The Sky is the Limit...

Since the end of January, Katelyn had been getting 7.5 hours of ABA per week. We were on waiting lists for a few different ABA providers, hoping to get more hours added. However, it never seemed to pan out.

Then one day I met another local mother at Katelyn's EI playgroup. Her son also has autism, so we began talking about therapies. I mentioned that Katelyn was only getting 7.5 hours per week, despite the fact that it was recommended that she have 20-25 hours per week (and there have been studies that have shown that 20 hours minimum is the "magic number" for ABA to really be most effective). She gave me the information for the ABA provider that her son uses and she said to give them a call since they had offered her a ton of hours from the start. I immediately called them when I got home and asked if they had availability. They were very responsive and were out within a few days to do an intake on Katelyn. Shortly after, they came out and did an evaluation to see what areas they would need to work on with Katelyn.

Because we absolutely love Katelyn's original ABA therapist, I mentioned to her the fact that we were going to be adding another provider to work with Katelyn, but that we wanted to definitely keep her on as well. She spoke with her director and they actually ended up offering us a few more hours with another therapist also!

So, all in all, Katelyn is now receiving 26 hours per week of ABA, in addition to her 1 hour of speech therapy, 1 hour of occupational therapy, and 1 hour of developmental stimulation through EI. This is a HUGE increase in services and we couldn't be more pleased. And now she has a total of 7 therapists!

She has come so far in such a short time with just the 7.5 hours per week, so we can only imagine how high she will soar now that she is getting even more help. The sky is the limit.

Making Music Together...

Since Katelyn loves music and craves rhythms and movement, I have been looking for a music and movement class for her to attend. I had asked around, but no one knew of any local classes. However, after a very quick Google search, I stumbled across a listing for a Music Together class, and the best part about it is that it is right down the street from our house! Also, it is offered at 9:30 on Monday mornings, which is when she normally has her Early Intervention playgroup, but since she will be starting the Tuesday transition playgroup next week, she will no longer need the Monday playgroup. So we are free to take the Music Together class!

The next session starts in April, but we were allowed to try a free demo class this morning to see how Katelyn liked it. Needless to say, she LOVED it! The instructor played the guitar and she also played songs off of a CD. The songs were really fun and the kids really got into the movements. The children also played with a variety of instruments, including bells, tambourines, drums, and more. Most of the class consisted of all of us getting up and moving to the music, walking around in a circle, pretending to be doing certain activities like driving a car or hopping like a bunny, etc. It was really, really great! There was also opportunity for Katelyn to interact with other children, including rolling a ball back and forth, which is a social skill that Katelyn really needs right now. Katelyn even ran to the instructor and sat on her lap and gave her a hug! And she was also approaching other children and parents and saying hi. It was like a miracle! This class couldn't be any more perfect for Katelyn!

After the class was over, the instructor asked if I had any questions. I informed her that Katelyn is autistic and she said that she has had a lot of experience teaching music to autistic children. She also commented that she never would have guessed that Katelyn was autistic because she had excellent eye contact and was very outgoing. Hearing someone tell me that she couldn't believe Katelyn is autistic was the most incredible feeling. Katelyn truly is improving more and more each day, and it is almost scary how rapidly it is happening!

Since Katelyn had such a wonderful experience today, I asked if it would be possible to join the current session instead of waiting until April to start. The instructor said that normally they do not allow this, but that she would make an exception since she could see just how much Katelyn loved the class. She also said that she could tell that Katelyn is very musical. She pro-rated the current session for us since there are only three classes left, and she even came to my house and dropped off the songbook and CD! I also signed Katelyn up for the next session, which is from April to June.

I am so excited that Katelyn will be involved in an activity that she truly will enjoy and learn from. Music is her biggest strength and most cherished interest. We need to cultivate her love of music, and also provide opportunities for social development, so that she can continue to blossom. I believe that this will be an experience that will stay with her for a lifetime.

A Whole New World, A Whole New Girl...

Now that Katelyn is back in this world, she is improving so much, and in so many areas. Her speech is flourishing, her play skills are growing, and even her social skills are developing more. She actually initiated play and "conversation" with her cousins, Anthony and Lexi, who are 8 and 4, respectively. She usually follows their lead, and she normally does not approach other children, so this is a huge step! I am hopeful that she may initiate play with other children, especially peers her own age, since she usually does not even acknowledge their presence.

And she also has been incredible with her baby sister, Ashley. She loves to be around her, share toys with her, talk to her, sing to her, and more. And Ashley absolutely adores Katelyn. It is truly beautiful for us to witness this since we weren't sure if Katelyn would ever have a special bond with her sister.

Katelyn will be attending a new playgroup on Tuesdays, starting in early March, through Early Intervention. Unlike her Monday playgroup where the parents stay, at this playgroup the parents attend a separate meeting of their own in another room. This is specifically designed to help children get ready to transition to the pre-school environment. I am ecstatic about this opportunity and I believe that Katelyn will really benefit from this experience.

Katelyn has been doing wonderfully with her ABA therapy. Aimee, her ABA therapist, said that Katelyn is so bright that she is breezing through all of the programs so quickly that she is having to find other programs to do with her! This obviously brings a huge smile to her family! We couldn't be more proud of her. Aimee said that Katelyn is very academically smart, so we are going to focus on her behaviors and social skills, as well as providing more challenging academic work as well. And of course, being the mathematician that I am, I am really excited that she loves numbers and already counts up to 10.

Overall, we have seen a drastic improvement in Katelyn recently, and this gives us hope that she will be very successful academically and hopefully socially. But the most important thing to us is that she is happy, and with each success, she is gaining confidence, independence, and most importantly, happiness.

Let the Testing Begin...

We are having Katelyn tested at a top autism diagnostic center. We met with the doctor on Monday for the parent interview. The next step is to have Katelyn evaluated, but it may not be until January :( We are contemplating meeting with one of the interns since they would be available sooner than the doctor.

The most important thing right now is that we get a diagnosis. Once we have the diagnosis, Katelyn will get SO many services to help her, such as ABA (applied behavioral analysis) therapy and more.

We have also added a developmental educator and an occupational therapist to her Early Intervention plan, so now she will have speech, dev. ed., OT and play group weekly. We have also bought her flashcards and speech videos and she is adding more words to her vocabulary on a daily basis! We are doing all that we can to help her in the interim while we wait for the evaluation.