Lizzie.........It's all about me!

Oh How Life Has Changed

2010-12-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

When I am having a bad day, I pull up this blog and watch old videos to remind myself how far Lizzie has come. This week, she will turn 8 years old. 8 YEARS OLD!!! Wow. We have been at this for 6 whole years now.

When Lizzie was first diagnosed just days after her 2nd birthday, she had no functional language, no social interaction and stimmed all day long. My heart was broken and her future was uncertain.

At one point along the way, I felt God telling me, "There is no better life". Having a child that graduates from Harvard is no better than having a child in a group home. True fulfillment in life only comes from finding where He wants us to be and working to show others His love through our actions and words.

Today, Lizzie's future seems bright, and I have learned to appreciate and take joy in the little blessings along the way. We are thankful that she is animated and excited about life. She enjoys school, her family and the actiivites that each day brings.

I pray for all the autism moms, that no matter how far our children progress in this life, that we are able to learn to live in the now and find joy in our life as it is. Autism is a hard, hard life. We do more in one long day and a sleepless night than most do in a week. But, when it comes down to it, it is up to us. The rewards are great if we choose to accept them.

2nd Grade Cheer

2010-10-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post this because I love it so much. Lizzie was so pumped about the 2nd grade cheer for the assembly she did with her class. I would hear her practicing in the mornings in her room. Too cute!

Lizzie Talks about the Future

2010-09-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

In this video, Lizzie is 7 1/2 years old. She loves to chat about everything from marriage to kids to what she will be when she grows up.

2010-05-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

My Proudest Moment

2010-04-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Today was Special Needs Sunday at our church, Stonebriar Community Church. Lizzie was asked to sing by herself in front of the whole congregation (1,000+ people)! Words cannot explain wonderful she did and how emotional this was for us. She has come so far. It is truly amazing that she is able to handle all the details that surround getting up in front of the whole church and belting out her song from her heart! We are so thankful for all the support of our family, friends, therapists and teachers that have gotten her this far. They say it takes a village, and it really has with Lizzie.

Best Friends!

2010-04-15T04:26:00.001-07:00

Words cannot express how thankful we are for Natalie! Natalie is such a sweet friend to Lizzie and they do everything together.

Talent Show

2009-12-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, It takes a lot to top "Student of the Month", but I think Lizzie did it! She wanted to sing a Cinderella song, so we picked the Cinderella Dream song from the beginning of the movie. She practiced almost every day for weeks, and even had many rehearsals in front of family. She was so excited to sing, and couldn't wait to get up in front of everyone! She just loves the attention and really did a great job. I think it will take plastic surgery to remove the smile from my face!

Student of the Month!

2009-10-26T08:22:00.001-07:00

We were so proud of Lizzie that she was chosen as the Student of the Month. She did a great job at the assembly too.

Interviews with Lizzie

2009-09-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Lizzie was in a talkative mood about a month ago, so I couldn't help picking up the video camera and just chatting with her. She loved this, and she couldn't wait to watch herself on video.

Her conversational skills have improved so much this past summer. I have been enjoying having short little conversations with her every day. It is so neat that she is showing a real interest in others and willing to "just chat" with us.

Below is a video from April '09. You can see the difference in her ability to have a conversation in just 5 months! I am so thrilled with her increased desire to talk to me and the ability to answer questions more quickly.

Pink Limousine!

2009-08-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

When Andy was in kindergarten and Lizzie was 3 years old, I remember looking across the street at the school. The pink Sweet and Sassy limo would pull up. All the little girls were jumping up and down with excitement as they got in the limo to be whisked away to celebrate their friend's birthday.

It made me sad for so many reasons. I was sad because I had already missed out on so much of what the experience of having a girl was. I was sad because I did not know if Lizzie would ever have even one friend or if she would ever get invited to birthday parties. I was sad because we just had no idea what the future held for Lizzie.

We have been so thankful that Lizzie has progressed so well over the last few years. Lizzie has a little friend, Olivia, that she just adores. Well, the invitation came in the mail, and Lizzie was off in that pink limo celebrating Olivia's birthday.

