Such a Quiet Boy!

Boy Wonder managed to sleep last night, through exhaustion more than anything else! He awoke this morning bleary eyed but soon snapped into action! He went into the shower and stayed there for some time. Once out he was skittish and not processing a great deal of anything. As we left to go to school he started to level off.

Once at school he bounded into the classroom and started talking at the TA about Wembley and the football game. He exclaimed that the referee was bonkers and a lunatic, expressing his reasoning for this over and over. The adults in class were quite amazed by his display of expression ( he is usually such a quiet boy!)

This morning Boy Wonder was observed by the autism specialist and I met with her afterwards and his teacher. We spoke a bit about the strategies used and the current situation at home. When the teacher returned to class we spoke more openly about the lack of actual training the school received in autism and co morbid conditions ( half an hour so far!) and that she is attending the tribunal as a witness but isn't looking forward to it and would rather not go. I discussed with her the growing reality that Boy Wonder requires a more specialist provision not necessarily because of the autism but because of the additional complexities of the ADHD and severe anxiety. She agreed that this is a likely outcome. As I explained to her, our expectations are way too high of a school that has very little knowledge of complex conditions. It would be like expecting me to service a car by reading a text book. I can't even change a tyre!

I spent the afternoon looking at options and booking some visits to other schools to view. With the tribunal pending we are very aware that we need to know exactly what we are asking for so we need to get out there and see what's available. However, the thought of moving him is not something we really want to do but that is more because of the immediate upheaval rather than the long term aim.

This evening Boy Wonder played outside and then came in for his hour on Minecraft. He reluctantly settled down and read afterwards but on checking,  he had jumped into bed with Cat Girl and they were watching Minecraft together. Cheeky monkeys!

Wembley!!

It's been one busy weekend. Boy Wonder was up early on Saturday for dance  but had to go with Superman to the club shop first to buy essentials for the tomorrow's Wembley game. They came away with a flag and two large foam hands, perfect !

After dance Boy Wonder went out with his 1:1 worker and met up with a group of children on the park for a couple of hours. We went into town to get Cat Girl's eyes tested as she keeps complaining of headaches but all is fine so it is probably just the cough/ cold that she has had for the last couple of weeks.

Once home, Super Gran and Biker Gramps came over for an early Mothers Day visit. They are at a Susan Boyle concert tomorrow which will be fabulous. Such a talent and of course part of the autism super hero gang so how can she not be wonderful?!

Boy Wonder returned in good spirits and went straight outside to play with the neighbours. They were playing nicely until one of the boys hurt his arm, claiming that Boy Wonder had done it when he pushed him off the ladder to the tree house. Boy Wonder later explained that it was an accident and that yes he had pushed him but he had hurt his arm during the falling process! Therefore he genuinely believed that he wasn't at fault. Not much we could say to that really!

Grandparents visited and Mamma was given her gift for tomorrow. They left earlier than usual as we needed to get Boy Wonder settled earlier for his trip to Wembley tomorrow. He went up bed after his bath at 7.30pm and fell to sleep at 5.30 am. That plan obviously fell on its face. Boy Wonder was too excited to sleep so he stayed up all night and read his books!

Regardless of lack of sleep, Boy Wonder got up with Cat Girl and presented me with hand made cards and chocolate. The perfect gift! Cat Girl also got me a pink teddy and pink plant, beautiful.

The boys went on their way to Wembley but before they went I spoke to them about safety and gave Boy Wonder a strategy if he got lost. I told him to make sure that he kept his mobile on him and made sure Superman had his number. They humoured me and then off they went. Cat Girl and I got ready for our day of horse riding, having our nails done, dinner and cinema.

She did really well at horse riding and is now doing it alone without a lead. She still giggles constantly whilst riding which is a skill in itself!

We had a fabulous girly day and really enjoyed our time together. We got back late but still before the boys. On their return, Superman stated that Boy Wonder had done really well and seemed to have an excellent day. He certainly was full of the day which was lovely however this quickly escalated into anxiety/ overload as he stated that he had been home sick and then proceeded to talk constantly, mainly jibberish. It took a while to settle him but he had done so well throughout the day that he clearly needed to unwind.

Eventually both children in bed, Superman and I settled down and caught up with our days.

Doing Cartwheels ...

Boy Wonder has had another high yet volatile couple of days. His morning routine has remained at 'catch me if you can pace' and his head is just not soaking up instruction for at least the first half an hour.

School has appeared a bit more settled over the past couple of days and we made a bit of a break through with the play ground issues. The other child also having 'difficulties' means that the whole thing is starting to make sense. Boy Wonder complained of feeling sick again yesterday and having tummy ache. This continued after school but after his dance session seemed to go.

He is practising cartwheels for his dance show which he seems to be really enjoying. He would spend all day on his head if he could! Boy Wonder then went to football practice in the rain with Superman. That's dedication for you. They came back soaking!  Whilst they were out, Cat Girl and I discussed our plans for Mothers Day. The boys are going to Wembley so we are going to have our nails done and then go to the cinema. I suggested to her that we could go somewhere posh for dinner after having our nails done and asked where she would like to go? 'We could go to McDonalds!' came the excited reply. Not exactly what I had in mind!

It's nice to see that Boy Wonder has come out of his low mood cycle although this has been replaced by a rather bouncy, erratic boy . We can cope with that! In fact I think everything is easier to manage when there's a smile on his face.

Friday is always ths easier day of the week as it is activity afternoon at school which they both enjoy. Therefore the day was fairly uneventful up until the boy next door accidentally lost all of Boy Wonder's stash of goodies on Minecraft by putting a hole in his floor. This sent his mood spiralling, resulting in tears and wetting before bed.

