Her Beautiful Mind - 2 Years Later

April 04, 2018  •  Leave a Comment

Her Beautiful Mind…2 Years Later

In April of 2016, we were still reeling from having just received our 3-year-old daughter’s diagnosis of Mild Autism. The process was stressful (to say the least) and I shared a little about it in a blog post (you can find that post here).

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

It has been 2 years since this crazy, scary, beautiful journey started. Our lives have changed. Of course they have. When you hear the word "Autism" with regards to your baby, you know life will never be the same.

But.

We had no idea exactly how. No idea. It simply isn't possible.

Autism is a spectrum, so if you have met one person with Autism, you have met one person with Autism. You hear this word, and your mind goes to the worse-case scenario. The "what if's" consume you. Then you get a little more information. Start working through your child's specific needs. And I mean working. This isn't easy. Neuro typical kids have school and maybe a couple of extracurricular activities. ASD kiddos have those things, too. Plus therapies, social groups, and IEP meetings. 

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

Speaking of therapies, before Autism enters your life, you don't know what therapies are involved. We had never heard about ABA therapy before. Never thought of speech therapy as being a thing kids on the spectrum would need. Occupational therapy is necessary for many kiddos, too (and although Aly currently does not receive it, she may need it in the future; it's another option that needs further research and exploration for her specific needs). We didn't know there were inclusion preschool classrooms. We didn't know about any of the resources available. A lot of phone calls, meetings, and questions had to (and still do) take place in order to determine the best course of action for our girl.

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So, here is a glimpse at how the last 2 years have gone for us. My prayer is that it will give you insight into our lives with ASD, as well as, some hope if you are at the beginning of your own journey. 

 

 

1 Year Post-Diagnosis

April of 2017 was a period of reflection for me, as I looked back on our progress over the past year. In some ways, it felt like we just found out about her diagnosis. In other ways, I was amazed by how much has happened and far she had come in just 12 short months. We were able to focus so much more on her strengths. Her Preschool teachers adored her (still do!) and told us positive things about her several times a week. Here are some favorites (because they are our favorite things about her, too, and it is nice to know she had teachers who see who she is):

“She can read!”

“We can explain things to her. We can talk to her almost like she is an adult.”

“We love her imagination! She is so much fun!”

“Oh, yes; we keep the rocks she brings to us. We have a little rock collection here for her.”

(Because she is teaching herself Spanish and Sign Language) “By the time she is 10, she’ll be speaking several languages. Maybe even Russian. We can see her being a UN Interpreter when she grows up.”

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The first year after her diagnosis was a busy year. But when looking back, she won’t remember it the same way her daddy and I do. She remembers the special weekend in Julian, her awesome teachers and school friends, going to Sea World with her friend Willow, apple picking, many visits to the zoo, her first camping trip, and spending time with her Auntie and Uncle in snowy Big Bear. These are the things she still talks about. And that is our goal for her moving forward. To focus on the good.

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Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

 

2 Years Post-Diagnosis

Now, April of 2018, we are focused.

Focused on the “wins” of each day.

I am focused on her future as well as my own.

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We are no longer fearful, but we know we need to keep our eye on the prize.

She has CRUSHED every goal set for her in the last 2 years of Preschool, so next year she will head to Kindergarten. While she will still have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and appropriate accommodations for her specific needs, she will be in a typical General Education classroom.

With all neuro-typical classmates and a Gen Ed teacher.

I go through moments of nervousness, but our school district is a good one. I have faith in our partnership with them and I have faith in her abilities.

 

Mixed Emotions

We still have moments of denial. She is so high-functioning that sometimes we forget and get frustrated, thinking she is being disrespectful.

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It helps to pay attention during therapy times to see how they deal with her meltdowns and other behaviors. Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

 

It also helps to remind ourselves that she is an inherently GOOD kid and if she is exhibiting a “bad” behavior, she may be having a tough time and we then have to exercise our own flexibility and open-mindedness to discover the cause. Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography   Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography  

The anger, fear, and frustration we felt at the journey leading up to her diagnosis is fading. It was scary when we were told she was not progressing in her first Preschool and we would have to find a program that better fit her needs. It was frustrating because we didn’t know what those “needs” were yet. Now we just have to deal with IEP’s, making sure we advocate for accommodations she needs at home at at school, and insurance battles.

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I know, in my head, that the way things were handled at her first preschool was the best for Aly because it made us jump on the situation and handle it as quickly as we could. They knew something was up and that they weren’t equipped to handle her differences.

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In my heart, though, it’s like I have PTSD. Aly was hand-picked by last year’s teachers to be in this year’s “4-year inclusion” classroom for her final year of Preschool. This means that, she is in a General Education classroom where the majority of kiddos are neurotypical, while Aly and only a handful of others have IEPs and individual pull-out services (Aly receives 30 minutes a week of Speech/communication therapy).

