Making progress!

The past couple days Liam has continued to have his typical fits and moments of anxiety. The fits he has repeatedly throughout the day continue to become very draining. The fits regularly occur when he has mind set on what he wants to do. It is really very difficult to settle him down he gets that way. The frequency is what can really get to you. Outside of the fits, Liam has actually been pretty good.

Wednesday Liam had a busy and fun day with Seamus and Grandpa McCourt. They first went to a matinee to see Star Wars. The last time Liam went to the movies with Grandpa McCourt it was a bit of a challenge. This time Liam was great. Liam was into the movie from beginning. Liam asked questions during the movie but for the most part was kept entertained by the constant action.

Once the movie was done they went to watch cousin Katie play baseball. Grandpa of course treated them to McDonald’s before the game. When the game was over they came home. Liam was quite excited to tell Jill and I about the movie. When Liam gets excited you can see his mind must be going a thousand miles an hour. When he speaks he stutters and we have to tell him to take his time and use his words. He listens and does as we say and is able to speak. He excitedly told us about the movie and all the parts he liked. It was good to see him recall and share his feelings with us. A year ago, he would not have been able to do that. So progress is definitely being made.

Today Liam had school at Middleburg Early Intervention. He was reluctant to go in at first, but once he got in he was fine. He had another very positive day according to his teacher. By the end of class Liam tends to get tired and want his blanket. The teachers oblige as it is a way to calm him.

This afternoon Jill took Liam to see his neurologist. She listened to what Jill had to say as she always does so well. The neurologist has decided to leave Liam on risperdal for right now. She wants to see him back in October. She feels he is doing well and wants to keep on risperdal. Between now and then she will determine another course of action. Jill and I were actually glad that we don’t have to go through changing medications as that is always a challenge. We are both pretty happy with how he is doing on the medication right now. So, for now we will continue to enjoy the summer It will continue to have its challenges, but that is what we have to do.

Busy and fun in the sun!

Life has been quite busy at home and at work. The weather has been hot and and the boys have thoroughly been enjoying their pool. Every day (sometimes twice) I go in the pool with Seamus, Liam, Aidan, and Brendan who finally got over his fear. Aidan is funny, he just likes to hang on the ladder and jump up and down, and walk along the edge. Brendan finally went in the pool today and had quite an adventure. One end of the pool was low and when he leaned over, the side wall collapsed and Brendan went flowing over with the wave! Jill was laughing, but at the same time poor Brendan was a little freaked out. He was OK when we went back in this evening. Tonight I had to drain the pool and will order some sand or dirt to level the ground out better.

Liam and the swimming he has learned from his Adaptive Aquatics class just continues to amaze me. He is so at ease and swims so well I just sit there in awe. Liam seems very relaxed in the pool and is very easy to communicate with. He seems to talk about things a lot more while in the pool.

Liam has continued to have his fits when events do not go as he wants or plans. He still is very routine about everything he does. This is another example of how autistic children do not handle change well. When he is properly prepared, he responds a lot better. Another thing Liam has started to do is pick at his teeth again. It went away for awhile, but I have noticed him doing it more. I am beginning to wonder if it is because school has started and is feeling stressed. The picking has not been as bad as when it would bleed, but we are doing our best to prevent that.

His day at school today went very well. Jill said he was a bit hesitant going in, but he went without any problem. When she picked him up his teacher said he did very well in class, but by the end he became anxious and needed to have his blanket back. It was really nice to hear he had a good day at school. I think he will get more out of it this way. The only bad part to today was while Jill was with the boys at a neighbor’s house, Liam ran down the street following Seamus to a friends house. Jill saw Liam running down the street and just run across the street without looking. Luckily it was during the day and no cars were speeding down our street.

Liam sees his neurologist this Friday. We will see what her next course of action is. We expect her to change his medication. This is always a challenge going from one to another. It is always very stressful It is too early to speculate right now. We will see what she wants to do then.

