Back to School!

The holiday seemed to come to an abrupt end and the school morning was on us before we knew it. Boy Wonder was up very early, stating that he didn't want to go and reverting back to school morning behaviours. Cat Girl was also emotional about the first day back.

On arrival at school I spoke with his teacher about the holidays and his recent addition of performing flying kicks at people at close range. She said that she was on playground duty so would observe him.

Boy Wonder returned to Art Therapy today which he was very excited about. On return from this he went to football. Whilst at football, I had a meeting with his teacher and the Inclusion Worker for the local authority.   The meeting was not at all conducive as we spent an hour disagreeing on pretty much everything. They really don't 'get it!'

I picked Boy Wonder up from football and Cat Girl up from after school club and went home. Boy Wonder appeared very lively but agitated. He was repeating things over and over and when I asked him to stop he said that he always has to do things four times. That wasn't the best thing to hear, possibly an early warning sign of the OCD rearing its head.

 Boy Wonder played when he got home whilst I took Cat Girl swimming. He seemed to have a lot of 'fall outs' during the play and in the end he came in.

His mood was agitated which made him difficult to settle, hence a late night.

He woke up early again this morning and appeared bouncy and erratic. It was very difficult to dress him as he was all over the place.

We arrived at school and spoke briefly about yesterday's meeting and a hospital appointment tomorrow.

Boy Wonder's day consisted of a visit from the school educational psychologist which we were unaware of until that morning. Boy Wonder told me immediately when I returned from work that this happened but could not recall what happened, just that he was asked questions.

Biker Gramps picked them up from school and took Boy Wonder to piano and ju Jitsu. He then brought Cat Girl home. Superman picked Boy Wonder back up and I met them at home later on. This was when he told me about his visit at school. He said that he couldn't settle till he told me!

A fun packed weekend

Friday morning came around quickly and we packed the car ready for a trip to London.  Boy Wonder was very excited as we were going with his friend Boy Genius and family.  The journey down was fairly uneventful and we arrived just after 1pm. After having some time to get used to the room ( Boy Wonder tradition) we met for a drink in the bar before getting on the underground to head into London.

The tubes took a bit of getting used too and it reminded me a lot of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time story where the tubes reek of sensory overload.  Once Boy Wonder got used to having to hold hands due to it being so busy, he did okay.

Our first stop was Covent Garden where we watched the street entertainers. Boy Wonder got picked to help in one of the performances which entailed holding a target whilst the man threw a knife at him. However, the idea was that the performer made such a big deal about throwing the rather large knife that the child would move out of the way! Boy Wonder has no real sense of fear which stumped the Performer as he just stood there and said 'Come on then if you're going to do it '

We then went for tea before going to the theatre to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They all enjoyed this and sat well through it except for the odd loud question by Boy Wonder and the 'little old man chatter' between him and his friend.   They all had Wonka bars in the interval which were very sickly, even for me!

After the show we returned to the hotel on the tube. Boy Wonder was fairly worked up after the show    and this escalated on the journey and more so when back in the room. He managed to explain that he was struggling with it not being home, not having his cat on the bed or anything to cuddle ( not that he usually does.) he ended up in bed with me being tickled to sleep.

Saturday was a day for going around the museums. We tried to encourage the children to eat a good breakfast but Boy Wonder wasn't at all interested in food. He had a small bowl of cereal and a muffin under protest! We set off for the Natural History Museum and spent a couple of hours looking around. They supported to fast track us through the dinosaur exhibition which helped alot. We then went to look at dolphins, the blue whale and spiders.   It was getting warm inside so we came out and had some lunch.

Afterwards we headed to the Science Museum which was very good with lots of interaction and areas of interest. Boy Wonder struggled initally due to the busy, echoey environment. We found some stretchy tubing in one of the exploring areas and asked if we could have a bit as it would make a fantastic twiddle for Boy Wonder and Boy Genius. After some negotiation we got a couple of bits. Before leaving we watched a show on fire and explosions which was very interactive and involved Barbie losing her head after being fired out of a cannon!

We moved on to The Rainforest Resturant for tea. This was a lovely place and quite calming. Boy Wonder settled into it eventually and enjoyed the animals, rain and storms whilst we were eating.

The final stop before returning to the hotel was Hamleys toy shop. We travelled here by Ric- shaw which Cat Girl found hilarious and Boy Wonder loved. It was good fun racing our friends to the shop! However in the shop it started to get too much for Boy Wonder. It wasn't particularly busy but it had been a long day and he was struggling to hold it together. Anyway it resulted in a flying kick into a shop display unit which dodged his foot but caught his hand full on and bruised it. First aid and ice pack complete, we headed back to the tube for the hotel. The tube was very busy and Boy Wonder    and Boy Genius didn't cope well at all. Boy Genius withdrew into himself and Boy Wonder thrashed about and had to be restrained into a corner to stop him hurting himself and everyone else. Back at the hotel we had a drink in the bar and some Minecraft time before bed. Boy Wonder got very upset towards the end due to a Minecraft misunderstanding with his friend so we retired to bed.

