December 31
Just a recap of December... although Luke was sick during most of it which accounts for some behavioural issues, along with the wheat and soy purging out of his system. His immune system is weak, so he doesn't have much fight and he seems a little pale. He's had a nagging dry cough that we appease with a teaspoon of honey. He has also reverted to his obsession with doors and lights, which is concerning. I am looking forward to seeing Dr. Wagstaff on January 31.

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We had a great team meeting with our BCs and BI, although the behavioural issues will need to be adddressed. Luke often "throws" things when he's bored or upset or just to basically annoy our wonderful BI... so we bought him a basketball net and ball for Christmas... hopefully we can channel some of that "need to throw". It's working a little. I've also requested that the BCs go to the kindergarten class and observe Luke's behaviour to see if they can advise or give new strategies to keep Luke more in line. We have also started a "reward" system, where if he behaves he gets a "star" and after getting 3 stars he gets a reward. He doesn't like it much, and is still addicted to instant gratification, so getting the delayed gratification concept makes no sense to him. We've also started teaching him about the "when" concept, starting with time of day (morning, afternoon and night), along with what we do on certain days of the week (Sundays - church; Thursday - gymnastics). And in order to encourage his writing and colouring (fine motor skills) he received all kinds of "paint markers" and "oil pastels" and "gel pens" which go more smoothly onto the paper. I still need to find some beanbags for him to throw, and some more Bible verses to memorize... on my "to do" list.

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A few things occurred that made me a little blue. We had our tour of the Chris Rose Centre in early December, and Luke behaved quite well while walking through the building; but when we got into the small office with 3 adults and two kids (L&J) Luke's behaviour was horrible... the worst I've ever seen. He actually sat in a chair and kicked me hard with his feet and purposely and quite a few times. He also took large beads and threw them around the room... all looking to me for reference for my reaction. AND he honked my nose really hard. Ms. W. (the woman who gave the tour) made Luke acknowledge that I was angry... he still kept up the attitude and I was honestly shocked by his actions. Even our BI was wondering what was going on? When we got in the car we discussed what happened. My intuition said it was not only a close-quarters in which he felt uncomfortable and perhaps "trapped" but also he was voicing an opinion about not wanting to go there. I recalled that one day after an unruly time at kindergarten I told him if he didn't behave I would have to send him to the Chris Rose Centre (which by the way is a wonderful place... people come from all over for their awesome services). I did not mean for it to sound like a threat as it's just a specialized place for only children with autism, but perhaps that was how he took it. Be very careful what you say in the heat of anger! This is of course only my assumption. I spoke with the BCs and together we're not sure if the CR Centre is the place for Luke, but he's on the waitlist so we can make our decision at a later time.

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A couple weeks later I took him to a piano teacher in town, and we got the same behaviour. He knows that I hate it when he touches people's noses and when we got into the small room he kept grabbing the BI's nose and looking at me defiantly. I left the room, but it was still obvious that he wasn't ready. I thought maybe because he loves music that he would be interested, but he wasn't. HOWEVER, just before we left he was touching the keyboard exactly how the instructor asked him to (when no one was paying attention to him), and he took in the information about black and white keys and low, middle and high notes. He may not have been happy, but he did learn something in the short time we were there. We also noticed that he wanted to stand in a corner, which I think made him feel safe. A lot of notes to self. Since then, I've decided to dust off the casio keyboard and teach him the basics myself. My mom is creating music and songs where the notes are different colours, and we'll colour code the keyboard so perhaps his love of colours will help him learn. We'll see. The piano teacher, btw, was really awesome and I totally appreciated his time and effort.

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On a positive note, we spent Christmas in Abbotsford and enjoyed great family time. Lots of fun and chasing and hiding under blankets and running around.... it was mentioned that Luke has progressed a lot since we last saw my sisters in October. He definitely opened presents (all while curled up on Aunt B.'s lap, but threw them to the side nonchalantly and without much interest. But hey, at least he's starting to grasp the concept. We also bought a Wii for Christmas and he will attempt some of the sports briefly... with a will and a want to try it. It will take time and patience, but we feel it will help him. He's great about watching tv now, and loves Max and Ruby. Our BI thinks he likes Max because Max doesn't talk much and does things his own way, and even though it seems like it will all go wrong, Max always saves the day... perhaps Luke sees a bit of himself in Max? :). New Years was spent at Mile High Resort once again and both boys were great. Luke doesn't like to go toboganning, but he's always up for a winter walk, and he liked feeding the bunnies, donkey and goat. He had a bit of an allergic reaction to the cats and dogs in the lodge, but nothing that a spoonful of benadryl didn't take care of. He even stayed up late to watch the "early kid's fireworks", but by then both boys were cranky and tired. He slept well, but the last night had constipation/cramps and was pretty miserable. Here's hoping for a new great year with lots of progress and learning!

Later that day.... I talked to the assistant and she is stoked about the positive reinforcers option as she was never a big fan of the timeout chair. Yay... we talked at length about new strategies and she's excited to implement some of them next school day.

ALSO, just picked up Joel from his playdate and we usually all go in and have coffee with S's mom and Luke, Joel and S play together. Today, I left Luke in the car and said I'd be right back. When I came back he seemed upset. I thanked him for being patient (thinking he was angry about having to wait in the car), but he said "I don't want to go home!" and I realized he was expecting to go in and play. I forgot to tell him we couldn't go in today because S's mom had an appointment and we weren't able to visit today. He cried and threw his mittens and hat on the floor (which we don't allow)... I finally calmed him down and asked him to forgive me. Whew. I am thrilled with his expression and communication! Way to go Luke!

AND... he asked "Where's daddy?" when I picked him up from kindergarten... I asked him back where is daddy? and he replied "at work"... and then I pushed it and said where does daddy work? and he answered "university!" wow, wow, wow!!!