Oliver didn’t talk for a long time. He still doesn’t talk that much, and 80% of the time it’s gibberish. When I hear him say “Mama” or respond to a question, I’m still in amazement at how far he’s come.
I want to say that around his two year check-up is when we discussed with his pediatrician that he wasn’t talking. He’d make some noises, but no mama, dada, baba, nothing! He was exhibiting some other signs of autism, but I’ll touch on this in a moment. So we were referred to the speech department where I had to answer a ton of questions about what Oliver’s skills and capabilities were. From there we got a referral to a speech therapy center in Irvine, and we met with his speech therapist, Elaine (or “E” as Ollie later referred to her). We’d take him there once a week, in the evenings for an hour. Chris and I would sit in the lobby while Oliver worked with Elaine. It was Elaine who brought up that she thought Oliver might be on the autism spectrum.
At this point I wasn’t surprised. I’d been doing some Googling and Oliver had been doing “odd” things like hand flapping and spinning around in circles a lot. He also had an obsession with cars, or things with wheels. He wouldn’t play with cars like you’d think. He would just run them back and forth while he bent down to watch the wheels spin. He also was (and still is) an extremely problem eater. It’s not so much textures, but I think it’s colors. He really only eats orange, beige food: Goldfish, unfrosted Pop Tarts, chicken stars-but only from Carl’s Jr., applesauce, yogurt, graham crackers, etc. He has no interest in trying other food, and if you put something on his plate that he doesn’t like, he’ll either scream “No!” or just take it off his plate. I’m a picky eater, but this is nothing compared to me.
- Our school district, to get him into their childhood center that offers Special Education and Related Services for 3-5 year old students with special needs to meet their individualized needs.
- Regional Center of Orange County to get additional assistance.
Oliver wasn’t three yet, so he couldn’t start with the school district yet, but I could get the process going (evaluations).
Also, we were going through formal evaluations at Kaiser to determine if Oliver had special needs. I took him over for a two hour (I think) long appointment where he was evaluated by a number of different people who watched him play and asked him questions. Afterward they all got together to make a determination and Chris and I were called back over at a later date to hear the results. Yep, Oliver fell on the autism spectrum and they recommended speech therapy (which he was already receiving), occupational therapy (OT), and ABA services. In addition to seeing Elaine once a week, we’d also take him to OT where he’d work with Kris on playing with textures like shaving cream, brushing his arms and legs, swinging on a swing, etc. We also began the process of getting evaluated for ABA services through Easter Seals, but by the time they finished the paperwork and got back to me with their recommendation of 25 hours per week, he was about to start going to school at the school district five days a week from 9:00am – 2:00pm and I didn’t want to overload him.
Oliver started school at the end of August 2016. We stopped taking him to speech and OT because he’d be receiving those services at school (for free, might I add!). He’s in a small setting classroom with nine other kids just like him, one teacher, and three aides. It’s December now and I can’t even list all the improvements I’ve seen in Oliver. He has met all of his short term goals that the school put together (his IEP). He’s talking so much more now, I’ve lost track of all the words he uses. He asks for help when he needs it. When he plays with his toys, he actually pretend plays. Oh, he still is obsessed with cars and trains, but he’ll play with other toys as well! He is doing better with playing with the other kids, but he’d still rather just watch rather than engage. Food is still a big issue. The school district doesn’t help with eating, so we’re doing our best at home. I give him Pediasure just so I know he’s getting some nutrients.
xx, Christine
Ben is 8 so I’m a little farther down the road. I just wanted to let you know that although I don’t do my blog as often as I’d hoped to, I am also open to any questions. Ben is in a mod/severe classroom at a public school.
I’d also encourage you to follow autistic adults on social media. They can speak from actual experience. I find this can be more helpful at times.
Best wishes to you & your family 🙂
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Thank you so much, appreciate it!!
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