A much better day

Liam had a much better day at school. Jill still had to drag Liam into school today because of his anxiety. When his teacher Miss Bonnie saw him, she just “Welcome Liam, let’s get to class” and took him right in. When class was over, Miss Bonnie said Liam was a bit anxious at first, but quiet. He clung to his blanket and just watched activities. Miss Bonnie talked to him some more and was able to get him to put his blanket down. He then began to participate in the table activities. The teacher to student ratio is 4 kids to1 teacher, which is very good for those with special needs. While Liam was at the table, someone said the word “Florida” and immediately Liam just started chattering away about that being where Mickey, Buzz, and Woody live, and where Mickey’s castle is. He went for quite awhile talking about it. It was good to see Liam settle down finally and get into the swing.

Liam’s busy day continued this afternoon with his Adaptive Aquatics class. Today’s class was again a bit of a challenge for Liam, but it was one of his best classes in weeks. Liam did all the tasks he had to do and was treated to Burger King. Going to Burger King has become part of the routine after swimming. Liam works up quite an appetite after swimming.

Anxious days

Liam started his school at Middleburgh Early Intervention Center yesterday. On the way there he started to become anxious about going. When he got there the anxiety was terrible. Liam was crying hard and clinging to his blanket. Jill had to literally carry him into the school. In there the crying continued as Jill tried to soothe him. Since the teachers remembered Liam from last year, one of the things they did to comfort him was pull him in a wagon. Liam even asked for it. One of the aides pulled Liam for a short time to settle him down. Based on what his teachers said, he settled down for a little bit and participated in class. He was still quite anxious during it all. Towards dismissal time Liam then began to start crying again and calling out for mommy. Once Liam got in the van to go home he started to settle down. Hopefully Thursday goes better for Liam. The other good thing for Liam is that the speech therapist he had last year is the same one he has this year. That kind of continuity is great for him since the therapist already knows him.

Today, Liam asked Jill repeatedly about going to school tomorrow. The anxiety is clearly there. When asked if he wants to go to school, he says no. This anxiety has caused him to become more easily anxious quickly. When I arrived home from work, Liam began asking me about school. He repeatedly asked me about it like he did with Jill. When I was alone with him I asked him why he didn’t want to go to school, he would just say he wanted to stay home. We expect another rough day for Liam on Thursday at Middleburgh.

Liam starts summer school

It has been much the same lately with Liam. The anxiety and fits keep recurring. The only bad thing that has occurred with him the past few days is he has started sneaking out the house again. The only good thing is Liam goes over houses where he plays each night. He seems to calculate his moves. He does this when we are not around on the first floor of our house. He occasionally will try and leave in front of us, but we are there to stop him. We do our best, but it is quite maddening at times. Our biggest fear is that Liam will wander into the street and get hit by a car. Drivers in our neighborhood speed like crazy. I finally called the police for the at least the 10^th time in the past year after I had a confrontation with a driver who wanted to argue with me about how fast he was going. I just hope I didn’t interrupt his cell phone call.

Tuesday Liam starts summer school at Middleburgh Early Intervention Center. This is the first school Liam attended last year. He did very well considering it was his first exposure to school. We believe was a huge help preparing him for school this past year. We hope the continued schooling will help him progress further and help him in the coming school year this fall. We have been preparing Liam for school by talking to him about it. Tonight I brought up the pictures we took of the school last year to help him understand where he is going. Jill said throughout the day Liam has showing a lot of anxiety about going. He repeats he wants to stay home with mommy and no school, stay home. We decided to let up on it this evening and see how he does tomorrow when he goes. Jill and I are very excited about him going back there. We will see how it goes tomorrow.

Not much of a change

Liam’s anxiety and fits have not stopped. We honestly believe it is the change in medication. He continuously needs to know where everyone is. When he does see someone he repeatedly asks where they are. Most of the time it is Seamus he looks for. Seamus goes out to play and when Liam does not see him he becomes concerned and starts asking. When something does not go his way, he gets very anxious and starts to cry. Wednesday was not as bad as Tuesday was so that was a bit of a relief.

