3/13 - Therapy x3

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So I'm behind on posting to the blog. I have no excuse except for that I've been exhausted and then we took a somewhat impromptu family trip and were gone for a bit. Here are the last 3 weeks of Aiden's therapy at Excel Rehab and working with Mrs. Rusty. As always, Mrs. Rusty keeps Aiden on his feet and guessing about what he is going to do during his time with her. The blew bubbles a few weeks ago which is often hard for Aiden because he doesn't always pucker his lips and he often blows way too hard. He did a crab walk for the first time and also learned a new way to do a frog jump. He also got to play on the zip line by walking (and trying to balance) around on a huge tube and then falling in the fall pit. There was some mini-trampoline jumping involved too which is he starting to like. He had to keep track of how many more circuits he had to do and when he got to #3, Mrs. Rusty was helping him with using his fingers to hold up three. He likes to use his thumb to pull down his pointer finger but that is the easy way to hold up the #3. Mrs. Rusty was trying to show him how to use his thumb to hold down his pinky finger to show the #3 but he has a very hard time doing that.

Last week Aiden comments on the way to therapy, "I wonder what Mrs. Rusty is going to have me do this week." I have to say, I don't think we have ever done the same thing twice there. It's quite amazing she can still come up with new stuff. There is usually an obstacle course involved but she often lets Aiden design (and build) it and it is always different. Last week she had him get enough sticks/shapes to make an 'X' and an 'O' (for tic-tac-toe) and then climb under the tent that was only about 1 foot off the ground. They then each put down their letter and he had to crawl back and get more letters/shapes. Aiden is definitely getting physically stronger using his hands and fingers and is actually starting to finally get some basic body coordination (he didn't really start jumping with two feet off the floor until after he turned 4). Mrs. Rusty has shifted a lot of his therapy towards sensory stuff and the more surfaces he comes in contact with, the better. Because of this, he does lots of crawling, tunnels, swings, etc. He is getting much better about movement (and not minding it). Bath time has been ... challenging with Aiden the past few weeks. We did a few weeks of being really patient, nurturing, and encouraging during bath time and trying to have him take control and actually clean himself. We made a certain level of progress with that but it's just so tiring. He can make bath time/shower time last 5 minutes or 45 min depending on the mood he is in. Last week, after talking with Mrs. Rusty, I decided to try a new strategy. It's much much MUCH less stressful on me but I was not sure if it was appropriate for Aiden. I felt like over the past month or so that much of our bath time is spent on negotiating and that just wears me out. Here is a typical bath time:

Me: Ok Aiden. You've got to play for 10 min but now it is time to soap up and get clean. Do you want to do soap on your body or clean your hair?

Aiden: I don't want to take a bath.

Me: I know but you've had fun playing for a bit but now we need to get clean and then you can play again.

Aiden: I want to get out now. I don't want any soap. [He often starts crying here]

Me: Ok Aiden. Do you want to do your hair or body? 

Aiden: [Cries and whines a few more protests]

Me: We will start with your body. Would you like to use the poof or washcloth?

Aiden: I just want to use no soap.

Me: You have to use soap Aiden. That is how we get clean. You can choose the yellow soap or the blue soap. Which one?

Aiden: [cries and tries to play with a toy]

This scenario continues and Aiden continues to try and evade giving an appropriate response/option which further extends bath time (and my patience). So now, before bath time, we remind him he is in control of his bath and he can make the decisions. He gets to play for 10 min and then it's time to soap up or wash his hair. I ask him what he wants to do and then I count from 5 to 0. By the time I reach 0, he knows (we remind him at the beginning of bath time and before we soap) that I get to make the decision and that no matter how much he cries or protests, it will not matter. Before we would try and accommodate him so that he would be an active participant but ... things need to change. The first night or two we did bath this way, he screamed bloody murder through the whole thing. He did not like any decision that I made (soap type, washcloth/sponge/poof, order of things, etc) but he did learn that I was still going to do it my way if he decided to not participate. Although he screamed through the whole bath/shower, it was less stressful for me because the constant negotiation was done. By the end of the second bath/shower, he made his first decision (to use a washcloth). He is not yet cleaning himself but I think we are getting closer. The last bath night we had went pretty well and he only cried through part of it. He is learning that when he makes the decisions, he has more control over his bath and he can do/not do what feels okay and not okay. 

OK. Back to therapy. Mrs. Rusty just got some lycra fabric that she has hung up to be a swing. Aiden has mixed feelings about it. He likes to swing but he doesn't like the feeling of being supported but still being able to move. He would rather just be restricted I think. We've made good progress in the world of slides. He's gone down the slide head first with Mrs. Rusty a few times and last week he even went head first down through a fabric tunnel.

This past week at therapy, Aiden got to build a house. He was so excited and he looked super cute because he just found this pair of overalls in his drawer and he has never worn a pair before (that he can remember). He had to use his fingers and hands a lot to make sure it was all connected the right way. After he was done building a house, it was time to play in the swing. The fabric was still up from last week so he had to find a way to climb in and go for a ride. Mrs. Rusty even twisted him up a few times and let him go to untwist. He had to/got to "fall" out of the swing a couple of times. He is getting SO much better at allowing this to happen. Aiden doesn't like the feeling of falling and wouldn't even fall into the ball pit a few months ago. He has never been willing to jump off anything either. He will hop off a curb but not even with two feet at a time ... until about 3 weeks ago. He has played games at home very now and then that include jumping over something and onto the bean bag but he'll only do it if Eli is doing it and he will only take 1 or 2 turns. He has recently started trying to jump off of things (nothing crazy) but he's actually trying to jump where as before, he would avoid having to jump. Even when I had him in Gymboree and he was supposed to jump off of something onto a mat ... he would never do it. PROGRESS. He is making steps forward and I am so happy for him.

We will have to start working on eating therapy again soon but I am thankful for the steps in the right direction for Aiden. He is being able to live life a little more freely and experience more. His world is so black and white and I can appreciate that because that is often how my world is. It's so different though seeing it from my point of view and also being able to see how limiting it can be. When you live in black and white and don't allow room for gray, you don't realize how limiting it truly can be. I am so grateful to God that he has placed people in our path that can help Aiden (and me) to broaden our world some.