Her teachers were so excited. I was, too, but when they said the words “General Education”, had an unexpected reaction.

My eyes filled with tears.

I dug my fingers into my husband’s leg.

Flash-backs of incident reports and phone calls to come pick up my daughter for kicking, biting, and repetitive behaviors filled my mind.

Despite my trust in the teacher sitting across from me, and despite my excitement going into the meeting, I became terrified.

But, I kept telling myself that she will be in the same school, right across the hall from the Special Education teachers who know her very well. I kept telling myself that she has come so far since that first year of Preschool. I kept telling myself to be still and know that God has got this. I really should hang a pretty sign that says “Psalm 46:10” somewhere prominent in my home…at least until she graduates from high school… Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

Everything has turned out great. She is a leader in her Preschool class. Other kids look up to her because she is so smart and can read to them. She is able to see last year’s teacher every day. This teacher has become a cherished friend because she gave me hope. And she has cheered us on as we received the news that Aly will be able to go to her school of residence in a Gen Ed Kinder class next year.

I still feel anxious.

I still get that PTSD-like panic when I think about it. Tears well. Heart beats faster.

I am still human.

But.

I have faith in my girl. She can do this.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

 

Feeling thankful

Regardless of all the other emotions we feel, above all, we are thankful.

  • Still for friends who have walked this road before us and have invaluable insight and provide suggestions for what to ask for, how to phrase requests, and how to get the help she needs.
  • For amazing teachers.
    • As mentioned before, her teachers LOVE her. They truly see who she is and encourage her personal development into the strong, independent, amazing little lady that we know her to be. I pray that we continue to have kind-hearted, encouraging teachers for our girl.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

  • IEPs (Individual Education Plan)
    • When she was first placed in the 3-year inclusion classroom, we met with several professional educators and specialists to set up her initial IEP with goals that they felt were necessary for her to progress and succeed in the classroom. One year later, we sat with her new teachers and speech therapist to discuss her progress. To our delight, we learned that she had met all of her initial goals and they were somewhat stumped on what goals to set for her in the upcoming year. It was determined that classroom-specific communication behaviors (waiting her turn to speak, raising her hand, sitting still at her desk and in circle time) would be the main focus of her final year of Preschool as she is prepared to transition into Kindergarten. During this final year, she has excelled at all of her IEP goals and just needs to focus on overcoming her stutter and socializing with peers.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

  • For ABA progress. Aly began in-home ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy in October 2016. She has therapy 10 hours a week and since starting therapy, she has had several different therapists due to insurance issues and conflicting schedules. One therapist in particular, however, stayed with us from the very beginning and was an amazing catalyst toward Aly’s progress. She had an incredible rapport with our girl and pushed her limits so that she could learn and grow. She recently decided to leave the ABA company to pursue a full time career elsewhere, but she happily agreed to babysit Aly for us once a month. It is such a blessing to still have her in our lives.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

  • For extra programs like More Than Words and ABA playgroup
    • More Than Words – Shortly after her diagnosis, we were told about a parents-only program called More Than Words, which is a 2.5 month program designed to teach caregivers how to communicate and connect with kiddos on the spectrum or with verbal delays. While Aly is VERY verbal, we were still able to learn ways to communicate more effectively.

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  • ABA playgroup – One of Aly’s biggest goals with therapy and her school IEP continues to be social interaction (and all that it entails; eye contact, flexibility in play, etc). So part of her therapy hours are spent in a social playgroup on Sundays, where we drop Aly off with a few age-appropriate peers and one therapist per child. Play is facilitated and the kiddos are encouraged to interact with each other.       

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Things are different than they were 2 years ago.

Aly is thriving in school. 

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She has a best friend with whom she bonded immediately in gymnastics class. Although, no longer in gymnastics class, the girls are now in the same Girl Scout troop and LOVE participating in this new activity together.

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While she makes progress in most of her goals, new challenges continue to pop up. For example, she has started to develop a stutter. It doesn’t seem to bother her or slow her down, but the Speech therapist at her school has continued to work with her on this specific problem. It was actually sort of a blessing because I was nervous about her losing her IEP going into Kinder but because of her Speech needs, she was able to keep it (and I was able to easily add accommodations to it that I would like to see met in the classroom).

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

We moved to a new house with a yard and fulfilled our promise of getting a dog for our girl. Although a (mostly) untrained adopted rescue, this pup has been a calming influence on Aly.