Eventually after given some time to sort his Minecraft situation, Boy Wonder settled down in bed with his cat and read.

A little excitable...,,,

Tuesday brought a less tired Boy Wonder which gave him extra bounce! After battling with him to get ready we gathered what we needed and went to school. Cat Girl was complaining of growing pains in her legs which made things a little slower.

The school day brought some difficulties which consisted of Boy Wonder trying to get his head around the head teacher leaving, an older boy that has been saying unkind things to him and then another friend giving him a toy under the pretence of wanting something in return. A lot of stuff to get his head around.

Superman picked the children up from school. Boy Wonder had refused to go to the after school club after the incident last week. Its a shame that he is now missing out on something he enjoys because he is scared of being shouted at again.

Today was much the same in the way of hyperactivity and giddiness. The Occupational Therapist visited school this morning to review the sensory diet and the class then went swimming this afternoon. Boy Wonder was reported to be ' a little excitable' which translates to 'wild child !'

After school Boy Wonder went off to drama and Cat Girl to Ju Jitsu whilst I did the food shop. Once home the children had their daily dose of Minecraft before settling down for bed. Boy Wonder remained bouncy and difficult to settle.  He created numerous football banners and read a book before finally going to sleep.

Super Car Sleeping.

The evening didn't remain settled as Boy Wonder decided that he couldn't settle and ' Will never sleep ever again!' He ran backwards and forwards between rooms, attempted to camp out on our bedroom floor and eventually burnt himself out in the early hours.

Getting up this morning was a bit of a struggle. Once in the shower I got his clothes ready and went to help Cat Girl wash and dress. Boy Wonder was very difficult to keep on task and didn't seem to be taking in a great deal of what I was saying to him. When asked to put his shoes and coat on for school he just sat on the floor near his shoes staring into space.

On the way to school we received a phone call saying that art therapy was cancelled due to the therapist being ill. Boy Wonder was clearly upset by this. However I reminded him that he could now do gymnastics which cheered him up a little.

Today after football at school, Boy Wonder's 1:1 worker collected him and they went bowling. She rang me afterwards to say that he wanted tea at home so she brought him back and explained that he appeared quite subdued.

After taking Cat Girl swimming, Superman had a game of fencing on the Wii with them both and Boy Wonder won!

Boy Wonder and I then had a chat this evening about anything that may be bothering him? We had received a letter from school today stating that the Head Teacher  was leaving in summer. Boy Wonder said that he was very upset about this as he didn't know what would happen next. This wasn't  something that I could answer either. Potentially a huge grey area that will last for months. Not great.

Boy Wonder also mentioned about an older boy picking on him at school every day about his footballing ability and other things that he couldn't remember. He stated that he picks on him as he has a bad memory and isn't able to remember what is said to him. I reassured him that he had done the right thing in telling me.

At bedtime, all gadgets removed, Boy Wonder struggled to settle. He wrote a letter saying that he would never sleep again and being bored made him angry. I suggested that he showed his kitten his favourite super cars and explained the facts to him. Boy Wonder liked this idea and after about an hour he eventually fell to sleep.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The weekend brought a little calm after the storm in that Boy Wonder started his medication increase and it appeared to level him off somewhat. Saturday was a busy day for Boy Wonder where he started by going to dance, then out with his 1:1 worker and later out with us. However, he seemed to cope fairly well and by the time he came home from his 1:1 outing he was reported to be fairly settled.

We got ready and went off out to meet friends for tea at a Chinese Buffett. Afterwards we were going to watch our first ever ice hockey match! Boy Wonder was a little apprehensive but coped well in the restaurant with his friend and Minecraft until it was time for food. He ate little and worked his way through the courses quickly, not really understanding that he needed to wait for everyone else to finish before we could leave.

We walked over to the arena and familiarised ourselves with the stadium. Cat Girl got right into the spirit of the singing, cheering and dancing and soon after Boy Wonder and friend  started to join in. They were trying to get on the big  screens for their dancing efforts! Every time the team scored the crowd went 'Whoosh, Whoosh!' and did a swaying action. We only witnessed this twice with just the two goals.

The match was great entertainment and when we left, Boy Wonder was as high as a kite! Superman held onto him all the way back to the car where unfortunately one guy thought it necessary to shout at him through his car window to watch where he was going. This was in a response to Boy Wonder shouting over and over that he was going to get run over! It would be really useful for some grown ups to read situations first before shouting about them. Superman clearly had hold of Boy Wonder so there was no real danger just Boy Wonder's altered perception.

We arrived home and settled the children down in bed before crashing out ourselves. Boy Wonder read for a short while and eventually went off to sleep.

Sunday was a lazy day. I took Cat Girl for her horse riding lesson, Superman painted and Boy Wonder played outside with the neighbours children. Later on Superman took Cat Girl for a bike ride whilst I did a bit of work and Boy Wonder carried on playing.

It was fairly impressive how Boy Wonder managed to play for most of the day with only a few battles where I had to intervene. These were all around him misunderstanding the situation and attempting to stamp his authority to regain control. What was very amusing was the mad dashes into the play shed or conservatory to avoid the sudden hail storms. They were pretty impressive storms which cleared up quickly and reverted to sunshine only to start again twenty minutes later!  Eventually they stayed inside and played in the Wii until tea time.

Superman rescued me from Boy Wonder's maths homework as we were both getting it wrapped around our necks and then it was bath time before bed. Boy Wonder became irritated by the need to settle down resulting in barricading himself in his bedroom. He eventually relented and went in the bath. This seemed to settle him and he then went to bed a little calmer.

