Something we've come to realize about Jacob is that he's a very good learner. He absorbs pretty much anything we put in front of him and his recall is mindblowing. For the most part, it's very encouraging because we know that his therapy should be very effective, but occasionally that superbrain can cause problems. He remembers EVERY frightening and intimidating situation he's ever had since he was a baby, so some things require a lot of practice to overcome. His teachers work on rehearsal, at home we work on encouragement and pep talks and I have to say, he's made huge leaps the past month or so regarding his anxiety. A few examples:
1. A smiling face entering and leaving the pediatrician's office. These excursions typically begin with whimpering as he realized we're driving to Dr. B and he escalates into a full-blown meltdown as we enter the door. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate on how the rest of the visit usually proceeds. This last visit, however, I picked him up early from school, his happy place, and he chattered all the way there about the doctor and being sick, happily waited and cried, not screamed, only during the exam. He also gave Dr. B a hug and told her he loved her when she was finished. He's a very good boy.
2. Took his antibiotic without being held down and wasting it by spitting it out. I won't say he does it without resistance, but he quickly opens his mouth and swallows.
3. Chose a Halloween costume. We've been talking about what he will be for about a month, posing the question "Will you be a (Transformer, policeman, ghost, etc) for Halloween?" For awhile, each one elicited a "no" or a "Snuggle!," signifying it was a character that scared him. Last week, however, wehit ona firefighter and he responded with "Firefighter!" So we looked at costumes on Amazon and asked whether he would be a red or black firefighter and he responded with "Black!" So there you go, Jacob actually chose his own costume this year.
4. Using intonation for context in his speech. Last night he told us " I DON'T want it." The other day when I handed him a strawberry milkshake rather than chocolate he exclaimed, pitifully, "Oh, Mommy! It's terry-bull!" His responses to displeasure until the last week or so were simply to whine, scream or kick, sometimes tossing in a totally inapplicable phrase from a movie or book.
A lot of this progress is thanks to his teachers at Able Academy. About two months ago, his pediatrician suggested anti-anxiety medication during an especially horrible visit. It had been something that had occured to me, but James and I decided that we would only consider it when a professional suggested it. We took the idea to his teachers and they suggested we deal with his anxiety behaviorally first and they've been practicing with him ever since. We reinforce the practice at home by initiating a "conversation" with him about any upcoming situation he won't like --- we also have an ongoing conversation about the doctor. There is still a lot of ground to cover regarding his anxiety, but we're really encouraged by the progress he's shown lately.
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