Autism and Wandering

WANDERING/ELOPEMENT

Elopement is when a person leaves an area without permission or notification, which can put the person in a potentially dangerous situation.  When I think of a child with ASD wandering away, I think of a child who bolts from a noisy classroom, a hectic home, or just wanders away to follow a frog they have been watching hop around.   But in all reality, a child could elope or wander from a safe, quiet home just as much. 

In 2012 a study stated the top 5 reasons children with ASD wander:

• Enjoys exploring (54%)
• Heads for a favorite place (36%)
• Escapes demands/anxieties (31%)
• Pursues a special topic (31%)
• Escapes sensory discomfort (27%)

It has been said that when most children with ASD wander they end up near a body of water.  I'm not sure what it is, but something attracts them to water.  That is why I have heard from numerous people to always check the nearby areas of water first.  Accidental drowning accounted for 91% of total deaths reported in children with ASD after they wandered off.

More than 1/3 of children who wander or elope are never or are rarely able to communicate their name, address, and phone number.

49% of children with ASD attempt to elope from a safe environment and children with ASD are 8 times more likely to wander between the ages of 7 and 10 than their typically developing peers.

Those statistics are frightening!  That is why Autism parents are so vigilant all of the time.  They have to be on their game 24/7.  You have your back turned for 30 seconds and your child could be gone.  It's so nerve-wracking!!!!!  

I remember a time where a friend had told me to sit down and relax.  They have no idea what it's like to have to worry constantly about your child.  Even when you think you're in a safe environment your child can still wander off.  This fear is why a lot of Autism parents have depression, anxiety, and PTSD.  But that will be a different post.

There are a lot of tips for keeping your ASD child safe:

• Swim lessons
• GPS tracking devices like AngelSense
• Medical ID bracelet
• Having locks high up on the doors
• Having an alarm for if the door is opened
• Blocking bodies of water off
• Alerting neighbors and first responders about your child

I remember when Jaxon was maybe 4 or so, he was obsessed with license plates.  We went to a birthday party and all he did the whole time was walk up and down and look at all of the license plates.  It was fun for him, but very isolating for me.  Anyways, that was the same time where he really didn't have a sense of danger.  If we were outside and a car was coming you would have to stand by Jaxon just to make sure he didn't run into the road.  He loved cars so much.  In parking lots, my grip would be super tight because it's an ocean of cars and he was in heaven.  He didn't care if he walked in front of a moving vehicle or not.

Now that Jaxon is older, he has grasped the fact that things can be dangerous.  But that's not saying that if something really interests him, he wouldn't try to elope to look at it.  It doesn't matter how old our kids with ASD get, we will always stress and worry about their safety.

He always had to look at my license plate when we were outside.

 

 

 

Feeding Issues

FEEDING ISSUES WITH AUTISM

Kids with ASD usually have some sort of feeding issue.  Feeding involves every sensory system (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound).  Many children have sensory processing difficulties which can make eating certain foods very hard on them.Some of them have gastrointestinal issues that they can't verbalize.  They can also develop behavioral problems at mealtime.  They may learn that they can leave the table and play after refusing a food they didn't  like.  Some kids have rituals around food that make it impossible for them to eat anything that's not a certain color, brand, texture, etc. Being persistent and consistent is key.

ASD individuals usually don't like trying new things.  A strategy that is frequently suggested and I personally have heard it at least twice form a nutritionist at an Autism facility is to withhold their food and they will eat what's on the plate when they're hungry.  Yeah right!  This kid is a stubborn beast!  Plus, I'm not going to starve my child.  That's ridiculous.  Studies have shown that 69% of ASD individuals were unwilling to try new foods and 46% had rituals surrounding their eating habits.  So no, starving them isn't going to help unless you want to cause anxiety and meltdowns at dinner. 

Here is list of what Jaxon will eat:

• cool ranch doritos
• crunchy cheetos
• cheddar jack cheese its
• sour cream and onion pringles
• chocolate m&m's
• classic lays chips
• mini nilla wafers
• mini oreos
• mini chips ahoy cookies
• popcorn shrimp
• chicken strips
• fries

THAT'S IT!  I'm also working on cutting down on the artificial dyes in his diet so for right now m&m's and doritos aren't in my house.  Introducing new foods to Jaxon is easy.  He loves to smell them and look at them, but it takes a bit to get him to even lick it.  He will lick a green bean, but he has yet to bite it.  He will bite into an apple but he won't eat and swallow what he bites off.  His diet is extremely limited and that is why he has 3 Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks in the morning, 1 at lunch, and 3 at bedtime.  

My mom and I are so scared that he's starving and won't tell us.  When we go out to eat he used to eat most of his food and right now he's not.  He's getting new molars and losing some more front ones so I know that's some of the problem.  It just stinks when you're eating dinner and he's interesting in what's on your plate and his plate but he has no will to try it.  We always pack snacks for him, because we know that he won't eat what's provided.  It's so hard, but the school tries to work with him on it and we work on it at home, so hopefully one day it will improve.