Just Getting It

It's been a tricky couple of days as Boy Wonder's ADHD symptoms spiralled to the point where everyone felt the blast! Boy Wonder stated very clearly that he couldn't do as he was asked as he had to think about too many things at the same time. I asked him what he was thinking about and he reeled off a list of about twenty things including drama, Ju Jitsu, football, Wembley and Minecraft. I asked him if he could not think about them for a short time so that he could concentrate on doing what is being asked of him? 'No, they are all important and I must think about them all of the time,'he stated.

Yesterday Boy Wonder was sent home early from school as he was looking very tired and complaining of feeling sick and dizzy. Biker Gramps collected him from school and it was evident that Boy Wonder was feeling very overwhelmed and struggling to control himself . As they walked out of school, Biker Gramps held on to Boy Wonder who shouted out something along the lines of 'help, he won't let go of me!' Superman spoke to Boy Wonder about this later in the evening, explaining why this is not a good thing to do!

Today brought a mixture of emotions. Superman and I decided that we needed to have a chat with Boy Wonder's Consultant as the medication change seemed to be the likely cause of the increased erratic / impulsive behaviour. As always she responded almost immediately and altered his dose after I explained the events of the past week. In fact I only got half way through the catalogue of  catastrophies before she stopped me and said ' I get it.' and she does!

Today also brought back memories of the day Boy Wonder received his diagnosis four years ago.  The craziness of relief, anger, guilt and fear all thrown into one day and each fighting to come out on top. The battle of the good days and what others see, coupled together with how it really is. How in a couple of hours a very specialist team just 'get it.' Good friends of ours walked this path today and although they are likely to feel very mixed about it all, we speak from experience when we tell them that it's okay.

Superman picked the children up from after school club after work and was told that Boy Wonder appeared to be very high. 'Yep, that's pretty normal for us.' was his response. What more is there to say?! This evening Boy Wonder had his bath before bed. He lay there rubbing bubbles into his face    singing 'Voices in my Head.' Roll on the weekend !!

ADHD Overload!!

Boy Wonder woke up this morning in a very wet bed with a shredded pull up. He went into the shower and stayed there for some time. Cat Girl and I got ready and then I helped Boy Wonder to dry and dress. He seemed a lot higher and more erratic than usual ( which is saying something!)

We arrived at school where Boy Wonder immediately started asking me about his Minecraft red book. I said that I would ask but when I did, it hadn't been saved as they had all been sold. Oh dear! Unsure as to whether Boy Wonder had heard this, I reassured him that I would 'sort the book' and once they both went into class I headed off to search.

I had limited options due to the place that I was travelling to was via the motorway and although I stopped at a service station, this wasn't successful. I rang my Sister who was going into town and she managed to pick it up for me and at a bargain price too! Thank you for saving the day!

I picked them up from after school clubs and although Cat Girl looked like she had, had a good day, Boy Wonder's wasn't so great. I was asked to come to one side for chat and was told that Boy Wonder had been rude and disrespectful to the volunteer teacher in the club. I asked for specifics and was told that he was pulling faces, shouting out and making random noises. I asked for information about how this occurred, I.e what faces were pulled and when and what was he shouting? This request was brushed off and I was simply told that it wasn't fair for the volunteer to have to put up with this and that maybe he doesn't need to come again. I asked how it was managed and was told that he had been told off. I apologised for what she had perceived to have happened and said that I would talk to him, however the information was sketchy and not that helpful.

We went to leave and Boy Wonder had a balloon in his hand which I asked to hold as it was very windy outside. He became very exaggerated and talking in the third person. He wouldn't give up the balloon initially but I explained that he would be upset if it blew away to which he started to make a loud squealing/ shouting crying noise and gave me the balloon. Anticipating him bolting, I held him and we left. He continued with the noise until he got into the car which was past the main road and around the corner. Holding onto him was like a white knuckle ride as he made constant attempts to run. Cat Girl did very well and stayed with us, walking to the car. Once Boy Wonder was safe inside, I praised her for her being such a big girl to which she smiled and said 'its okay.'

Once in the car Boy Wonder started to call himself a bad boy and bang his head with his hands. I gave him an additional tablet for his ADHD which are for 'these times' and channeled him into eating his snack.

We drove to piano and throughout the journey Boy Wonder was loud and shouting out random comments. It was concerning to see how erratic and 'out of control' he actually was. He was doing a very pronounced lisp when he spoke and continued to speak in third person in a babyish tone. The last time I remember him being of a similar presentation was at a holiday in Wales a few years ago. I read his home school diary which read that he had, had a calm and steady day, bizzare !

We arrived at piano where the teacher was met with a challenge and a half. They spent most of the session bashing steel drums as he just couldn't engage him in anything more structured and sit down. This appeared to serve a therapeutic purpose as afterwards Boy Wonder was starting to level off. He got changed for Ju Jitsu and I dropped him off.

We picked up the Minecraft book and Cat Girl played with cousins. We then returned to collect Boy Wonder who had, had a great session! We arrived home and had a chat about the after school club before he could have his Minecraft book.  He explained that he had pulled faces at the teacher when he was being shouted at because he didn't like it. He was upset that the teacher had told him not to come again ( his interpretation ) and that he had made the noises because he was 'bored.' However when asked about the session he did retain a fair bit of it. Boy Wonder was very upset to be told that the teacher thought he was rude but after my explanation understood why. He became quite anxious and wanted to escape the conversation so I praised him for being honest and reassured him that it was now over as he had been told off and this wasn't going to be repeated at home, we just needed to understand.

