Let the Transition Begin...

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.

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.

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.

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 will get our beloved Katelyn back to where she needs to be.

Sensory Overload...

When we first started to suspect that Katelyn had autism, we didn't really think that she had sensory issues. However, all of a sudden it has become very apparent that she definitely has a lot of sensory needs. She becomes overstimulated and will get herself all worked up and then crash hard. She will go from being hyper, laughing and talking a mile a minute, and then all of a sudden she will start crying out of nowhere.

It is very common for kids (and adults) with autism to have difficulty regulating their sensory needs and emotions. A lot of these sensory issues can come about due to environmental factors, such as loud noise or bright lights, but the cause is not always obvious. We are still trying to figure out the triggers for some of Katelyn's behaviors and sensory needs.

There are many ways in which to help a person with autism regulate themselves. For instance, sometimes deep pressure helps, which is the case for Katelyn. She likes hard squeezes and squishes, and to be thrown into the couch or covered in pillows and blankets. For this reason, we have implemented a weighted vest, which helps her to remain calm and focused. We have also ordered a weighted blanket, which is supposed to help with this as well. Katelyn also craves activities such as swinging, jumping on the mini trampoline, bouncing on a large exercise ball, and playing with Play-Doh and beans.

Last Thursday, I began implementing a brushing program to help with Katelyn's sensory regulation. It involves brushing her arms, back, and legs every 2 hours with a special brush, and then following this with joint compressions. So far, it seems to be working wonders! Last week, she was having frequent meltdowns and was unable to focus on her therapy, but this week, she has been doing great! She is sitting at the table and attending once again and is remaining much calmer throughout the day. I also believe that it could have to do with the fact that she is now getting used to her much more demanding schedule.

With autism comes many challenges, only one of which is sensory needs, but by educating ourselves and being willing to try new and different methods, we will find what works for Katelyn.