Have been resisting posting since I have been experiencing trouble with this "machine" but I keep thinking about Dakota and how much WATER has been a main component of many of the battles and issues we both struggle with when it comes to Autism..
In short somewhere many years ago around middle school Dakota developed some kind of objection to drinking water...
His world consists of refusing to drink water unless he can drink it for a water fountain or a hose or the spigot of the sink......no bottled water, no water for the large bottled water like the sparkletts dispenser,Not from a glass ..NO WATER ....
I believe I think I know where it started but I cannot say for sure....a sprayer bottle had been used to wake him up to go to school < not me> and I ASSUME. This may be the root of the problem.
The aversion to the water has grown before it became so pervasive he would in Fact drink water from one specific glass at home and then one day the glass which was plastic developed a crack and started leaking and the was the beginning of the end...believe me I tried to replace the glass with every glass imagineable that was similar...he was just not buying it...I got so mad one day I threatened to throw away all the glasses I had bought (all Disney characters on them) and he cried and said he would drink water but eventually it faded to resistance....
To augment his water intake I have now developed an alternate ....a pitcher of decaf tea is made everyday and YES he has a specific glass for that too,but he drinks a huge amount of ice tea everyday,in fact I just broke the last glass he drank tea from and YES it was a disaster .....from friends and family on Facebook I was able to find replacements and now have plenty of glasses to last hopefully thru his life time???as a side note one would say why not use plastic and I would say to them the specific glass was used way before I realize the obsession ..or it would NOT have ever picked that container.
So back to the water...he cannot express why and he is so rigid about it, that it just has become a part of life in this house. Honestly it became one of those "pick your battles" things and I choose not to fight this one...so many other things that are more important!
One more thing about the water, he's totally ok with bathing or swimming ..water is no issue BUT GET ONE DROP ON CLOTHING and he FREAKS OUT... It can trigger severe behavior. With the glass the behavior is more about just not drinking it ; but use a sprayer bottle on his hair or try to wash his face with a wash cloth or louvage his ears O M G ....it can turn into a "Release the Cracken" moment. Often offering an immediate replacement Tshirt will aleviate a behavior
NOT ALWAYS
It's just another challenge here but certainly apart of this house...if you are struggling with something like this the only advice I can give is : Always take a breath, analyze the situation, see if you can
concoct a solution, Roll with it and never let it get the best of you or your child. Theres always something more important to address and it is never so important that your child needs to think that it makes him less perfect just because he can't handle a situation..AFTER ALL ITS AUTISM!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Another apology..
I want to apologize for the mistakes on the previous post..I know there are several .i am having a little trouble with editing my excerpts and have not figured out why this pad won't let me scroll down they the peace to correct???I will try to get on the desktop soon...again sorry
The Pink Glass and the miracle of FaceBook,friends and the Internet
Trying to keep inline with my with my focus on Dakotas daily living skills as the topic for this years posts !I felt that this weeks events were particularly relevant...
As puberty approached I noticed that OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) seem to take the front seat to the Autism with Dakota...much more ritualistic behavior especially anything that had to do with eating...he has always been a great eater as far as what he will eat, it's been more about the places, the days of the week and even some of the "tools" used.
For instance, his consumption of liquid has been dictated by the vessel in which the liquid resides in...he HAD a specific glass for juice but sadly it got broken and since there have been numerous attempts by me as well as friends to find the perfect replacement ..to NO avail...it was a glass that had the oranges painted on the side and I never imagined that there were that many variations of this glassware until I wanted a replacement , one friend searched as as Texas and even had her daughter looking and buying one of a trip to Vegas..
the only reason I was trying to replace it was because Dakota absolutely refuses to drink juice out of any other container...believe me I have tried; pouches, bottles, plastic sippy cups other juice glasses ..BUT N O nothing doing if it ain't that glass forget it..it has been several years and we have gone thru probably 7 to 10 offerings and still to this day he will not drink juice any longer!
So this week when I finally broke his last Pink Glass that he drinks his decaf ice tea out of , I knew I was in trouble.
let me preface this with the fact that I started giving him these glasses long before I knew there was an obsession with the container or I never would have used glass,that could be broken;however it was too late to change once the OCD was already in place ..and I did try to stash duplicates but eventually they had to be used....
