tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28059953461567570162024-03-05T16:47:33.997-05:00Giraffe's SongOur Journey into the World of Autism and Mental IllnessGiraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-2143044778578011902013-05-29T12:29:00.001-04:002013-05-29T12:33:38.134-04:00Follow me on Twitter and my Facebook page...Due to lack of time, I haven't been able to update my blog in quite some time. It is much easier to update via my Facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/giraffessong">www.facebook.com/giraffessong</a> and I have recently started a Twitter account @giraffessong<br />
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Some day I hope to return to blogging here, but for now, if you would like to continue to follow our journey, please visit me on Twitter and Facebook.<br />
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Thank you for all of your continued support.Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-7416544840338409482012-04-12T15:12:00.000-04:002012-04-12T15:19:01.863-04:00"It's Just a Phase"...<div style="text-align: justify;">
I recently gave birth to my fourth child, Matthew, and I thank God every day for the wonderful blessings I have been given. I consider myself lucky to have both NT (neurotypical) children, as well as a child with special needs. I believe that this gives me a unique perspective on what it is like to raise children. I do not, however, claim to be an expert on child-rearing; I am just grateful that I am able to experience both of these scenarios.</div>
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I have always believed, and heard from other parents, that having a special needs child teaches us many life lessons. I know that I have certainly learned a lot from Katelyn, given her dual diagnoses of PDD-NOS (autism) and psychiatric illness (psychosis).</div>
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This morning after getting Katelyn and Ashley ready for school, I had a realization that I've known for a long time, but never knew how to make sense of it or put it into words. It seems pretty obvious now, but it came over me like an epiphany this morning.</div>
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When a parent of a "typical" child worries about their child being addicted to their binky or not being potty-trained at age 3, etc., we often comfort them with phrases such as, "Don't worry, she will NOT be walking down the aisle with a binky in her mouth," or "No one wears diapers at their high school graduation!" These phrases imply that there is no doubt, it is a fact, that these typical children will eventually outgrow these issues, that these are in fact normal stages in life that are certain to improve over time, and in the short term no less. The reality that "this will not last forever" helps the parents to get through the rough time, knowing they can look forward to a brighter future where binkies and diapers are a thing of the distant past.</div>
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Here's the kicker. When parenting a special needs child, the concept of "normal" development flies right out the window. There is no such thing as "it is just a phase" when it comes to a special needs child. No one can offer you the same comfort that your child will not be wearing diapers at their high school graduation, or that they will even graduate at all. For some of our children, it is an unfortunate reality that they will never outgrow these "phases."</div>
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Given that I have 4 very young children, I find myself using these comforting phrases quite often with regards to my typical children. Ashley, 3 years old, is at the dramatic "I'm the boss" stage, and Trevor, 2 years old, is at the screaming, tantruming stage. What gets me through the day when Ashley and Trevor are having "difficult" days is reminding myself that "this is only a phase," and that they will soon outgrow this behavior as they continue to develop. However, I realized that I never say that about Katelyn when she is having a difficult day, which is an everyday occurrence, some days worse than others. </div>
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Special needs kids present a laundry list of challenges, whether it be behavior, self-care, cognitive functioning, etc., and one of the hardest things to deal with as a parent of these special children is not being able to reassure yourself, or your concerned family members and friends, that "this is just a phase." There is no such thing as a "phase" for these children. In some cases, it is obvious that the child will never be able to function independently, toilet-train, live on their own, etc. In other cases, like ours with Katelyn having psychiatric issues involving psychosis, there is a huge question mark, a big unknown about what her future will hold for her. Will she live independently? Will she marry and have children? Will she be able to attend regular public school one day and graduate? Who knows. In either case, I believe it is the lack of being able to reassure oneself that these day-to-day challenges are simply a phase, a stage, something that will eventually dissipate and life will be easier some day. </div>
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Again, being a mom of both special needs and typical children, I can appreciate both sides of the coin. I know what it is like to be able to tell myself this is only temporary, life will get easier, the kids will outgrow this, and I also know what it is like to have to face the reality that some things will never change and could even get harder in the future. </div>
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I felt the need to share my realization, not to depress the parents of special needs children or to make parents of typical children feel pity, but to put into words what sometimes is hard to understand, even when you are living it day after day. I hope this post is helpful to others. It has been helpful for me to write it. </div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-17251511929717928282011-12-10T12:30:00.006-05:002011-12-10T13:07:15.765-05:00Results From Neuropsych Evaluation...<p align="justify">This past Wednesday, we met with the neuropsychologist for the feedback session to discuss the results of Katelyn's recent neuropsych evaluation. The doctor confirmed that, in addition to PDD (autism spectrum), Katelyn DOES have psychosis. She said that it is still too early to determine a specific diagnosis, such as schizophrenia, but that she is definitely responding to hallucinations, or what the doctor preferred to call "extra-sensory experiences" that make Katelyn afraid and do bad things. At this point, she will keep the PDD diagnosis, but her diagnosis could change in the future since childhood schizophrenia and PDD have many overlapping symptoms. The doctor talked about how rare childhood psychosis is, and then when you couple it with PDD, it is even more rare to see this in a child her age (5 years old). She also talked about Katelyn's extreme level of anxiety, which we already were aware of. Who wouldn't be anxious with what she is going through?<br /><p align="justify">Even though this has been suspected for quite some time and I knew in my gut that Katelyn was having hallucinations, it is a bittersweet feeling to finally have confirmation. Having been told by so many "professionals" in the past that, "Oh, that is just autism," it is reassuring and validating to finally have doctors agree that this odd behavior is NOT autism at all. However, it is still difficult to hear that your child truly is suffering from psychosis. It doesn't change anything about how we all love Katelyn and who she is; it just means that we will need to continue to fight harder and harder to ensure that she gets all of the services she needs to reach her fullest potential. It will be a life-long journey for her, but we will all be here to help her navigate through her perceived world and reality.<br /><br />Thank you to all of you for your support over the years.</p><br /><p></p>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-12245601939254833472011-12-03T15:51:00.006-05:002011-12-03T16:23:08.166-05:00Another Video of Katelyn...<div align="justify">Here is another video of Katelyn I put together to hopefully help her doctors to determine what is going on with her. It is less than 10 minutes long, but shows a pretty good amount of her odd behaviors and language. There is no question this is not a characteristic of her autism, but it is becoming more apparent as she gets older that it could be psychosis/hallucinations.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><iframe height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RXv9_MOww-8" frameborder="0" width="420"></iframe></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-36579692833465585382011-11-30T08:31:00.002-05:002011-11-30T08:39:48.119-05:00Up, Up, Up and Away...<div align="justify">We met with Katelyn's developmental pediatrician yesterday to discuss medication options. Her doctor decided to try one more increase of the Risperdal, stating that this will probably be the last time and we may need to try another med if this is not effective. She increased her morning dose to 1-1/2 tablets and kept her evening dose at 1 tablet (0.25 mg). We are hoping this does the trick since she has not had any adverse reactions to the Risperdal so far. </div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">This Saturday, Katelyn will complete the last 2-hour session of her neuropsych evaluation and we will meet for the feedback appointment on 12/7. </div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-33596229821386752582011-11-28T11:28:00.011-05:002011-12-03T16:19:31.950-05:00"This Is Not Autism" (videos and phrases)...