I know it is strange for me, as a mom, to be so excited about this, but this "pink limo" represents so many of the hopes and dreams I have for Lizzie. It is a huge milestone!!! It is amazing to think that Lizzie is only 6 years old and she has a friend. She is going to a participating in a party! There is no stopping her now!

Autism File Photo Shoot

2009-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

We had the most incredible time doing our own Autism File Shoot. Autism File called all autism mothers to unite in groups of six to demonstrate how we are strong and are 'Delivering Where Governments Have Failed'. I have relied on each of these amazing women (Tammy, Laura, MariAnn, Archana and Nagla) for support on this journey with Lizzie. I am so thankful for the amazing amount of knowledge each of these women have!!!

A huge thank you to HALEY B PHOTOGRAPHY!!! www.haleybphotography.com Haley did an amazing job taking our pics! Thank you Haley!

Lizzie at VBS 2009

2009-06-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

I cannot express in words how proud of Lizzie I am. I was her "shadow" at VBS this week, and she did so great! This was the first year that she was actually interested in doing all the activities. It was amazing to stand there and watch her do the motions, sing the songs and enjoy it just like all the other kids!

Video: 6 Years Old - "Get back in bed!"

2009-04-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Lizzie loves it when Andrew and Noah get in trouble. She is a constant tattle-tale, and in play, she realized that she can get them in trouble over and over and over again. She loves me to play dollhouse with her, and finds more and more ways to get the boys in trouble.

Who's to say what's "appropriate" anyway?!

2009-04-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

I could not help starting to dream of Lizzie's future profession as a Park Ranger ever since we went camping last weekend. As I watched her in the wilderness, she just seemed to fit. It was like, this was just where she belonged.

There are so many things that make Lizzie a bit strange here in the suburbs or what we all call "real life". Many behaviors Lizzie exhibits are labeled as inappropriate by most professionals. I realized that if I place her in the right setting, her behavior is completely appropriate and even productive.

Lizzie can been seen many times throughout the week, walking around the outside of our house collecting sticks and leaves. I see this and try to encourage her to make "stick soup". I know that's just my need to make her fit into what I consider to be purposeful play. Although, let's be honest, I don't know how many people that are really gonna sit down and eat stick soup. Out there in the wilderness, this desire to pick up sticks is simply called collecting firewood.

Lizzie loves to climb. I often think that she looks around the room, finds the highest possible place and puts together a plan to get herself there. People might find it strange that the kitchen counters are sometimes her dinner table or that we allow Lizzie to sit on the top of the couch to watch TV. Yes, I will admit. Her behavior does seem odd. But, while camping, this desire to climb is even esteemed as the extreme sport, mountain climbing.

Lizzie loves to throw rocks into the water. Each time we pass the little creek in our neighborhood, we have to stop and throw rocks in the water. She could do this for hours. Most would think that it is not normal to do this for such a long period of time. Afterall, there are so many more important, more productive activities we could be doing. But, when camping, "skipping rocks" is considered one of the most favorite past times! I think we could all do this for hours!

Why do we have to be so productive all the time anyway? What's wrong with collecting sticks, climbing and throwing rocks and just enjoying the earth that God provided for us? What if I lived in the woods, and I was constantly trying to shop at the non-existent mall, research on my non-existent computer, and go to the non-existent movies. I think I might look a little strange too. Maybe Lizzie isn't as different as she is just in the wrong setting? Surely everyone is not made for the hustle and bustle of the life of the suburbs. With the constant over-scheduling of activities, maybe our kids with autism are just made for a more simple life. A simple life that is probably more "appropriate" than the crazy lives of constant motion that most of us are living.

Video - 6 years old: What animal do I have?

2009-04-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Lizzie struggles with coming up with her own original thoughts. In an effort for her to at some point initiate and have a meaningful conversations with others, we work on this in a way that gently prompts her to come up with her own ideas instead of telling her to , "say _____". Not only had Lizzie become adverse to being told what to say, but she also wasn't learning to think for herself. I had to learn to wait a little longer for Lizzie's response. You'll see that it takes Lizzie much longer than the normal response time to process what is being asked of her and come up with something to say. It does feel awkward to wait so long, but it is always worth it when she gives a response that is her own.

