Getting a grip

It's the end of school break week, and I think Sam and I are both ready for school to begin again! It's not that we've had that tough of a vacation, or that we are getting on each other's nerves THAT much, it's just TIME for the regular routine to kick back in again.

We've had a quiet week activity-wise. We had planned a trip to Howe Caverns today with some of our old playgroup friends, but we had to cancel because of illness and bad weather, as happens so often in the winter. I think boredom and being cooped up in the house has made some things challenging for Sam. Our biggest issue this week has been back talk, as it has been for awhile.

After meeting and discussing strategy with Theresa (RDI consultant) this week, she has advised us to be very firm in regards to this issue. I have to admit I've felt at a loss at times when Sam has been "mouthing off" to me or Tom, not sure how to control it. We've done all the usual things, like yell back, try to reason, keep silent, etc. Theresa advised us to put him in time out each and every time he talked back to us. Yesterday he was in time out 3 times- today so far once. While I certainly don't feel that we have a handle on the problem yet, I do feel empowered by making this small change. Maybe it's the idea of having a definitive plan- some kind of "go to" strategy for when this crops us. Maybe it's because Tom and I actually discussed this and are on the same page. I'm also realizing that this isn't an overnight or even 2 week cure. Things take time. Sam didn't stop throwing things overnight, and this won't go away in the blink of an eye either. But I do feel better knowing we have a path to follow.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the mountains we have to climb. Just when it seems we have a handle on one thing, something else crops up. My mind can sometimes go into panic mode, thinking that time is wasting and that Sam is slipping into an abyss we won't be able to get out of. My latest concern is that he seems so immature compared to other kids his age. I know he has a developmental delay and that this is par for the course. This is what we are doing RDI for, to help him master the things that his brain was not "wired" to do at the regular time.

Speaking of RDI and the expense, we received a small grant from Wildwood Programs to put toward paying our consultant. We were also talking to another couple the other day, friends of ours who have 2 kids on the spectrum. They were in disbelief at the fact that we had been denied for the Medicaid Service Waiver. This made me start to think about appealing, or reapplying for it. When we applied in October 2006, Sam had just started school in the "regular" classroom, and most of our future difficulties had not even begun. Obviously, since then circumstances have changed, maybe enough to reverse the initial ruling. This kind of funding would come in so handy to us- we have every intention of continuing with RDI and really feel the guidance of our consultant is a must, but there's no doubt it's a major expense.