<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">As I've mentioned before, Katelyn presents not only with symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, but also of some other possible co-morbid psychiatric condition, quite possibly a psychosis of some sort. We have seen a recent increase in this odd behavior and recent increases in her Risperdal medication have no longer been effective as they were in the past.<br /><br />Here are some recent videos of Katelyn that show some of what we are seeing at home. What we observe is usually far "worse" than this (difficult to capture on video), but it gives a rough idea of some of the things we are seeing, no pun intended...<br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wp67QP_MZE8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B-8QAkDFueE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">And here are some recent phrases Katelyn has said when describing what she sees/hears (pardon the poor grammar, as these were just quick notes I jotted down):<br /><br />11/10/11<br />Sitting with me at table while I did work...saying voh, webs, etc., then told me the webs were talking to her and laughing at her. Difficulty with feeding at dinner. Spitting out, looking up, talking about ock, etc., being defiant saying no, but could tell did not want to act that way.<br /><br />11/11/11<br />Looking up at wall, taking shoes off as asked, then said No to putting them away. Looked up and said she saw Ew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I repeated, “You see Ew?” She said yes, Ew is climbing up the wall right there and pointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She then said he was in a purple web with a sprinkle in it. Then she said Ew is yucky looking and that he is green. She said he talked to her and told her No about putting her shoes away.<br /><br />11/14/11<br />In mommy’s room, talking to herself saying “Where is Ew?” over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I asked her what Ew looked like and she again said he is “Yucky.” I asked what color is Ew and she again said “Green” – with the odd mischievous look on her face. Then began blowing my hair and whistling and laughing hysterically saying Ew while doing it even though I told her I did not like that.<br /><br />11/18/11<br />Getting dressed in living room, kicking me, laughing hysterically while looking off, talking about Ew, then Waw, saying Waw over and over and then she said she sees Waw and that Waw is a blue curl stuck up on the ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Got extremely manicky and uncontrollable and defiant while talking about Waw.<br /><br />11/25/11<br />In mommy’s bed with me and Ashley. Looking up at ceiling, saying Yaw and Yock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then said I see Yock. She said Yock is not nice. Yock is in a purple web. Yock is naughty to me, Yock is always naughty to me. Then talked about seeing colorful bugs in her bed and on her sheet. She said they were red, green and blue. Said she saw them in the web with Yock. Got upset when I told her I didn’t see the colored bugs. Started talking in weird words, saying Yock is Guckak and Bocka and other strange words. Lots of talk about Yock throughout the day, even at stores, etc. </div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-90333854780968682512011-11-21T21:33:00.006-05:002011-11-21T22:05:39.266-05:00Placement, Re-Placement...<div style="text-align: justify;">Once again, it has been a while since my last update. We have spent the last few months having meetings and discussions with our district school system and Katelyn's current private school regarding the appropriateness of her placement. There are a few issues that have developed since she started at her current school. The biggest is that her profile has significantly changed, so her needs are vastly different from when she first began there. The original plan was that she would be in a substantially-separate classroom without peer models since it was felt that she would not benefit from peer models and that she needed intense 1:1 instruction in an ABA environment, but she would have opportunities down the road to integrate with the peer models if appropriate. She continues to demonstrate that ABA is the appropriate method of learning for her, but she has proven all of us wrong in that she IS benefiting significantly from being with the peer models in the integrated preschool classroom. In fact, she has never even been in the sub-separate classroom as planned since she did well with her first exposure to the peer models on day 1! <br /><br />So we've been presented with a challenging situation since we all agree that a sub-separate classroom is NOT appropriate for Katelyn. However, her current private school only offers peer models in the preschool classroom, so once she ages out (max is age 5 and she is currently 5), her current school will not be able to provide an appropriate environment for her. <br /><br />This led the district school system to propose her return to district to a brand-new kindergarten program that they felt would be most appropriate for her. However, after a lengthy meeting this morning to discuss observations of the proposed program, as well as her current presentation of symptoms and complicated needs, we are in agreement that the district also cannot provide an appropriate program for her at this time. <br /><br />So where does that leave us? We are now looking for a new placement for Katelyn that can meet her unique needs. Since she is quite complicated in her presentation (displaying characteristics of not only autism, but most likely a co-morbid psychiatric illness, such as psychosis) and her needs are unique, it is going to be difficult to find a school that is appropriate for her. She will require an environment that can offer not only intensive ABA instruction with highly trained staff and BCBA supervision, but also one that can offer opportunities for inclusion with peer models, something that many schools around here only offer until preschool age like her current placement. <br /><br />So at this point, we are in agreement to look at a handful of schools in the area to determine whether they can offer an appropriate program for Katelyn. We are also in the process of completing another neuropsych evaluation to get a better understanding of what her current needs are, especially since we are seeing an increase in the odd behaviors (what appears to be psychosis/possible hallucinations) despite the fact that her medication has kept this at bay for the past year. Therefore, a new medication trial may need to be attempted.<br /><br />We are thrilled with her current placement and the progress that she has made there, but we all recognize that Katelyn's needs cannot be met once she ages out of the current program. So the next leg of our journey with Katelyn begins...<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-2014634776871404122011-06-03T12:44:00.004-04:002011-06-03T13:33:33.806-04:00Too Young To Diagnose...<div align="justify">People often say we need to treat the cause of a disease rather than the symptoms, since treating the symptoms without knowing the cause is like putting a band-aid on the problem, not solving it. We need to get to the root of the problem, what is causing the symptoms? Well, this doesn't apply to childhood mental illness. Too young for an official diagnosis, all we can do is treat the symptoms that the child presents and hope that they are effective, and if not, make necessary adjustments along the way until the child is old enough to determine an "accurate" diagnosis. </div><br /><div align="justify">A few weeks ago, I took Katelyn to see her developmental pediatrician for her routine followup appointment. We have a great system of communication and I regularly update her via email on how Katelyn is doing. I had described some recent concerning events, including what appeared to be mood swings (going from rage/aggression to hysterical laughter), hyperactivity and uncontrollable laughter episodes where she does not seem to be in touch with her surroundings, and some odd signs that we had not seen since starting her current medications roughly a year ago that made us suspect she could possibly be seeing or hearing things that are not really there. </div><br /><div align="justify">Since she is now so much more verbal than in the past, she is able to articulate her thoughts a bit more clearly, which does sometimes help, but at her young age of just shy of 5 years old, it still leaves us questioning how much is "normal" and how much could be signs of mental illness? For instance, many children have imaginary friends or have great pretend skills. In fact, one of Katelyn and her sister's favorite things to do is pretend they see Swiper the fox from Dora the Explorer and yell, "Swiper, no swiping!" and run away, laughing. However, the difference in my opinion of what is "normal" imaginative play and abnormal behavior is when the child becomes visibly frightened and goes into a complete meltdown, over what could otherwise be perceived as pretend play. I am not a mental health professional, but it doesn't seem normal to me that a child would be terrified by "normal" pretend play or imagination. </div><br /><div align="justify">Below is a video from April 2011 that shows just one example of what I'm referring to. I will fully admit that I did not know what the proper response would be in this situation, to tell