Before leaving the big city today, we did a whistlestop tour of the historic/ important buildings, watched a parade and had ice cream in the park. It was a lovely sunny morning and the perfect end to a great weekend. A swift journey home with no hold ups was an extra bonus and on return home we prepared for the week ahead and Boy Wonder started to work himself up for going back to school!

In the Round

This morning we had a fairly leisurely start which turned out to be too leisurely and we end up rushing! We had an appointment with the school nurse to review Boy Wonder's health care plan and to talk about incontinence. Boy Wonder wasn't best pleased about this appointment so sat there with his headphones in, facing away from us whilst the nurse and I spoke.

We spoke a little about medication, anxiety and autism / ADHD stuff but she didn't seem interested in this, quite reluctant to get involved ( although they are clearly health needs and she needs to be up to date.) She was a lot more forthcoming with the incontinence issues and came to the conclusion that Boy Wonder possibly has an irritated bladder or isn't producing enough of the hormone that settles the bladder at night so that the body can sleep. Basically the body naturally reduces the amount of urine it produces hence why urine is more concentrated in the mornings. All very interesting but it means more tests! I asked the question about ' is it really necessary?' Due to the fact that we spend silly amounts of time with Doctors as it is. I was told that it was necessary and it needs to be done. I asked what the outcome is likely to be and was told medication or a nighttime alarm. It was at this point that  I had to interject and make it clear that medication is a last resort and wouldn't be something that we would just agree to, considering all of his other treatment. Boy Wonder's Consultant had already warned against the alarm as it would be likely to increase his anxiety at bed time. ( the alarm goes off as the child starts to wet.) I explained that the likely reason for the incontinence was that he wasn't receiving the signals to go when he is highly anxious or engrossed rather than it being a medical problem. She declined to comment. So we are now railroaded into another lot of tests that are likely to be seen as a matter in isolation. I am just being synical?! Before we left the nurse took time to explain to Boy Wonder that he isn't doing anything wrong and that other children have this problem too which was nice. She also told him how black currant irritates the bladder and why he needs to not drink it.

We then went onto the dentist where I was dreading Boy Wonder's teeth being bad in some way due to him not liking toothpaste and not brushing too well. However he and Cat Girl have perfect teeth and he wasn't at all helpful in suggesting ways to help Boy Wonder with his teeth cleaning due to them being 'fine.' Oh well the main thing is that they are okay.

As a treat we went to MacDonalds for lunch before Boy Wonder's dance show rehearsal. Cat Girl and I then went to soft play for a couple of hours and it was blissfully quiet! After eating cookies and flap jack we went back for Boy Wonder and bought tickets for the Crucible that was on its final show tonight. I spoke to them about Boy Wonder coming to watch and we all had mixed feelings. Was it too dark? Too complicated? I took a chance and got him a ticket too.

Friends came round for a couple of hours when we got home but Boy Wonder didn't readily engage. He allowed them to play with his toys and then went on his computer. I spoke to him about engaging with his friends  I.e playing with them. ' oh right, okay,' he said and then he did!

This evening just Boy Wonder and I went to see the Crucible at the local theatre. It was being performed by the Youth theatre and was excellent. It was performed in the round which was a new concept for Boy Wonder to get used to but he liked it. In fact he sat through it very well indeed and grasped the basic storyline ' witchcraft and everyone going a bit mad!' Yes, that just about sums it up!   His theatre tutors praised him for sitting so well during the performance and spoke to him about the play. He seemed to have a great time although he picked the skin on his fingers to bits in the first half until I managed to find his twiddler.

We came home to find Cat Girl fast asleep and Superman reading in bed. We decided to settle down too as we have a busy weekend in London coming up.

Has his medication changed???

On Tuesday Boy Wonder spent the day with his worker and they went to lazer quest and on the trams . Cat Girl went to grandparents and Superman and I went to work. The day started off rainy and miserable so it was fortunate that the activities were inside. Boy Wonder was collected and off they went, he was very excited!

I arrived home later before everyone else and Boy Wonder returned soon after. I asked if they had, had a good day and they had. His worker asked me if Boy Wonder's medication had changed as he livened up really quickly to the point of hyper at about 3pm. He had also been VERY chatty, which he said was better than being quiet but different. I apologised that I hadn't updated him that morning on the changes, I forgot. He explained that Boy Wonder was manageable but required a lot more intervention as he was on the tram wanting to swing around poles and climb on the seats. Whoops!

I took Boy Wonder for a haircut before tea which he wasn't too pleased about and made this known by shouting about it and slamming doors. However when we got there he found a football magazine and sat and read that whilst having his hair done.