Video - 6 years old: Ladybug

2009-04-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

Cristina is working on turn-taking in conversation and maintaining a topic of conversation. You can tell by looking at Lizzie that she is not all that interested in talking about ladybugs, especially towards the end. Cristina does a good job of continuing to ask questions and softly prompting Lizzie to answer by taping her foot, saying her name or giving her an expectant look with her eyes and expectant sound with her voice. Since Lizzie is such a visual child, it really helps her to discuss topics if she is able look at the pictures in a book.

Video: 6 Years Old - Lizzie is Reading!

2009-03-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had some family over last night, and Lizzie was so excited! She ran and grabbed her newest book Go Dog Go, and wanted to show everyone how she could read. Lizzie started reading to us over the Christmas break and continues to enjoy it every day. We are absolutely thrilled that she learned to read in her kindergarten year! This is only the second or third time Lizzie has read this book, and she does a great job of both sounding out and remembering the words.

Video: 6 Years Old - Unstructured Play

2009-03-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

In this video, Lizzie has her friends, Lillie and Natalie, over to play. Cristina facilitates the play date. Lizzie is doing a better and better job of staying with and playing with her friends in an unstructured environment. In my opinion, this is where the true deficit of a person with autism is the most obvious. They either lack the desire to be with others and/or just don't know what to do with them once they are with others. It is our hope and prayer that Lizzie will eventually be indistinguishable from her peers even in unstructured environments.

Video: 6 Years Old - Monster - ahhh!

2009-03-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

In this video from 02/09, Cristina is working with Lizzie on tolerating her bringing a new idea in play, engaging in play by using Cristina's ideas, building bridges between Cristina's ideas and hers and expanding play by bringing a new idea related to play that is connected to Cristina's idea. All that to say, she is really starting to do a great job with these concepts, and it is so much fun to see these things finally clicking for her!

Video: 6 Years Old - Planning Ahead

2009-03-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Lizzie is engaging in more complex plannig ahead. This used to be extremely hard for her and when we started we had to work on one immediate future action at a time. She is able to plan ahead a whole scene here and stick to her plan in this video. Planning ahead is an extremely important organizational skill that takes so much time to teach. If you look back at the video posted on 12/1/2006, you will see Lizzie when this skill was first introduced. We started out with such simple things like saying, "I am going to touch your nose." We would then touch her nose. Amazing how far she has come. We are so thankful!

Video: 6 Years Old - Pretend Play

2009-03-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

This first video is from when Lizzie was 3 1/2 years old in June of 2006. At this time, Lizzie had never had much interest in playing the way a typical child would play. It was sad to realize that she didn't know how to play with toys. She especially didn't understand pretend play. You will see in this video, Allison is working on pretend play. Lizzie doesn't enjoy this, and the only way that she is willing to do this is if the thing she really wants to do is withheld from her, and then once she has completed the "task", she regains access to it.

The video below was taken in 02/09. You will see how far Lizzie has come with her play! She LOVES to pretend play with her dollhouse. In fact, she now spends hours playing each day. The play in itself is reinforcing and fun for her. This took years of therapy to achieve, and we are so thankful that Lizzie is able to engage with others in pretend play. The give and take required in pretend play transfers into life in so many ways. Such a difference!!! Yeah!

Video: 6 years old - The Mommy Role

2009-03-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

The above videos are from October 2008. In the first video, Cristina introduces a new target of getting Lizzie to give instructions in play. You will see how she struggles to give instructions and Cristina then gives her choices and questions to prompt her. In the second video, Lizzie is able to assume the mommy role for a short time.

The next video, taken in February 2009, shows how Lizzie does a much better job assuming the mommy role for a longer time period and giving more instructions.

VIDEO: Almost 6 years old - I want MY mommy!

2009-02-28T22:06:00.000-08:00

In this video taken in October 2008, Cristina is working on variability of play and choices. Lizzie is the baby animal and she is trying to find her mommy. Lizzie has a specific animal that she thinks should be the mommy, and once Lizzie decides how something should be, she has trouble changing that plan without getting upset. She does a great job not melting down, and finally accepts Cristina's animal as her mommy.