her that what she thinks is a little girl is not real or to pretend that I did see the little girl too. I was not prepared for this and was caught off guard. </div><br /><div align="justify"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxpp_ifsxBcUu-IQ7llEhARsLJq-X5-S5MnGiD1daId3gYwh1Wt4kfXuQW9U6H2e80sqSKDnI2bNP1IJApKPg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">At the appointment with her developmental pediatrician, we discussed the symptoms and changes in detail. At that point, the doctor said that she feels that Katelyn may be displaying psychotic features as we have suspected for a while, and that we should slightly increase her atypical antipsychotic medication to see if it helps. She further stated that if this is the case, Katelyn may not be able to distinguish what is reality and what is not, and that we need to provide her with as many positive, happy moments in her life in order to help her discern in the future what is real and what isn't when she is an adult. She will possibly need medication for her whole life to help her with this as well. </div><br /><div align="justify">The doctor said that she is not ready to diagnose schizophrenia or something similar at this time due to Katelyn's young age, but she does foresee her receiving a mental health diagnosis down the road once a more definitive diagnosis could be reliably achieved, if possible. At this point, PDD-NOS is the closest diagnosis that seems to fit Katelyn's profile, although she demonstrates many atypical signs as well. </div><br /><div align="justify">The good news is that Katelyn continues to thrive and improve at her new private day school. She could not be happier at her new school and she is responding very well to the ABA approach, which further demonstrates my argument that it doesn't matter what she is diagnosed with -- call it "XYZ" or "ABC" -- if it is working, then it is an appropriate method of treatment! </div><br /><div align="justify">So, until we get an official, reliable mental health diagnosis for Katelyn, we will continue to treat her symptoms instead of trying to determine the cause, despite how difficult it is to not know what exactly is going on with your child. For now, we'll hold out hope that one day in the not-too-distant future, we will have the answer we are looking for. And whatever that answer is, we will deal with it, and do everything we can to empower Katelyn to deal with it as well. </div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-25740086012722983322011-05-10T20:44:00.005-04:002011-05-10T21:14:48.179-04:00Video of the Press Conference From Today, Plus Q&A About Investigation Results...Video of the Press Conference discussing possible link between autism and vaccines. Worth watching, regardless of your opinion on the subject. We all need to be educated consumers and be willing to listen to all sides of the story when it comes to the safety of our children...<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="296" id="utv102106" name="utv_n_827050"><param name="flashvars" value="loc=%2F&autoplay=false&vid=14611371&locale=en_US&hasticket=false&id=14611371&v3=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf" /><embed flashvars="loc=%2F&autoplay=false&vid=14611371&locale=en_US&hasticket=false&id=14611371&v3=1" width="480" height="296" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" id="utv102106" name="utv_n_827050" src="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></object><br /><br /><strong>Q&A about the results of the investigation, as well as link to original research paper...</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/high-rates-of-autism-foun_b_859234.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=113552,b=facebook">High Rates of Autism Found in Federal Vaccine Injury Program: Study Says More Answers Needed <br /></a>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-1431949422759293712011-05-10T10:13:00.008-04:002011-05-10T21:15:13.564-04:00Link Between Vaccines and Autism? Press Conference Today, 5/10/11, at noon EST...Regardless of your beliefs about a possible link between autism and vaccines, please tune in to the live webcast today from the steps of the US Supreme Court, streaming live at the following website:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ebcala">http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ebcala</a><br /><br />Here is some more information regarding what will be discussed, thanks to Ginger Taylor and her <a href="http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2011/05/next-chapter-in-vaccine-autism-story.html?spref=fb">blog</a>:<br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><em>In 2008 Johns Hopkins Neurologist Jon Poling went public with the news that his daughter Hannah, who regressed into autism following her 18 month vaccines, was paid by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.<br /><br />CDC, in a public statement, claimed that the Hannah Poling case was "rare" and should not be generalized to "normal" children. Days after the Poling's announcement, the Hiatt family also went public with their VICP ruling that their autistic daughter Madison was also a vaccine injury victim. Then the Banks family went public. Finally, CBS News reported finding 7 more vaccine/autism cases that dated back to 1991, the very beginning of the autism epidemic.<br /><br />So the autism community wanted to know... just how many cases of autism have been paid by the program that was established in 1986, how "rare" is this, and what did the government know about vaccine injury and autism causation that they were not telling the public and the medical community. After being questioned by a journalist, the department of HHS that oversees the VICP issued the following statement on whether this was an admission that the government was now paying children for vaccine induced autism. The "official response" from HRSA:<br /><br />"From: Bowman, David (HRSA) [mailto:DBowman@hrsa.gov]<br />Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 5:22 PM<br />To: 'dkirby@nyc.rr.com'<br />Subject: HRSA Statement<br /><br />David,<br /><br />In response to your most recent inquiry, HRSA has the following<br />statement:<br /><br />The government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to<br />compensate, any case based on a determination that autism was actually<br />caused by vaccines. We have compensated cases in which children<br />exhibited an encephalopathy, or general brain disease. Encephalopathy<br />may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms<br />including autistic behavior, autism, or seizures.<br /><br />Some children who have been compensated for vaccine injuries may have<br />shown signs of autism before the decision to compensate, or may<br />ultimately end up with autism or autistic symptoms, but we do not track<br />cases on this basis.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />David Bowman<br />Office of Communications<br />Health Resources and Services Administration<br />301-443-3376"<br /><br />This admission of a link to autism, and the disturbing revelation that the government was not even planning on counting how many autism cases it had paid from the vaccine injury fund, made it clear that HHS's claims of concern for the rise in autism rates and concern for vaccine safety were less than sincere, and that it was time for an investigation into the VICP to find out how many of the cases of vaccine induced encephalopathy (brain damage) resulted in "autistic behavior, autistic symptoms or autism" as Bowman had referenced.<br /><br />[Today] the results of this two year investigation will be revealed and we will get a better look into what the government knows about vaccine/autism causation and how long they have known it.</em><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><strong>My own personal opinion about the possible link between autism and vaccines:</strong><br />I have a daughter with autism and I do NOT believe vaccines caused her autism. However, I believe, like many others out there, that there could be a link between some children who are susceptible to autism genetically and just need an environmental trigger, such as an ingredient in vaccines, that causes the autism to come out. Just like some of us are more susceptible to diabetes or cancer. Not everyone who gets vaccinated is going to get autism, and not everyone who doesn't get vaccinated is not going to be autistic. It is just if you are one of the "unlucky" susceptible people, an environmental trigger could push you over the edge. People who don't have kids with autism or who aren't directly affected by it need to stop judging others who live with this in our lives on a daily basis. And open up your ears. Not everyone is anti-vaccine, but pro-safer vaccines, and pro-research. And there has NEVER been a study that PROVED there was no link, there just haven't been publicly released studies that proved there were (although I am a believer that there is a lot of data out there showing the government, Big Pharma and CDC know far more than they let on).<br /><br /> "A country that requires all children to receive a product - no matter how beneficial - knowing that some children will die and others' lives will be destroyed by the use of that product, risks losing all moral authority." -- James Turner, JDGiraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-22730035665636448922011-04-13T13:07:00.006-04:002011-05-10T21:10:36.278-04:00We're Now On Facebook!