SOOO much to tell you all, where do I start?
Brady's new schedule is 12pm -2:30 Mon., Tues., Thurs. and Friday at Byron Community Education. It is the same place that does Pre School for the school district. He will start at the autism center in June.
SO, Brady had his first day of "school" on April 12th. The plan was for us to bring him and stay with him for the first few times since this would be his first time ever away from us. Steve took him to school on Monday and Tuesday the 12th and 13th, for an hour each day. They played in a sand table, played with play dough, and Brady painted a picture. He had a great time, and did really well. The teachers all commented on being surprised at the little boy who showed up to their classroom. They had read the reports from the MD's and speech team at Mayo, and were expecting a child who was more severely affected then the happy loving child who came to see them. So that is encouraging. They commented on his ability to pay attention, his awareness of his surroundings and to the people in his environment. They were impressed with his ability to "communicate" despite his lack of language. Mary, who is Brady's one on one teacher, asked the speech clinician if they should come up with a sign that would mean "Brady" and the speech lady said she did not think it was necessary since she was pretty confident Brady will talk. He is making so many new sounds...more like consonant sounds though, not words yet. But when he does make the sounds there are distinct changes in tones almost like he IS talking but we just can't understand HIS language. We took the rest of the week off to try and ease him into his new routine.
Then Monday the 19th I went with Brady. We pulled up to the school and as soon as I got him out of the car he ran to the door and knew just where to go to get to his classroom. I could tell he was excited to go "play" I stayed with him at school. This time we stayed for about an hour and a half. One point when Brady was playing with play dough, I went and hid behind a screen, like one of those old folding screens that people used to change their clothes behind. I watched him peeking through the cracks in it like a peeping tom! :o) He did not seem to even notice I was gone. It went really well he played and explored the room, and painted and just kind of wandered with the teacher following him, they did not really make him do anything at this point, they just let him get used to the room, and the staff. Then I got busted! He found me hiding, and would not leave my side again. Later, we tried to do a trial with me actually leaving and saying "bye bye" but as I suspected that did NOT go well AT ALL!! He cried, and kicked at the door. I waited out in the hallway; the teacher came out and said for me to wait until they got a chance to try and calm him. They would then reward him for calming down and then I could return. Boy that was hard, hearing him crying for me and not being able to go to him. When I did go back to the room he ran to me and would not let me out of his sight again!
Then Tuesday he again was excited to be at school. Piper also goes to Pre School on Tuesdays so she was with and I had to take her to her classroom as well. Brady's class was in the big entry area playing with bouncy balls, his teacher gave him a big green ball and he was ready to play! Piper and I sneaked off to her classroom and when I came back he was doing well playing so I left. The teacher called me an hour later and said he was doing really well, and all the other kids LOVE him. He is the youngest one there so he is like a baby brother and they all want to help him. They played inside and outside in the sandbox, he loved that! I was worried he would not come inside well, as we have a HUGE problem with that at home when it is time to come in from outside playing. But she said he did well.
On Thursday and Friday he was there from 12-2:30 but each day fell asleep from about 1 to 2:30. When he was awake, he played with the balls, and painted, and explored some more. Right now they are not demanding too much of him, they are at first giving him a chance to get used to them and the school setting. They have a little calming spot in the room and he goes there and then falls asleep. I am not sure if he shuts down, as a defense mechanism, or if he really is tired and just falls asleep.
I don't like the way I have to leave him. I feel sneaky, and I am afraid he will grow to not trust me. But if I say "bye bye" to him, he has a melt down, and will scream and kick and nothing will get accomplished. When I sneak off while he plays he does not even seem to notice I am gone. Not quite sure what will be the best way to manage our separation each day, I don't want him to not trust me, but at the same time if he kicks and screams and cries when I leave, he may develop an aversion to even coming in the first place?? What to do!!
Oh, and this is exciting...He has started to wave Bye Bye again, when it is time to go home, and he says "buuuh" when he waves. So far he has been just as excited to leave as he has to arrive. There seems to be a definite attitude of "OK mom I've had enough, let's get the heck outta here" when I come to pick him up.
We made a decision to get the kids a rainbow play system. Since we don't know how things will go for Brady...our back yard could be his whole world for a while...and we wanted to make sure he has a safe place to play outside. It is so sad to see him looking out his window at his sister playing outside with her friends, knowing that I can't take him outside to play too. It is too difficult to try and take him outside with Hayden. I can't control him, and he does not listen, or understand what he can and can't do. So, Steve and I have been busy trying to get our yard ready for the play system to be delivered. It will arrive right on Piper's Birthday on May 5th!! We will also be having a party for her at our house on May 8th, Steve and I have been working on our fence so we can let Brady play safely in the back yard, with less worry. We had our neighbor put in retaining walls on the sides of the house. We had the lot graded. Our sod arrived on Tuesday, Steve and the neighbor spent Tuesday and Wednesday laying the sod. Today Steve was again working on the fence. WHEW!! Lots of work!! But in the end Brady will have a safe haven to play in, and it will all be worth it! I am sure Piper and Hayden will love it too!
I will try and update more often, so I don't have so much to tell you all at once. We have just been SOOO busy I can't keep up! More soon...
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We very much appreciate the love and support of our Friends and Family! Our HOPE is that one day Brady will be COMPLETELY recovered and will be able to look back at this blog and read all the love and support he got from all of you during this difficult time in his life! HUGS!!