Cat Girl returned from Grandparents and Superman from work and we had tea. Boy Wonder played with the boy next door before settling down to bed. There were a few spats tonight as I heard the boy next door remind Boy Wonder of not being fair etc.

Yesterday brought a day at a outdoor pursuits resource centre for Boy Wonder and his friend Boy Genius. I was sure to take his top up medication so that they didn't suffer a peak like his worker had the previous day. They asked for a few pointers on how to work with Boy Wonder and double checked that I was contactable by phone.

On picking BoyWonder up I was told that he had, had a great time and seemed to enjoy the activities, especially the high wire. They described him and his friend as 'two little old men,' as they dissected everything they were doing before doing it. They had given him his medication a little earlier due to going on an activity and hadn't seen a quick rise in ADHD related behaviour. When I picked him up though he rapidly became high! A very successful day though that he is keen to repeat.

Cat Girl talked to us about her day spent 'training' the dog ( family dog being looked after by grandparents.) She explained that if she says 'sit ' in a proper voice, the dog will sit!  She was quite amazed by this which was cute.

 After tea the children settled down and watched Minecraft before bed.

What does 'Okay' feel like?

Bank holiday Monday started off very lazy indeed. Boy Wonder slept in late due to being  awake until the early hours. Cat Girl lay in bed watching tv and eating chocolate (well it is Easter!) and Superman and I chatted about the pending tribunal that would start to return to heat as soon as the Easter holiday comes to a close.

Once up and and about we started to clear some of the garden, re home plants that were in the way of the building work and measured the space where paving would be required. I spoke with the children about helping in the garden so that we could go out quicker and Cat Girl got stuck straight in. Boy Wonder however said that playing with his friends was more important. I explained that helping mummy and daddy would be a really kind thing to do but said it was his choice. He chose his friends!

After lunch we went out to a garden centre to look at paving and log cabins for the garden. Boy Wonder was most disgusted by the price of the log cabins and stated categorically that 'We are NOT paying that much!' Superman reassured him that this wasn't for him to worry about. Boy Wonder then went over to a see saw and balanced stones on one side to get it to tip. He did this over and over.

We went on to a Castle near to where we live to have a look at the new play area and renovated castle  wall walk. The sun came out and it was a lovely afternoon. Boy Wonder seemed quite quiet and 'lost.'  We asked him if he was okay and he said that he didn't know. He said that he wanted his friend with him ( Boy Genius)as he didn't know what to do. We asked him if he was happy and he said he didn't know. We later came to the conclusion that Boy Wonder is that used to feeling hyper or in low mood that the bit in the middle is alien to him and he genuinely doesn't know how to feel 'okay.'

We went on the wall walk which was lovely with some great views. One of the guides asked us afterwards if we felt the wall walk was safe for children with adult supervision? The reason he asked was because another visitor had become quite upset by the 'lack of health and safety' as far as the wall walk was concerned and that a child could easily fall off! Just to clarify, the wall height is to the shoulder of the average 10 year old so they would have to climb and jump to 'fall,' I explained that if anyone was going to 'fall off' the wall walk it would be Boy Wonder, due to his lack of danger awareness and heightened impulsivity. However, my Boy Wonder radar didn't go off so I would be reassured by this.

We went on to Pizza Hut for tea which was lovely and quiet which meant a chilled Boy Wonder and fairly swift service. For dessert we had ice cream and mine came with a sparkler. I can't stand sparklers so asked for the sundae without it. Boy Wonder then asked  if he could have it instead? She came to the table with one after he had fetched his ice-cream and lit it for him. He was absolutely fixated by it, to the point where he never blinked once.

This evening Boy Wonder played with the boy next door and Cat Girl ate chocolate. They settled down in bed with their cats when it was time to go to sleep,

A Day of Quests

The weekend brought a busy Saturday morning of football and dance followed by an afternoon at home and grandparents visit. Boy Wonder seemed full of cold and there were a few periods throughout the weekend where he seemed vacant, staring into space. He had a few other quiet moments but other than that it didn't seem to bother him too much.

Easter Sunday started quite late as Boy Wonder hadn't realised what day it was and didn't rush to get up. Cat Girl likes her bed too much to rush to get out of it, so all in all it was a steady start to the day. After the initial egg hunt which they were both dreadful at I might add, I took Cat Girl horse riding. Boy Wonder was quite clingy, saying that he felt unwell but settled in his hammock until we returned.

Cat Girl did really well at her lesson. She can now steer, stop and start and trot on her own. Very impressive! It started to rain towards the end of the lesson so the horse got other ideas and wouldn't do as she instructed it. She found this very amusing!

