Thursday, May 13th 2010

As a Special Education Teacher who is currently teaching children from 3-6 with Autism it is always a blessing and so rewarding when I see the little accomplishments in my students. I have a unique position with the school district that allows me to travel to 3 different Early Childhood Autism Programs daily and teach the children in each class for a specific amount of time. Today, I arrived at one of the schools and greeted my students outside. One of my students spotted me and ran across the playground to greet me. Now, let me just tell you a a brief history about him. When I began working with him roughly 8 months ago, he was non-verbal, wouldn’t maintain eye contact, would show little to no emotions, and had a difficult time following much of any directions. Over the past 8 months he has grown to enjoy the time I teach him and gets excited when I arrive in his class. His excitement is shown by the compliance he shows when I give him a direction.

Today he greeted me by running to me when I walked outside and as he came near, he stopped. As he was avoiding eye contact with me he quietly said “hug”. He wanted a hug!!! I couldn’t believe it! I looked at the Assistants to make sure I wasn’t hearing things and they also were amazed. Time to celebrate! This is from a child who always plays by himself, rarely initiates any communication from others in any way and he asked for a hug!!! He got a hug alright! Those are the moments that are unforgettable. If I only had a few moments in my life like that than I would have been blessed more than I deserve. (Which I already am) My only regret is that his Mom didn’t see that…however, I am convinced he was just practicing on me! The big hug is for his Mom!!! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I believe these children are God’s hidden Angels. Only God could have known I needed a hug like that.

Until Next Time,

E

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Monday, March 15th, 2010

Meet Jorden Little

Jorden is 12 years old. He is the twin brother to Erin. He was born on April 30, 1997.  The twins were originally supposed to be born on August 18^th.  They were both born at 24 weeks gestation, and Jorden weighed in at a whopping 1lb 15 oz. He was the first to be delivered by normal birth. The following day after birth, he had an ultra sound done on his brain to find that he experienced a bleed on his brain that was labeled as a grade III bleed. (1 being least severe to 4 being most severe). Jorden experienced many different challenges the first couple months of life such as difficulty breathing, jaundice, and also was diagnosed with ROP (retinopothy of prematurity in both of his eyes) He was on oxygen for nearly 1-1/2 months. The first couple of months in the Neonatal intensive care unit Jorden had a few different surgeries such as: a bilateral hernia removed, laser surgery on both of his eyes due to the ROP, and one of his main veins in his arm grew around his main I.V pick line which caused the Doctor’s to go in and remove the I.V line by surgery, which caused the entire vein to be removed. (I have been told that this is something that hardly ever happens). Jorden was in the NICU for nearly the first 2-½ months of his life. He was sent home using a heart and breathing monitor for the next 6 months of his life.

Around 5-6 months of age, Jorden developed acid reflux, which caused him to have difficulty eating or holding any food down. He would often projectile vomit after every feeding. This caused his bones to become demineralized, which then caused the bones to become brittle. At roughly 6 months of age, both of Jorden’s legs broke due to lack of nutrients. Due to being on oxygen at an early age, Jorden developed lung challenges and became asthmatic. Therefore, he continues to have frequent breathing treatments using the nebulizer or an inhaler.

Jorden has worn glasses since one and half years of age and has been under the care of a specialist for his vision. At age 8, Jorden’s retina in his left eye became detached which caused the loss of vision in that eye. At that time, his right eye required surgery to prevent retina detachment. At age 9, Jorden required another surgery on his right eye due to suspicion of the retina detaching. At age 12 (one month ago) he had a follow up surgery to remove a cataract in his left eye that was developed due the retina being re-attached.

Jorden began walking at age 1-1/2 years of age. He began talking about the same time, and was always extremely verbal. He had botox injections in his left hamstring due to walking on his toes. AND he continues to wear a night  brace in order to stretch his hamstring.

Jorden has received Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy until he was about 7 years of age. He received Speech Therapy due to feeding/sensory issues until he was also 7. As similar to his sisters he received Early Intervention Services since birth and wore a DAFO (leg brace) on his left foot, due to toe walking. His left foot is where his cerebral palsy has been most prevelant. He has been fully integrated in the General Education curriculum for all of his life with limited and now requires no support.