Boy Wonder went upstairs but was down in ten minutes and armed with his new book asked to settle down with me. He was asleep within ten minutes.

The Red Book!!

Boy Wonder struggled to settle last night until quite late which meant that he was tired this morning. I persuaded him through his morning routine with the promise of the red Minecraft book from the school book fayre which is on all week before and after school.

We managed to get to school before the gates opened and as soon as physically possible Boy Wonder rushed into school to get to the book fayre. And then it all went a bit wrong. The book fayre wasn't on now until after school. Boy Wonder became upset and panicky as he needed the book. He wouldn't be  there after school due to being at art therapy so therefore 'they would all be gone!' His teacher said that she would put the book to one side for him as she could see how upset he was and once he took this in he started to calm.

I took Cat Girl to class and then went off to work. I sent the tribunal documents in today as the deadline is pending and now it is a matter of collating the final reports for the last submission deadline.

After art therapy Boy Wonder went to football club as usual and then out with his worker to go bowling with another boy. A little opportunity for some social skills training!  This seemed to go well  with a few little problem solving moments to deal with due to the very competitive nature of both boys.

I took Cat Girl for her swimming lesson where she found a mini Minecraft fan ( they are everywhere!) She did well at her swimming. We then came home, platted her hair and she settled into bed with Sooty asleep next to her bed in her toy cat basket, funny thing!

Boy Wonder dashed straight upstairs on his return to have his hour on Minecraft. He then settled in bed with some music. He is getting later at falling to sleep again which us a shame.

Crumbled Sausage?!

The weekend brought some sunshine which Boy Wonder took full advantage of and wore shorts! It was still not that warm but as he gets his cues from the visual more so than feeling the cold, I had no argument!

Boy Wonder went to dance this morning and then spent the rest of the afternoon with the boy next door. They mainly played football and when the ball got kicked over the hedge onto the main road Boy Wonder rushed to tell me that it needed retrieving as it was his favourite ball. I collected it and then praised him a lot for not attempting to fetch it himself. This is one rule that he has obviously retained and can apply to himself. Although I think it's success is down to years of  repeating the same rule!

We had dinner and were then visited by grandparents for the evening. Boy Wonder and Cat Girl played on Minecraft on tablets as we chatted and watched tv. Cat Girl then went to bed and Boy Wonder had a bath before settling. However he was still awake at 11.30pm. I hope this isn't a sign of him reverting back to his last 'sleep' pattern.

Sunday brought an early start as Cat Girl was horse riding and we were then meeting friends who had emigrated to Canada a couple of years ago, who were back in England for a holiday.

Horse riding is going really well and Cat Girl was keen to book another lesson. However, as we were heading up to the office to book we noticed a horse in there! It was okay though as the horse was attached to a girl helper who had dashed in to answer the phone. Cat Girl thought that this was hilarious!

We arrived home, got changed and went off to meet Famfa and family. For anyone that reads both blogs the following will be an interesting comparison!

We met and did the huggy thing. The kids just looked at each other at first trying to recollect! Cat Girl wouldn't have remembered a great deal as she was 3 last time she saw them. Boy Wonder needed    a bit of a name prompt and that was that. We headed off to the park. Lots of playing and kicking around of the football earnt us dinner and we made our way to pizza express. It was becoming quite warm and sunny which was a bonus.

Unable to book a table, we took our chances and fell lucky as they were able to fit us in. Very nice food with lots of laughs especially about 'crumbled sausage.' This was on the menu as a pizza topping! Maybe it is years of doing the autism thing but I just couldn't get my head around this. How on earth do you crumble a sausage?! This made no sense whatsoever. Small attempted to explain it to me and was clearly understanding of the dilemma as he said it would have to be burnt to crumble and that wouldn't be nice. Superman,Famfa, Huffle and Moo just thought it was funny and Superman went to the extreme of ordering it to put me out of my misery and of course to prove his point that it was just a bit mashed up. And when it came indeed it was mashed sausage, not crumbled!! I rest my case.

Boy Wonder and Famfa played noughts and crosses and boxes as did Smallest and Cat Girl. There was a fair bit of cheating going on but it all ended amicably and after being forced to have dessert by Famfa we left to burn it off back in the park.

Boy Wonder was starting to get a bit tetchy now. The reduced window of the ADHD medication has started to make an improvement with his sleeping but there is a clear cut off where his ability to cope reduces quickly. He started to run back towards the park and had to be shouted at to stop due to him coming close to a road. He was just thinking 'park' with no thought for what was in between. I grabbed his hand to get him safely accross the road but this agitated him and once over the other side he wriggled free and bolted. We then played cat and mouse all the way to the park. For those unfamiliar with this 'game,' it is a last ditch attempt to gain control when things are becoming difficult for him, however he remained in control of his actions so observing in 'quick step' is better than chasing which often makes them run faster!

After more time on the park we said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch more so with the aid of Skype.

Room 101

A fairly settled night brought a fairly straight forward morning. Boy wonder had breakfast, medication and a shower with little fuss. Once out of the shower he had his fifteen minutes of giddiness whilst drying and dressing but soon settled down afterwards.

We got into the car to go to school. On the way we witnessed an accident where emergency services were already in attendance. Boy Wonder observed this with a stern expression so I reassured him that although the cars were quite crumpled, the people were all okay at the side of the road. He exploded into anger, shouting that he knew that and wasn't worried! He then complained of tummy ache. Cat Girl had her head in a book so missed the whole thing luckily.