<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwlVM2WXgm-ZdnUn_rlOMlrafhbGGHv5H4Jsqu8ctdlgFwtFGqCZu8E4BJVWnNdwxPpQS-yldNrVo_H2rSt1pSJZRcu8h4hjzovmjyjnH-IxhCDAZoQB-oXPXOQCRKm44Rf5HBzvvzZE/s1600/203521_194170713958696_7700765_n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595117270705487586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwlVM2WXgm-ZdnUn_rlOMlrafhbGGHv5H4Jsqu8ctdlgFwtFGqCZu8E4BJVWnNdwxPpQS-yldNrVo_H2rSt1pSJZRcu8h4hjzovmjyjnH-IxhCDAZoQB-oXPXOQCRKm44Rf5HBzvvzZE/s320/203521_194170713958696_7700765_n.jpg" /></a> Hi everyone! </div><br /><div align="justify">Now you can follow my blog on Facebook! You can click on the LIKE button on the right upper corner of this page, or you can visit the page directly by clicking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Giraffes-Song-Our-Journey-into-the-World-of-Autism/194170713958696#!/pages/Giraffes-Song-Our-Journey-into-the-World-of-Autism/194170713958696?sk=wall&filter=1&notif_t=wall">HERE!</a> </div><br /><div align="justify">Thanks for your continued support! :)</div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-16763262844230140752011-04-11T20:45:00.011-04:002011-05-10T21:08:17.761-04:00A New Dawn, A New Day...<p align="justify">As usual, a lot has changed since my last post... As time went on, we began to realize that Katelyn needed an educational placement that specialized in children with autism spectrum disorders and other related issues. After having her neuropsychologist visit her preschool classroom, it was determined that an out-of-district placement was necessary in order to provide Katelyn with the most appropriate educational setting. We hired an educational advocate, and subsequently a special education attorney, and we were able to achieve the ultimate goal for our daughter. After an emotionally and financially draining process, the school district agreed to out-of-district placement at a very reputable private day school that specializes in autism that provides ABA instruction all day, which also happens to be the same place where she was originally diagnosed at age 2.5. She also has been receiving home ABA services again through one of the agencies that worked with her a few years ago, and this has been extremely productive for her. We always knew that she responded well to ABA teaching, and we're so glad that she will be receiving ABA instruction on a consistent basis again since it was so successful in the past. <br /><br />Today was her first day at her new school and it truly could not have gone any better. She was excited this morning to be going to a new school. We had created a social story with pictures of her new school to help with the transition and she really enjoyed reading it. When we arrived at the school, she was very happy and talkative. We were brought to the integrated preschool classroom, which has peer models. When we arrived, the other children were not in the classroom, which made it very easy for Katelyn to get situated and check out her surroundings. After a few minutes, the children returned to the classroom, and I was not sure how Katelyn would react. But she surprised us and was happy to see "new friends" and even asked one little girl her name (indirectly, asking us "What is her name?")! The little girl responded with her name and then I prompted Katelyn to respond that her name was Katelyn, which she did. It was snack time, so Katelyn sat at the table with teachers around her and I made my exit. Katelyn asked me to stay, but did not get upset at all when I told her I had to leave and would be back later after she played with her new friends. <br /><br />When I arrived to pick her up, I saw Katelyn playing with toys near the other children. The staff informed me that she had a wonderful day and that she was able to spend the entire day in the integrated preschool classroom! The original plan was to have her in another classroom without peer models and slowly introduce her to the integrated setting, if possible, but once again, she surprised us! She went to the cafeteria for lunch, sat independently with her friends at circle time, and even participated by raising her hand during art class! At times, she was taken aside to work on some discrete trial training and assessments, and while she was a little distracted, she did not have to be removed from the room or behind a partition as was expected. Overall, she had an amazing day! <br /><br />When she saw me, she was very excited and she said she had fun at her new school. She even went over to her new friends and said bye to them. Then she shouted, "Thanks, new school! Thanks, new friends!" and became very happy and clapped when I told her she would be coming back tomorrow. <br /><br />We are so relieved that she enjoyed her first day at her new school and we feel 100% confident that this was the right decision for her. We can't wait to watch her continue to flourish and exceed our expectations. We are eternally grateful to all of you who provided support and prayers that Katelyn would get what she desperately needs. There is nothing we wouldn't do to help our daughter and we will continue to be vigilant to ensure that she continues to receive the appropriate services that she deserves.</p><br /><p align="center">Getting ready for her first day at her new school!</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgM-pFS7gMFebwThkisOZ02tE5oJfvKVvipYDvrvEbAJMsOeegyvzj9lmrJgsZnOksswbxGdb9w0p07A1OIOV54uMPXb-01aYHTHyv8_BWx4k5BJIenOwFBfz5utRhiMenXQyTuCUB8Y/s1600/100_0762.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594493608215339138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgM-pFS7gMFebwThkisOZ02tE5oJfvKVvipYDvrvEbAJMsOeegyvzj9lmrJgsZnOksswbxGdb9w0p07A1OIOV54uMPXb-01aYHTHyv8_BWx4k5BJIenOwFBfz5utRhiMenXQyTuCUB8Y/s320/100_0762.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD7FHLxhuJaDpxlg3fef9sfJlSLoCkH8hWyy0TCyngH3EnjW7K9PWtdjQgC5HWJ57ttSmYt3ecfHOP66lKys_GF_VhqRZiklMABL3kPkln9mYhogGJ7HqIi8KSdBY3nVaetzqkKO1x14/s1600/100_0763.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594493599877784594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD7FHLxhuJaDpxlg3fef9sfJlSLoCkH8hWyy0TCyngH3EnjW7K9PWtdjQgC5HWJ57ttSmYt3ecfHOP66lKys_GF_VhqRZiklMABL3kPkln9mYhogGJ7HqIi8KSdBY3nVaetzqkKO1x14/s320/100_0763.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYY3OvYxBah8u9ozmI1wkj7MY3uuh-lSpH1hdH4Qz4oJyyUvLd8WQjq-gR7SJsev-tyaczJSHJTPWn5Vv-R7oNOoNVlM5jVRlCFv78nWkfqFYAY5h20YSs3Ony1Cbh21LhQPgoGX94kvM/s1600/100_0764.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594493592334797570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYY3OvYxBah8u9ozmI1wkj7MY3uuh-lSpH1hdH4Qz4oJyyUvLd8WQjq-gR7SJsev-tyaczJSHJTPWn5Vv-R7oNOoNVlM5jVRlCFv78nWkfqFYAY5h20YSs3Ony1Cbh21LhQPgoGX94kvM/s320/100_0764.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p align="center">Taking it all in...</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDK9Zwnz-AuCSJUYV-uB2uWRo2htfAGm2V5Np0TP54HnwtZbwEmVqhP4y-OclWIiwh5K2EahDBOc9Pyk6kds4bzykrx199vWg_MIpR8GmtrzbgICt6xMl3aitDkNOLIxrJefPpi2DWpU/s1600/100_0767.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594493590857568674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDK9Zwnz-AuCSJUYV-uB2uWRo2htfAGm2V5Np0TP54HnwtZbwEmVqhP4y-OclWIiwh5K2EahDBOc9Pyk6kds4bzykrx199vWg_MIpR8GmtrzbgICt6xMl3aitDkNOLIxrJefPpi2DWpU/s320/100_0767.JPG" /></a></p>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-33774638409190531912010-10-22T13:28:00.011-04:002010-10-22T22:34:36.677-04:00"Where There Is Great Love, There Are Always Miracles"...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXtPPyIBQAqqCk8QPm-vJMkFYz_Bcof9IcJL1SL7dV-LoXSR27QMPCFAUWPH5Sh3PbwtBLLGBcWpY00xiycVxsFqLWS7SxkkWL0uCjq5wP5WaQQmMllx7DbPYo2GFskzprZNhg_206TY/s1600/100_9159.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXtPPyIBQAqqCk8QPm-vJMkFYz_Bcof9IcJL1SL7dV-LoXSR27QMPCFAUWPH5Sh3PbwtBLLGBcWpY00xiycVxsFqLWS7SxkkWL0uCjq5wP5WaQQmMllx7DbPYo2GFskzprZNhg_206TY/s200/100_9159.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530946177141221170" border="0" /></a>Since my last post, Katelyn has had significant ups and downs. Back in June, she was again admitted to the PPHP program due to her severe aggression and self-injurious behavior. She was placed on Zoloft and her Risperdal was increased. She was then discharged in mid-July and she returned to her preschool for the last few weeks of the summer program. During this time, she had significant difficulties both at home and at school.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />After the summer session ended, there was a 4-week break, during which time she was showing significant regression in terms of her behavior. It was quite apparent that she could not deal with breaks in her schooling, as evidenced by her PPHP admissions and 3-week stay at Children's Hospital, all occurring after school breaks. At this point, we were considering out-of-district placement to a school that would specialize in dealing with children similar to Katelyn, exhibiting both characteristics of autism as well as psychiatric issues. Her psychologist, developmental pediatrician, primary care physician, and neuropsychologist were all in agreement that there was sufficient reason to believe that she could no longer function in a public school setting, and out-of-district placement was recommended.<br /><br />I met with the school to discuss our concerns, and they were very concerned as well. They have been wonderful to Katelyn and her family throughout all of our struggles, and they truly care deeply for her. The school psychologist and adjustment counselor became part of her team and we decided that it was worth giving it another shot at her preschool since that is the ideal place for her, if possible. Her teacher suggested that all members of her team be included on an email list so that we can all be on the same page and communicate about Katelyn's treatment, which has helped tremendously. And, boy, did Katelyn surprise all of us!