Jorden is an amazing young man, who adores his family. He has a passion for God that is rare to find at such a young age. He loves video games, karate, computers, loves to listen to music, and loves to play the drums. Jorden, like the rest of his family loves being around others and loves being included. He is a delight and is a blessing to know!

Until Next Time,

E

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Friday, March 12th , 2010

Erin is 12 years old. She is the twin sister to Jorden. She was born on April 30, 1997.  They were originally supposed to be born on August 18^th.  She was born at 24 weeks gestation, weighing 1 1b and 11 oz. Erin was born second and was delivered breech. Like Taylor, Erin also experienced a grade IV bleed on her brain (1 being least severe to 4 being most severe). She experienced difficulty breathing, jaundice, and also was diagnosed with ROP (retinopothy of prematurit) She was on oxygen for nearly 2 months and was jaundice. Erin was in the hospital for nearly 3 months. Overall, Erin did well during this time for a baby who was as small as she was. She required no surgeries, no seizures, or no other complications at this time.

When young, Erin was always the healthiest out of all three of my children. She rarely ever was sick and when others in the home were it would usually skip her. At age 8 Erin developed a cyst in her nose, and it was removed immediately and it was questioned to be cancer and then discovered to be benign. At age 9, Erin suddenly developed seizures. It has been suspected that the seizures are due to her beginning puberity. Erin was put on seizure medicines and has been on them since. It has been a huge challenge finding the right medicine to assist with preventing the seizures.

Erin began to talk at age 3, and uses a walker to walk with. She is able to walk without the walker but risks falling when doing so. She has not yet had any major orthopedic surgeries, however; has had botox treatments into the hamstrings, adductors, and other muscles to prevent future sugeries. However, we are currently discussing the possibility of a surgery to release her adductors and possible hamstrings this summer.

Erin has received Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Hippotherapy, Early Intervention Services, wore DAFOs (leg braces) most of her life, a right hand spint, has worn glasses since 2 years old, and was also fully integrated in school with support until 6^th grade. She continues to be included in the General Education curriculum for half of her school day.

She is a very happy girl who can light up a room with her smile. She loves people and wants to be loved in return. Erin is passionate about animals (especially horses) and enjoys collecting different type of sports cards.

Until Next Time,

E

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

I have had many people ask me about how cerebral palsy has effected each of my children…and I realized that I have not given a background of each of them which includes medical and developmental history so I thought I would start today!

Meet Taylor:

Taylor is 17 years old. She was born on December 21^st, 1992. Her original due date was April 1^st. She was born at 24 weeks gestation and weighed 1 1b 12 oz. Due to being born so premature she experienced a grade IV bleed on both sides of her brain. After one month old she developed hydrocephalus on the brain. The bleed on her brain prevented the fluid to pass through her brain, which caused her to have a VP shunt implanted in order to allow the fluid to pass through her body. She also experienced seizures, frequent infections, jaundice, and was on oxygen for the first 2 ½ months. Due to all the complications Taylor was in the hospital for 5 months and the Doctor’s told me she would never walk, talk, and be fully dependent on an adult for the rest of her life and that if she demonstrates some what of a smile then that would be a miracle. During her first 5 months of life. Taylor experienced four shunt surgeries. Due to the length she was on oxygen she experienced ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) with her eyes, which required her to have surgery on both of her eyes to prevent her from becoming blind.

At age two, after many cat scans & MRIs the Neurologist discovered that Taylor was missing her Corpus Collosum (the pathway between both sides of her brain). Due to the damage that occurred in her brain, Taylor’s body began to go through early puberity (Purcosious Puberty). At age 9, Taylor began to have botox treatments on a regular basis into her hamstrings and her right arm every 6 months for the next few years. At age 13, Taylor had an adductor release, and had a femoral derotation osteotomy. At age 16, Taylor became very ill with severe headaches, which caused her to be hospitalized on/off for two months. She then had her VP shunt revised/replaced.