Jaxon at a birthday party eating chips that we brought.  What I wouldn't give for him to try a piece of birthday cake!

Occupational Therapy

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational Therapy (OT) is an intervention that is child-centered and is designed to help a child build on areas of strength and improve skills in areas of weakness.  Often times a therapy session looks like a lot of play.  Occupational therapists take in account the physical, social, emotional, sensory, and cognitive abilities and needs.  ASD kids are slower to integrate imputs coming in from their senses which makes their processing speed a lot slower.  

Occupational Therapy work on the following intervention areas:

• Fine Motor Skills - development of small muscles needed for fingers to pick up small items, handwriting, getting dressed.
• Visual Motor Integration - hand-eye coordination, such as picking up small pieces of food from the plate and getting it to the mouth.
• Gross Motor Coordination/Postural Stability - walking, standing, running, gross play skills
• Cognition and Perception - thinking and problem solving, such as trying to figure out how to get a toy out of a box.
• Sensory Processing - integrating information coming in from the different senses, such as adjusting your walk from a hard surface to sand.
• Environmental Modifications/Adaptive Equipment/Technology - modifying the environment so a child can "do" the "work", such as sliding a special pencil grip onto the pencil to it can be held securely for writing. 

OT can also help a child stimulate their Central Nervous System during activities as well as demand the brain and body to work together while the child is "playing".  Heaving lifting and deep pressure also help the child stay calm and increases the ability for self-regulation.  Children do better when they are approached in a fun way.  Kids during an OT session could build with blocks, color, play games, do puzzles, practice dressing themselves, draw, cut and glue and many other things that help the child without them really noticing because it's fun!

Jaxon has been going to OT since he was 2.  Since then he has improved so much!  I remember one day he just starting drawing and writing.  He used to hate it and then poof!  After that took off so did cutting things out.  Now drawing is his favorite thing to do and it shows his personality when he writes "books".  He has gotten over his aversion to paint and shaving cream on his fingers, and now he really enjoys it.  He also has gotten over his hatred of vibrating animals and objects.

When Jaxon is in OT he enjoys swinging.  It helps calm him.  He also enjoys jumping and doing puzzles.  I've included some pictures of him in an OT session.  Jaxon can go to Occupational Therapy well into adulthood if needed.  As long as he keeps improving I couldn't imagine a time where he wouldn't have OT because there is always progress to be made.

 

Obsessions

OBSESSIONS

People with Autism tend to become very interested in their particular subjects.  An obsession is a form of anxiety disorder.  Thinking about something a lot is okay, but it's hard not to think about something to the point where it's undermining your way to live and enjoy life, that's an obsession. 

It can start out as something small like a train, and then it turns into watching videos of trains constantly, reading books on trains, collecting trains, and steering every conversation you have toward trains.  It can become isolating very fast. 

 Social interests are healthy.  Things like hobbies, favorite school subject, or your career.  Obsessions are something that someone with ASD can dedicate an ENORMOUS amount of time to.  They will spend every free moment with it, and when they're not, they will think about it constantly.  Obsessions can impede on school work, grades, as well as friendships.

With Jaxon, I first noticed his bathroom obsession well over 2 years ago.  He insisted on going into both the men and women's bathrooms wherever we were.  As it got worse, he would seek out bathroom signs right when we walked in the door.  If we were in a restaurant, he would bolt to go to the bathroom.  As he got a little older we would tell him that he can go look and that's it until we're done eating and then we will go look at them again.  That worked most of the time.  

It has gotten to the point now, where he goes in and looks for a few seconds and then he's out.  It has improved a lot!  He knows at school and church that he's not supposed to go in the girls bathroom because we don't want to deal with that mess.  But when Jaxon is with me or my mom, he will want to go to the women's bathroom which I figured would happen because he always had to go with us when he was little so whatever.  

I know the bathroom obsession may dissipate or increase, but I'm at the point where I can handle it now. 2 years ago, no way.  It embarrassed me and made me mad at him, which he didn't deserve. But now I'm the mom standing and holding the men's bathroom door open so I can hear Jaxon and I apologize when men walk in and out.  They all smile because they get it, I'm just a mom waiting for her kid to get out the bathroom.

Some of his obsessions come and go like his train tracks and pretend food.  There were months where he would set up his train tracks just so and they had to stay there all day and getting him to clean them up at night was a nightmare.  He went through a phase where he would set up his food plates and want us to eat with him over and over and he had the plates set up in a certain way, so if you placed the banana in the wrong spot he would have to fix it right away.

Jaxon's other obsessions include crayons, markers, and animals right now.  He loves to draw, and I am confident in saying that he has every Crayola color memorized because sometimes I like to quiz him! At bedtime we usually read a book about animals, and he has a huge crate full of animal figurines that we talk about and play with.  