Today Liam had his Adaptive Aquatics class. He was fine on the way there, but upon arrival he became very anxious and wanted to go home. Jill had to coax him into the dressing room. Miss Karen noticed his anxiety right away and helped to get Liam to the pool. Once he got in the water he immediately started with the “wanting mommy” and “wanting to go home”. Miss Karen did her best to redirect him, but he kept it up. Jill and her mom had to leave the pool area. At the end of the lesson Miss Karen went and brought Jill and her mom back in. As soon as Liam saw her he began to want to get out again. They stayed until the end and Liam kept repeating while he was doing his lesson “I want to go home”, “I want mommy”, and “want my blankie”. When the lesson was done and he was getting changed his whole temperament changed again. He was all excited about his lesson being done and he acted as if he just had the time of his life. Miss Karen observed this and believes it is how his medicine is affecting him as well.

This evening Liam clearly tired as he had no nap today. He played and only had one fit outside when he could not get a juice box. The kids played and were captivated by a caterpillar that was crawling along the curb in the street. As I was sitting and talking Liam came up to me, hugged me, and said he was tired and wanted to go home. I took him home, he had his bath, got his pajamas on and was asleep within 20 minutes of sitting my lap. I have rarely seen Liam this cooperative and mellow at bedtime. It was actually refreshing and pleasant getting him ready for bed. If only he could only be like that all the time! We’ll see how tomorrow goes. Hopefully it warms up so we can use the pool!

The anxiety worsens

Liam began taking 2 tablets of risperdal this morning, and will also have 2 at night. Liam’s anxiety seemed extremely high today. All day long he would continuously whine and cry uncontrollably over anything. Jill had an extremely long day listening to this. Liam’s behavior affected Aidan and Brendan as when Liam would get upset, they would too. This often led to all 3 crying at one time. This is extremely stressful on anyone. I called from work at one point and had to cut the conversation short as Liam and Brendan began battling over something. They screaming and crying in the background was loud!

Jill was able to let the boys go in the pool for a short time and they loved it. The water is still chilly since we don’t have a solar cover on it yet. Nonetheless, they had a great time.

When I got home we had to eat and get ready for Mike O’Malley’s wake. When I arrived Liam was outside and Jill did not know it. I tried to tell him to come in the house, but he immediately got upset, started crying, and would not go in. I had to carry him in and latch the door so he would not go out. He then got angry and kept tugging at the door and would scream. Liam finally settled down on his own and watched tv while Jill and I ate. When we left for the wake Liam had to be restrained by Grandma McCourt.

We got home and the boys were ready for bed at 8pm. We had groceries to bring in so Jill went outside with the boys while I put the groceries away. When they came in they were still quite active, but ready for bed. We got them to bed by 9:30pm. Hopefully Liam’s anxiety today was just a result of the increase in medication. We’ll see tomorrow…..

The anxiety worsens

Liam began taking 2 tablets of risperdal this morning, and will also have 2 at night. Liam’s anxiety seemed extremely high today. All day long he would continuously whine and cry uncontrollably over anything. Jill had an extremely long day listening to this. Liam’s behavior affected Aidan and Brendan as when Liam would get upset, they would too. This often led to all 3 crying at one time. This is extremely stressful on anyone. I called from work at one point and had to cut the conversation short as Liam and Brendan began battling over something. They screaming and crying in the background was loud!

Jill was able to let the boys go in the pool for a short time and they loved it. The water is still chilly since we don’t have a solar cover on it yet. Nonetheless, they had a great time.

When I got home we had to eat and get ready for Mike O’Malley’s wake. When I arrived Liam was outside and Jill did not know it. I tried to tell him to come in the house, but he immediately got upset, started crying, and would not go in. I had to carry him in and latch the door so he would not go out. He then got angry and kept tugging at the door and would scream. Liam finally settled down on his own and watched tv while Jill and I ate. When we left for the wake Liam had to be restrained by Grandma McCourt.

We got home and the boys were ready for bed at 8pm. We had groceries to bring in so Jill went outside with the boys while I put the groceries away. When they came in they were still quite active, but ready for bed. We got them to bed by 9:30pm. Hopefully Liam’s anxiety today was just a result of the increase in medication. We’ll see tomorrow…..

An anxious day

Liam seemed unusually anxious today. Jill noticed it when Seamus was out playing with Eli. Jill was over our neighbor Donna’s house and noticed Liam get very anxious when he could not see him. Liam kept calling Seamus and appeared very concerned. He told Jill he was going to look for him. He went over where Seamus and Eli were, found them, and stayed with him for a while.

