Welcome! So glad you stopped by. September was a rough month around here, and October isn’t over yet, and we’ve had our challenges this month. Come on, November! What do you have for me? Hopefully, peace and tranquility, with no drama.
I am so excited about therapy. Yes, we finally started behavioral therapy for Jaxon this past week, and day one is done and in the books.
So much prayer has gone into this day, and it’s finally here. We have had a tough year with Jaxon. If you are joining me for the first time, I am starting over as a parent of a toddler at 54, now 55, but it’s just a number. Jaxon is my grand-nephew, who is turning three in November. He came to live with us in April 2020.
We have learned a lot about Jaxon in the past year and a half that honestly was unexpected.
This past week also brought welcome news and a significant change – I now have the legal authority to get Jaxon the help he needs. In a zoom court hearing this past week, the judge awarded me full access to everything indefinitely. What an answer to prayer!
Jaxon has had two evaluations by organizations that evaluate kids on the spectrum to help determine needs. The first evaluation showed that Jaxon needs to see a developmental neurologist. The second evaluation showed that Jaxon is developmentally behind. The ideal range starts at 85 to 131, and he scored a 70. I figure he is at least a year behind neurologically. He will be three next month, but he is just now starting to do things a two-year-old can do.
His babysitter joked and said, “Uh oh, that means we haven’t seen the terrible twos yet! Oh no!”
Please don’t tell me that. We’ve already had a rough year with his behavior, hence the behavioral therapy.
As I scan Facebook groups on autism, I notice that therapy sessions and doctors are running several months behind due to covid last year. Many therapy sessions and doctor’s appointments were pushed back or canceled last year due to the virus. That means they are playing catch up this year on existing patients as well as scheduling new patients.
I told the judge scheduling could be difficult if only given one year due to the backlog, and he agreed. I am so thankful he understands the seriousness of the situation. While I waited for the legal documents to arrive outlining the perimeters, I found a behavioral therapist willing to work without a court document. We needed intervention sooner rather than later. I feel like I have already lost too much time.
Most experts agree the sooner you start therapies, the better. Jaxon is struggling in several areas.
I will say however, he is making a little bit of progress in the verbal area, but not so much in the behavioral area, at least not yet.
My prayer is that the behavioral therapy sessions help Jaxon big time. If we can all get on the same page using the same techniques to address Jaxon’s behavioral issues, we will feel a lot better, and Jaxon should progress positively. I am told the behaviors will ramp up first before they settle back down. That makes me nervous, but I have to keep the end goal in mind.
When the judge asked me why I was seeking temporary custody, I told him that Jaxon needed help and everyone wants to see a legal document. I am trying to get Jaxon ready for kindergarten, and the sooner we can address the significant issues, the better.
I have read post after post on Facebook from parents and grandparents of children in similar situations. Folks, it is heartbreaking to know there are thousands of parents and grandparents in the same boat. I especially feel for the grandparents who are my age and older who are doing their best to raise their grandchildren. It’s not easy carrying a three-year-old from the car to the grocery cart, and all the kid wants to do is get down and run.
Some may wonder why I wear t-shirts and sneakers everywhere I go. Try and get dressed up and go anywhere with a toddler who can’t sit still and is a runner. By the time you make it to a grocery cart, your shirt is a mess, and your hair is all over the peace. Your makeup is smeared, and you like you’ve been in a wrestling match.
I would start working out with dumbells again to strengthen my pudding sack arms, but lifting a 36-pound toddler is a workout in itself. Lifting Jaxon works my legs, back, and arms. Who needs a gym membership? I would have to take an aerobics class to get the same cardio workout I get when chasing Jaxon down the street or around the house.
Until Jaxon, I never fully understood what life was like to have a child on the spectrum. It’s more than a full-time job with very few breaks in between. Many parents and grandparents are doing the best they can with the resources and money available. Many have more than one child, and many have multiple children on the spectrum with different diagnoses.
If you are a praying person, pray for them and me. We could use your prayers, and our children could use your prayers too. Therapists and doctors can also use your prayers.
I don’t know what is causing this in so many children, but I pray that the origin of autism will be found one day, and a cure will be developed sooner rather than later. Don’t you?
In the meantime, I rejoice that therapy has finally started, and I look forward to seeing Jaxon make great strides. I am thankful beyond measure, and I pray each one caring for a little one sees positive progress as well. Celebrate the wins each day, no matter how small!
Blessings!
The Teaching Lady
Prayer For You Today – The Needs Are Great
Recent Comments