When we returned, the egg hunt was attempted again and this time with some guidance they managed to find them. Maybe I hid them too well! After lunch we got ready and met some friends for an Easter  Egg hunt around a National Trust House and park. The weather improved and it was a lovely afternoon. Boy Wonder struggled a bit with getting around the house looking for eggs due to the amount of people in there. He therefore didn't think to use his manners, he just trod his path regardless of others. We spent some more time outside running around and building dens before collecting the winning eggs and returning to our house for tea and play.

The rest of the afternoon could have been a lively one with lots of chocolate, Boy Wonder and Boy Genius ( both autism superheroes) and younger siblings. However, it was a few hours of bliss. Minecraft took control and the older boys played really well together on this. The younger ones played and watched and we all ate lots! this included a very nice coffee/ non coffee chocolate cake!

After tea the adults played Labyrinth. This turned into the funniest thing we have done in a long time! I actually won the first two games which is usually unheard of, the guests just didn't get it for quite a while ( which is probably why I won!) and when it did all start to sink in, Dad guest started to become confused by ghosts and genies, princesses and knights! Superman went off to replenish drinks so I put his first completed card back in his pile and he never noticed! Therefore Mum guest and I were giggling like school girls. The whole thing was hilarious and a highly recommended game.

After the friends had gone, the children collapsed into bed and I realised that they had hardly eaten any chocolate at all! We watched something on tv and then went up to bed. Boy Wonder was still awake, struggling to wind down from his day, but nether the less, happy.

Hard Reality

Thursday brought a second day at Club Inspire for Boy Wonder where they made Easter cookies and played games. He then went onto dance where they were rehearsing for their next show. As he arrived home, he started to become very high and skittish. He still had football to attend later in the evening but was so hyper that he had to be dressed and put on his weighted jacket for fifteen minutes to help him settle. Superman decided to walk him to football so that he could run 'it' off on the fields on the way down.   This seemed to work as he then was able to cope with training and return in a fairly settled mood, if not a little loud!

Friday was a day at home playing in that garden whilst the builder was here knocking down sheds. Boy Wonder seemed quite level throughout the day but became bored towards tea time. We went to visit cousins and he panicked as his big cousin was playing outside with the neighbours that he didn't know. I asked him if he wanted to come inside instead and he got angry and upset. Big cousin came across to the car and took him to play, introducing him to the others and helping him to join in. Kids just ' get it' sometimes. She's a good big cousin to have around. They played for a while and then we needed to leave. Boy Wonder wasn't too happy about this but coped okay. We arrived home and attempted an early night due to an early football match in the morning.

We have found ourselves talking alot these past few weeks about ADHD and medication. The dilemma isn't that we want him off of the medication but more that we don't know what to think about the yo-yo effect. Let me explain. When Boy Wonder was taking Concerta it had a life of 12 hours which meant that he was level most of the time but it seriously affected his ability to go to sleep and he appeared low in mood. We changed him to Medikinet which is the same medication but lasts for eight hours with half of it release being immediate. He is getting to sleep a little better (most nights) but is waking earlier again. The main dilemma however is that at about 3-4pm his medication has worn off and he is on the ceiling pretty much straight away! We have a tea time quick release methylphenidate if we need it but if he has it he doesn't sleep well at all. We spoke with his Consultant about this who said that the more stable he feels the better but it wouldn't cause any problems as such with his treatment for him to experience his unmediated self.

As parents we feel that it is good for us to experience the rawness of Boy Wonder's ADHD so that we can teach him how to manage it by the use of exercise, deep pressure etc. However, it is affecting him  a lot more than we remembered and its hard work keeping him safe and out of difficultly. It manifests  as impulsivity, third person speech, running off / escapism, saying exactly what is in his head( which isn't always good!) and an aggressive / defiant attitude. If this is challenged he becomes quickly distressed and starts to self harm because he is bad.  Boy Wonder needs to know also what his real self is like but being switched from medicated child to unmediated child and back again brings its own confusion.

In the meantime, whilst we work on this please be patient. All that come across us and spend time with us please understand that we are teaching Boy Wonder ways to self control but this will take time. We know that some of his behaviour is not ideal and this could have a knock on effect with others ( we have Cat Girl too so also have that side to manage.) but the reality is that he isn't in control of himself outside of the boundaries of medication, even if it just looks like he is being a mini teenager from hell. It is so much more than that.

I suppose it hit home with a thud last week when we went out and for the first time ever ( that I remember) we got the looks. Not the ' naughty child' looks but the ' aarrhh he's a special needs child' looks. And that's okay, but its a hard reality.

And so the lesson continues. Lots of caffeine, patience and chocolate required. It's s good job it's Easter!!

Settling ......

Boy Wonder is starting to settle into holiday mode as his anxiety is reducing. We have had a few hospital appointments already which have been positive in the sense of progression for the tribunal and the collation of reports. The School Nurse also made contact today to arrange to meet Boy Wonder to discuss toileting alarms for night time. Something else to keep him awake!