The boys all took a nap (except Seamus) so they seemed in good spirits when I got home. We had to take Jill to a therapy appointment for her carpal tunnel surgery. The boys were pretty good considering they had to sit in the van an hour and a half. When we got home we played outside for a while. Liam was actually pretty good while he played this evening. At 8:45 he told me he was tired and wanted to go home. We came home and he helped me unload the dishwasher. He then took his bath and wanted to sit with me. He fell asleep quickly and was in bed by 9:45.

With Liam out of school his days have become quite simple. He doesn’t have to do much but play. During the day he continues to have anxiety and fits when things do not go his way. Liam will be starting school at the Middleburg Early Intervention Center in a few weeks. He will go there 2 days a week for a couple months. Last year Liam had a rough start at this school, but by the end of the term he really began to do well. We are hoping that enrolling him at Middleburg will help his progress. The more schooling and intervention Liam gets, the better he will do. We look forward to when he starts there based on the success he had last year.

The Madness continues!

Friday I had to attend Mary Farrell’s funeral. She is the mother of my Uncle Tom. She passed away earlier in the week. I got to the funeral just as the congregation processed into the church. I sat down with my Uncle Tom Wenderoth. I could not see my parents during the mass so I figured they were just out of my view. While in the communion line I looked around and did not see them. I began to wonder what was going on. No one had motioned to me or my sister Mary Ann, so I thought everything was ok.

Once the mass was over we began to ask questions and all we knew was my mom called the funeral to leave a message for my uncle that my dad was sick. The fact that both of them weren’t there had me wondering. My sister and I began calling their cell phones, home, and our sister Sharon. No one knew anything. Mary Ann and I missed the funeral procession. Just as we were about to leave my Mom called and said my Dad was in Fairview with a suspected heart attack. They were doing tests to determine the problem at the time we first talked. This was our father’s 4^th heart attack, so he knew what it felt like. He at first thought maybe it was a side effect of a cortizon shot he had the previous day. As he was getting ready to head to the funeral he realized what it was so he went straight to the hospital. Smart move dad! He ended up having a few stints put in his arteries Saturday morning. He has to have 1 or 2 more done Monday, based on what they see. Dad was doing well Sunday so that was good to see! Get well Dad!

To add the events, a family acquaintance, Mike O’Malley, owner of a fine restaurant called the Rockcliffe, passed away Saturday. Mike was quite popular with the West Side Irish for the catering he used to run at the Irish American Club. His brother Pat does a fine job at it now and Jill, who has known Pat for a long time, has been working for Pat’s catering business lately. So, Monday we have another wake to attend.

Liam’s weekend has been much the same routine as of late. Several tantrums a day and a few incidents of anxiety when events did not go his way. His anxiety and tantrums have been made worse by the fact that he and his brothers have not been napping during the day. By then end of the day they are all crying over little thing that occurs. It gets to be quite draining when all 4 are crying at the same time and wanting their way. One thing I have noticed a little more is Liam has been picking at his gums a little more. I keep reminding him to keep his fingers out of his mouth.

Saturday Liam and his brother’s swam at our neighbor’s house all afternoon while I cut the grass and then visited my dad at the hospital. All the boy’s had a great time. Liam was thrilled to practice his swimming in their pool. The little pool we have in our driveway is no longer adequate for the boys we began to ponder getting a pool of our own. The first thing the boys wanted to do Sunday after breakfast was go swimming at our neighbor’s. Our neighbor’s are great people, but we don’t want to wear out our welcome. We came across an ad at Toys r Us that showed a good deal on a 12’ 36” deep pool. We decided to get the next size up as it came with most of the accessories we would need to buy elsewhere. Adding them up we would spent only $20 less then the pool in the ad. As soon as Liam heard us talking about it, he got very excited and was just started talking about it over and over. At this point, telling him no would be quite difficult. We decided to get it since he loves to swim, and plus, we can use it when we want. We hope to get at least 3 years out of this pool.