So this week Wednesday was already the day from hell. My mom was going for an outpatient procedure and things were rough, Dakotas coach was sick and the whole day was screwed up....then. Go to get his tea in the pink glass out of the refrigerator and BOOM ..slipped right out of my hand. I wasn't too rattled because I knew I had one last one stashed so I very calmly pulled it out of hiding ,went to wash it in the sink and son of a bee???the damn thing tipped over and POP.....out pops the side of the glass...I even had a liner in the sink to prevent breakage BUT. NO this damn glass just had to break???needless to say I became the mother from hell cuz I just broke his glass....I was cussed at, yelled at, hit and the worse part of all ...he was refusing his tea in any other glass???one might not so worried but here's the rub??Dakota has some kind of aversion to water and he just does not drink enough water ..he will. It drink water from a bottle , even a big sparkletts bottle, from a glass, from anything but a spigot like a water fountain or drinking fountain in school or a professional building...again believe me I have tried so I argument his water intake with decaf ice tea...now his glass is broken and I am up shit creek without a paddle...
So here's where friends and FaceBook come in...I posted an APB(all points bulletin) to all my homies on FB to keep their eyes peeled or to send me resources to try to find these glasses since I had tried a few times to replace them befor and ran into a few walls ???within the day I went from Libbey Glass , to Anchor -Hocking to Wheaton...but I posted this morning and with the good efforts of friends,family, Facebook and the internet I have at 12 midnight placed an order for Dakotas pink glass..and I have ordered hopefully enough to last his lifetime..I have 8 coming and my sights on 4 more...considering I had these glasses befor he was born I think that 8 should be enough but hey who knows???
All I can say is Thank you for all the people who helped sort through the internet ..it really does take a village
I know some would say that Dakota needs to get over it and learn to deal But I say he didn't ask to have these damn disorders so I will accommodate something that makes a difference in his life???perhaps there will be a day when he might have to adapt??there could be a situation where it would be impossible to replace or find a glass ..
For now I am happy to say THANKs to my friends, FaceBook and the internet,the new pink glasses are on their way.
As puberty approached I noticed that OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) seem to take the front seat to the Autism with Dakota...much more ritualistic behavior especially anything that had to do with eating...he has always been a great eater as far as what he will eat, it's been more about the places, the days of the week and even some of the "tools" used.
For instance, his consumption of liquid has been dictated by the vessel in which the liquid resides in...he HAD a specific glass for juice but sadly it got broken and since there have been numerous attempts by me as well as friends to find the perfect replacement ..to NO avail...it was a glass that had the oranges painted on the side and I never imagined that there were that many variations of this glassware until I wanted a replacement , one friend searched as as Texas and even had her daughter looking and buying one of a trip to Vegas..
the only reason I was trying to replace it was because Dakota absolutely refuses to drink juice out of any other container...believe me I have tried; pouches, bottles, plastic sippy cups other juice glasses ..BUT N O nothing doing if it ain't that glass forget it..it has been several years and we have gone thru probably 7 to 10 offerings and still to this day he will not drink juice any longer!
So this week when I finally broke his last Pink Glass that he drinks his decaf ice tea out of , I knew I was in trouble.
let me preface this with the fact that I started giving him these glasses long before I knew there was an obsession with the container or I never would have used glass,that could be broken;however it was too late to change once the OCD was already in place ..and I did try to stash duplicates but eventually they had to be used....
So this week Wednesday was already the day from hell. My mom was going for an outpatient procedure and things were rough, Dakotas coach was sick and the whole day was screwed up....then. Go to get his tea in the pink glass out of the refrigerator and BOOM ..slipped right out of my hand. I wasn't too rattled because I knew I had one last one stashed so I very calmly pulled it out of hiding ,went to wash it in the sink and son of a bee???the damn thing tipped over and POP.....out pops the side of the glass...I even had a liner in the sink to prevent breakage BUT. NO this damn glass just had to break???needless to say I became the mother from hell cuz I just broke his glass....I was cussed at, yelled at, hit and the worse part of all ...he was refusing his tea in any other glass???one might not so worried but here's the rub??Dakota has some kind of aversion to water and he just does not drink enough water ..he will. It drink water from a bottle , even a big sparkletts bottle, from a glass, from anything but a spigot like a water fountain or drinking fountain in school or a professional building...again believe me I have tried so I argument his water intake with decaf ice tea...now his glass is broken and I am up shit creek without a paddle...
