So Impressed

Cole's new Nursery School teachers sent Cole an email today (to our accounts) to tell him how much they fun they had yesterday, and how much they enjoyed having him in their class. 

They also included a couple of pictures of his first day.

Isn't that wonderful?!

First Day of Nursery School

Today was Cole's first day of Nursery School by himself.  Of course he was convinced that Mommy, Daddy and Kendall were all going with him, even though I explained to him all week that he would be going by himself.  I don't think he finally realized he was going solo until I got him buckled in his carseat and the one next to him was empty.  Fortunately he was so excited to be going we avoided a meltdown, and were on our way.  Removal of his coat, hat and a change of the shoes, and he took off to play on his own. 

2 hours later Dave picked him up.  His teachers reported that he was very social and played cars with a boy named Liam.  He did not eat snack, or do his craft but that's not at all surprising (Cole's has yet to grab on to any concept as to why one would do something artistic). I had an hour and a half of pure quiet while Kendall had her nap.  A pretty good first day had by all!

You Can Lead a Horse to Water ...

... but if Kendall gets a glimpse of it, she'll jump right in!!

We've quickly learned that Kendall (16 months) LOVES the water.  We've known most of her life how excited she always gets about bathtime.  This summer while on vacation, we visited a zoo which also had a splash park.  Kendall spotted the pool from across the neighbouring playground and she eagerly gestured for us to take her there.  She then spent the next hour and a half letting us walk her around the circumference of the pool.  She loved the feel of the water, every spash and wave and the loads of shreiking children didn't phase her one bit.  As you can guess Cole didn't want to come with in 20 meters of the place.



Lion Ride by the Lake



Last night we decided to take the kids for a walk down by the lake.  We neglected to check if our Sit and Stand stroller was in the back, and sure enough we found no stroller when we arrived.  Cole enjoyed following the path and trying to get me to run like all those highly dedicated individuals that jogged passed us (he was rather unsuccessful!).  Kendall however, caugh a glimpse of the water and B-lined it straight the steep rocky edge of the parkway.  After many foiled attempts on her part, we conceeded to having to carry her (note to self - next time check trunk for stroller before leaving house).  Near the end of our stroll we came to a section of rocky beac.  We thought maybe Kendall would be more contented by going down to the shoreline to inspect the waves.  We were wrong.  A mere glimpse of the water lapping on the ground wouldn't satisfy her.  She struggled in Dave's arms while attempting to jump right in.

So I think we'll be looking to enroll her in some swimming classes this year.  For now Kendall will have to be content to limit he plunges to the tub.

Our Family Goes to Nursery School

Today was family orientation day at Cole's new preschool.  If you read my previous post on Global delays you will remember that Daycare was a recommended for Cole by the Developmental Pediatrician.  Being in a Nursery school should be beneficial for his speech and social skills.  After 2 to 3 months Cole will be evaluated in this setting, and then he should receive further diagnosis.

Cole attended our church's Vacation Bible Camp (Pandamania) back in July and he had a blast!  He did really, really well with transitioning with the schedule, the leaders and the other kids.  We knew then, even before his evaluation, that something like Nursery School may be really great for Cole.

Before we started having kids, Dave and I agreed that it would be awesome if I could stay at home with our children, at least until they were in full-time school.  I love and have volunteered with Preschoolers after all, and I didn't see the point in paying someone to watch my kids and teach them things I could do on my own.  So looking at Nursery Schools isn't something I thought I'd ever be doing.  However, parenthood never goes as planned, and I never thought I'd have a child who may likely have Autism either.

Since Cole's appointment with CDC wasn't until the beginning of August, quickly followed by a week of holidays out of town, we were left quickly looking for a Daycare, in a new city, only a couple of weeks before the Fall programs started.  Fortunately (to make a long story short) we ended up with 2 choices literally down the road from us. 

The first choice has a great reputation, is 3 days a week in the mornings.  It has a maximum of 16 kids and was full when we enquired.  We were put on a waiting list but were informed of an opening the same day we went to visit ... Option Number 2:  is located in the Christian School and is 2 days a week.  They had an opening in one of their 2 morning classes but there afternoon class was only half full.  Really both options looked great, and Cole seemed comfortable in both settings and I'm sure would be thrilled with either.  Both had also worked with Community Living; the organization that will work with the Preschool to address Cole needs due to his delays.  So after much prayerful thought we chose Option Number 2.  We felt 2 days a week may be enough on top of any other therapy sessions Cole may have (eg. speech, OT, PT, Infant Dev.) and we felt the communication between the parents and the teachers was excellent.  Something really important when your child has delays in communication, and you may not hear anything about his day from him.  Also the smaller class size (9) seemed beneficial and would mean some extra one on one time for him.

So today our whole family attended the Nursery school.  We had been talking it up for a few days and Cole was super excited!  He remembered the building as soon as we pulled up saying "Nursery School".  We were only there for an hour to hand in our registration forms and meet the other kids and parents.  Next week he'll attend just one day with half his class, and then the next week and following he'll go Tuesday and Thursday afternoons regularly.  He seems to have a great class with a great bunch of friendly kids.  Kendall was the only sibling there, but you almost didn't know it because she was right in there like a dirty shirt playing with the toys, and bringing the teachers dress up shoes to wear (she's much cuter than a dog who fetches slippers).  Nursery school is looking like a very positive experience.  I'm glad we can change our perception on things. 