Due to building work, going to club Inspire and appointments we have had to get up quite early so there has continued to be a time pressure in the mornings for Boy Wonder. Hopefully now that the long weekend is drawing closer, later mornings will help to settle him further. Boy Wonder has remained very excitable in the mornings when we have needed to go somewhere.

After the morning appointment at CAMHs, where Boy Wonder and Cat Girl made a Minecraft poster, we came home and he played with the boy next door, on the computer and generally flitted from one to the other throughout the day. There were a couple of falling outs which had to be managed but Boy Wonder just put this down to others being mean and took no responsibility for it at all. Therefore it was a little difficult to work out what had happened between them but we resolved it by re establishing friendship rules and moving on.

Boy Wonder had a late night but once asleep, did seem to get a few hours.

Yo Yo ing

Boy Wonder didn't get to sleep until late and was up early again this morning. His pull up was well and truly shredded as a result of picking at it through the night.

We got ready for the day which wasn't much better than a school morning due to having to rush to get to a hearing clinic appointment. Eventually we got out of the house and picked the builder up first (to start work on knocking down the sheds.) and then we left for the hospital.

We arrived a little early but it was a good job as there was no longer any parking on site so had to park on the big hospital multi storey.

The hearing test was clear for a second time so Boy Wonder was discharged but only because a specialist Occupational Therapist is involved and has put forward some recommendations for his inability to filter out noise and the difficulties he has with echo noise. The Consultant is writing a letter to support these recommendations.

We walked back to the car and drove into town to exchange some unwanted games that came with the Xbox and to buy Minecraft. Boy Wonder's mood was very low and quiet. We agreed three shops -  one game shop, a pet shop and a bakers and then we would leave. Boy Wonder wasn't keen on eating anything but I managed to get him to agree to a sausage roll. We picked the cats some treats for their birthday tomorrow which Cat Girl is very excited about ,  and then left.

Before going home we nipped into work as it was a colleague's 18th birthday. We had to wait for
someone to get back before we sang and did cake so Boy Wonder became quite agitated.  Eventually we got on with it, ate cake and left!

We came home and Boy Wonder flitted between his Xbox and playing out with the neighbours. His mood remained low and agitated. It wasn't until the boy next door came out that Boy Wonder's mood lifted ( which was also around the time his medication started to wear off.) They watched the builder knocking down walls and we then went swimming. Boy Wonder brought the boy next door with him so that he had someone to play with whilst Cat Girl had her swimming lesson.

Boy Wonder and his friend spent most of their time jumping in and were drawing attention to themselves by the lifeguard. I suggested that they do some swimming? Boy Wonder gave me a puzzled look and stated that they hadn't come to swim! They had come to play. Silly me !


Once back home the boys continued to play for a short while. Boy Wonder then came in and demanded immediately that he go on the Xbox. I explained that it was getting late but he wasn't having any of it. The evening went downhill rapidly and resulted in him throwing a shoe at me and trying to trip me up. I explained that if he continued, I would stop him from seeing his friends for a week. This made no difference !

It all came to a head and Boy Wonder came down stairs after me and became very upset. He didn't get why I was upset and had no way of problem solving it. We hit a brick wall ( not literally!) so we agreed to let it go and settle down. He fell to sleep in minutes on my lap with a blanket on.

A Good Work Out!!

The last day before breaking up for Easter was a lively one. Boy Wonder was up very early and as high as kite! The morning routine felt like mission impossible! He bounced into the class room and I said little to this teacher as actions speak much louder than words.

Boy Wonder went to Boy Genius's house for tea and movie night. He seemed to really enjoy it and managed to hold it together until he got home where he unravelled quickly and took his place back on the ceiling.

Saturday brought the usual football and dance before Boy Wonder and Super Man joined Cat Girl and I at the car boot. We were selling a lot of old toys and in Boy Wonder's case, practically new and unused! The agreement was that the children sold their old toys and they could use the money to buy something new. It was a dry day but a little chilly which brought out lots of people so we practically sold everything!  Boy Wonder didn't stay long as he seemed very unsettled, just wanting to go home. Cat Girl stuck it out and was quite helpful. We raised enough money for Boy Wonder to buy an Xbox and Cat Girl a play house for the garden. We won the Xbox on the auction site that afternoon that needed collecting.

We got home, had tea and were visited by grandparents before going out to a friend's party. There were a few children there that ours knew so we were hopeful that Boy Wonder would be okay. However, he struggled a fair bit with the dynamics and there were a few incidents mainly directed at Cat Girl but also at one of the other boys. We didn't stay too long as Boy Wonder's recent struggles at social events told us that quality over quantity was the best option!

