Acceptance Letter

This is from the day of his screening. Of the children chosen for the screening about 1 in 4 get accepted.

GOD IS GOOD!!! Our boy that a few years a go we were told  may not talk in sentences till he was 7-9, or be potty trained until then, and we worried about what school would look like for him.... just got ACCEPTED to a magnet school with an accelerated curriculum.... I am SO PROUD of our little red head wonder...

Just a Day

so today Harrison had a MAJOR meltdown today, while a friend was here ... wrose than he has had in over a year... then we were watching a cartoon this afternoon and it was talking about a kid with aspergers.... and Harrison informed me "hey moms I act like that sometimes".... from the mouth of babes... what a insight my boy has. Sometimes you HURT for your child, some time you Laugh, but no matter what you LOVE them are PROUD beyond words.... We are SO BLESSED and so glad that we don't have days like to day very often any more.... reminds me of when this was a daily battle and HOW FAR he has come

My Boy

Lately I have really been thankful for how far my boy has come. 3 years ago our prayer was that Harrison would be able to start kindergarten without pull ups (we were told it he may be 6-9 before potty trained, we still wear at night but we will glady do that), and being able to tell his simple wants and needs, and to just be able to function at all in a normal school setting. AND TODAY I took him his second kindergarten screening for magnet schools here in our town. NO speical education meetings making the decsions on where he needs to go, NO pull ups, able to go with people he did not know, check in by telling his whole name and writing his name and doing all of that with a SMILE.

Harrison in the past 6 months has moved, started a new school, visits churches and classes in those churches, played soccer when he knew not one person, played basketball (which would have not been possible even a few months ago with the LOUDNESS and craziness of all that goes on around during practice and games).  3 years ago, 2 years ago each of these activities could have been a deal breaker, and he has handled it all with such ease, and has adjusted so well. What an answer to prayers.

I have been watching Parenthood  on netflix I am just on season one and with the first episode one of the families discovers they their son has Aspergers (you can find more info here about Aspergers.) And going through all the trials that a family has to deal with. These type of disorders affect the WHOLE FAMILY, and you HURT for your child and are willing to do ANYTHING to make their life the best it can be.While Aspergers is on the autism speculum it is higher functioning. Of the 11 symptoms Harrison has 7... if he had had more social delays he would have this label... this Mama kinda had to fight a bit to keep this label off his records.  I was FINE with Harrison having issues that we needed to work on and I was the one that FOUGHT to get him any services at all, his doctors did not think I needed to worry, they keep telling me he was just slower because he was a boy. But I KNEW there was something not quite right... but just as I KNEW there was something wrong I KNEW he was higher functioning than having the label Aspergers. So his official papers say he has Sensory Processing Disorder and Verbal Apraxia.
 A little about Sensory Processing Disorders, from http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/ again Harrison shows 7 of these.
•Do you wonder why they are excessive risk takers - jumping and crashing into anything they can ?
•Why they can’t do puzzles - write well - or find the coordination for riding a bike or hitting a ball?
•Why they cry or cover their ears with every loud sound - even vacuums, toilets or hairdryers ?
•Why they don’t like to be touched or can’t be touched enough?
•Why they will only eat macaroni and cheese and pizza?
•Why they will only wear certain clothes or need you to cut the tags out of their shirts?
•Ever wonder why you can’t seem to calm them down or get them to sleep?
•Why they won’t put their hands in anything messy or use glue, Play Doh, or play with mud?
•Why they fear playground equipment or being tipped upside down?
•Why crowded stores bother them so much leading to major meltdowns in public places?


