Brillance and Delays

The other day I was on Skype with an old friend who, prior to the Skype  chat, had known about Eli's autism diagnosis through our catching up texts. While on Skype Eli just suddenly turned up blabbing words he learned from his flash cards and so my friend exclaimed, how come you keep saying your son doesn't talk while I can see that he speaks. Look at him hes talkative!"

At that point I don't know how to explain to her how autism goes. Knowing my friend, I can tell she probably has not encountered someone who has been affected by autism ever at all nor try to research at all about it. Anyhow, I can forgive her for that, because back then I never do too.

My autistic son is living in the spectrum of a combination of brilliance and delays. No point in comparing him with the other normal kids. There's actually no point in comparing normal kids with any other kids at all! and yet, people still do.

For now what we have discovered is that it's easy to teach him concepts. The concept of shapes, and fruits, or parts of the body. He only talks when he reads or if he's identifying the things around him, like if he sees a car, he'd say "car," but you ask him, "What is your name?" and "How old are you?"he never answers. With this we all have to see to it he doesn't get lost. Him being a wandering kind is part of the issue.

Things are coming along for him because of his therapy and I hope that hell be able to find the connection between the things he knows and the spoken language so that he'd be able to communicate. But I also do not really know what developments he may have tomorrow, the next few, day, or the next few weeks.

We his family, will just have to take the journey willingly.

First Day of SPED School

It went well.

The schedule was from 9:00 - 10:00 am. Eli did a little crying as he is new to the place and his teachers are new to him.
He was given some little exercises, played catch ball, and did some table top activities, putting shapes in their slots. He was also trained to eat on the dinning table, wash his hands and clean up after himself. This will be a start of his routine.

I like the SPED school training for Eli. We decided he will continue his OT there as the facilities in SPED school are much better than back at his OT class where he is going right now. I Hope he will like it soon enough too.

He fell asleep on the way home so I decided to take a photo of him in the same clothes he wore in his class earlier. I just laid him on the bed when we got home. Bet he got so tired.

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We just got back from his last OT session. I also got his Medical Certificate to submit to the new school. He did so well today. He did cry in the first part of the class, but Teacher Chola said that after a while he stopped and they enjoyed doing their activities together. Things are going well for Eli! Behavior management, eye contact, and compliance are coming along!

General Conference October 2014

Conference Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

11/10/2014...

Since The General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a re-broadcast event here in the Philippines, we always have the chance to take the whole family and watch the event at our designated Stake Centers. The mothers will have a nursing room with a tv monitor so that they can watch and listen to the words of the living prophets and apostles. 

But today we were at the chapel area with the whole family, and Eli being hyperactive and was roaming around a lot. Elder Neil A. Andersen, was at the pulpit speaking that time. We picked him up and made him sit beside us. I was pointing at the projector monitor and I told Eli to sit down and listen to the words of the living apostle. Then Eli said, "Jesus!"  

Yes, my son, he is a representative of Jesus. :-)

2 Years and 10 Months Old Reading and Identifying Colors

After some attempts, we were able to record a video of Eli reading and this is what we've got. The flash cards have pictures on them but he can read without the pictures too. I was just not able to make cards without pictures, next time will do.

We were just capturing the moment as they are.

On this second video, he is identifying the colors using pens.

For the record, he started with letters at 2 years and 5 months old, two weeks after that, he began sight reading words.

Yesterday's SPED School Visit

When I mentioned in my yesterday's blog post that people should do their research about autism, it was because I guess most people have no idea about the different classifications of autism. I'd also like to point out that not all people living with the spectrum are learning disabled.

There are people diagnosed with ASD but belong to the higher spectrum, and there are those that belong to the lower end of the spectrum. Those that belong to the higher spectrum are the functional ones, they even have higher IQ's the rest of the normal people, while those at the lower end of the spectrum, have difficulty in learning  or have a lower IQ than the normal.

I will not delve much about the different classifications of autism because, number 1, I am not a doctor, and number 2, there is google! It's where you can check other medical websites that can give you a better understanding of what autism is all about. Number 3, I am just a mom who is learning as much as I can about my son's condition so I can help him get through with this life.

Back to my story about yesterday. Eli and I went to drop by Teacher Neki's class at a San Fernando Elementary. She was the friend from sped school that I was talking about who would like to help me with Eli's Occupational Therapy. Since she still has a class, I got the chance to observe two of her students that are also living with the spectrum.

She introduced them to me, as I was able to observe the world of autism was interesting and amazing. Both of the students are non-verbal. I think they are both at around the age of 3 or 4 years olds. One of them is with a higher IQ, he can calculate numbers mentally in his head without calculating them on paper or with the aid of a calculator, like I would since I'm very bad at math. The other one is of a lower IQ, but is a good little independent boy.

I knew because as I was observing, Eli was roaming around her classroom and perhaps he is thirsty, so he found his way to the dish rack opened it and took a cup, and helped his way to the water dispenser. In the world of normal, this is a big no, no, one has to ask and wait for a permission, or wait for his turn... but teacher Neki, I guess she just let it go since it's Eli's first time and he's still learning the ropes of having a routine, I am too he he.