Once at school, I mentioned it to the TA just in case he spoke about it or seemed anxious.

After a fairly uneventful day except for Cat Girl becoming more  poorly with her cough/ cold, we went off to take Boy Wonder to dance. We then came home, had tea before Boy Wonder went off to football practice. He seemed in fairly bright mood and certainly enjoyed the football now that the weather is improving.  He said that he was also excited because Room 101 was now on iplayer. He seems to really love the concept of this programme. I asked what he would put in room 101 and without a moment's hesitation he said 'school!'

Over night, Cat Girl's temperature rocketed and she was up quite a bit of the night. However in the morning seemed a lot brighter.

Friday brought the second part of the independent EP assessment at school. Boy Wonder wasn't happy about this as he finds the tests quite difficult. From brief feedback he displayed some anxiety and needed a fair amount of 1:1 support to get through it. The report will make for an interesting read no doubt.

After school Superman nipped Cat Girl to the Doctors to get her checked over but of course she had now made a miraculous recovery! However two hours later her temperature started to rise again. Luckily it was controlled by the magic pink medicine and this morning seems a lot brighter (again!)

Super Gran and Biker Gramps came round last night to babysit as we had previously arranged to go out with friends for a birthday. We were apprehensive to say the least, however apart from the stairs carpet being worn out by constant checks, all was fine!  You have to feel for the grandparents of this family!!

Third Best Stroke

The day started in the usual fashion for us. Boy Wonder seemed bright and overly active, counting to ten over and over and then throwing himself to the floor as he reached ten.  It made dressing him a challenge!

We all got ready and headed to school. Cat Girl was a little tearful, saying that she was cold so we asked her teacher to keep an eye on her. She picked up as the day went on although complained of a headache when collecting her. Boy Wonder said that he had tummy ache this morning and again on collecting him.

When collecting from school, Boy Wonder's teacher commented on how well he did at swimming with back stroke. I stated that he liked that stroke, one of his best. Boy Wonder immediately corrected me, stating that front crawl is his best, them breast stroke and back stroke was his third best. I stood corrected!

We had a different, smaller car today as my car was in for repair. This meant that Boy Wonder and Cat Girl had to sit together. This wasn't great and allowed for lots of niggling between them  which included Cat Girl being called an idiot. However, the journey wasn't too bad and when we arrived at  drama I parked up and we walked Boy Wonder to his class. He wasn't happy about this as he thought that I no longer trusted him. I explained that as his Mummy I have to make sure he was delivered safely and so must bring him inside.

Cat Girl then went to Ju Jitsu and Superman collected them after whilst I went to pick up my car.

This evening Boy Wonder became quite irate about his lap top not working but once Superman had sorted the problem he settled. He eventually got to sleep about 10pm after listening to some music.

I Believe I Can Fly!!

Boy Wonder had a fair night, some shouting out, a bit of wandering but that was it. I woke him up just after 7am with breakfast. He ate his toast, took his medications and had a long shower.  Meanwhile Cat Girl and I got ready.

Boy Wonder had his usually giddy spell on coming out of the shower, dancing about and singing 'I Believe I Can Fly,' over and over. A little unnerved by this I did speak to him, explaining that he couldn't fly ( just to make sure!) He stated that of course he couldn't as he would need feathers and he hasn't got any.  Strangely I felt slightly relieved by this.

We went to school but on the way BoyWonder stated that he felt very sick and had tummy ache. I asked the teacher to keep an eye on him and call me if needed. We also spoke about movement breaks in the afternoon but the school haven't yet got the staff or resources to implement this.

I picked the children up from after school clubs and Boy Wonder immediately told me that he had bad tummy ache and felt sick. His teacher confirmed that he had  seemed okay for most of the day, he had started to complain later on the afternoon. Cat Girl had also complained of having an headache.  We got to the car and Boy Wonder complained more so but was able to eat his tea on the way to piano.

We arrived at piano and Boy Wonder had his lesson and seemed to cheer up a bit. However when I asked him to get changed for Ju Jitsu, he refused saying that his tummy hurt. I explained the importance of not missing lessons but he just became angry and started to cry. I told him that he had done really well in his grading and that it would be a shame to waste all that hard work and skill. He then blurted out that he wasn't that good because he had hurt his partner. I asked if that's why he didn't want to go and it was like lighting the touch paper! This clearly was the problem so I pushed on and took him so that we could get it resolved.

Once at Ju Jitsu Boy Wonder went to get changed and I nipped into the room to have a discreet word with the Sensi about Boy Wonder's anxiety over hurting someone and feeling sick. He assured me that he would 'sort him out ' which he is usually very good at. I had left Cat Girl standing guard outside the changing room so she could shout if Boy Wonder bolted. He hadn't but soon came out fully dressed still, asking for help. I got him changed and he headed off in.  Cat Girl and I had a little debrief in the car and she said she understood and said ' When he's angry he's just loud and when he's bored I give him Where's Wally books.' That's about the size of it I think!

Cat Girl played on her new keyboard when she got home, given to her by her favourite boy in the class's, sister. She deafened us for a good half an hour before getting ready for bed. Superman picked up BoyWonder who seemed a lot happier and settled to have his hour on Minecraft  before going to bed.

Doctors and warts!

Last night Boy Wonder woke up several times to go to the loo and change his shredded pull up. He also woke earlier than normal this morning and after breakfast in bed ( a good breakfast required for the new ADHD medication) he got up and showered.