And add that to Verbal Apraxia-- Oral apraxia indicates that the child has difficulty with volitional control of nonspeech movement. For instance, perhaps the child will have difficulty sticking out and wagging their tongue when requested to do so. Or the child may have difficulty sequencing movements for the command, "Show me how you kiss, now smile, now blow". Verbal apraxia indicates that the child has difficulty with volitional movement for the production of speech. This can be at the level of sounds, syllables, words, or even phrases (connected speech). The motor struggle is most typically seen with sounds sequencing. from http://www.apraxia-kids.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=chKMI0PIIsE&b=787891&ct=464119 

 We had a VERY angry little boy that could NOT tell us anything that he needed or wanted. Throw in an intolerance to wheat/gluten which is VERY common in children with Sensory issues and Apraxia along with ADHD and Autism our little boy needed HELP. Harrison is still a little behind what is considered "Normal" in his speech, but everyone can understand him or most of what he says :) his speech still sound a little "baby like"  I really don't know what else to call it. But other kids his age sound bigger or older when they talk  if that makes any sense.

We are so Blessed that we were able to give him the help that he needed in the form of therapies and the RIGHT therapists to give him AND us the skills he needed. And I am so thankful that I was able to stay home so he could go to the clinic that was not close to our house but a great fit for him.

I am still brought to tears when Harrison does something that would have been very hard or impossible in the past. The first basketball practice was one of those times. The Gym was CRAZY LOUD and lots and lots of people around and he was able to go and did a great job.So all of this is said to thank GOD for bringing my boy so FAR and to make this Mama so PROUD. And the Blessing that all these milestones are... YES it has not always been easy, the meltdowns, the years of NO sleep, the months of none stop screaming and throwing up, all the Speech, and OT appointments, seeing your child HURT physically, mentally, and emotionally, it is a strain on the family  BUT it is SO WORTH it and we would do it all over again in a heartbeat.


If you are new the blog or interested in more info here are some past posts
Harrison's World
Harrison's World part 2
Harrison's World Part 3
Harrison's World part 4
Video from 2 years ago
Last Day of Speech



Update

I know I have not been blogging much since the move. I just can't seem to get back on top of things.  But here is a short update and I will post more with pictures soon. Harrison's 5th birthday is in two days so we are in full birthday mode. We have some dear friends from our former town coming in to visit tomorrow for a couple of nights. Then the end of the week I have a childhood friend, and cousin and their kiddos are coming and Harrison's birthday party.

But I think Harrison is settling in to our new house and town. He is playing soccer, taking swimming lessons, and enjoying school. We have not yet found a place for him to ride but thought would give him some team activities so he could meet some friends. He has fit in with him team mates well, and we are starting to set up play dates etc which Harrison and Mommy enjoy.

We are settled into the house even though I keep wanting to change things around :) Once I get curtains up it will feel more like home I think. I could not put my figure on what was missing and I think the windows just need some help. There is not a curtain or rod one in the house so that will be next on the to do list.

We have pulled out all the landscaping and have replaced the front yard, and working on getting the back yard planted now. I would never have thought to look but john found all of our new plants on craigslists... We enjoy doing the yard work but I am glad things are starting to pull together. Now if we can just get some grass to grow in the back yard.

This past week we also took Harrison to his first football game. He LOVED it... even a year ago he would not have been able to handle the crowd or noise level but he did great. Here is a picture (not great just from my phone) I will post more later.

How to Cut Out Refined Sugar from Your Child's Diet | eHow.com

How to Cut Out Refined Sugar from Your Child's Diet eHow.com

Harrison has been having some acting out issues and I feel that he has eaten something so I am doing some more looking. I have been noticing lately that he has been asking for lots of sweets so I am looking to cutting way back on his sugar intake. But in my reading tonight I also notice that school glue has GLUTEN in it. This may not be an issue for most people but Harrison has gotten caught with open glue bottle maybe three times in the past week. SO MAYBE he has been eating glue.... we will see.

Soft Blanket

Last week we picked out a little girl from an angel tree to buy for Christmas. When I took her stuff back there were lots of kids left so I looked through them and there was a little 3 boy with Autism. His main thing on his list was a soft blanket, to help soothe him. We know all about the importance of "Soft Blankets" at our house. So I HAD to pick him too. I actually already had lots of stuff at home to bag up for him so Harrison and I went shopping and this is what he picked out. And he had to TOUCH EVERY blanket at the store to find the SOFTEST. He was so excited to get this little boy a soft blanket like his.

