Return of Vocal Stimming

Yesterday Elise had ABA therapy in the morning. Her therapist said that she had a really good session. We finally received our video monitor, so hubby was home and able to watch a bit of the session. He said it was very similar to the approach used at the university program she just finished. We ended her session about 15 minutes early so that we could attend a birthday party of twins that she met in the university program. The party was really nice and Elise's brothers had a great time. Elise was a bit overwhelmed, so she threw some tantrums. She also returned to all sorts of stimming. The worst was the vocal stimming. She was loudly yelling "Ahhhh" or other sounds at random times. Head turning sounds. I mean, everyone there loved someone with autism, so it's not like it was not understood. However, it is disconcerting to have the most obviously autistic child around. I guess this is just my ego. We hadn't seen her do the vocal stimming in weeks. I met another mother there with an autistic son only 8 days younger than Elise. He went through the university program with Elise's same classroom teachers a few months before Elise. I don't know where he started, but he was doing great. I hope that Elise can achieve his level of success someday. His mother said that ABA has helped him the most, after the kick start of the university program. Sigh, sometimes it seems like such a long road ahead of us, and it is. We just have to take it day by day and hope for the best.

I forgot to mention that I still haven't taken Elise for her latest blood draw to test for allergies. I really need to do this. My seasonal allergies were awful yesterday and so were her older brothers. In fact, he's now back on his allergy medication and still has lots of sniffling and dark circles around his eyes. I really am wondering about Elise and seasonal allergies. That, besides the fact that she was at a party, a stressful situation for her, may have contributed to the return of so much stimming. I'll have to see what the test results show, once I get around to taking her. That is definitely on the agenda for next week.

Also on next week's agenda, the genetic test results should be available. The doctor had told us that if we didn't hear after 6 weeks, to give him a call. Wednesday will be 6 weeks. We should also receive our long awaited letter from the school district. I'm not holding my breath for that one. I'm pretty sure that my assumptions were correct and that this whole non-public school option is just a farce to avoid educating Elise until September. It's now been 3 weeks and 4 days since our IEP meeting for her where we were told we'd receive a letter in a couple of weeks. I think we're going to have to find funds to lawyer up. Before, I really wasn't going to ask for much in the way of school because I wanted to focus on ABA therapy this year. If I have to hire an advocate or lawyer, I'm asking for it all. We don't have the money to play these games, so I'll make sure what we get is worth the money spent. Fun times ahead. I also need to start planning for Elise's EEG test at the hospital on Feb 25. You know, the details of cancelling her ABA sessions scheduled for that day, determining what to bring, arranging childcare for the boys. It's always lots of details! SOMEDAY things will be easier.