We got a taxi home and as Boy Wonder got in he said hello to the driver by using his name. I asked him how he knew the man's name and he said that he had read his I.D badge! When we got home he attempted to exit the taxi onto the main road and had to be grabbed before he bolted from the car! He fell to sleep quickly once in bed.

This morning brought a very excitable Boy Wonder which became more and more apparent as the day went on. I had to write down the day's routine as he wasn 't retaining any verbal information. After a few hours of sorting the garden with grandparents who foolishly came round for a coffee as we were moving things around, (great timing!) Superman started to doubt if he had given Boy Wonder the wrong medication. He hadn't. We even went to the point of checking his room in case he had dropped it, but be hadn't.

We went off with Grandparents to have a wander around a nice historic town before stopping for dinner and then going to pick up the Xbox. The two hours that followed have quite possibly been the most energetic in a long time. Boy Wonder was not at all in control. He bounced around, threw himself to the floor, attempted to run and repeated information over and over with no ability to retain it. We walked down past the locks where he insisted that he had super powers and wanted to show us how he could jump the locks. He tried to get into the ruins through padlocked gates and tried to climb over the gating. We struggled to find somewhere to eat as we were seriously doubting Boy Wonder's ability to cope in a sit down situation. Eventually we found a pub with outside seating which wasn't busy. I took Boy Wonder for a walk whilst waiting for dinner. We found a horizontal pole which I used to get him doing pull ups and hanging upside down. We also did a bit of pigeon chasing before going back to the pub.

The exercise didn't seem to do a great deal and he sat down fidgeting, shouting out and generally struggling to get what was going on. We had dinner, which seemed to be painfully slow and then left. We went back to the car and went to collect the XBox. Boy Wonder remained very unsettled in the car, but once it was collected, fell to sleep! He must have been a absolutely exhausted and he wasn't the only one!

On arriving home, Superman set up the Xbox and Boy Wonder played football on it. After about half an hour he took himself off up to bed. Cat Girl settled too and Superman and I weren't far behind.

Madness!!

The tribunal deadline is closing in so we are finding ourselves attending a lot of meetings and appointments, reading reports and distributing paperwork. It is turning into a full time job! We have been through a tribunal before to get Boy Wonder a statutory assessment but this time we are 'fighting' for a statement. This has gone from simply asking for some additional support to accepting the growing reality that Boy Wonder 's needs cannot be met in the current provision and so therefore alternatives need to be identified.   This is because the assessments completed have identified specific difficulties and strategies required that aren't normally available in a mainstream provision, I.e sensory diet.

The school holidays are peppered with hospital appointments to finalise reports and to digest the independent reports received which are very specific with their recommendations that Boy Wonder does indeed need full time specialist intervention.

The last week of school before the holidays has been hard work. The changes in routine, the panic of forgotten projects, school trips and the general excitement of Easter has taken it toll.  We are determined however that the children will get an Easter break, despite the huge amount of appointments and the inward panic that we are feeling that everything is completed within deadlines.

Boy Wonder and his friend are going on an adventure day which looks like great fun. We are all going away to London for a couple of days to go to the theatre ( Boy Wonder's favourite place) to see Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and the museums. We will do what we can to mask the madness that is really going on. On this occasion we can learn from the Master - Boy Wonder!!

Impulsivity!!

This morning Boy Wonder woke early and was very high and bouncy. He gave me a lot of hugs and said that he was no longer running away as he liked it here! I asked him if he understood why what he did yesterday was wrong and he said ' yes, my brain told me wrong,' I asked him if he would go it again and he said he wasn't sure. Impulsivity is such a wonderful thing!

He got ready for school with a lot of help. Boy Wonder knocked his knee on the shower door which prevented him from walking for a few minutes and created this loud whaling sound! Cat Girl reluctantly got ready and we headed to school.

I told the teacher about yesterday's running away threat just in case he attempted it at school. I also explained about his brain telling him to do things ( impulsivity.)

The day was fairly non eventful but on picking the children up from school it was clear that Boy Wonder was quite high. His teacher explained that for the last half an hour he had been very giddy and over active. She also said that the day routine for the last week of school is a little more adhoc due to children showing their projects. This is a project that needs up be in for Friday that I learnt about this morning!

We went home for tea and after half an hour of chill time left to go to piano and Ju Jitsu. Boy Wonder remained hyper happy all the way there. The piano lesson was taken by the calmer tutor of the two and seemed to have an equally calming effect on Boy Wonder and I even got a quick lesson in relativity thrown in!

Boy Wonder went on to Ju Jitsu and we came home. Cat Girl did her reading before bed and got tongue tied over 'Bang the Gong!' Which was amusing and I wasn't at all helpful.

Boy Wonder returned in a fairly calm mood and went straight upstairs to watch football before settling down in bed.

My Brain Told Me To Do It

Boy Wonder was up early on Saturday and it wasn't long before he was bouncing around causing havoc! We herded him into the shower and after drying and dressing whilst he was jumping up and down, we headed off to dance.