After a juggling act trying to get him dried and dressed, Boy Wonder did settle and was easier to co ordinate on going to school. Cat Girl was still full of cold but with the magic of pink medicine she perked up enough to go to school.

I picked Boy Wonder up from school after dinner and we went to his CAMHs review and art therapy.    He didn't hold it together too well in the review, becoming agitated quickly when asked basic questions. He then went on to art therapy which never fails to level him off. We arranged a follow up for a few weeks time.

Boy Wonder returned to school for football where he played really well and scored a goal. He was even happier because the field was muddy and he was covered! Cat Girl seemed a lot brighter when I picked her up too, we realised that her aches were quite possibly down to yesterday's horse riding and tree climbing rather than the cold.

After tea, I took Boy Wonder for a Gp appointment about his wart on his hand and a meds update.. Superman took Cat Girl for her swimming lesson. The Gp advised that the wart was left to go on its own. We had tried the paint on stuff but Boy Wonder kept picking at it and making it bleed. Boy Wonder questioned her as it had been there over a year and hasn't gone. She reassured him that it can take a while but it will go eventually. He didn't look convinced do she printed him off some literature to read!

This evening Boy Wonder played with the boy accross the road on the trampoline and then the Wii when it started to get dark. He seemed fairly chilled and when his friend left he asked to go to bed. Cat Girl returned from swimming and settled down in bed to watch her programmes.

Gruffalo

After another reasonable night's sleep Boy Wonder woke by himself at 9am and went into the shower. He was his usual hyper self for the first half an hour but then settled.

We went to see The Gruffalo at the theatre this morning much to Boy Wonder's disgust. I explained that Cat Girl really wanted to see it and he should treat it as an opportunity to see how different performances are played out. He accepted this and off we went. The performance was in fact better than what we thought it would be and even Boy Wonder joined in with the shouty bits. 

We came home for dinner and then took Cat Girl horse riding. I took Boy Wonder some football cards to look at and sort whilst we were there. However when this was finished he seemed to withdraw. I attempted to re engage him but he appeared low and showed little interest in what I had to say. 

We arrived home and whilst they played outside, I got tea ready as Super Gran, Biker Gramps and little cousin were visiting. The afternoon was lovely, playing outside in the sun. Boy Wonder initially tried to take charge of the play but after a while he settled when he realised that two little girls were not going to listen to him at all. 

They had tea, played some more before coming inside as it became dark. They then played on the Wii and in the play room. 

After a bath, Boy Wonder and Superman  watched Top Gear before Boy Wonder came up to bed. 

What the Doctor Ordered!

Friday brought a tired and volatile Boy Wonder who struggled with all aspects of the morning routine  and was still complaining of tummy ache.

We went to school and spoke with his teacher about the previous evening and our concern that Boy Wonder responded badly to a the lady who approached him yesterday at dance.

He seemed to have a more settled day and enjoyed the afternoon activities. Superman picked them up from after school club and they settled down, watched some Minecraft and played games. Boy Wonder had his bath when I returned from work and by 10.30pm was asleep and snoring!

The night was fairly settled and when woken up this morning to go to football he seemed quite bright and giddy. After his shower he went through his kissy, kissy, huggy, huggy routine which is relatively new. I dried and helped him dress for football and off he and Superman went. Cat Girl and I went food shopping and them met the boys at Ju Jutsu afterwards for Boy Wonder's grading.

The football match ended as a draw and Boy Wonder then achieved his Blue belt in Ju Jitsu. He had to work very hard for this. There was a clear difference between the difficulty level that he has been used to and the expected level now but he and all the others excelled themselves. The sense of achievement was just what the Doctor ordered, literally!

After lunch we took Boy Wonder and Cat Girl for a haircut. Neither wanted to go as Cat Girl has a nasty cough/ cold and just wasn't feeling it. Boy Wonder clearly stated that ' having a haircut will ruin my life!' What this actually means is that he doesn't like the bits of cut hair on his skin as it irritates him a lot. His skin goes very red and sore looking. The hairdresser is very good with Boy Wonder and will always make sure the cape is very tight and will use the hair dryer to blow away the excess hair. Nether the less he barely spoke and when he was asked what he would like done he stated ' my hair cut.' He would usually go into a long spiel about the type of hair cut required at this point, but not today!

We returned home and they both played, fell out ( when Boy Wonder disengaged) played, fell out until tea time. Boy Wonder said that he felt sick again and had tummy ache.

Grandparents came and they played Minecraft, watched The Voice and had snacks. Boy Wonder then went in the bath and Cat Girl went to bed. Boy Wonder settled down in bed afterwards with his weighted blanket and his cat.

World Book Day!

This morning brought World Book Day which both Boy Wonder and Cat Girl were very excited about. Boy Wonder, once awake and showered, began to hatch elaborate plots against his friends and the teachers! We had breakfast and left for school.

The day was fairly straight forward and on picking the children up from school they both seemed just as excitable. We came out of the school gates and BoyWonder immediately started to pull away from me. He ended up running off with little intention of returning so we had to catch up with him. We  got into the car and Boy Wonder became irritated. He ate some snack and then started to make very loud raspberry noises, repeating this over and over again. I asked him to stop and he refused, saying that he was bored. Cat Girl passed him a book that he took from her but discarded. As we got on the by pass to go to dance he started to throw things at me. I told him strictly to stop as he would cause an accident but he continued. I stated calmly and clearly that I would stop the car and have to ring the police for a safe escort off of the very busy road. Boy Wonder panicked and asked if he would be arrested? I said no they would take us off of the road safely. He continued to display anger but stopped throwing. We arrived at dance and I pulled up outside which is a bus stop. Boy Wonder initially refused to get out of the car, but after a few minutes did get out and started to cry. He was approached by a mother coming out of dance and he pushed her away. I had contacted the dance teacher who came out to him and she did do quickly. At the same time a bus came up behind me and moved me along. It all seemed a panic but the teacher had taken him inside now.