In the evening the boys again were extremely tired and the crying and fits continued. Liam finally looked at me around 8:45, and said “I’m tired daddy”. In we went to get ready for bed. Prior to coming in, our neighbors left their stroller in our driveway as they walked down the street. Liam did not see baby Levi in the stroller and he began to get very anxious looking all over for Levi. Jill had to explain where he was. Liam then settled down and went back to playing.

Here we go into Monday June 13^th. We will see what this week holds in store. Liam’s medication will be increased starting Tuesday to 2 tablets of risperdal during the day, and then at night. His next appointment is scheduled for June 24^th with the neurologist. We’ll see then what our next move is.

A rough day at swimming

Liam’s day seemed to start out pretty good. He was having a typical morning with the usual little ups and downs. Went it came time for Liam to go to his Adaptive Aquatics class, he didn’t want to go. Jill and her mom had to coerce him into the car. On the way there he kept saying he wanted to go home. When they got to Lifeworks, Liam started to have a fit because he did not want to go in the pool. Jill and her mom had to carry Liam into the changing room and forcibly get him ready. His teacher Miss Karen helped them get him to the pool. The whole time he was in the pool he kept crying and wanting to go home. Miss Karen had her hands full today. They kept repeating to Liam what he had to do before he could go home. It was by far the worst day Liam had at the pool. When the class ended, they took Liam in the changing room where his personality switched from whining and crying to being happy. Jill could not figure out exactly what was wrong. The only change that occurred was she took Liam in her mother’s car. That hardly seems like it could be a reason, but it was something different, and Liam does not handle change well. Hopefully next week will be a better time for him.

Still busy as can be!

We have still been quite busy with everything at home. With Jill’s hand and foot on the mend I have been doing as much as I can around the house. The weather has gotten hot so we have had the boys pool setup each day for them to play in. They have had a blast in it.

Liam for the most part has been the same since increasing his medication to 1.5 tablets in the morning to 2 tablets at night. He continues to have periods of anxiety and tantrums. The tantrums seem to occur when he has his mind set on doing something a certain way, or a series of events taking place as he wants them. When he gets upset, he is difficult to handle. We have just been letting him work it out. When he does work it out, he goes back to being playful Liam like he can be. It is really something to see how he just “turns it off” if you will. His anxiety seems to occur in situations he is not sure of, or at odd times in which he just seems to worry about everything. We do our best to soothe him by reassuring him that things will work out.

There have been no incidents lately in which anything serious has happened with Liam. He finished school last Thursday and had a school picnic last Friday. Liam had a great time at the picnic. We met and talked with other parents in his class and with his teachers. I would have to say overall we have been pretty happy with how Liam’s teachers have worked with him. At the picnic Liam was just having a great time at the playground, the woods, and playing with his buddy from school, Kennedy. Jill and I enjoyed talking with other parents whose children have other special needs. While our children have special needs, we all have the same goal; to see that our children get the best help and education possible. I think it gives all the parents a sense of comfort in talking with each other as well. Having a child with special needs is quite difficult and talking with someone else who understands is helpful.

Thursday Liam has his Adaptive Aquatics class again. He has already started talking about it and is looking forward to going to it. He really has taken so well to the swimming Jill and I have started to consider a larger pool for them next year. Our development has a pool, but its hours are noon-5pm, 6pm-8pm. To take all the boys up there is just a hassle right now. We think it will be better to have a pool in our own yard where we can hang out when we want, and without the hassle of a crowd. That’s next year though, we’ll see then.

A long and busy week!

Wow, it is hard to believe it has been almost a week that I have not updated this blog! We have been extremely busy with events in and out of the home. The best thing to say is that through all this busy activity, Liam has done very well. He has still had his moments in which his anxiety and meltdowns have occurred. Luckily they have not been too bad.

This past Sunday we went to Jill’s cousin’s house for a cookout and swimming. There Liam was comfortable with everyone as he knows them now. Liam could not wait to get in the pool. I had not seen him in the water since he started taking Adaptive Aquatics at Lifeworks. Liam just completely amazed me how comfortable he was in the water. He jumped to me in the water a couple times and showed me how he can go underwater and hold his breath. Liam had a great time until their 7 month old retriever puppy came out. The dog had a lot of energy, ran around,and was quite hyper. The dog scared Liam. At this point it was near going home time so we decided to get going. Liam became very anxious from this and was very concerned about everyone getting in the van to go home. He finally settled down once we started heading home.