When I say Jaxon has "obsessions" I mean it lightly.  He's little and I know his interests change.  Some of his interests take over his mind more than others, but it has not impeded his learning at school so I'm not worried.  It is definitely something to keep an eye on as he gets older.

  

PLAY THERAPY

 PLAY PLAY PLAY!!!!

 
Play Therapy is a play-based technique which builds on ASD kids' own interests or obsessions to develop relationships and social/communication skills.  A lot of kids with ASD find it very hard to relate to others, especially peers, in ordinary ways.  Instead of pretend or imaginative play, they may use the objects to self-sooth and become self absorbed.

Play Therapy helps children move beyond Autism's self absorption into real, shared interaction.  It can also allow children to explore their feelings, environment, and relationships with parents, siblings, and peers.  Parents may be able to build a stronger relationship through play.  Play therapy helps improve many skills including relating to others, joint attention, peer play, physical fine and gross motor skills, and requesting their needs and wants in appropriate ways.

I was first looking into ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) for Jaxon, but where we live it is very limited.  There were insurance issues, waiting lists, long traveling, and I got the run-around a lot!  So while I was dealing with that fun mess, I found a website of a place in Springfield, Robert Jason Grant Ed.D Autplay Therapy Clinic (I will post their website at the bottom).  We went and had a consultation with Caitlyn and we decided to start going there.  Jaxon was doing really well there, but the drive to and from Springfield on a Monday afternoon after school, was wearing us all out.

Eventually, I found a place closer to us and we have been going there for a few months now.  Jaxon really likes it and always wants to go see Miss Ashley instead of going to his other therapy appointments.  I'm still waiting to hear from ABA because I think it will really help with Jaxon's feeding issues and other things as well.

When Jaxon is at his play therapy appointment, Ashley lets him guide the way.  Whatever he plays with she plays along with him.  She tries to get him into associative play (where Jaxon will play the same thing as her, but they aren't having to work together).  

Parallel Play:  Children are playing next to each other, but they are not talking or doing the same activity.

Associative Play:  Children are playing the same game, but they are not working together or connecting with one another.

Play Therapy can help children learn:

• to respect themselves
• that their feelings are acceptable
• to express their feelings responsibly
• to assume responsibility for themselves
• to be creative and resourceful in confronting problems
• self-control and self-direction
• to accept themselves
• to make choices and to be responsible for their own choices

As Jaxon keeps going to his play therapy appointments, Ashley will start to converse with him more, ask questions, and hopefully they can talk a little.  With Jaxon's limited speech, that can be difficult.  Play Therapy was new to me, but once I read about it, it made sense.  Let these kids play and get comfortable and when they're ready they will let you in their world and you can really reach them there.

http://www.robertjasongrant.com/ 

A Little Update on Jaxon

Hey guys!!!  I just found out yesterday that I have Pneumonia, so I've been laying around resting while Jaxon has been at school and I thought I would jump on here and update you all on how Jaxon's been doing in school.  He has made it through two and a half weeks of school with only one day being a little rough.  Success!!!!!  He was given his own desk in his class because my kid thinks that other students' stuff is his and he can chuck it across the room (rolling my eyes as I type).  My mom asked about the desk and was told that he does really well with his work when he is at his desk.  Less distraction.  Plus he has a cool cubby in his desk for his stuff.  AWESOME!  I'm glad that between his General Education teacher and his aide, he is getting a lot of help.

Jaxon has also stopped drinking milk and his meal replacement drinks at school out of a sippy cup!  I know, I know, a 6 1/2 year old kid in 1st grade drinking out of sippy cup?  Eh.  I've learned to let that go.  Shoot he was 6 before he was fully potty-trained.  Slow and steady wins the race ya'll.  Anyways, he is now drinking out of regular cup and a straw at school.  He doesn't drink it all, but I know with time, he will.  I'm so thankful for the staff that has encouraged him and let him know that his "sippy disappeared" HAHA! 

Jaxon has a new crush this year.  Sweet Nadia isn't in his class this year (which is probably a good thing since my mom saw Jaxon bop her on the head at recess).  Again, I'm rolling my eyes.  He always seems to find one girl and become infatuated with her.  Yesterday he wrote her first name and his last name.  Oh dear, he is too young for this stuff!!!

We have also gotten back into reading stories at bedtime.  I've always read to him, but during the summer I didn't push him reading to me that much.  Now we have a reading log and he is doing great!  I have to work on finding harder books for him!

Jaxon also loves the new music teacher.  I'm just glad the adjustment of a new music teacher has gone well so far!  I know that between having an aide this year, the new sensory room, and Jaxon using his noise reducing headphones when it's too loud has helped him tremendously so far this year.  I know that this year will be a success.

His aide sent me this picture earlier this week.  So proud of him being willing to try new things!!!

I'm including a video of Jaxon and I having a "conversation".  It's more of him saying random things, and me asking him questions, but it's our norm.  His words just keep coming and coming and I'm hoping that one day, we will be able to sit down on the couch and talk about his day.