I dropped Cat Girl off at Ju Jitsu and returned to dance. They said that he calmed down after a few minutes and seemed to be participating in the session okay . After dance Boy Wonder saw me and gave me a big hug. He was very concerned that I would have been told off by the bus driver. I reassured him that the bus driver didn't tell me off as he was a nice man. ( I am sure that waving his hands at me meant that!) He told me that he had bad tummy ache and felt sick which is commonplace  after such a stressful episode.  We met Superman and whilst they waited for Cat Girl to finish I nipped off to an evening meeting. Boy Wonder continued to complain of feeling ill and decided to miss football and stay at home and play on his computer. He stayed awake until very late, seeming restless and uncomfortable.

Appointments

We had to get ready earlier this morning due to an early appointment. Boy Wonder was his usual manic self yet Cat Girl was streaming with cold and was tearful. She seemed to settle a bit after the magic pink medicine and I decided on letting her go to school with Grandparent back up if she needed collecting.

Boy Wonder had a morning session with his OT at school which was scheduled to teach the staff exercises for vestibular and pro preoccptive senses. She reported that Boy Wonder appeared tense but did participate. She left them a twice daily programme to try and write up progress / concerns. We are to do the same too, to gage its effectiveness.

I picked Boy Wonder up from school after lunch to go for his hospital appointment with his autism/ ADHD specialist. She as very thorough as we talked through all of the matters of recent weeks. They have requested that they refer him to a sleep disorder clinic in London. They are not wanting to use other medication alternatives without further investigation due to his high anxiety and neurology history. She altered his ADHD  medication from a 12 hour slow release to an 8 hour window. This is in hope tha the medication will be out of his system by night time.

We went off to drama which upset Boy Wonder a bit due to him getting confused about the play they were doing. He was a lit happier on collecting him though.

He settled down this evening after his bath and watched England play football

Positives and Pancakes

Boy Wonder had a fairly settled night last night, likely due to exhaustion but nether the less he slept and that is all that matters. I woke him, showered and got him ready for the day. Cat Girl got ready and we all went downstairs to flip pancakes. They both love pancakes which made for a happy if not messy breakfast!

On arrival at school we discussed World Book Day and costumes. Cat Girl wanted the same as her best friend and Boy Wonder wanted Dennis the Menace. I really should have had this conversation sooner! Luckily Cat Girl's friend's mum came to the rescue and pointed me in the direction of a supermarket supporting the event.

One Rapunzal and Horrid Henry costume later I went to work. The day was quite straight forward, helped by a positive morning no doubt. I am clearly easily pleased at the moment! After school I picked them up and spoke briefly with the teacher who said that Boy Wonder had been quite in inattentive today but in high spirits. Odd, very odd. She had some tools in her hand which she had used to remove shelves and cupboards to allow her to fit a table in a quieter area of the class for Boy Wonder. Got to admire her efforts even if they have fallen on deaf authority ears.

We went to piano and informed the children that they would need to go to breakfast club in the morning, aiming to soften the blow to Boy Wonder with his fancy dress outfit. However, he became excitable at the thought of breakfast club which he had enjoyed previously. When I told them about their costumes they were very happy. Cat Girl couldn't wait to dress up the same as her friend. Boy Wonder couldn't believe his luck as he knows how much I despise Horrid Henry. It was worth it to see him smile!

The piano lesson was very positive too, Boy Wonder played his first piece to time which is a massive achievement got him. His teacher was very pleased. He then went on to Ju Jitsu. Cat Girl and I came home and made more pancakes with ice cream this time. Superman collected Boy Wonder and they joined us for  pancakes. Boy Wonder then had his hour on Minecraft  and then went in the bath, he is now in bed but awake, listening to music.

A happier boy today ..........

I Can't Cope!!

I felt very nervous taking Boy Wonder to school this morning after the escalating events. He got up and reluctantly went in the shower. He had shredded his pull up which seems to becoming a regular occurrence now. I dried and dressed him as he attempted to keep himself curled up in a tight ball. He seemed very anxious already which wasn't great.

As always we hold it together and calmly encourage the daily routine so not to heighten already high anxiety but we are feeling the pressure at the moment as it is really hard to predict what will happen next. 

As Boy Wonder sat down for breakfast he made it very clear that he was feeling angry and not to push him. Cat Girl needed a fair bit of reassurance that he was okay ( which of course was stretching the truth a lot!) 

We arrived at school and I spoke to his teacher about the weekend events and asked her to keep an even closer eye on him as he really wasn't in a good place. I also spoke with Cat Girl's teacher to give her the heads up.

There were a couple of changes to routine for Boy Wonder today which didn't help matters. Art Therapy had been cancelled which he was informed of at the last session and there was no football at school due to a match but there was training later on. Boy Wonder appeared to accept this, this morning. 

I picked them up from school and was informed that Boy Wonder had, had an okay sort of day. There seemed to have been some unsettlement but nothing further. Cat Girl had, had a little accident which was likely to be a reaction to Boy Wonder's difficulties and the impact on her. 

As soon as we stepped out of the school gate Boy Wonder became angry about the changes and started to shout. He couldn't understand them and they weren't acceptable. We got into the car and he curled himself into a ball on the back seat. 