Memorial day we had a cookout at our house. Liam’s cousins Katie and Bridget came over. Our neighbor’s Joe and Lynette came over with their kids. The children all played and had a great time. At one point Liam could not be seen. One of the kids in the front yard something that sounded like “LIAM’S IN THE STREET!” I ran and sure enough, Liam had gotten in a neighbor’s battery powered jeep and drive it into the street and was on his way for a ride. I caught up to him quickly and got him out of the street. We got very lucky in that no cars had come down the street. Lord only knows what could have happened. Liam has not left other kids like this in a long time. I think the only reason he did it was because he wanted to ride the jeep around.

Tuesday, grandma McIlwee came over to stay with the boys as Jill had to go in for carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand. We were there all afternoon and did not get home until after 6pm. Grandma said the boys were great all afternoon. It was good to hear! Jill’s surgery went as planned. Since it was her right hand done first, she has been unable to do much on her own. The pain has been bad at times, but luckily she has vicadin.

Wednesday was busy as Jill has had to rest completely to let her hand heal. One thing for sure is she does a hell of a lot during the day with the boys. It is amazing how many little things that can’t done with a disabled hand. After we all picked Liam up from school, we made a few stops along the way before we got home. Once we got home the boys were all ready for a nap. They slept until 1pm and woke up ready to play. We went outside and played for hours outside. It was really a beautiful day out just play. As we started to make dinner we realized we forgot Liam had his OT appointment. Liam and I went to his therapy where he had another very good session. Liam quite often kept saying he was done and wanted to go home. I kept telling him the same thing. First he had to do his work with Mark, then he can go home. Each time this was repeated he was able to be directed back to his work. When he was done we celebrated his completion and went home.

Thursday was another busy day. Liam had his end of the year school picnic. We took all the boys to the Olmsted Falls park on Lewis Road. It was really a nice park and the boys enjoyed themselves playing the whole time. We got his teachers cards and flowers to thank them for their hard work. Looking back on his first year, Jill and I have been very happy with his teachers. Together they make an excellent team. They had both learned a lot FROM Liam, and Liam in turn has learned a lot from them. In the beginning of the year one of the teacher’s questioned his diagnosis. This was simply from a lack of knowledge and understanding of how Autism can vary in so many ways. Once she got to know Liam she was able to best help him through the year. Liam developed a bond with her and her assistant. This bond was evident as other teachers and aides did not have easy success with Liam. We look forward to Liam’s school year this fall.

Liam had his Adaptive Aquatics class today that I finally got to attend. I took my camera and took a lot of pictures. I was again amazed at Liam’s performance in the water! He had no fears going underwater, swimming, and floating on his back. His teacher Miss Karen has developed a bond with Liam and you can see that. Liam is very responsive to her. Miss Karen said Liam really seems to be at his best in the water. Jill, her parents, and now myself feel the same way. Seeing how Liam is in the water with her was amazing. While he was in the water he again wanted to go home and was done. I told him he had to finish his swimming, then we could go to Burger King. Miss Karen repeated this to Liam to help refocus him on what he was to be doing. Karen had several tasks Liam had to do with toys in the water. Seeing him perform these tasks was something to see. He was so focused on what he had to do. I have never seen him as focused on one task as he was in the water. Amazing. Lifeworks has a “swim team” of children with different disabilities. Miss Karen thinks as Liam gets older he could be a part of it. We’ll see when the time comes, but right now we are just thrilled with his progress. Grandma and Grandpa McIlwee got to see Liam in the pool today as well. They really glad to finally get to see Liam in the pool. Once his lesson was done Grandma and Grandpa went with us to Burger King. Liam definitely worked up an appetite as he ate 2 orders of chicken fingers and french fries. Once he got home Liam took a nap after his busy day. Finally this evening, Liam’s dosage of risperdal was increased to 2 tablets at night. We will see how he does over the next several days.