A Breakthrough!

I just received a call from the speech therapist at Austin's school and was blown away by what she had to tell me. I understand some reading this will think I am nuts for being excited by this but is a huge milestone in our lives for Austin. Learning and working with him makes us look at things a little differently than what is normal so unless you live it you probably wouldn't understand. This is in regards to the pooping issues I mentioned last week (see blog post below). I have prayed that Austin, the school, and us would find a way to make him comfortable using the restroom anywhere and in a manner that was suitable (i.e. not standing on the potty or getting naked). I can't have him coming home all the time to do this and disrupt school and I understand they can't have him naked for safety reasons, etc. Well, this morning he was in the bathroom a long time. He previously told me that going at school was not going to be an issue because he would make himself go at home at night or in the morning. Today, he must have not been successful before heading off to school.

The speech therapist proceeded to tell me that while she was absent last week she was at a conference and had the opportunity to hear Temple Grandin speak. (wow I would have love to have done that, the woman is awesome. Here is a link if you don't know who I am talking about. Long story short she is an adult with autism that speaks out and explains how autistic kids see things, very much awesome) www.templegrandin.com Anyway, the ST did not know of Austin's problems last week at school until first thing this morning. During Temple's speech she talking about potty training and how she never had the issues but has had the opportunity to speak with many children on the autism spectrum and when they have grown and been able to talk about it they discussed the issues as to why it was harder for them to potty train. She further explained that we (as in normal functioning people) process things through the auditory part of the brain and can hear what needs to be done and do it. However, children with autism process things visually and don't understand what they can't see. (lightbulb: Austin has to watch his poops come out therefore the squatting so he can see it, being naked so he can squat) So for them it is a scary thing when you can't see what is happening down under. So, after hearing this and returning to school and receiving the emails about Austin's episode last week she shared what she learned with her co-workers and they were working on a plan for Austin when.... drumroll please he was delivered to her office by one of the para's in his room. Of course, he was holding his stomach!!! Okay, I just have to ask God is that you?

ST explained to Austin that he really needed to try and go at school even though he wanted to come home to go. She explained that she really needed him to try and sit on the potty because he could slip and fall if he stood on it and get really hurt. Then she told him that they would get him a stool for his feet and that he needed to try and leave his clothes on at school because that wasn't safe either as he really was with a bunch of strangers. She showed him how to roll up his shirt under his arms and told him when he went to the bathroom to pull his pants down as far as they go to his shoes but don't take them off. The para took him in and put the stool down. Austin was able to have his knees propped up high enough he could still visually look and low and behold he went to the potty, just a little bit but something! YAHOO! I know this might sound ridiculous but this is great and a huge milestone. They told me they would continue to take him to the nurse's office to go do his business when it is necessary until he became comfortable enough to do it in the stalls by himself. (relief for me)

They made a big deal about it at school and he received a happy stick in the classroom and he was able to go back to the ST office and pick a prize and they made a big deal about it. He was also told he was going to get a happy phone call home from the ST and a happy email from Ms. Buren. They said he was very excited. I hope this is the start of getting some type of normalcy in this area. Have to run and go get a prize for him when he gets home (he works very well on the reward system). I know just what I will get!