Finnigan update

I just wanted to give an update on Finn for friends and family because early access finishes with him this week. It's bitter sweet. I am sad that they won't be coming to help us out any further, but anxious to get Finn started in pre-school. I feel that Finnigan's speech has improved a lot over the past couple of months that his early access teachers and I have been working with him. I believe that he is back to where he was around last summer before his regression. He is again verbally demanding what he wants with one to two word requests, instead of just crying and throwing tantrums until I figure it out.  At least part of the time. We have good days and bad days.

We give him wild praise when he uses his words, and the kid loves to be praised. We also go out of our way to acknowledge him when he makes eye contact, which I feel that he's doing a little bit better as well. He still isn't speaking in complete sentences - like is developmentally appropriate - but he is speaking more than he was and it seems like he uses a new word each day. He used a pronoun today for the first time! Usually when he wants me to read, he will just throw the book at me, and will occasionally say, "Book." However, today he said, "you read." That was a big milestone for us!

He still goes hours where he will do nothing but stim, and won't make eye contact or say a word to anyone, and instead will throw fit after fit, but every day we get some sort of small progress out of him verbally which is reassuring.

There is a little hope on the potty training front with Finn as well. The other day he told me for the first time that his diaper needed changed. He climbed up on the couch and laid down like I have him do when I need to change his diaper and stated, "deeper." Today he stated, "poo-poo, stinky!" but wasn't dirty so I put him on the potty and he passed gas a few times. He was trying to go to the bathroom! He is starting to get the concept, at least. This isn't a big deal for most parents of a three year old, but it is great progress for us.

Finnigan has also been reading more words. Sometimes I think he will be reading complete sentences before he speaks in them. He read his name for the first time yesterday, which is pretty amazing because he's never even said his name before. So we got him an iPad so that he can work on some hooked on phonics literacy apps that will help him improve his reading skills. I am hoping improved reading skills will lead to improved verbal skills in the long run.

We go next friday to see his preschool and try to decide whether to put him in a 30 student typically developing class with an aide or a 8 student special needs class. His early access teachers are impressed that over the past few weeks he has accomplished every goal that they set up for him to be accomplished in preschool for his IEP already. They think that I could mainstream him right away. I am torn because I want Finn to be able to have an environment where he can be the most successful but I still want him to be challenged academically. He already knows his alphabet, is starting to read, can count, knows his shapes and numbers and colors and can sort them, ect. and I don't want him to be given "easier" assignments because he is a "special needs" kiddo because he will be BORED and will do anything except pace and self stim. It would get us no where. I am hoping to convince the teachers to put him in the smaller class room, and slowly integrate him over the next couple of months into the larger classroom where I hope to have him transitioned into by the fall. His early access teacher thinks that is a valid option for us. 

The early access social worker had horrible news for us that the process for the medicaid waiver changed in January and that now basically we have no idea when or if we will get approved for services that way (which is our last and final hope). So Finnigan is still stuck in this zone where we cannot afford any of the early interventions that he needs, and now that wait is pretty much indefinite. Which is beyond frustrating. But I've accepted that I have done as much I can on that front - short of quitting my job so we can qualify for medicaid or moving to another state where insurance companies actually pay for autistic interventions, which I suppose are last resort options if we don't get the medicaid waiver. We tried to code speech therapy using a speech delay diagnosis instead of his autism diagnosis to see if my insurance company would pay for it that way, but it did not work. 

Luckily the progress that Finn has made with early access has given me hope that just getting him into preschool will do wonders. Although honestly, the idea of dropping him off somewhere five days a week is heart wrenching. However, I know it's the right thing for him. And, it's all I can do for right now.  

This kid is bright, and funny, and charming and I have plenty of hope for his future. His potential is limitless.