Son Rise

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"Little boy blue,
Come blow your horn,
Come tell the world
What you learned that morn'.
And so the child with lowered gaze
the clay in his hands made to twist and bend
speaks softly so one must lean in:
'My in-home therapy has come to an end.'"

When the decision was first made known to him, he seemed to accept it as happily as we had. He had been performing at 95-100% consistently, tops in patience, compassion, understanding, participation- basically he was behaving like any other little boy you might run into on the street. He was being the poster child of, "He doesn't look like he has autsim". Behaviors have always told, though. The next day and for the last week and a half his behavior swung nearly 180. He began backsliding and it was troubling at first- we were bamboozled (sorry, I just like that word). Definitely confused and honestly, a bit scared. His services had already been approved to be discontinued, and insurance being what it is we knew it would be at least a year for more in home to be approved again. Finally, it clicked: his troubles had begun 4 years ago when the trauma of losing those closest to him in a 6 month period had triggered his behaviors.

Here and now he was facing the loss of a new and favorite person: the in home therapist. She has been amazing, to say the least. She came in prepared to take on any challenge, adapting to his needs, and finally began breaking ground through play therapy as she earned his trust. HIPAA laws being what they are, we won't be able to maintain a relationship with her. It makes all of us very sad. To say this woman is tribe is no exaggeration. We all sat together and talked this out with him, assuring him that nothing in life is ever really permanent. Just because people have to grow and leave doesn't mean that they are gone forever. Couldn't he see that now with his oldest sister, who talks to him frequently on messenger, and his father, who he gets to see every other weekend?

Just as suddenly as he had begun to panic, he's come back around. The brave little boy blue has returned to my side and we work together as smoothly as before. The affection is back, he's stopped cussing, he's not "pretending" to flip the bird, and the spastic repetition of phrases has ceased. He only needed to know he was being heard. 

So, ladies and gentlemen, we joyfully announce the end of his in home therapy. He is being stepped down to monthly in-office appointments and homeschool continues to flow from day to day with the end goal of returning to school so I can return as well and finally get a career. For now I know where my heart lies and I am content. There is a peace that has not been in our home in, oh, ever? Well- as much peace as two budding teens will allow. 

He's aware that I have been sharing our stories. Now that our family has reached a level of "normal", all blog posts will focus simply on daily life or thoughts that might have some kind of relevance, or maybe a story one of the kids wants to share. 

We've got this. With everyone's love and support we have survived, sometimes barely, other times spectacularly, the last four years. We are ready for our next chapter. This one has come to a close. 


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