The twins are 4 now and had an awesome birthday party. About 23 of their friends came to celebrate with them and had a ton of fun!
So, what's new around here? Well, Christina's biomedical treatments are still in full effect. She had her last labs drawn about a week ago and I will know the results soon. We are simply looking for pieces to the puzzle so that we can put them together. I will say that she has dramatically changed since the last blog post. She is talking a lot more and communicating her needs/wants (she used to scream to communicate), her focus is much better, and her awareness has improved as well. There was a point where I wasn't sure Christina knew what I was saying to her. She wouldn't even acknowledge that anyone was speaking to her. I can now give her simple 2-3 step directions, and she follows them! I can also ask her a question and she responds in a way that I am certain she understands me. We also have a 24-hour EEG coming up on September 19th-20th to see if Christina's seizure activity is getting better. Crossing my fingers...
Christina is also doing simple math. She is going to be one of those people with Autism who is a number wizard. I didn't think too much of it, but at the park while climbing on the equipment, she counts 1,2,3,4,5...and then looks up and pauses. She then will pick up at 8,9, and end in 10 if there are 3 steps left. She wants everything to end in 10. So, she is able to do simple math in her head and knows which number to start back on... AMAZING if you ask me! Not only is she doing this at the park, but she is also doing this at home. She had lined up some toys yesterday, but there weren't 10 of them. She started her counting, got half way through and looked at the last one, and then started on a number that when she was done counting, ended in 10. How can she do this??? Her brain is wired differently, that's how. Where she is lacking in one area, she makes up for it a thousand times over in another. I can't wait to see what else she will do with numbers.
She has been spelling lately, too. People with Autism rely on things that are constant and don't change. That is why she is excelling way beyond her brother (and other typical kids for that matter) in these areas. Letters and numbers will always remain the same.I can't wait to see what else she has to show me. She is a smart little girl!
Andrew started school today at Christina's preschool as a typical/role model peer. I am very proud of that kid! He has been around Autism and the behaviors that come with it so he should be proud of himself as well for being chosen to help and be a role model for other children. I was also asked if he could be a role model for another boy with Autism at Christina's speech therapy. The goal is to get the two to play together and converse back and forth. Wow, I really do have two amazing kiddos! So proud of them both!