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Regarding the symptoms (which can be found at https://autism.lovetoknow.com/Symptoms_of_Mild_Autism) covered in my first blog:

  • Avoidance of eye contact - She is still working on at least looking at the person she is talking to, if only briefly, so that that individual knows she is speaking to him/her. This is an ongoing program in her ABA therapy.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

  • Staring at others - She no longer awkwardly stares at others, but instead will try to engage with them. For example,
    • If someone is hurt/crying, she goes over to comfort them.
    • If someone is acting angry, she says “it’s ok” and/or draws a picture for them.
    • If someone is exhibiting behavior that she doesn’t understand, she asks a trusted adult what it means.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

  • Intolerance for changes in routine - Routines are still very important to her, but she is learning to be more flexible. No longer to we have to sing Twinkle Twinkle when brushing teeth. We have learned to give her ample and specific warning if a routine needs to change: “Ok, Aly, we are going to church at night tonight, which means we need to get a bath before dinner.” If the whys and hows are carefully explained to her, she does a much better job coping.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

  • Difficulty starting or maintaining social interactions - She has worked very hard at starting and maintaining social interactions. These are very important to her. She wants friends. She wants to be invited to parties. She wants to be included. And she knows what it takes to get there. She will now tell herself on the way to somewhere like the park or school, “I will tell everyone that I am 5 years old and a Girl Scout.” She will then go up to every individual and tell them exactly that: “Hi! I’m Aly. Or you can call me Alyssa. I’m 5 years old. And I’m a Girl Scout.” We are still working on sticking around to hear the other person’s reaction or if they have any follow up questions.

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  • Difficulty taking turns talking (dominates conversations) - Aly still dominates conversations and it is a big goal for us to work on. She will interrupt. She will insist on talking on the phone to whomever we are talking to (even if it is the car repair guy or vet’s office). She will tantrum if she is unable to finish her sentence because she is told to “wait”, “be patient”, or “you can’t speak to Auto Zone right now”.

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  • Difficulty reading other people's body language - She has made it her mission to study body language to learn what people are feeling. But happiness is still easiest to read, so one of her favorite things to do is tell jokes to make people laugh. And then she will ask why that joke was or wasn’t funny. She has even started making up jokes of her own. It has been incredible watching her turn this symptom into one of her most likeable strengths.

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  • Advanced language skills for her age - A few short months after my original blog post, Aly learned to read. At 3.5 years old. Reading anything you put in front of her. No; she had not “memorized” every book and greeting card in every store there is. She was truly reading. And it astonished everyone she met.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

 

  • Talking a lot about certain topics with which she has a preoccupation - She still obsesses over certain subjects. Currently, it is Star Wars and anything science-related (bugs, plants, light and optics, etc). Oh. And she REALLY likes pink.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

 

  • Verbalizing internal thoughts - She doesn’t verbalize her internal thoughts in the same way as she used to. Instead of a verbal stream-of-consciousness, she will just blurt out what she is thinking, even if she is interrupting a completely different conversation:
    • “Hi, Miss Leah, how are you?” “Good, thanks! How was--“ Aly: “I was a turtle before!” (referring to pretend play she had been doing that morning)

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  • Hypersensitivity to lights, textures, taste, noises, and other stimuli  - When I wrote my first blog post, her hypersensitivity to certain stimuli was just beginning to emerge. She is still sensitive to loud noises, although she has learned to just cover her ears and she is ok. She also doesn’t like to wash her hands with warm water, bathe in cold water, or eat warm food.

Copyright: Jecca Lynn Photography

 

My Muse – Leading Me to Become Spectrum Inspired

My amazing girl has inspired me to capture moments as they happen, for our own family as well as for my clients. We were blessed to move into a new home with room for a studio so that I can continue to photograph posed newborns and first-year milestone sessions because I LOVE them, but family sessions receive a documentary-style approach. I have always been a fan of this style and follow many photographers with similar artistry. During our journey over the last 2 years, I found the group Spectrum Inspired, which is an organization that connects families who have been touched by Autism with photographers to do free lifestyle/documentary style photo sessions for them.

I became obsessed with this group and promised myself that one day I would work up the courage to apply to be a photographer. At the end of 2017, I finally did it and was accepted!  

I am so excited to be able to give back to my local community in such a profound way. Images of my kiddo being herself are (obviously) near and dear to my heart and I know other families will cherish them the same way.

Incidentally, if you are a family that has been affected by Autism, you can apply to be considered for a free Spectrum Inspired session.

Filling out the application will give the organization information to help them get to know your family. Once accepted, you will be put in contact with a local SI photographer to discuss the details of your session.

About Spectrum Inspired

The SI blog – see examples of sessions 

Apply for a Session 

Join the tribe – Facebook Group for Families 

 


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