GOD is GOOD

TODAY WAS HARRISON'S LAST DAY OF SPEECH THERAPY and HE FINISHED WITH OT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO!!!! GOD IS GOOD AND STILL PREFORMING MIRACLES IN OUR LIVES DAILY!!!

We knew early on (like at a year old) that Harrison was going to have some tough things to overcome. About Two years ago we began fully understand what He was up against. We began to pray that he would be understandable, potty trained, and able to function with others by the time he began school. At his third birthday he had 12 words. NOW strangers can even understand his SENTENCES, he is potty trained, and is well behaved and has many many friends in preschool. A year ago he was just learning how to say Mommy and Daddy today we are working on saying pronouns in the correct context. Today he is doing things we prayed would happen before school GOD IS SO GOOD.

Harrison has worked so hard and we have the right people at the right time come into his life and help him change his life forever. We know he will continue to have to work hard, and we will have to continue to stay on top of things. We will be going back for an evaluation in 3-4 months then every 6 months for a while. I feel that He will have more therapy at some point but this is a HUGE DEAL. We are also looking forward to having more time at home!!!

Happy Birthday

Harrison SO DOES NOT like to write but it is coming along and he even made this card for Matthew this week.

VBS

This week at church we had Vacation Bible School. It was a great week but Harrison has had one rough week, the wrost in a really long time, maybe ever. Anyway he did enjoy parts of VBS and even though I am trying to get a nap in today I thought I would share a few pictures. The Kids all had so much fun and learned so much about God's Plans for their lives. It makes all the hard work wroth it, I just wish Harrison could have enjoyed himself a bit more this week. I guess God wanted to take the week to teach me a bit more about our little Red Head Wonder and remind us we still have work to do.

Just My Boy

Yes we have our moments, we have meltdowns, we have Tatums. Yes we have fought for speech, and control of his body but it all just makes his milestones so much sweeter. How many Parents are brought to tears by hearing their 3 year old singing "Ol Christmas Tree" in the car, or when do parents get to stand in awe of of the same child that has screamed for hours on end speak a whole sentence. We celebrate peeing in the potty, we celebrate leaving the house without kicking and screaming, we celebrate holding a pencil, but most important we celebrate the life of our "perfect" little Red Head Wonder, and feel so blessed to be his parents

GOOD DAY.... BAD DAY ... Harrison's world

What a difference a day can make. When people of Apraxia they think oh, he can't speak, but with the frustration that goes along with it, the lack of communication, and the often sensory possessing issues that with it. Harrison has GREAT DAYS and but when we have a rough day boy is it ROUGH.

GOOD DAY...

Harrison wakes up Happy and ready to play, meets me in the hall and starts running and laughing down the hall. He begins playing wants a cup of juice and the day is off to a great start. He eats a good breakfast , wants to get dress, lets me brush his teeth and hair, and after Curious George he is ready for "School Work" and will work for about about 40 mins, doing pre reading practice, speech work, etc.

After school time he will play in his room with Trains and puzzles while I do some chores of my own. When asked to do something Harrison responses with "Yes Mama". He helps with my "chores" eats a good lunch. Off to bed for a nap. After a good long nap He is up and ready to play and work some more we play games, and play laughing and having fun. bath and bed goes well, errands are easy, he is happy to do anything asked of him and is pleasure to be around. Loads of fun and a well behaved little boy that obeys his Mommy.

BAD DAY...

I hear screaming on the bedroom door with a whiny little boy, usually in wet pjs that have to be changed, this is where the the day goes down hill. The changing of of the clothes and bedding causes first break down with kicking and screaming, not wanting to change his clothes he fights to keep the wet dirty clothes, to which I am lucky to just get a diaper on him. The crying continues when offered food and drink, he either does not want anything or I can't understand what he wants and that cause the meltdown to get even worse. at this point food usually ends up on the floor. I am at wits end and it is only 7 am.