This type of play becomes so applicable in the real world. Just this past week, Lizzie started to get extremely anxious because they were moving the trash cans to a different location in the cafeteria. By working with Lizzie to accept changes in her plan in play, we are equipping her to handle the unplanned changes that occur in everyday life.

VIDEO: Almost 6 years old- Playdate

2008-12-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful that each week Lizzie does a play date with two friends from school. This week it was Natalie and Olivia. The girls do some structured activities like one shown in the video with Cristina, and some unstructured play as well. Lizzie loves for her friends to come over. She gets very, very excited and always greets them with a big hug. Once they are over though, she isn't quite sure what to do with them. This is why we have a therapist help with the play date. Each time Lizzie is talking and playing more and more with her friends. Our hope is that someday, she will be able to do this without support.

Video: Almost 6 years old - More Obnoxious Play

2008-12-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

Of course I missed the best part of their play. Before I got the camera, they had actually opened the window and started taking turns throwing things to each other out the window. I love that they came up with this together and that they were discussing what they were throwing out the window the whole time.

Video: Almost 6 Years Old - Obnoxious Play

2008-12-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

I kept missing opportunity after opportunity to video Lizzie playing with her brothers. They play all the time. She genuinely loves them and will stay and play with them as long as they are doing something that is fun for her. Most of the time this involves what I call "obnoxious play". They are all running around screaming and getting into trouble together. They somehow know that they shouldn't be able to do these things in a normal house and that just makes it even more fun. Since they have a mother that is more worried about her daughter forming relationships, they get away with pretty much anything as long as they are all engaged.

I love that Lizzie has become such a tattle tale. She LOVES it when her brothers get in trouble and is quick to point out anything that they shouldn't be doing.

Video: Almost 6 years old - "Sit down!" Game

2008-11-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

I shared about this in an earlier post, but let me share again because we got it on video! Yeah! I think this is maybe the fourth or fifth time we played this that day.

On Thanksgiving day, we had reached the part of the evening when everyone was just sitting around on the couch chatting and watching the end of the Cowboy game. Lizzie had kinda been wandering in and out of the room same as the other kids. I guess she was tired of all the sitting around because she stood in front of the couch and said, "I have an idea!" We all looked at her like, "okay"?!!! "Everyone stand up!" she says. We all stood up like obedient little school kids. She then goes on to explain that she was thinking of a number. "I choose number 5!" she exclaims. She then starts to count off, and each times someone is number 5, she tells them to "sit down!" The last person still up is the winner. It was so cool because she came up with the idea (not sure what class at school she learned it in), saw an opportunity, and then clearly and pleasantly instructed the group on what to do. It was really amazing. So amazing that we played it like 10 times throughout the night! I was so thankful that everyone was able to see how far Lizzie has come!

Thanksgiving Video

2008-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Lizzie was featured in the Thanks-giving video for the Autism Spot. Check it out!
http://www.autismspot.com/videos/Giving-Thanks-2008

Miss February

2008-11-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that this picture of Lizzie taken by Jill Hornok made the 2009 National Autism Association Calendar.

This picture was taken when Lizzie was 4 years old. I love the colors and the depth of what this picture represents.

The link for the calendar is http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/products.php?cat=30

You know you have a child with autism when.............

2008-09-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

I was driving home from Bible study last night when I opened my phone to call a friend. Her number wasn't in my phone, but all of Lizzie's therapists were! I couldn't stop laughing, and that got me thinking. Here are some things that ring true in our family, and I am sure many others too.

You know you have a child with autism when….