The normal milestones as far as talking, walking, potty training, etc… always came later in life. I was told if Taylor didn’t talk by age 4 then she would never talk. She began to talk when she was 5. I was told she would never walk, and she walked when she was 7. She toileted independently at age 6 ½. In the past we experienced extreme challenges with her behaviors and in the past year her behavior has improved drastically.

Since VERY early on Taylor received Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Hippotherapy, Early Intervention Services, wore DAFOs (leg braces) most of her life, and was fully integrated in school with support until 6^th grade.

To say the last 17 years have been easy would be a complete lie. We have climbed up some huge mountains…we have had challenges throughout all stages of development and have experienced extreme challenges with negative behaviors, motor skills, speech/language, academics, amongst other areas. AND we have experienced great gains in those areas as well.

Taylor is a funny girl. She loves to be around people, loves photography, loves music, loves her church, and loves God. She loves life and makes a difference everywhere she goes. Here’s a short little video so that you can get an idea of Miss Taylor.

Until Next Time,

E

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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Today is supposed to be a fabulous day because it is one of our favorite days of the Month here in The Little House. Every first Wednesday of the month my church (www.centralchristianchurch.com) puts on what is called “First Wednesday”. This is a service that is held in the evening that is made up of most worship, communion, and my pastor usually provides a small message. It is mostly a time when all ages come together and worship, dance, and enjoy God together! We absolutely LOVE First Wednesdays!

Well, I would have never guessed that there would be any unhappiness in this house today…but I guess someone knew something I didn’t because if there was a rain cloud hovering over a house in Henderson, NV then it must have been mine! It was as if thunder exploded here!

Let me explain…If you know Taylor or have seen her videos then you may know that she is delayed in all developmental areas. Especially in the areas of Cognition and Speech/Language. Therefore, there are times when she is tired or upset, therefore; she has a challenging time expressing her emotions and thoughts. So challenging at times that she just shuts down and it is as if Taylor has left the building. She becomes emotionally charged and yells, cries, screams, and says things that you wouldn’t ever expect her to say.

Earlier today, Taylor was expecting to go with Jase somewhere. He was unable to go the time she intended to go with him. AND when she realized she wasn’t able to go…I immediately could see her stop in motion. Instead of saying “Mom, I’m really upset that I can’t go!” or “That sucks!” she became very quiet and sat without saying a word on the couch. About 20 minutes later I asked her to get ready and change her clothes for First Wednesday. I don’t know what it was about the clothes she was wearing but this triggered a huge fit and she began yelling and screaming “I don’t want to change my clothes” while banging her fist on the table and due to the fist banging she broke her watch…which made her more upset and she began to cry and scream “Mom, now look what you did! You broke my watch!” Poor thing, when upset, she has such a hard time calming down.

She used to have fits so often (about 1 every other day) and now it seems that she gets that upset about an average of 1-3 times a month, which is a HUGE improvement!!! We have been able to teach her to snap out of it by using difference methods (she may take a cold shower, put her hands under cold water, go outside in the backyard, or simply listen to music) Its great to see when she actually does this on her own to calm down!

Well, tonight…she wasn’t budging. Especially, after her watch broke! It lasted nearly an hour…and how she was able to break her pattern of upset was a hug! Jorden and I at the same time, went up to her and gave her a soft hug. This instantly calmed her down. We told her we loved her…and she collected herself and said “I’m sorry.” These fits have taken a lot out of me in the past and depending on my day they still can. However, we continue to work with Taylor on expressing her thoughts and feelings when she is upset and if she is upset, we have worked with her on how she copes with it.

Please know…that I am sharing this with you because I want to make a difference. There are many kiddos similar to Taylor that have a hard time expressing themselves…and its human nature for the anger and sadness to come out some way. So, when I think of it like that…I may be frustrated at her at the time…but I know it difficult for her. Especially, when she comes to me once she is calm and tells me she is sorry. Grace is an awesome thing!

Therefore, I request…that if you ever see a child throwing a tantrum or having a “moment” in a store… please choose to assume the best and give that family a little extra love and grace. It can go along way for them!

Until Next Time,

E

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