<br /><br />Expecting the worst, we were shocked to hear that she did well the first few days of school, and even enjoyed taking the bus again! We were still cautious, wondering if the "honeymoon period" would end like it almost always did, but it has continued! And I am so happy to report that she has drastically improved ever since! She is now playing with Ashley on a daily basis -- they are like best friends now, with the occasional fight, but nothing out of the ordinary for "typical" sibling rivalry. Just weeks before, she wasn't even able to be in the same room as Ashley, and sometimes not even on the same level of the house, without having a complete meltdown. Now she gets upset if she can't be with Ashley!<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Who knows what the reasons are for her significant improvements -- perhaps her medication, perhaps the hard work and dedication of her family, school staff, and therapeutic supports, perhaps the fact that we turned our dining room into a play room, perhaps a sudden developmental growth on her part, perhaps all of the prayers and love that so many people have shared with us -- whatever the cause, it is a true miracle.<br /><br />We have seen what Hell is like, believe me. But having gone through all of the difficulties over the past year, and coming through them alive and intact, we've grown stronger, and we will never, ever give up hope, no matter what obstacles may come our way in the future. We now have a taste of Heaven and we will never let it go.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EOGXVN-QZQE9uFiWI9DMN9lxIbtQyZAE9TrToRhvIxMRjdvpEdFpj0oeSBaSGq_OnQ52e_SDCP0L9w5c_1NckI8rMmDypkumXZWpqN0aqtDXY70SOuczOFmvI_J_JwSw7F-BgdUKSTo/s1600/2010-10-02+KEV+133.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EOGXVN-QZQE9uFiWI9DMN9lxIbtQyZAE9TrToRhvIxMRjdvpEdFpj0oeSBaSGq_OnQ52e_SDCP0L9w5c_1NckI8rMmDypkumXZWpqN0aqtDXY70SOuczOFmvI_J_JwSw7F-BgdUKSTo/s200/2010-10-02+KEV+133.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530948859965409410" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPShkc14hbY4JI9kmdnMoW62i2R1RUKpJCiRauuQwYvntdKslQGzEBYJdoLVFiCVbqtuAG-Lex09_PvayiE9qkRCyyc08TiAt_QmqXFzAv0XuQjLxLLh1trRVwIHdBLiB4E9toP3r16k/s1600/Image0059.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPShkc14hbY4JI9kmdnMoW62i2R1RUKpJCiRauuQwYvntdKslQGzEBYJdoLVFiCVbqtuAG-Lex09_PvayiE9qkRCyyc08TiAt_QmqXFzAv0XuQjLxLLh1trRVwIHdBLiB4E9toP3r16k/s200/Image0059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530948866502623042" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGK-OjRC4DXEhrBzCuJGbaFfsIvqAH_O-t-TJgyhXOKtjaMh9kwzmwgQjVYbbip0lO86-rtTli-hTkBnY9OY1Bdf78-vTuXvaAxb3lh4zQfHuTLTPYQ4jegki5tzBou_l4OpoAVMOKAg/s1600/2010-10-17+KEV+039.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGK-OjRC4DXEhrBzCuJGbaFfsIvqAH_O-t-TJgyhXOKtjaMh9kwzmwgQjVYbbip0lO86-rtTli-hTkBnY9OY1Bdf78-vTuXvaAxb3lh4zQfHuTLTPYQ4jegki5tzBou_l4OpoAVMOKAg/s200/2010-10-17+KEV+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530948872945655954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(Quote by Willa Cather)</span><br /></div></div></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-85923702020378197392010-06-14T21:12:00.007-04:002010-10-22T22:30:05.920-04:00Mommy, I'm Still In Here...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGC5Gof-SekHs4t6dCzWLRvKDWppx85qe8m6cyy9o87bChBVPIx1S-AFpWLtw67hn_ptEm0F56Uzw3YFQQ3jnr6jYHiKFMmajKUDO8U6bPGQU_dT0Ne5yCijCsjaJ6Gye7SZr1U9EPT4/s1600/23246_1165443310_9951_n.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGC5Gof-SekHs4t6dCzWLRvKDWppx85qe8m6cyy9o87bChBVPIx1S-AFpWLtw67hn_ptEm0F56Uzw3YFQQ3jnr6jYHiKFMmajKUDO8U6bPGQU_dT0Ne5yCijCsjaJ6Gye7SZr1U9EPT4/s320/23246_1165443310_9951_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482806298997157314" border="0" /></a>My mother told me of a book about a family dealing with childhood mental illness called "Mommy, I'm Still In Here." While I have yet to read the book (although I certainly plan to), the title has really struck a chord with me. It describes perfectly how I perceive Katelyn; she is being held captive by an unknown monster, but deep down the true Katelyn is waiting desperately to be set free.<br /><br />This picture was taken by my mother recently and it has had a significant impact on our family. Like the title of the book, this photo truly depicts the "real" Katelyn that those of us who know and love her are fighting so hard to get back. I hope it touches your heart as well.<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-72953685574552088012010-06-04T12:10:00.003-04:002010-10-22T22:10:57.111-04:00Oh, My, How Things Have Changed...<div style="text-align: justify;">It has been almost 2 months since my last post, but not due to lack of things to talk about. On the contrary, there is far too much to even begin to describe what has been happening in our lives lately. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of time right now to give a lot of details, but I will do my best to expand on this at a later date. I just wanted to share a brief synopsis since many of you have been inquiring on what has been going on with Katelyn...<br /><br />Katelyn's presentation of symptoms has really changed drastically over the last few months. Every professional who has come in contact with her recently has agreed that she no longer seems to be presenting like autism, but instead like a psychiatric disorder. Our family now believes that she is experiencing some sort of hallucinations, including command hallucinations that prevent her from eating, make her hurt herself and others, and more. While she is far too young to be given a diagnosis, pretty much all of her symptoms meet criteria for early child-onset schizophrenia. It is extremely rare for a child of her age to present with schizophrenia, but after what we have witnessed over the last few months, we are convinced that she has some sort of psychosis. And like I always say, <span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">just because something is extremely rare does not mean it doesn't exist. I don't care if the odds are 1 in a billion...if you are that 1 person, statistics have no meaning.<br /><br />We are in the midst of trying to advocate for our daughter as we always have, but now we are facing many brick walls since we are entering the realm of mental illness. While autism is gaining more and more awareness and supports, unfortunately there are not many resources for childhood mental illness. Despite being kicked when we are down in what appears to be an uphill battle, we will not let this stop us from continuing to fight to get help for our beautiful little girl. Through no fault of her own, or anyone else's for that matter, Katelyn was dealt a difficult hand in life, but we will not sit back and watch her suffer. It may take years, and many bumps and bruises along the way, but we have faith that we will eventually find answers and appropriate treatment for what is causing our daughter so much pain.<br /><br />Thank you all for your support throughout this extremely difficult time. Whenever I find the time (so probably never, haha), I will be revamping this blog since we most likely are facing something other than autism. However, I will continue to support autism research and awareness.<br /></span></span></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-52532023202778338922010-04-10T15:17:00.034-04:002010-10-22T22:37:07.832-04:00It's Good to be Back...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev147-2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 240px;" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev147-2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Katelyn was officially discharged from the PPHP program on Monday. The staff had a little going away party for her while I met with the doctors to discuss her discharge plan. The kids sang a goodbye song to her and then it was time for her to leave her permanent mark in the form of a yellow painted hand print on the wall. After four and a half weeks in the program, it was now time to complete the transition back to her preschool.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The week went fairly well overall. Her teacher reported that Katelyn seems very happy to be back, but that she definitely requires constant attention, which we completely expected. Because of this need, the school has provided her with a 1:1 aide in the classroom. I am also driving her to and from school because we are concerned that taking the bus could cause more anxiety for Katelyn at this point, despite the fact that she really enjoyed it in the past. We will be meeting with the school on Tuesday for her IEP meeting to further discuss her current needs and to make sure that all appropriate services are in place.<br /><br />Her teacher and other support staff are very happy to have Katelyn back, and we are so glad that she is back in her preschool classroom that she loves so much!<br /><br />Here are some photos from her last day at the PPHP program:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev140-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 139px;" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev140-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev142-1-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 242px;" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev142-1-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev143-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev143-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev145-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 240px;" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev145-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev149-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 240px;" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/2010-04-05Kev149-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-1697750447527540202010-04-01T10:33:00.021-04:002010-10-22T22:35:41.147-04:00Let the Transition Begin...