....you open your phone book on your cell and see more therapists than friends.
....your child digests more calories from your medicine cabinet than she does from your pantry.
....you spend the time to tuck in 10 stuffed animals exactly right in their beds, so your child will actually consider getting in their own bed.
....your favorite actor is Jim Carrey and it is not because of his acting.
....you find yourself doing barrel rolls in public just to relate to your child.
....you apologize to a stranger at the pool for the first time for your child chucking all their belongings in the pool.
....you have to take over 100 pictures just to get 1 of your child actually looking at the camera.
....you put your child's favorite toy on top of their birthday cake to get them to sit at the table long enough for the guests to sing.
....when you carry around spoons and toy trees in your purse because you know they will occupy your child's time for hours if needed.
....you never, never consider getting the letters or puzzles out to play with without making sure to double and triple check that one of the pieces is not missing.
....you apologize to a stranger at the pool for the twentieth time for your child chucking all their belongings in the pool
....you only know your friends by their e-mail address.
....you are excited to spend your "play money" on thera-puddy and pencil grips.
....you allow your child to go to school in long pants and long sleeves in the summer and shorts and a tank top in the winter.
....your kids' bedtimes are determined by how much they are interacting.
....a chew toy becomes a fashionable accessory.
....you live your life in 2 hour increments.
....you are encouraging your husband to look up Jenny McCarthy online.
....you would donate a kidney to hear an unprompted "I love you".
....you don't have the brain power to make a grocery list.
....you know that one accidental lick of a lollipop means the whole family will be up all night.
....you exceeded your login time and have to re-login from spending too much time doing online research.
....you loose your faith in doctors, law-makers and the "system" in a matter of months.
....you introduce your child to someone knowing they could really care less.
....you apologize to a stranger at the pool for the fortieth time for your child chucking all their belongings in the pool
....you want to hurry up and go to Disney World before your child appears too “normal” to take advantage of the disability pass and not wait in any lines.
....your monthly therapy bill is four times as big as your mortgage.
....you wonder why your child will lick a metal pole covered in dirt, but can't tolerate a grape on her plate at dinner.
....gluten and casein are the devil.
....you wish your husband would leave the flowers at the florist and show his love by researching a new treatment.
....you find that there is a warrior inside yourself after all.
....you can't leave the play area at the mall until you have screened each of the kids for red flags.
….you leave the pool because you are tired of apologizing.
....you just know everything will be better in two years.

Lizzie's First Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

I got great reports all around for Lizzie today. After not wanting to get dressed, she turned her day around and got really excited! She kept yelling, "Hi Crossing Guard!" at the crossing guard and was thrilled to see that all her "friends" decided to come to school with her today. Cristina, Lizzie's home consultant, went in for an hour and couldn't believe how great Lizzie was doing. It really helped that her teacher was the same as last year. Lizzie followed directions well and transitioned well. Your prayers were definately felt today! It seems that a little girl in her class has taken to her and called her "the pretty girl". I knew there was a reason I dressed her so cute! Whatever it takes, right? I think they had a few little issues, but for the most part, she did way better than expected.

Lizzie was upset when she saw me when I picked her up(I expected this), and cried in her bed for about 15 minutes when she got home. After she got it out of her system, she set up all her dollhouses and played kindergarten. She even had the mommy dog say goodbye to the little dog and then at school sang the calendar song (although somehow Saturday comes after Tuesday in this song....hmmm) and went to gym. I was so excited when I asked her if she went to the library, and she said, "No. I went to gym!" We have been working on recalling past events for so long without tons of success. I usually have to pry info out of her and give her two options to choose from. I couldn't believe that she answered so readily and with acurate info too! She had so much energy that she wanted to go swimming, so we packed up and headed to the pool. Tonight she had trouble going to sleep because she was so excited to go back to kindergarten. I am just so excited that all went well. I know we have a long road until she really does good in kindergarten, but this is just the greatest start!

Lizzie Update

2008-08-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just had to brag a little more about how great Lizzie is doing since today is the end of a huge chapter in our lives. Lizzie's early intervention is over, and tomorrow she starts kindergarten. Although I am fighting back the tears for so many reasons, I know that she is as ready as she could possibly be. There are so many great things she has done even just this weekend that I don't even know where to begin!

We have learned that Lizzie is a seasonal kid. She seems to go into a funk in the winter and spring and thrives in the summer and fall with smaller fluctuations all year long. Right now she is more aware of the world around her than ever, and even more important than that, she is excited to be a part of it! I have loved these last few weeks of watching her play with her brothers and initiate interaction with all of us. Even Grandma and Grandpa are getting big hugs these days. I don't ever want it to end!

