Mud Holes and More

I noticed so many 'mile markers' today that I had to get them all down on 'paper.'

• In the past, Andrew would never play in the mud. Today he wanted to play and make a mud hole.

• He wanted to get me with the water hose. He did. But when I told him to stop he did. This is significant because first, he DID stop and did accept the limit but also he didn't have his implant on so he had to visually reference me to gather the information that I wanted him to stop. I contrast this with our RDA (RDI evaluation) where he was ALSO referencing me but to see how he could further 'up the ante' and gain control.

• When we were done he shared, "That was fun!" and..."But that doesn't mean there can't be more fun later." (ie: You can have a fun time and not be disappointed when it is over. He had expectations of future fun.)

• He was playing with the hose and getting his clothes wet and he was OK with his wet clothes. He mentioned about putting on his bathing suit and I kind of shrugged and he kept playing. No meltdown.

• I did go in to get his bathing suit a bit later and brought it outside. I fully expected him to undress outside but he ran inside to change. I can't count the number of times I have told him to dress in private. (ie: not in front of the window or outside.) This time he couldn't even hear me to tell him yet he just did it. This mirrors nicely the handwashing progress. For years I tried charts, social stories, behavioral techniques, but when I finally just started modeling my thinking, it took off.
  

Why are all these things happening? First and foremost I give the glory to God. There have been a number of things we have started over the past 6 months. One of those is RDI. I do credit RDI but even the timing and our consultant are all about God. I was at a friends' house in Cincinnati last fall and Andrew had an all out meltdown. We ended up seeing her consultant. I had a list of RDI consultants I was planning on contacting and I suppose she was on it 'somewhere' but there is a more local place. She is a perfect fit for our family however and has really been a gift from God.

We also started OT approximately 8 months ago. I have observed other OTs at the center that we attend, and I can say with certainty that we have a really good fit. There are some others there that I would also consider using but I know that she was hand picked by God to be part of Andrew's team. We have also made some changes in our family and prayer life. This has certainly made a large difference as well. That is really a long post for another time.

Going to have a great summer!!