<div style="text-align: justify;">Katelyn has been in the partial hospital program for 4 weeks now. She seems to be adjusting well to the Prozac, so the doctor decided to increase the dose slightly, which we did on Tuesday night. Her level of anxiety is still quite high, but it has only been a little over two weeks since she started the medication, which can take much longer to reach full effect. It does, however, seem to be helping with the depression aspect. So far, we have seen some significant improvements in terms of her ability to enjoy things, laugh, and smile, and she is now showing some interest in previously cherished objects, including Giraffe (although not anywhere near the extent that it was before). She is slowly becoming more tolerant of other children it seems. Normally, she would lash out and hit another child for getting too close to her, but now she is occasionally allowing another child to give her a toy or even a hug. She is also smiling at other children a little bit and saying "hi" spontaneously.<br /><br />We are seeing an increase in spontaneous screaming, and she has been getting very hyper and overstimulated lately, so we are going to keep an eye on this because it could be a side effect of the medication. However, if we have to choose between a hyper child and a depressed child, we would much rather have the hyper child who is able to laugh, be silly, and enjoy things once again, as long as it doesn't interfere with her ability to function at home and school.<br /><br />Because we are starting to see some improvements, we have decided to attempt to begin a transition back to her preschool. This past Tuesday, her teacher came to visit her at the day program. Today, she is going for a half-day at her preschool and her therapist from the day program is going to be there to assist in the transition, and the same will happen on Monday. If all goes well, she will be discharged from the hospital program on Tuesday. We will be meeting with the school the following week to discuss her current needs (since they are very different than they were previously) and write up a new IEP to ensure that all of the necessary services are in place for her as soon as possible. We are looking forward to getting her back to her preschool with her wonderful teacher, principal, and therapists, who have all given us a tremendous amount of support and guidance throughout this whole ordeal. They truly love and care about Katelyn and we couldn't be more grateful to them.<br /><br />Although we are seeing some positive changes, she still has a lot more to overcome. It is going to be a long road, but with support from professionals, family, and friends, we are confident that we <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">will</span></span> get our beloved Katelyn back to where she needs to be.<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-16069921460491500882010-03-23T12:36:00.016-04:002010-10-22T22:23:41.559-04:00So Far, So So...<div style="text-align: justify;">Katelyn has been in the partial hospital program for almost 3 weeks now. She likes the staff and seems to look forward to going there, but she is still struggling in many ways.<br /><br />After observing her and collecting data from her family, teacher, and diagnostic tests, it has been determined that she is suffering from a severe anxiety disorder and most likely depression as well. There is most likely something else going on here in addition, but right now the focus is to alleviate some of her anxiety since she is in an insurmountable amount of distress, which is making it impossible for any other behavioral interventions to have an effect at this time. Therefore, last Tuesday, after careful consideration by her psychiatric team and family, and weighing the pros and cons, we agreed to a trial of low-dose Prozac to hopefully help get her level of anxiety to a more manageable state. This was an extremely difficult decision for us, but at this point, all other avenues have been exhausted and it is clear that nothing is going to be able to help her until we get her anxiety under control. Now, we just have to wait and see if it has an effect, which could take weeks.<br /><br />We have seen some improvement in certain areas, but she still has a very long way to go. She has shown some interest in activities lately, such as doing puzzles or building towers with giant Legos. However, she still requires a significant amount of adult direction and encouragement to become engaged in most activities. She also has been smiling and laughing more, and even showing some interest in being silly with Ashley, although she is still aggressive towards her at times. Unfortunately, she is still perseverating constantly, even worse than before, asking for things over and over and over and over again for hours on end, and then screaming or becoming aggressive when she does not get immediate gratification.<br /><br />Because she is so unstable at this time, we have decided to postpone her reevaluation at the May Institute until she is better able to demonstrate her true potential and capabilities. At this point, we honestly are questioning whether she truly has autism or if this is something entirely different masking itself as autism because some of the behaviors that she is demonstrating (i.e. her awareness of how her actions affect others, doing things "out of spite," etc.) are not consistent with an autism diagnosis. Even the director of the program stated that he does not feel that she presents with classic autism symptoms at this time, which is what her diagnosis currently is. Although she does exhibit many "red flags" for autism, he feels that we will have to wait and see over time how it all plays out to determine if she truly has autism or just some characteristics. So we will definitely be having her reevaluated at the autism diagnostic center when appropriate.<br /><br />At this time, it is unclear how many more weeks she will be in the program, but we are trying to be optimistic that she will continue to make improvements. We are hoping that we will see significant progress once the Prozac takes effect since she is still being tormented by the level of distress that her little body and mind are experiencing on a constant basis, which is also taking its toll on our entire family. I'll continue to provide updates when I can. Thank you all for your continued support, love, and prayers.<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-43353137737287788442010-02-27T12:27:00.076-05:002010-10-22T22:35:41.152-04:00And a New Journey Begins...<div style="text-align: justify;">On Thursday, I received a phone call from the principal of Katelyn's preschool (another amazing advocate for Katelyn), asking if it would be possible for me to meet with her and Katelyn's teacher and ABA therapist on Friday. They are aware that I am taking Katelyn to her first appointment with a child psychologist on Monday, so they wanted to provide me with some more input from the school to share with the doctor. Without hesitation, I rearranged my schedule and met with them yesterday. <span style="font-style: italic;">(To see a list of her most concerning behaviors put together by the school, <a href="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/ladybug0028/scan0001-5.jpg">click here</a>.)</span><br /><br />As I arrived at the principal's office, she informed me that Katelyn was having the most challenging day yet, and that she wasn't sure if her teacher and therapist could even leave the classroom to come to meet with me because Katelyn needed extra supervision. Luckily, another therapist helped manage Katelyn so that they were able to attend the meeting.<br /><br />The school and I have had an ongoing dialogue, almost on a daily basis, regarding Katelyn's current issues in the classroom as well as at home, so there were no surprises on either end. Almost immediately, the principal mentioned that they feel that her current preschool classroom and therapies in place are no longer beneficial to her, in that they are pretty much spending the entire day trying to get her to follow the routine of the classroom safely without hurting herself and others. She then explained that, while Katelyn will always have a place at their school, they feel that Katelyn may temporarily benefit from an outpatient psychiatric evaluation and treatment program. She handed me a pamphlet for a Pediatric Partial Hospital Program (PPHP) and reviewed the details with me. Given the current circumstances, I immediately agreed that this was the right road to take at this time.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />About the PPHP...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(copied from the pamphlet) </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"The PPHP is a highly specialized day treatment program that provides comprehensive evaluation and intensive treatment for young children ranging in age from early infancy through 6 years, and their families ... The primary goal of the program is to help children safely live at home while offering children and their families the opportunity to work on behavioral, emotional and social difficulties that occur at home and in the community." </span><br /><br />The program offers family therapy, milieu therapy, behavioral therapy, group treatments, and psychiatric medication, if necessary. The PPHP staff includes therapists, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians and support staff.