Whilst Boy Wonder was dancing I nipped into town to get a birthday present for his little girlfriend's birthday, whose party we went to straight afterwards after picking up Cat Girl, who was also invited. Boy Wonder approved the present which was a heart necklace and ring. I had to buy Cat Girl a separate present up give as Boy Wonder wouldn't allow her to share his.

The party was a photo shoot and all girls. Boy Wonder did okay to say that he is naturally awful when it comes to photos! Cat Girl refused to participate for the first ten minutes but towards the end didn't want it to end. They had food and sang to the birthday girl. The candles set the fire alarm off but it soon stopped . Boy Wonder participated in the balloon games for a little while and then withdrew and sat down for the last half hour.

On the way home we discussed having a de clutter over the weekend and if they agreed to sell on some toys they could spend the money on something new for themselves. Boy Wonder stated that he wanted to buy an Xbox but wasn't too keen on getting rid of anything.

In the evening we went to a wedding reception for a colleague of mine. The children didn't know any of the other children but were pleasantly surprised by the sweetie table as was I! However the venue was hot, busy and noisy and so after the first half an hour, Boy Wonder escaped under the table and remained there for about three hours. During this time we asked him if he wanted to go home ( he didn't)gave him food and he played on his tablet. The last half an hour before leaving he decided to come out as it was less busy and he had a dance with the bride.

Sunday brought a day of decluttering which Boy Wonder didn't like one bit. He displayed very low mood and cried throughout the morning. We had allowed him to opt out and play with the neighbours but they weren't in so he became more and more agitated. It transpired that he didn't want to sell his castle but wanted the Xbox so he didn't know what to do.  We agreed that he keeps his castle but could sell some old imaginex toys that were in the loft. He appeared much happier after this  as he justified it by them being little boys toys that he no longer needed.   Cat Girl surprised us by how much she wanted to get rid of ( practically everything!) She is keen to do a Carboot next weekend!

The afternoon and evening was spent by grandparents and cousins visiting. They all seemed to get drafted into the declutter one way or another.  Once this was finished, I tackled the ironing pile whilst the children got their fill of Minecraft. Superman did a bit of work and then settled Boy Wonder and Cat Girl down for bed.

Today brought a school trip for Boy Wonder to an animal park. This meant a long coach drive which would clash with his medication wearing off on the way home. After battling with Boy Wonder to get him ready, we all left for school.

I spoke with Boy Wonder's teacher about the concerns over the trip home and she said that she would keep a close eye on him and pair him with a sensible child! I explained that I would expect his behaviour ( if displayed ) to be managed in a way that didn't involve shouting at him. She said she understood.

The trip apparantley went well ( I was told he was fine and Boy Wonder also stated he was fine,). We returned home, had tea and he went out to play with the neighbours on the trampoline. I took Cat Girl swimming but on our return I saw Boy Wonder running down the main road with the boy next door chasing after him.  He ran down the side of a houses  and I parked up and met him as he ran to the back of the houses where his friend lives.  I summonsed him inside and spoke to him about the dangers of being near the main road. He was very upset and ran upstairs to write me a note saying that he was leaving home. I gave him a few minutes to calm down and then we spoke. Boy Wonder stated that his brain tells him to do things and he has to do them. I explained the dangers of his actions and said that we will work together to get his brain to think about things before doing them. He settled down for bed as did Cat Girl. Boy Wonder was still quite angry .

Strategies ....

Boy Wonder didn't sleep too well Wednesday night but instead read books into the early hours.  After a couple of hours rest he got up for school. Regardless of the lack of sleep he was still very lively on waking and and very difficult to co ordinate.

Eventually we left to go to school. It was drizzly and horrible so we went straight in and they joined the exercise to music group. The bell went and after they had gone to class I left for work.

The school day was reported to be okay but I later found out that Boy Wonder had been involved in a further confrontation after telling someone to shut up. This was advice that Superman had given him but he got it a bit wrong! Superman had in fact said ' if the person doesn't shut up, walk away.' Boy Wonder misinterpreted this and thought that he had to tell the person to shut up. We need to work on retraining this strategy now!

After some initial anxiety over the confrontation, Boy Wonder had a fairly settled evening, even scoring a goal at football.  As a result of the exercise and the lack of sleep the previous night, Boy Wonder had a more settled night.

This morning after the usual school morning madness, the children went to breakfast club whilst I met with Boy Wonder's teacher to review his IEP. We established that Boy Wonder doesn't require any support hours for  his actual learning needs and although he may need them for his social and emotional needs, this is not the question that is being asked of the teacher. I explained that the Note in Lieu was about his social and emotional needs not his learning so it is that, that should be reviewed  when considering hours.