We have been working on writing this summer and yesterday out of the blue, she came to me and handed me a paper with the words "Joe" written on it in beautiful handwriting! I knew where this came from since she had just watched Blues Clues, and I figured that they must have spelled it on the show. Then, one after the other she started writing words and bringing them to me. I could hear her in the other room sounding them out and I was so proud of her! The list included cat, stop, tom and sory (jerry), Noah, Joe (again!), Lizzie, jump, jet, sun, pig, big, joe (again!), stop (again!), Dad, and Mom. I could hardly believe it!

We also went to cousin Sam's b-day party at Pump-It-Up yesterday. I usually get there late because she throws a fit that she can't run right in and play. But, we got there and they were STILL watching the instructional video (seriously, do they think anyone is really listening to it?!!!). Instead of throwing her normal fit, she walks right over and sits down with the kids and watches the video. Then she lines up with the kids, gets her stamp with the kids and waits patiently (but not without complaining) to go in. Once in, she did great. She asked me to slide with her, tried new things, and even asked permission to get a drink from the water fountain instead of doing without telling me. Next they had a structured game. Usually a disaster, but this time she recognizes (without prompting!) that they are putting something together, goes over to the group, walks to the front to get her number as they are numbering off and has total desire to participate! With a little help, she did play the game and actually seemed to enjoy it.

After a very rough start to the summer, Lizzie is now doing the best she has ever done. I am so proud of how hard she works each day. I am beyond grateful for each person that has invested in her life and the lives of our family. Please pray that Lizzie will be able to handle the new environment, many transitions, and long day tomorrow. Our ultimate goal is for her to have the ability to have meaningful relationships and be successful in a typical school environment. I will post another update on how things go later this week.

I hope you enjoy the pic of Lizzie in my wedding dress. This was the only princess dress that would fit mommy when we were playing princesses! :) She was so excited to see me in it and said, "Mommy! You get married!" Of course, I had to take her in the other room and show her Prince Greg. I am thankful that Lizzie's future is looking more and more like "happily ever after".

Horses Horses Horses!

2008-03-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

We have been so thankful that Lizzie gets to participate in a program called Horses 4 Hope. She absolutely loves getting to ride horses (while working on her sensory needs) once a week!

Our Little Gymnast

2008-02-21T11:19:00.001-08:00

We decided to try gymnastics, and Lizzie LOVES it. The first time was a bit of a disaster. I made her a social story for her 2nd time, and what a difference! Not only was she excited to go, but she stayed with her class and participated the whole time!

Autism Spot Videos

2007-12-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to share some about our experience with Lizzie on the Autismspot.com

Here are the links:

Our Experience
http://www.autismspot.com/videos/Diagnosis-GFCF-Nutrition-and-Early-Days

Combining Floortime and ABA
http://www.autismspot.com/videos/Combining-Floortime-and-ABA

Video: Almost 5 Years Old - Cooking with Andy

2007-11-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

In this video, you will see Andy and Lizzie playing really nicely together. Andy has always been wonderful at trying to play with Lizzie, but recently Lizzie has been really listening to him, joining in on his ideas and using them to create her own. You will also see her referencing him and what he is doing throughout the whole video. I would like to send this to the psychologist that told me referencing was not something that could be learned! Lizzie had NO referencing ability when she was about three years old, and just look at her now.

I know this is a little long but if you stick with it, it gets even better toward the end. They move from locatation to location playing together and Lizzie never looses engagement with Andy (except maybe one or two times for a few seconds).

This is purely spontaneous play. I just sit back and feel the pure joy of two of my children interacting together - only something a parent of a child with autism could understand.

Video: Almost 5 Yrs. - Working through a Tantrum

2007-11-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

This video shows Betsy working through a tantrum when Lizzie does not want to do the required activity. Betsy does a great job of staying calm and not backing down. She helps Lizzie through the tantrum by giving her the words to express her feelings, and giving her two choices that both end in the result Betsy wants. Sometimes the choice is "do you want to do it yourself or do you want me to help you?" and other times the choice is "do you want to do the bear crawl or crab crawl?" Lizzie watched this video, and the next time she saw Betsy, she asked to do the bear crawl. She did it perfectly. Most of the time, the tantrums have nothing to do with her ability and everything to do with her stubborness and lack of desire to do the activity. Taking control and not backing down once a request is made (even if the request isn't something important) helps us to keep control over her behavior because she she knows we will follow through.