<br /><br />Basically, what this means is that Katelyn will be attending this program Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4pm anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months, depending on her needs. She will then return to her current preschool setting once she is ready to be discharged from the program, and appropriate followup treatment will be arranged. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Unfortunately, transportation is not provided, so I will be crossing state borders twice a day during rush-hour traffic to get her to and from the program, but hopefully it will be worth it!)</span><br /><br />While it is definitely not an easy decision to make to enroll our 3-year-old child into a psychiatric program, we feel confident that this is the best course of action to help Katelyn, as well as our family. Anyone who knows me can testify that I do not do anything lightly when it comes to the well-being of my children. It has been absolute torture on all of us as her parents, family, friends, teachers and therapists, to see her suffering the way that she is, especially since she had been doing so well just a few months ago. However, we are hopeful that this program will be able to provide not only an answer as to what is causing this behavior, but also the appropriate method of treatment in order to help our beautiful daughter return to us as soon as possible.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Thank you to all who have offered us the love and support that we need to sustain us throughout this emotionally exhausting ordeal. We never envisioned this happening, but we are prepared to begin yet another journey to get our beloved daughter back. And of course, I will continue to share our story each step of the way.<br /></div></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-44399845264803342902010-02-23T21:09:00.018-05:002010-10-22T22:13:06.010-04:00Step 1: Parent Interview at the Autism Diagnostic Center...<div style="text-align: justify;">This morning was the first step in Katelyn's reevaluation process, the parent interview at the autism diagnostic center. Kevin was up all night sick, so I ended up going on my own. Thankfully, I was also armed with a very informative letter from Katelyn's amazing preschool teacher, explaining in detail how Katelyn's behavior has affected her at school.<br /><br />I mentioned how far Katelyn has come since her diagnosis in terms of her autistic symptoms, and that, aside from the behavior piece, sometimes it seems like she doesn't even have autism, but the doctor pointed out some things to me that demonstrate that she is definitely on the spectrum, which actually was reassuring to me. (I know that must sound strange, but lately I've been going back and forth on an emotional rollercoaster wondering if she is indeed autistic or if this is something entirely different going on.) She said that although Katelyn has shown significant improvement in many of her symptoms, Katelyn is still exhibiting signs of autism. For example, although her speech has dramatically improved, her pragmatic language is not there, and it sounds to her like Katelyn is sometimes using delayed echolalia and scripting to communicate. She is also still labeling and listing things (for example, I told her how she talks about school and she will go down the list of kids, teacher/aides, etc. "I ready to see Olivia, I ready to see Jason, and Ryan, and Miss Lauren, and Sabrina..."), she cannot have a back-and-forth conversation yet, etc. Also, her social skills are still way behind. She also pointed out that even though she is not flapping anymore, she is turning that into something else, like her fingers overlapping (what I call the lobster claw hand --a strange thing she does with her index and middle finger) or clenching her fists like she is upset or anxious.<br /><br />In terms of the behavior issues, she asked if we've had a functional behavior analysis (FBA) done before and I said no. She said that Katelyn's behavior is out of her realm (and she's a top expert on autism!) and that we definitely need to get an FBA done as soon as possible. This will involve having a team come to the home and school environments to observe what is going on and take data and attempt to implement some strategies for us to use. She agreed that Katelyn's behavior is very puzzling and hard to figure out. She suggested possibly negative attention seeking behavior, but also recommended genetic testing because some genetic disorders can cause regression like this, especially the all of a sudden not showing interest in previously enjoyed things or activities. I told her that some genetic testing was done around the time of suspected seizures back in Jan 2009 and she said she would like to see the results from the neurologist. She does not think it is a yeast/bacteria issue related to the pneumonia/antibiotics because she said, in her opinion, that there is no way it would last this long. She emphasized the importance of consistency on the part of her parents, teachers, and caregivers. She even mentioned that this is serious enough that if we do not get help for her now, Katelyn could end up having to go to a special school or even in a residential program somewhere, NOT because of her autism or lack of cognitive skills, but because of her behavior. If that isn't serious, I don't know what is. She did agree that it sounds like this is something other than the autism going on in addition to, and probably made worse by, the autism.<br /><br />So, that is where we are at so far. Now we have to wait until April 1st (date was changed) for her evaluation. I also got her an appointment with a child psychologist for next week, so hopefully she will be able to help us in the interim with how to try to deal with her behavior at home, as well as at school.<br /><br />Thanks for all of the good thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. I will be sure to keep you all up to date on what is going on in this reevaluation process.<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-36063893777621092262010-02-14T20:15:00.036-05:002010-10-22T22:13:06.014-04:00Right Back Where We Started From...<div style="text-align: justify;">It has been quite a while since I last posted and a lot has happened since (including the birth of our baby boy, Trevor Kyle, in January!)<br /><br />In December, Katelyn had a bout of pneumonia and it really set her back. Up until then, she had been really progressing well. However, being very sick for over a week, coupled with then being out of school for winter recess, she really regressed in terms of her behavior and willingness to do things independently. Her control issues also escalated and she became even more demanding than before.<br /><br />After doing some research and talking with other parents of children with autism, we decided to try a course of Nystatin since she was on amoxicillin for the pneumonia and antibiotics often can cause an overgrowth of yeast in the body, especially in children with autism. We have yet to see any improvement. In fact, as time goes on, her behavior has been getting far worse, both at home and now at school.<br /><br />We are now suspecting that something else is going on in addition to her autism that is causing her to behave this way. Her teacher and therapists have never encountered a child like Katelyn and they are as baffled as we are. We have tossed around the idea that perhaps it is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or even depression that is causing her to be so demanding and controlling, but now we are leaning more towards oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). I had heard of ODD way back when I first read about autism, but at the time I did not feel that Katelyn fit that profile whatsoever. Now, however, she seems to fit it to a tee.<br /><br /><br />Here is a brief description of oppositional defiant disorder:<br /><br />In children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), there is an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the youngster’s day to day functioning. Symptoms of ODD may include:<br /><ul><li>Frequent temper tantrums</li><li>Excessive arguing with adults</li><li>Often questioning rules</li><li>Active defiance and refusal to comply with adult requests and rules</li><li>Deliberate attempts to annoy or upset people</li><li>Blaming others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior</li><li>Often being touchy or easily annoyed by others</li><li>Frequent anger and resentment</li><li>Mean and hateful talking when upset</li><li>Spiteful attitude and revenge seeking</li></ul>We have been seeing an increase in aggression both towards herself and to others, especially to her sister, Ashley. Thank God she has not directed any of this towards Trevor, but I worry that it is only a matter of time before the novelty wears off. She is also starting to hit other children at school without any reason other than the fact that they walked by her. She has been increasingly demanding and controlling, and she deliberately seeks to annoy or upset others, especially me unfortunately, probably because I am the main disciplinarian since I am with her the most. She will purposely defy us, even if it means forfeiting privileges that she earned, and begged for, moments earlier. If we say yes, she says no. If we say no, she says yes. Every single aspect of our lives with Katelyn has become a constant battleground. She cuts off her nose to spite her face.