After the two boys ate their recess snacks, the boy with the lower IQ went to take the plates away to the sink, and started washing the dishes. right in the middle of it, he went to look around and walked towards the cup that Eli used that he left on top of the table. He

waiting for his turn with Teacher Neki

also went to soap them and washed to rinse. Then after that both boys were assisted towards the clothes rack where their polo shirts were hanging, they changed into them and put on their shoes, waved their goodbyes and left for home.

I thought wow! Its amazing to me that these special kids are better than the normal kids who just waits around for their moms to do things for them and clean up after them.

As for Eli, he was able to have a 30 minute table top activity with teacher Neki before we went home. I will be transferring Eli to her class starting next week where he will be able to continue his Occupational Therapy.

One of the 1st Encounter

So much has happened today. It has both been a productive and ironically a bit unpleasant one at the same time. I guess it come with the package of being a mom of a child with special needs.

best camera shot of Eli's doctor's certificate 

This morning, I took Eli with me at the DSWD office to claim his Person With Disability (PWD) ID . When we entered the office and told the guy at the desk of our purpose of coming. He handed me a form to fill out and asked for the doctor's certificate. i handed him his request and began granting his request.

As I was filling the form out, there was a part where you have to check the box as to what kind of disability the ID owner has. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was not written in one of the selections and I find that all disability selection that are written there are not applicable to Eli, so I didn't check any. 

After I handed back the form, the guy began to re-check on it and when he saw the part I did not answer, he just went on to check the box that says "Learning Disability." I thought, "Hey what the heck! My child is trainable! He might be frustrated and non-verbal for now but he is the smartest kid I know in person! His learning ability is beyond his years, he reads words even better like a six year old can when they begin to read. Just because my son has physiological disorder he is already considered having a Learning Disability? What the! He didn't even ask me so my son could be properly labeled on his identification card."

I was not able to say much about it I guess, I was at a loss for words. Things happened so fast before I knew it, he was informing me that the ID can be claimed next week on Monday or Tuesday, that's it bye-bye! 

While heading to our next appointment, I thought to myself  I swear if I will see learning disability on Eli's card next week as his label for being a PWD, I will have the guy change it to the proper diagnosis which is Autism Spectrum Disorder, and demand to put it there just like what was written in this certificate! Or else I will erase it myself, I know how to buy a correction fluid and will not be afraid to use it!

It's sad how children with special needs are considered by those who are deemed normal. I guess people need to do their research. I guess this is just the beginning of one of my first encounter with such people who may treat my child differently in the future and I might not be able to stop it, but as a mother, I will as much as possible defend my child no matter what for as long as I can. 

Different Not Less

When Eli was not yet diagnosed of his autism spectrum, I use to get this usual conversation among parents like me at home, church and other places:

Other person: How old is your little boy?

Me: He's 1 year old and nine months.

Other person: and he does not speak yet?

Me: No.

Other person: My son/daughter can already speak / utter a lot of words when he/she was one. 

Me: Oh, I don't know, maybe my son is just delayed in his speech. He'll speak in time (hoping)

Other person: Oh yah! some kids are just simply delayed in their speech, he'll catch up.

Now that we are aware of his diagnosis, I was only asked once so far the same question (it happened at his pediatrician's clinic) in which I replied: "No, he's just been recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder;" then the rest just followed. Thankfully, the pediatricians secretary didn't mind his sudden lying on the floor and loud short scream while waiting for our appointment.  

Eli has just been recently diagnosed but the doctor did not classify him yet as to what level of autism he is in the spectrum. Though I am not the kind of person who cares too much about labels, at this point in time. I would like to think that he is in the higher level, and this is why I think so...to explain Eli, he is non-communicative towards us or anyone at all. The only way he expresses himself is by grabbing me in the arm and place my hand on a certain thing he wants me to hand him, like the fridge door (signifies he either wants food or water) or our tv's power on button. 

But Eli can read. Concepts that is. He began to read at 2 years and six months. One night when my husband took our laptop to type he was reading the letters that are appearing on the screen. After a few weeks, he was sight reading words, some words are a bit biggy for his age like, January or elephant but nevertheless he can read! Even his OT teacher said that she find Eli a smart boy, and that he can be trained, so that makes me happy.

My son may not be termed as quote and quote, normal but he is not less of a person. His development maybe delayed in speech. behavior and social skill. but I am still so grateful the God sees him perfectly. He's simply different.

I might still get asked in the future of the same question, and may also be followed why my son is non-communicative. I'm already formulating this idea in my head as to how I should reply.

Other person: How old is your little boy?

Me: He's almost three..

Other person: and he does not speak yet?

Me: No.

Other person: My son/daughter can already speak / utter a lot of words when he/she was one. 

Me: Oh, but my son began to read words when he was two, did your child began reading at age two also?

Now how is that even possible? We'll, only Eli's Heavenly Father knows. I tried to record him in a video earlier today just to keep a memory of him reading at an early age, but he seems to be not up to it today and easily gets distracted by the camera phone. Maybe I'll get lucky next time, If I do, I'll post it on my next blog.