Video: Almost 5 Years Old - "Reading" to Noah

2007-11-19T20:12:00.001-08:00

This video shows Lizzie "reading" a book to Noah before bed. I love how she has really taken on the big sister role with him. She "reads" to him, asks him questions and looks at him. It is very cute!!

Video: Almost 5 years old - Basketball with Noah

2007-11-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

Lizzie plays basketball with Noah. She initiates this play with him all on her own. I almost didn't put this one on here because she is kinda mean to him a few times, but then I realized that that is real life. She is really engaged with Noah, and they are having a lot of fun!

Video: Lizzie at almost 5 years old - Dollhouse

2007-11-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

This video shows Cristina playing with Lizzie. Keep in mind this is all spontaneous play. We do not teach play chains or script play. She is encouraged to keep the figures playing together and to come up with her own ideas. This video also shows Cristina working on Lizzie's rigidity. By having her work through problems that come up during play, she is learning to let go of the rigidity which so often controls kids with autism. 6 months ago if Lizzie would have had this same "seat belt problem", she would have lost it and it would have turned into a complete meltdown. We work everyday on making her more and more flexible because real life requires flexibility.

Video: Lizzie at almost 5 years old - Puppets

2007-10-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

The three little pigs is an activity that Lizzie would much rather act out all on her own. She gets her own little routine down and wants to stick with it. We work everyday to help her become more flexible, so others can join in on her play and she can tolerate it when they change things up. Allison does a great job of not allowing her to be rigid in her play by herself by giving Lizzie two options that both end in Lizzie sharing in play with Allison.

Video: Almost 5 Years Old - Froggy

2007-10-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Lizzie loves to act out scenes from movies and books. Angela is reading one of Lizzie's favorite books, "Froggie goes to Bed". Lizzie acts out the book with the girl and mommy in the dollhouse. When she is done, she decided the girl needs to have a birthday party. In the past, Lizzie used to just script (say the words to herself) from movies and books. Once she became engaged (through lots of Floortime play), we began to be able to use those scripts by turning them into interactive play.

Video: Almost 5 Years Old - Old McDonald

2007-10-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is Lizzie and me playing Old MacDonald. To appreciate this, you need to know that background. Even about a month ago, Lizzie would throw a complete fit if anyone even got near her animals. She had them all in a specific order, she wanted to sing it alone and she did not want to share the experience in any way. We worked on this, her rigidity with this activity is gone and now she is free to just enjoy play with me, and look how much fun we are having! :)

Great Drawing!

2007-10-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

I looked in the playroom to find Andy, Lizzie and Noah all sitting at the little table together. I went to see their drawings, and I could not believe what was in front of Lizzie. I asked her what she drew, and she said, "It's water!" Water it is! Water, a boat, two people and even a little fish! I could hardly control my excitement that Lizzie had drawn out such a complete thought. Usually we are lucky to get one object, and the fact that she did it all on her own (I confirmed this with Andy) while sitting together with her brothers just made my day! We immediately put it up on the refrigerator for all to admire!

Video: Lizzie at 4 years old!

2006-12-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this video! I still get chills as I watch Lizzie engage with me for more than a few seconds. It was so sweet to finally start having a real relationship with her where we were both enjoying each other. In the past, I think I had felt the connection for both of us. She just wanted me to get her needs met. I was so thankful we were on the right track! I think we had been doing Floortime like 4 months when this was taken. Wow! What a difference in just 4 months!

Video: Lizzie at 3 1/2 Years Old

2006-07-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

This was a video we took just before starting Floortime. I had read up on Floortime, and I am working very hard to engage Lizzie. She was unable to engage for more than a few seconds, and then she disconnects and wanders off on her own. You will see us playing red light, green light for a minute or so, and then I struggle for awhile to get her engaged. It is really important to follow her lead no matter what. After years of doing ABA, it was very hard for me to let go of my "agenda", and realize it is about engagement, not the activity. At the end I get her really engaged by being silly with the paint.

