Moving Right Along

We've received Elise's new schedule for the fall. She has all new consultants for her at-home therapy - 2 guys this time, I think that's more unusual. It'll be good for her to be exposed to male teachers also. She's moving along in her speech therapy and in her occupational therapy. School is still a giant question mark. It starts tomorrow morning at 8 am. However, Elise won't be there. We haven't registered her, found out about her aide or anything else for that matter. My expectations of the school district are now so incredibly low that this does not phase me in the least. We'll call in the morning and "ask" when we should show up for class that day. Of course, we know that she can't be included given that nothing is set up yet, but nothing will happen until we get really pushy again. We've tried over the last 2-3 weeks to get this set-up. However, with the school furlow days and the budget cuts, there was no one to speak with about Elise. Like I said, my expectations have been met. Easy to do when they're so low!

A's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow morning. It's pretty exciting - a new period of life for all of us. There's a PTA meet and greet from 8-9 in the morning after the kids are dropped off for the school day. I actually plan on joining the PTA. I figure that with Elise's special needs, it's best that I become well-known in a positive way by the school's administration. In 2 years, Elise will be attending school there. There's always the side issue of helping out in A's education ;-0

Tomorrow is also the day that I meet with the surgeon. I'm hoping that I can get the surgery scheduled very quickly. This week would be awesome. I was having pain today again. It's just becoming more frequent and now that I've educated myself more about the risks and know what it is, I'm more worried when the pain happens.

In addition to reading the autism book that I started last week, I've been researching gallbladder disease, thyroid issues, headaches and other such ailments. In doing this research, I've stumbled into this hypothesis that there is something off about me resulting in inflammations. I mean, I'm not severely or even moderately ill or anything of the sort, but I'm becoming suspicious that my health issues may have some sort of link to Elise's issues. I read about how unexplained infertility and pre-eclampsia is theorized to raise the risk of autism and I start to wonder if maybe looking for a cause for Elise is worthwhile. If she is suffering from neuro-immune issues, there are things that could help her. In doing this research, I've found a pediatrician very nearby who works with autistic children and neuro-immune disorders. I feel it's worth looking into because there are just enough things causing me to question whether there is more we can do for her medically. At the very least, he'll be able to order some of the DAN protocol testing that Elise has never had performed. I really don't see many metabolic issues with Elise, but I do believe there may be immune issues for her.

Tonight I went to a TACA meeting. There was a speaker there discussing how to facilitate play and playdates for our autistic children. It was a good meeting. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay and mingle after the meeting because I had to get home to put the little ones to bed. It was a friendly seeming group and I look forward to learning more from the group.

Elise seemed to have a good day today. She had no tantrums, one accident (hubby forgot she was sitting on the toilet - we've been a bit preoccupied lately) and went out with us to 4 different places during the day. We're fortunate that she is easy to take out in the community. At the 3rd place, a very crowded grocery store, she started making her odd sounds. I told her "Elise, quiet mouth" and she mimiced zipping her mouth and stopped making the inappropriate noises immediately. She is learning.