The teacher then went on to explain that he is not learning as much as he is capable of as he misses quite a bit of lesson time due to sensory breaks, time out and therapies.  (So there is a learning need.) Finally we agreed that being more direct when speaking with Boy Wonder rather than pussy footing around him creating ambiguity, is the better way. I have been attempting to get this into the IEP for a while as when they speak with Boy Wonder about a matter, very often he misses the point and then doesn't respond with anything. Their concern was that by being too direct would upset him and because he doesn't like school anyway, it would put him off further. I explained that Boy Wonder doesn't think like that and would prefer to know exactly what is being asked of him rather than the social niceties. Furthermore he would probably learn to like school more if he establishes an outlet for his anxiety.

It was the school Easter fayre after school. Boy Wonder was very excited and came bounding into the hall to look for our cake entry competition. Cat Girl followed shortly after and immediately found her picture that was also in a competition. Neither won a prize as there were a lot of reception class entries and just the one winner ( and some fabulous entries) and I set up the cake competition and co ordinated the judges so couldn't really win anyway. However, someone bought it and I am sure will be indulging on chocolate overload tonight!

Superman arrived at the fayre after work and supervised the children whilst I helped out. Boy Wonder became quite unsettled towards the end and got into a couple of scrapes whilst playing. He then went on to throw himself on the floor, hide and generally become unsettled. We helped to tidy up after and then left for home.

This evening I spoke with Boy Wonder about his anger and hitting out. We established that he does feel in control of himself when he hits out but he is doing it to get the other person away from him and because he wants to show them that he is angry. He also stated that other children hit out so it must be okay. A bit of work to do over the weekend I think !

Boy Wonder and Cat Girl had their dose of Minecraft before settling down for bed. A busy weekend ahead of parties and weddings!!

Autism Awareness Day!!

Today is National Autism Awareness Day!! Boy Wonder was very excited by this as it was all about him! I guess he has a point.

The day started in pretty much the usual way. Cat Girl wasn't feeling the need to rush this morning so  we ended up rushing around more than normal. Once at school I spoke to the teacher about yesterday who knew nothing of what I was talking about. We spoke about it briefly and later with the TA who also knew nothing. They said that they would have a look into it today.

I went off to work in my Onsie for our Autism Awareness Day. As is typically the case we ended up with an unannounced inspection which went well. Must have been the addition of the onsies that gave us the edge!

I picked the children up from school and spoke again about the incident yesterday. It is evident that matters are being played down. Boy Wonder had said little and nothing was witnessed. I expressed concern that matters are likely to escalate the more that Boy Wonder misinterprets others and the increasing level of aggression he is displaying. However my concerns were not heard.

We went off to clubs and Boy Wonder started to become anxious again. I asked him if there had been any more problems at school and he said yes, the same girl told him off after he told her to shut up. Superman had given him a strategy to use after yesterday's problems. He told him that if the person upsetting him didn't shut up when asked he was to walk away from them. Unfortunately Boy Wonder repeated the bit that wasn't really meant for repeating. Yes we should know better!

After clubs we came home, baked cakes and had tea. Boy Wonder seemed more settled and after watching Minecraft for an hour, went to bed and read his book.

Another falling out

Boy Wonder woke in a fairly agitated frame of mind. He flitted about excessively but when the slightest thing didn't go the way he needed it to. He became highly anxious. When giving him a basic instruction such as ' put your shoes on.' He took several minutes and many prompts to complete it and just didn't seem to be able to process the instruction.

We left for school and I asked him if he would be attending the after school club today? He said definitely not . I spoke to his teacher about this as he did like the subject of the after school club but was refusing to attend after the volunteer shouted at him. She said that she would have a chat with him.

I picked them both up from the other after school club. Boy Wonder appeared distracted. We got into the car and he quickly showed signs of anxiety, stating that he was a bad boy and then constantly asking for reassurance. This escalated into anger and self harm as I stopped the car at piano. Boy Wonder repeatedly hit his head against the side of the front seat of the car and again with his hand at the side of his head. He kept calling himself a freak but didn't understand  I distracted him by getting him out of the car and walking to piano ( holding on to him tightly!) I asked  him if something was or had upset him. He then blurted out a collection of events involving a girl in his class who had been mean to him that he had shouted at and hurt by through something at her. I of course was blissfully unaware of all of this as his diary wasn't in his bag.

Boy Wonder had a reasonable piano lesson although was distracted and he then got changed to go to Ju Jitsu. Whilst he was changing I discussed with the tutors about the report they are writing for the tribunal and agreed to send them a bundle of documents.

On return from Ju Jitsu Boy Wonder watched football before settling down in bed. Superman and I watched the autism programme on BBC 1. It was a good insight and followed a range of individuals with varying needs.

As we went up to bed, Boy Wonder became agitated. He shouted out that he was having bad thoughts about his cat being electrocuted. I reassured him that this wouldn't happen.