decisions will be discussed at the next appointment. After the last eval, his therapist told me that while Noah doesn't fit any one group of issues, he does seem to be in a large classification of the Autistic spectrum. I guess what it's called is PDD - Pervasive Developmental Disorder. It's where you have some characteristics of Autism but not all. (Although, I am anything but an expert in this field) This is kinda tricky. I do not believe he has Autism. And really, neither does his therapist. But since it fits, and we don't really have all the answers just yet, giving him that diagnosis will help him get services and will also give us an idea on what services he needs. I'm hoping that Noah's behavior and aggression are due to his speech issues and his sensory problems. That seems to me to be a bit more plausible (and likely to outgrow) than Autism. Either way, we are figuring out what he needs.

Noah is still the sweetest little man; giving hugs and kisses. He's playing more with his Dad and was very concerned when Shane was out of town visiting his family. Noah couldn't have been happier when his Dad came home. He has also started playing WITH Lilly more. Hearing them giggle and interact does this Momma's heart a lot of good. One things for sure, he may be a handful but I am his biggest fan. Not a moment goes by that I am not full of gratitude for that little booger.