So here's where friends and FaceBook come in...I posted an APB(all points bulletin) to all my homies on FB to keep their eyes peeled or to send me resources to try to find these glasses since I had tried a few times to replace them befor and ran into a few walls ???within the day I went from Libbey Glass , to Anchor -Hocking to Wheaton...but I posted this morning and with the good efforts of friends,family, Facebook and the internet I have at 12 midnight placed an order for Dakotas pink glass..and I have ordered hopefully enough to last his lifetime..I have 8 coming and my sights on 4 more...considering I had these glasses befor he was born I think that 8 should be enough but hey who knows???
All I can say is Thank you for all the people who helped sort through the internet ..it really does take a village
I know some would say that Dakota needs to get over it and learn to deal But I say he didn't ask to have these damn disorders so I will accommodate something that makes a difference in his life???perhaps there will be a day when he might have to adapt??there could be a situation where it would be impossible to replace or find a glass ..
For now I am happy to say THANKs to my friends, FaceBook and the internet,the new pink glasses are on their way.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Sleeping.... continued
Well still having trouble with the "machine " but will try to wrap this up....
I know we have to adjust all habits according to our own lives and I know I have been fortunate to indulge Dakota particularly when it comes to sleep but this is one of my priorities and I feel sleep is probably the most important . So I have taken the jeers from parents, professionals and friends who say I should just make him suck it up and get up and live like everybody else does with the demands of life. In My Humble Opinion we don't live a typical life so in this world I need to decide what's best as a whole ....Sleep
SLEEP because it gives him a part of his day where he is free of his AUTISM(I hope..I don't know for a fact),it rejuvenates the body and he has enough ailments without not giving his body the ability to rest and relax , yes he may miss out on a few opportunities like going to a program that "warehouses" him or an outing with others who have disabilities too...but this is his world and if I have anything to do with it I will protect what I think is right and take the criticism...for the most part it's worked well for him and it has made life tricky in some ways when it comes to arranging certain things but the over all picture is that it has made a higher quality of life and less rif raft for the day....
I have one last closing thought ..everyone has to to do what's right for them and their situation...Dakota once slept 12 hours on and 12 hours off ..no naps and I was happy but worn out but still glad that he was sleeping that much..(know many who are lucky to get 3 or 4 hours with their kids on the spectrum) now he is older and on different meds so he doesn't sleep as much and his patterns have changed and they are patterned with the week days and weekends...he sleeps differently ...it's amazing to see how his own natural ability is to cater to his own needs..(usually much later on the weekends ) ..I am grateful and still sleep according to his schedule as I never know when I will need to react to a situation...
I encourage anyone to not listen to anyone. It their child and themselves and do what works for you..I will guarantee that you will all be happier ! Sweet Dreams
I know we have to adjust all habits according to our own lives and I know I have been fortunate to indulge Dakota particularly when it comes to sleep but this is one of my priorities and I feel sleep is probably the most important . So I have taken the jeers from parents, professionals and friends who say I should just make him suck it up and get up and live like everybody else does with the demands of life. In My Humble Opinion we don't live a typical life so in this world I need to decide what's best as a whole ....Sleep
SLEEP because it gives him a part of his day where he is free of his AUTISM(I hope..I don't know for a fact),it rejuvenates the body and he has enough ailments without not giving his body the ability to rest and relax , yes he may miss out on a few opportunities like going to a program that "warehouses" him or an outing with others who have disabilities too...but this is his world and if I have anything to do with it I will protect what I think is right and take the criticism...for the most part it's worked well for him and it has made life tricky in some ways when it comes to arranging certain things but the over all picture is that it has made a higher quality of life and less rif raft for the day....
I have one last closing thought ..everyone has to to do what's right for them and their situation...Dakota once slept 12 hours on and 12 hours off ..no naps and I was happy but worn out but still glad that he was sleeping that much..(know many who are lucky to get 3 or 4 hours with their kids on the spectrum) now he is older and on different meds so he doesn't sleep as much and his patterns have changed and they are patterned with the week days and weekends...he sleeps differently ...it's amazing to see how his own natural ability is to cater to his own needs..(usually much later on the weekends ) ..I am grateful and still sleep according to his schedule as I never know when I will need to react to a situation...
I encourage anyone to not listen to anyone. It their child and themselves and do what works for you..I will guarantee that you will all be happier ! Sweet Dreams
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