<br /><br />Because this is interfering with her at school and at home, we have decided to pursue psychiatric evaluation for Katelyn. Our first step is going to be getting her re-evaluated by the same doctor who diagnosed her autism. This will take place in March and we will get the results of the evaluation mid-April. We also put her name on a waiting list for a local center specializing in children's behavioral health, but they said that we will most likely not hear from them for at least two months to book an evaluation.<br /><br />So now the waiting begins once again...the not knowing...the hoping that getting a diagnosis will offer some sort of help for our child and our family as a whole. We are right back where we started from when we first began this journey back in 2008, but this time it feels much different to me.<br /><br />When receiving the diagnosis of autism, I threw myself into advocating for my child and learning as much as I could about autism, but this is really affecting me to my core. I cannot express how difficult it is to deal with the fact that your child may have a disorder that causes her to want to purposely upset you, or that creates such turmoil inside of her that she no longer enjoys things that she used to because she is in a constant battle within herself. I am often reminded of the nursery rhyme line: "And when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid." And what makes it worse is that I <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> in my heart that this is NOT my child...this is not who she was just a few short months ago. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that this is not who she will be forever.<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-40078772812506882182009-12-13T19:13:00.007-05:002010-10-22T22:13:06.016-04:00Autism Night Before Christmas (poem)...<div style="text-align: justify;">A friend forwarded this poem to me and I wanted to share it with you. It is written from the perspective of a mother of a child with autism. Although not all of it applies to my specific situation, I can relate to much of what is expressed here.<br /><br />If you are a parent of a child with autism (or other special needs), I hope that you find it as moving and inspirational as I did. If you are a parent of a "neurotypical" child, I hope that you learn something from these words, as I also have learned from my own experience with my beautiful daughter, Katelyn.<br /><br /><p><strong>Autism Night Before Christmas</strong><br />by Cindy Waeltermann</p> <p>Twas the Night Before Christmas<br />And all through the house<br />The creatures were stirring<br />Yes, even the mouse</p> <p>We tried melatonin<br />And gave a hot bath<br />But the holiday jitters<br />They always distract</p> <p>The children were finally<br />All nestled in bed<br />When nightmares of terror<br />Ran through my OWN head</p> <p>Did I get the right gift<br />The right color<br />And style<br />Would there be a tantrum<br />Or even, maybe, a smile?</p> <p>Our relatives come<br />But they don't understand<br />The pleasure he gets<br />Just from flapping his hands.</p> <p>"He needs discipline," they say<br />"Just a well-needed smack,<br />You must learn to parent…"<br />And on goes the attack</p> <p>We smile and nod<br />Because we know deep inside<br />The argument is moot<br />Let them all take a side</p> <p>We know what it's like<br />To live with the spectrum<br />The struggles and triumphs<br />Achievements, regressions…</p> <p>But what they don't know<br />And what they don't see<br />Is the joy that we feel<br />Over simplicity</p> <p>He said "hello"<br />He ate something green!<br />He told his first lie!<br />He did not cause a scene!</p> <p>He peed on the potty<br />Who cares if he's ten,<br />He stopped saying the same thing<br />Again and again!</p> <p>Others don't realize<br />Just how we can cope<br />How we bravely hang on<br />At the end of our rope</p> <p>But what they don't see<br />Is the joy we can't hide<br />When our children with autism<br />Make the tiniest stride</p> <p>We may look at others<br />Without the problems we face<br />With jealousy, hatred<br />Or even distaste,</p> <p>But what they don't know<br />Nor sometimes do we<br />Is that children with autism<br />Bring simplicity.</p> <p>We don't get excited<br />Over expensive things<br />We jump for joy<br />With the progress work brings</p> <p>Children with autism<br />Try hard every day<br />That they make us proud<br />More than words can say.</p> <p>They work even harder<br />Than you or I<br />To achieve something small<br />To reach a star in the sky</p> <p>So to those who don't get it<br />Or can't get a clue<br />Take a walk in my shoes<br />And I'll assure you</p> <p>That even 10 minutes<br />Into the walk<br />You'll look at me<br />With respect, even shock.</p> <p>You will realize<br />What it is I go through<br />And the next time you judge<br />I can assure you</p> That you won't say a thing<br />You'll be quiet and learn,<br />Like the years that I did<br />When the tables were turned……<br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-53979346556486676562009-12-06T19:46:00.010-05:002010-10-22T22:13:06.020-04:00It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOszkN92ORnfcPWuZ3b32ptabp0VXjWlmnZsM05C8YoRX2f5iiDJWiA2FJO-p4qTdgzF7RV9BCB96ca23kuJK-Qp7sOdpiNqmtcIAXnOaVGilBOHdCWt1EZmlhAMTKbc24lYpixTpzvdg/s1600-h/2009+Santa+pic+-+K+and+A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOszkN92ORnfcPWuZ3b32ptabp0VXjWlmnZsM05C8YoRX2f5iiDJWiA2FJO-p4qTdgzF7RV9BCB96ca23kuJK-Qp7sOdpiNqmtcIAXnOaVGilBOHdCWt1EZmlhAMTKbc24lYpixTpzvdg/s320/2009+Santa+pic+-+K+and+A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412289547139697842" border="0" /></a>Last week, my mother, grandmother, and I decided to brave the idea of taking the girls to get their picture taken with Santa. Last year, it was not a good experience and, as you may recall, I had to sit in the picture, which was completely unplanned (hence my clashing outfit, no make-up, etc.). I was determined that there was no way I was going to be photographed this year!<br /><br />I had prepped Katelyn to see Santa days before so that she would hopefully not be scared of him. She was excited to see "Santa's house" and she practiced her smile with Mimi (my mother) all morning long. What I didn't expect was that Ashley would be the one who would be completely freaked out!<br /><br />As soon as we arrived at the mall, Katelyn was talking about Santa. She was excited to see the big tree and all of the decorations around Santa's chair. She needed no encouragement to come say hi to Santa and to give him a high-five. Ashley also came over fairly willingly to give Santa a high-five. However, it got interesting when I tried to put Ashley on his lap. That is when the wailing began! She was not having it!<br /><br />And then poor Katelyn got a little freaked out (no tears, though, thank God) and stood back from Santa and said, "All done Santa." Santa then brought out two gift boxes for the girls to sit on instead of his lap. Katelyn sat on the gift box with no hesitation. Ashley, however, refused and tried to run away. I decided to sit on the box and have Ashley stand in front of me. This worked and Ashley stopped crying. I then told Santa (and the photographer) that I was NOT going to be in the picture. Santa disagreed. He told me that there was no way the kids were going to be okay with me leaving.<br /><br />Recalling last year's photo, I reiterated that I was not going to be in the photo. I told the photographer to let me sneak out before snapping the picture. Somehow, I managed to "sneak" my 8-month-pregnant body out from behind Ashley without her noticing and I quickly ran to hide behind some props. Miraculously, Ashley didn't budge and the photographer was able to snap the photo. I couldn't believe it!<br /><br />After we were done "torturing" Ashley and I was choosing the photo package, Katelyn stayed with Santa, talking up a storm about her beloved Giraffe. I wish we could have gotten a picture of this moment. It was so sweet seeing her have a conversation with Santa. She has come so far in just one year and we have so much to be grateful for this holiday season.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-5921688676567579552009-12-05T20:51:00.002-05:002010-10-22T22:13:06.023-04:00Katelyn Sings Her Favorite Songs...<div style="text-align: justify;">Since Katelyn loves to sing, her teacher was kind enough to make us a CD of the music that they sing at preschool. On Thanksgiving, Katelyn entertained us by singing and dancing to her favorite songs: Baby Beluga and Moon, Moon, Moon. I captured this on video, as well as her singing some Christmas songs a few days later.<br /></div><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YNGqC-9ZJwg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YNGqC-9ZJwg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805995346156757016.post-43562867371865982012009-10-26T13:56:00.007-04:002010-10-22T22:13:06.026-04:00Video of Katelyn Talking About School and More...<div style="text-align: justify;">Katelyn loves to talk about school and gabs non-stop at home. I shot this video of her last night since she was in a talkative mood. Unfortunately, she is overly sensitive to the sound of Ashley's voice, so she gets a little upset at the end and asks for her comfort activity: A hug from Mommy.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyQlnZ7PkVZx3m2ZF9S3zpILrMn4QZH1s9aDEWcRqSKp9gWt2UbyOEOGZL9ORd_wkW0EZOP7HFlfa4BjtMoMg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Giraffe's Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01541396567352920863noreply@blogger.com1