More Breakthroughs

Well...the day has FINALLY come....Carson is potty-trained!!!

For those of you who may not know much about Autism, you may be thinking well he is six years old and should be potty-trained. With Autism comes Sensory Integration Dysfunction. This means that Carson's sensory system does not work the same as yours or mine. This is why it is hard for him to be in small areas with large amounts of people....everything is much louder to him. This is also why he is much rougher than the average child because he needs that strong input to feel the way we feel a normal touch...he loves big strong hugs. These are just a couple of examples. The reason it took so long for Carson to learn how to use the toilet is because he couldn't feel the sensation of having to go the same way you or I do. By the time, he feels it, it's too late. But not ANYMORE! Our biggest hope this summer was to get him potty-trained and it happened! Now...for another goal! We are so proud of him. I have to attribute it to the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy along with the million supplements he is on for his digestive system. I'm so thankful that God has led us to this biomedical path and specifically to Dr. McKenzie.

So many changes are happening...I just sit back and listen to the conversations between he and Griffin and am amazed at how far his language has come. They play so well together (of course, they fight like crazy too but I think that is normal.) I think having Griffin around everyday all day really helps him with the socialization piece. It's not as easy with other children because they are not our own so we really have to watch certain actions/reactions because we know what might set him off.

He is such a trooper. His summer schedule is a little crazy but he just rolls with it.

Monday - HBOT, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Horseback Riding Therapy
Tuesday - HBOT
Wednesday - HBOT, Art Therapy, Music Therapy
Thursday - HBOT, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy
Friday - A DAY OFF!!!

Along with having to take a vitamin or some time of supplement about every 20 minutes, he attends all of the therapies above. Thankfully, he's just become accustomed to this schedule for now and doesn't give too many complaints.

It's a bummer because it seems as though the summer has come and is almost gone and there hasn't been much time for fun...but there will be a lot of years of fun to come. The bottom line is that our little man is getting better and better and there is no feeling in the world that compares to the joy that we feel when we see these improvements.

I have to give credit where credit is due. The team of people involved in his recovery never cease to amaze me...Ms. Liz, his therapists at TLC, Dr. McKenzie, Ms. O and Ms. A during the school year, Stacy at LifeHorse, Ms. Tessa, Ms. Rebecca and Ms. Yuri at FAR, his grandparents, his siblings, his aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts and uncles, his friends and neighbors, and most of all his mother, who works her a$$ off to make all these appointments, therapies, etc. happen. I am so grateful for for each and every one of you and I am so grateful that Carson is getting better.

There's even more to come...thanks for reading....