He will not get dressed ( for example today for when I took him to speech his SLP knew by looking at his hair and clothes it was a bad day) I best not even try to brush his hair or teeth. If I do another kicking screaming melt downs happens. By this time I have not seen even a little smile from my little red head wonder. "School Time" means more papers thrown on the floor, and more than likely crayons broke along with more kicking and screaming.

Lunch continues the same, nap causes another fight with a little boy running out of his bed for sometimes up to an hour, usually no nap is taken which adds to the stress of the day. Afternoon may cause for desperate trip of taken him for drive in hopes for just a few mins of a nap. Then the count down to bed time begins. After dinner which again is may or may not be eaten, and I may or may not be able to cook between melt downs. I try to get him in the bath. If I am successful I get a few mins free of melt downs but he may scream even more.

Errands are not going to happen unless, we want looks of disgust or pity from other people about the screaming 3 three year old. I have heard "NO" enough for a life time, I am sore from holding my fighting child trying to calm him. About 4 pm he begins crying for his Daddy even though when he gets home he wants nothing to do with John. Bed time means more resistance and usually a late night continues with several times of being awake during the night.

But the next day is a new day and we hope for a smiling little boy in the hallway. And so is the day in the life of our little Harrison. And as hard as rough days are for me, I can only image how hard it is for my little boy that just can't control himself. I know he has to be so frustrated. He is so good on "good days" and so much fun, I know he has to hate the "bad days "as much as we do.

Harrison Speech update

The past month has been a very busy month for Harrison and really more difficult for me than I ever dreamed. Harrison has "aged out" of the state early intervention program, which we had to tell Ms. Lisa, and Ms. Anna goodbye, which was tough. Harrison loves them and I will also miss having conversations with other adults during the week :). They have done so much for our little man and gotten him ready for next stage of his journey.

He has started going to a private clinic and had all his evaluations for his new speech OT therapists. We do now have an official diagnosis of Apraxia, hypotnic (for decreased trunk strength etc), and sensory motor integration, which we were prepared. We are so pleased with his new therapists and he LOVES them and is doing GREAT. It is amazing to see how well he is doing. I stand at the window watching with tears in my eyes, tears of joy I am so proud of how hard he is working. He knows that he goes to his "new school" to work, and is doing far better than we could have ever hoped for. He is doing so much more for his new therapists without the distractions of home which he would not have done even just a few months ago. This has been a great move for him. We just wish that our insurance would think it was as important as we do that our child learns to talk. So we are in process of appealing benefits because of without aggressive treatment he may never learn to speak, but Harrison will get what he needs no matter if it comes from insurance or continues to come out of our pockets, it will all work out.

We have also been meeting with the school system just to see what some more options are. We are waiting to make our decision until we can go observe some of the teachers that he could have to see if we would like to send him into preschool a day or two a week or take him to the school for speech only, or to only continue with only what we are doing currently. We have sat through an special eduction ARC meeting and worked on an IEP, which I have done many many times when teaching but this time I was on the other side of the table. I used to physically hurt when sitting in IEP meetings when we would tell a parent where their child should be and where they were actually preforming. And last week we were be told the same things. John and I have not made up our decision on this matter yet, and there are many many factors that we thinking about before making our final decision.

So long story short Harrison has done great switching form "working" at home to in the clinic and we are thrilled. I am also thrilled that all the evaluations are done for a while. It is very draining to be discussing with everyone you come into contact with how your child is failing or not measuring up. I am glad to be seeing process and that we can enjoy our little boy again. He is just a fun little guy and so full of personality

Harrison's World Part 1 & 2 -- what he lives with

Ok so since I have had to move sites due to having too many pictures, I have decided to link the past two posts about Harrison's Speech issues etc. I will be adding more information about these things so I thought it would be good to have all the information in one place.

Harrison's World part 1

Harrison's World Part 2