Autism is an Animal: The Second Year

  Two years later, and I still don't have any answers............. In some ways I feel we are back to square one. In other ways, I feel we have made leaps and bounds- I guess that's autism for ya'.

  I spent the first year just trying to figure out what the hell happened-That got me no where fast, and I realized pretty quickly that dwelling on the past wasn't helping Eli, and I was only hurting myself. We dove into therapies as fast as we could(don't mind the mile long waiting lists)- Early Intervention, Speech, ABA, Gluten Free Diet- Anything I could get my hands on. We spent a lot of time in the car driving from here to there, not to mention driving my other two children all over Baden-Württemberg. It got old fast and by the end of the first year of his diagnosis, I was done. Eli spent the majority of his 'twos' like most adult business men do- Meeting after meeting; doctor's appointment after doctor's appointment; therapy after therapy. Something had to change.

  Thankfully, Eli turned three in April of 2012 and he was able to start school at Patrick Henry Elementary in Heidelberg. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, and school ended in June and he was not eligible for summer school. Summer of 2012 was a summer I would like to forget........

  School started back up in September, and although we had a very rough start because of budget issues and the closing of Heidelberg-Eli's classroom was filled with a different para pro. substitute everyday. He also didn't have a SLP for quite a while(his teacher was a certified SLP, thank goodness!), and both of his teachers were gone for a week for training. Things did start smoothing out after Christmas-An amazing SLP was hired(a very good friend of mine), we were finally able to get OT on his IEP and Eli loved going to the Motor Room every morning,  he learned the routine, and his teachers made him his very own 'Safe Place' that he could go to when he couldn't handle the situation/transition. Just when things finally felt perfect- It was June, time for Heidelberg to close down and time for us to move back to the States.

  It was so hard to say goodbye to Eli's awesome team! I absolutely loved his teachers, para pros., substitutes, SLP, OT, and bus drivers(most of them). It takes so long to build a team, and get to know them, learn how to communicate with them, trust them, and then love them........ I feel very blessed to have these wonderful angels in our lives. To say that I miss them dearly is an understatement.

  The best thing about him starting school was that I felt comfortable enough to give up all the running around and madness trying to go to therapy after therapy. Eli came home around 11:00 everyday and I was able to work with him on ABA and Speech at home without the distraction of anyone else. James and Shayne were at school, and most days, Daddy was at work- It was perfect.

  The one person I haven't mentioned yet is our angel, Caroline, Eli's Respite Care Provider. What would I have done without her? Caroline came every Tuesday and Wednesday, not to mention showing up at special events for me last minute when I needed an extra hand. Caroline is a natural with people with autism. She knows how to talk to them, play with them, and most importantly, love them unconditionally. God truly sent me an angel when he sent me Caroline. Thank you, Lord, THANK YOU! I have no words to tell you how much I miss that special woman. No words.

 A lot of crap has happened these past two years, but I refuse to dwell on it. I would much rather focus on the positive. Here's what I know- Eli is thriving. I don't feel that he is physically sick anymore- He's not sleeping all the time, and he is very much present.  We have purchased an AAC(augmentative, alternative, communication) APP for him on his ipad, and he has taken off running with it. It.is.awesome. I can already feel that this PCS to Fort Rucker is the best thing we could have done for the kids. I can feel it. "I feel it ALL!"

God Bless,

Xx

Crazy Carmella

P.S. More later on Eli's AAC APP.