Okay, so have I mentioned that my five year old has autism? "L" is five years old and was diagnosed when he was 3 1/2 years old. He is sweet and precious and very affectionate and he is the loudest child on the face of the earth. Seriously, happy, sad, mad, he's LOUD!!! He gets over stimulated and he squeals and giggles. He's having fun and he squeals and giggles. He's just LOUD, but VERY few words, until recently.
L has been in therapy (speech, PT, OT and behavioral) since he was 3 1/2. We were making a little progress in the speech department. He has had two awesome therapists (Misty and Gina). We know he can talk more than he lets on. He's always understood everything we say to him, he just has trouble communicating back. We've tried PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) with some good results. He pretty much abandoned it when we started using the sentence strip. He's a stubborn little booger!!! We've had a lot of success with sign language too. He uses mainly "I want" fill in the blank. We were making progress, but VERY slowly.
One of his therapists, Amber, told us about the medication Risperidone helping kids with autism speak. We decided to give it a try. That was 3 months ago. WOW! After reporting no change at the two week mark, we suddenly heard 3 or 4 new words in the 3rd week. Now, he is putting words together. He will now say and sign "I LOVE YOU!" Imagine having a five year old say that to you for the first time. It was an answer to MUCH prayer. I told my hubby how sweet it was to finally know what this sweet little person's voice sounds like. JOY! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!
For two days he's been saying "I want Pizza!" so by golly I made that baby a pizza last night (He's on a gluten-free/casein free diet, so it's not as easy as running to Papa John's). Over Christmas he went up to his Granddad, hugged him and said "I love you". My dad couldn't believe it! This morning our dog was being exceptionally loud. After hearing me fuss at her, L turned to her, shook his finger at her and said "Emme, no no!"
Risperidone ROCKS!!!! Just needed to share.
I just came across your blog, originally looking at your rope hurricanes. When I saw the link for autisms, I had to click. My "little man" is now 20, diagnosed with pervasive developmental delay and austism. I want you to know there's hope. You're doing all the right things. My son will graduate high school, this year and while we are still challenged daily, the progress is a sight to behold. Risperidone has also worked wonders for us. Keep up the good fight, and know there are moms all over the world who say a prayer every night for all the other moms who share this struggle. God Bless!
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