We arrived home and Boy Wonder ran off. I asked Cat Girl where he had gone and she wouldn't tell me, thinking it was a game. I told her that she needed to tell me and she said that he had run around the front of the house. I went round and found him cowering behind the wall. He saw me and bolted into his tree house and stayed there for a few minutes. 

Eventually I coaxed Boy Wonder inside and he started to shout that he couldn't cope with his routine changing. I explained that I understood this but these changes had been pre planned and usually he would be accept this.  He repeated that he couldn't cope and started to become upset. I asked him to try and explain to which he stated that if I even changed getting up from 7.30am to 7.31am this would not be his routine and he would not cope.  We left it there as he clearly had no tolerance left. He went to play with his wrestling figures. 

I took Cat Girl to her swimming lesson which gave us an opportunity to talk about the weekend. She said that she was upset when Boy Wonder was shouting. I explained that he was having a difficult time but he loves her very much and can't help what he is doing at the moment. I reminded her of the autism book that we read together and she said that she remembered and loved him too. 

Her lesson went well and afterwards  we came home and platted her hair before bed. 

Boy Wonder had his bath and started  to relax. He fell to sleep just after 10pm which was excellent. 

Quite Worn Out!

Boy Wonder slept until 11am and then woke up in a bouncy, lively mood! After medication we had a chat about implementing a new routine which included more pressure activities and relaxation. We spoke about restricting Minecraft to one hour per day. Boy Wonder responded by saying that this would make him very angry! I explained to him that although we understood that he is struggling with his anger it is not acceptable to shout at Mummy and Daddy and call us names. If he did this he would be told to say sorry. Boy Wonder said that he understood.

Superman returned from nipping to town for Wembley tickets for the cup match. Boy Wonder was very excited, more so because of the event T-shirt that Superman had purchased for him.   We got ready for our day and after a late breakfast went into town for Superman and Boy Wonder's eye tests. When asked questions by the Optician, Boy Wonder made me smile. He asked if Boy Wonder watched TV, to which he replied that he did. When asked what he watched, Boy Wonder replied 'Pointless!' He then asked what Boy Wonder played with to which he provided a list of every gadget in the house. Oh dear ! Anyway his eyes were fine as were Superman's, however he needed some new glasses as he didn't have a spare pair. At this point Boy Wonder became panicky about the car parking ticket and that it would be running out. This wasn't the case but there was no convincing him. We walked back to the car whilst Superman ordered his glasses.

On return home Boy Wonder played with with his wrestlers and then watched some matches on the computer. He appeared a bit more settled now home. At tea time Superman asked him to come downstairs and he refused. After a bit of gentle persuasion Boy Wonder came down but exploded into anger as soon as he got to the kitchen. He ran upstairs and attempted to lock himself in the bathroom. He couldn't do this as the lock had been removed since the last incident. I went into him and he started to throw himself about and hit himself . After a few minutes of holding him, he appeared to calm. We went downstairs again and attempted dinner. The ice cream van could be heard outside and Boy Wonder turned his attention to this. We said that they could have ice cream out of the freezer after dinner. Boy Wonder ran straight back upstairs and barricaded himself in his bedroom. We left him to calm and listened to him on the monitor. He was beating the punch bag with some force. I went up to him and got into his room. Boy Wonder was very distressed. After more firm hold and shouting that he didn't like his new routine, he settled again and we went downstairs. As soon as we reached the dining room his anxiety escalated again and I ended up taking him to the floor to hold him as Superman fetched his weighted blanket, to bring him down again. This time, Boy Wonder was crying and very distressed. He thrashed about to the point that he was very difficult to manage but within a few minutes of  having the weighted blanket around his shoulders, he settled.

After a while, Boy Wonder sat in the lounge and ate his tea and him and Cat Girl had ice cream with fudge bits and syrup. I asked him if he wanted to go upstairs in Minecraft for his hour? Boy Wonder said no as he wanted to stay in the lounge and play it with Cat Girl on the tablets. They did this calmly which was a relief as Cat Girl had witnessed the earlier trauma and was quite upset herself.

Cat Girl had her bath and I platted her hair. Boy Wonder then had his bath and went downstairs to watch Top Gear. Afterwards he came up to bed and started to settle.

Volatile ....

Saturday brought a tired Boy Wonder. He eventually made his way into the shower and dressed for dance with a considerable amount of help from Superman.

Superman took Boy Wonder off to dance and I took Cat Girl horse riding. I sent a brief message to the dance teacher to update her on Boy Wonder's depressive/ impulsive presentation. Cat Girl enjoyed her horse riding and giggled all the way through it again and Boy Wonder seemed to enjoy his dance session.

We met at home afterwards and spent the afternoon around the house and playing in the garden. It was a sunny yet cool day so perfect for dispelling some energy on the trampoline and playing football with the boy next door. There was even the added excitement of the ice cream van making an appearance which always sends them both into a frenzy!

This evening Boy Wonder went up to his room to spend time on Minecraft. He ate his tea in his room and then came downstairs to see Grandparents and continued playing Minecraft on tablets with Cat Girl. He became very volatile and verbally aggressive towards us when things wouldn't go exactly right. This continued throughout the evening and on coming up to bed, Boy Wonder came into our room and started self harming by kicking the bed hard with bare feet and hitting himself in the face. His words and facial expression were very harsh and he clearly is feeling a lot of self dislike and needing something/ someone to blame.

After Boy Wonder had gone back to bed, Superman and I discussed the altering of Boy Wonder's routine to incorporate more sensory input and a more rigid routine for Minecraft. Watch this space......