We started today the way we usually do.....with cries from John. He cries most mornings when he wakes up. Then he asks for a drink. So we immediately get a drink. Today was no exception. Then we go to the living room for a little snuggle time....well, we snuggle when John feels like it, but we at least sit together. We watch one of John's favorite shows. If I even attempt to change this part of the schedule our day will automatically go downhill fast.
After our show, we get changed into our clothes for the day...
Today clothes were not happening. I got him changed out of his overnight pull-up into his underwear, but he repeated over and over again "I scared of my pants, I scared of my pants..." We've learned that this means he's overwhelmed, overstimulated, or doesn't like whatever we happen to be talking about. So today we were "scared" of our clothes. So the day was spent in underwear....and we didn't go anywhere or plan to have guests over. Of course, today of all days the Avon lady came over, but at this point this is our home...lol!
He spent a lot of the day talking loudly and in his high pitched voice. Trying to tell him to use his indoor voice and to talk in his lower voice does not go over well...so again, we just let that one go.
John would not go to sleep this afternoon for a nap and he needed one really bad....he does not sleep without melatonin. So at 2:45, we had our first meltdown of the day. He got himself so worked up that he kept crying about anything and everything. He and I couldn't pinpoint what caused this meltdown. All I know is he kept repeating his phrase "I scared, I scared, I scared..." So something had him completely overwhelmed and overstimulated.
Today was a great example of how literal John is. Not only with his usual "sound effects"; for example spraying a fire hose goes like this: "spray, spray, spray" and not a water noise. But then there was the part of our afternoon when he decided to climb all over the furniture. So I pulled him into my lap and talked to him about not climbing all over the furniture. I told him the furniture was to sit on, not stand on. So he got off my lap and climbed onto the couch and sat on the back of it. Guys, I couldn't really scold him, he had listened. But he took me very literally and couldn't read between the lines that I meant sitting where we are supposed to sit on the couch. So I had one more talk about where we sit on the couch.
Our day ended with a meltdown of all meltdowns, which then ended in John passing out on the couch in the middle of it.
It first started because supper took too long in the oven for him....not pretty when that happens. Then after daddy came home and ate supper, he decided to help out and get John into his jammies and all HELL broke loose. I saw a picture today of an atomic bomb with a caption about meltdowns. That's the best way that I can explain how todays meltdown was.
After John refused to put his pajamas on (he was "scared" of them), his meltdown continued on when we couldn't find the right show he wanted to watch. Then he wanted his transformers birthday card, then he wanted nobody near him, but them he wanted daddy to sit with him. He wanted a blanket, but then no blanket....he didn't want the pillow and then he wanted the pillow. Then all of a sudden it was quiet and he was asleep.
Today wasn't the worst day we've had with him, but it also wasn't the best day we've had with him. Tomorrow I'm calling a special Autism clinic to try and get an appointment, so we'll see how it goes. I do a lot of research online to find techniques we can try now without having a diagnosis. I've found that quite a few asperger techniques really work well for him. We use magnets to schedule out our day, during a meltdown I will hug him from behind and rock him (works like a charm...usually), and tonight a blanket with a heavier feather pillow, laid on top of his body, helped to calm him down a little.
So now that you've seen one day into our life, you can see why I chose to blog about our journey. I hope you can find it either amusing or helpful. If you're on a similar journey, know that you're not alone.
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