Potty Training Pride

Cole still isn't potty trained.  I started getting him familiar with potty time around 16 months.  The boy loves books, and so I would sit him on the potty 3 to 4 times a day and literally read for hours.  He would go, but it never really registered with him ... and he would want to continue reading.

2 years later its obvious from Cole's various delays that starting this early was doomed to fail.  If potty training has potential for struggle - Autism is a major obstacle leading to potential potty training war. 

Until recently Cole wasn't physically ready (bladder control, self dressing, etc.) or mentally ready.  A child who can't tell their parent if they're hot, cold, sore, afraid, or hungry is definitely not able to communicate the urges of their bladder.

Cole has made huge strides over the spring and summer.  His speech has come a long way and we are getting a glimpse into his desires feelings and preferences.  Over the past few months Cole has been able to accomplish some huge milestones with some huge pushing on our part.  These are things most kids do naturally but we have learned not to take for granted.  Since the winter Cole has learned to take off his own shoes when he enters the house, take off his own shirt and pants, drink from a regular cup (not a sippy), and take bites from a sandwich (previously cut into bite-sized pieces).  All these were skills we wanted Cole to accomplish before "the big one" ... potty training.

So now that he has made these huge strides it was time to address the elephant in the room. 

Potty training in a weekend was just not going to happen for us.  Once Cole is content in a routine it takes a while to break it.  Wearing diapers has been a lifetime routine ... this was going to be tough slugging.

We are now in our 3rd week.  The routine is simple.  When we're hanging out at home Cole wears underwear.  Diapers are still worn at night and for going out in public and occasionally for nap time.  We're casual about it and there is a lot of praise and encouragement.  When Cole goes on the potty he gets a "potty present" (a.k.a. my old Happy meal Toy collection).  Having a small training potty in the room in front of his eyes seems to be more successful than having to remember to get to the bathroom and the extra steps of climbing onto a stool.

Cole has been exceeding our expectations.  In the last 2 days he's only had 2 accidents.  He still rarely tells us he needs to go, and he isn't able to take himself to his potty.  But he's willing to sit on his potty if we think he needs to go (he walks on his tip toes).  He's figured out the reward system after a couple of weeks.  That's a big accomplishment in itself.  He still asks for Mickey Mouse (a diaper) but that usually means he really does need to go, even if he denies it.  He still would rather go in a diaper, but he's become comfortable going on the potty for the most part instead of holding things in at all costs like he did when we began.

So sparing you any more details, I just had to brag about my little man.  He still has a long way to go, but he has made HUGE steps and we're very proud.

Global Delays

You may remember from a previous post that Cole was due for a multidisciplinary preschool team assessment with the Child Development Centre's Preschool Team back on August 2nd.  This appointment was and is a big deal for us because it would be the first time we would actually get an official Medical assessment and initial diagnosis for Cole's various identified delays.

The appointment went very well as Cole was having a good day.  Of course at these types of appointments I'm never sure whether having a good day is an asset, or, whether it would be better for others to truly see him at his worst.  I think after seeing the written report of our appointment, it probably didn't matter since the Pediatrician was clearly observant of what was atypical behaviour no matter what the degree it was presented.

The team seeing Cole that day was made up of a Developmental Pediatrician, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist.  Here is what the Pediatrician had to say in summary about Cole:

Cole is a 3 year, 4 month old child referred for a developmental assessment.  Based on assessment today, his fine motor skills/visual motor skills were at a 27 month old level while his gross motor and problem solving skills were around a 30 month old level.  On the other had, Cole was certainly ahead with his letters, numbers, colours and shapes.  Based on our assessment today, Cole has a diagnosis of global developmental delay (language, cognitive, fine motor).  I suspect that he scored lower than what his true potential is in terms of his Cognitive Adaptive Test since most of the tasked involved visual motor skills.

From history, Cole has a number of atypical features in terms of his language development, communication, play skills and poor joint attention.  On the social communication questionnaire filled by mom he had a score of 21, which is significant.  I suspect that Cole does have autism spectrum disorder but have not made a formal diagnosis at the present time since I need more information around his social skills.  I suggested to the family that Cole be placed in a formal daycare setting for his social and overall development.

Diagnosis: Global developmental delay

The Pediatrician has recommended that Cole be referred for speech and language assessment as well as to a social worker for paper work and funding.  She has also recommended daycare for Cole as she had mentioned above.  After 2 or 3 months of being enrolled in daycare she would once again like to review Cole in order to make a better diagnosis about his social skills with the input of his teachers.

So indeed, it is likely that Cole does have autism.  But for now he has been diagnosed with Global Delays.  This primary diagnosis enables us to be approved for any programs and/or funding that may be available to help him with his needs.

So where do we go from here?  Step One:  Put Cole in childcare!  Stay tuned for a whole other post on this topic.

Playing Ketchup

Its been about a month since my last post.  There has definitely not been a lacking of stuff to blog about ... It's simply just been too busy.  Any extra down time I've had has been me taking a break from all the stuff floating around in my head.  There have been a lot of decisions and stuff to process through, plus 2 weeks of vacation.  So I'm attempting this week to play catch up on the blogging front.  There's just to much do say in one post, so I'll be chopping things up in their own little chunks.  Bear with me and please keep reading.  Who doesn't like Ketchup ... right?!