Video: Lizzie at 3 1/2 Years Old

2006-06-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

In this video you can see that Lizzie has learned some really good play skills. Although she can pretend with the phone, she is unable to include anyone else in her play. I began to really worry that all these skills meant nothing if she couldn't allow others to play with her. We began looking into different therapies that we hoped could help this deficit. We looked at PRT, RDI and decided on Floortime.

Video: Lizzie at 3 1/2 Years Old

2006-05-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

When I saw that Lizzie was starting to watch and be interested in Andy, I ran to get the video camera. This is the first time I can remember her even looking at him or caring that he was there. I was so excited to see them playing! It was so hard to have two kids so close in age that never played together. It broke my heart each time Andy tried to play wiht her, and she completely ignored him. This was the glimmer of hope that I needed.

Video: Lizzie at 3 1/4 Years Old

2006-03-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

In this video, you can see Lizzie is really sensory seeking. She is jumping up and down and grinding her teeth. Although it is an ongoing issue, OT (Occupational Therapy) has really helped Lizzie get these needs under control.

Everytime I watch this video, it makes me emotional, and I just realized why. Lizzie, for a split second, looks at the camera (at me!) and says "hello"! You can hear the pure joy in my voice because she willingly connected with me. This type of interaction was extremely rare even for a second. It is so difficult as a parent to not to feel connected with your child.

Video: Lizzie at 3 1/4 Years Old

2006-03-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

It is hard to watch this video because even though Lizzie had lots of language, she still would not use it unless she needed something. She had no interest in being with me.

Video: Lizzie at 3!

2005-12-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

You will see that in less than a year, Lizzie has acquired lots of language and the ability to do things on command - if she wanted! :) We were so proud of how much progress she had made in such a short time.

Video: Lizzie at 34 months.

2005-11-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

You can't see anything on this video, but you can hear how much language Lizzie has accquired. She is now able to answer simple, memorized questions, and she communicates her needs with one word. It was so nice for her to be able to tell us what she needed! This led to less tantrums, and a happier family all around.

Video: Lizzie at 27 months old.

2005-04-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

This video shows me and Andy trying to get Lizzie's attention and play with her. She is totally unaware of us.

Lizzie constantly seeks imput, so this rice tub was the perfect thing for her to immerse her body in. (Thanks Bianca!)

Video: Lizzie at 27 Months

2005-04-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

This video was taken soon after we started our intensive ABA program at home. We cleared out the guest room and made as functional of a therapy room as possible. Lizzie needed to be in a small, closed room, so you could keep Lizzie from drifting away from you. She had a way of avoiding us.

You will see Christy using something as simple as building blocks with Lizzie to work on her language. Once we started ABA, Lizzie pretty quickly began to be able to repeat words. In this situation, ABA works by withholding something Lizzie wants (the blocks), and then reinforcing with it after Lizzie repeats the word or completes the task. I was always so impressed how Christy could make a therapy that seemed so mean and cold, so warm and friendly. Christy turned ABA into play, and that made it a lot easier for me to send my little girl into that room.

At the end of the video, you will see Lizzie walk away and begin talking in jibberish to her hands. She did this most of the day when she was not in therapy. It is weird because so much has changed, but in a way, she still does some similar things. The "jibberish" has been replaced with real words memorized from videos and books. Most of the time she will use her figures or animals to act this out, but it is still a way for her to unwind after a session.

Video: Lizzie just over 2 years old!

2005-03-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

Lizzie jumps up and down and flaps her arms when she gets excited. I remember thinking this was so cute when she was younger. Little did I know that this is a major red flag. It is nice to see her so happy though. You gotta love bubbles!

Lizzie was Diagnosed at 2 Years Old

2005-01-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

A few days after Lizzie's 2nd birthday, she was diagnosed with moderate autism. We were told with intensive ABA (they recommended 40 hours a week!), speech and OT that there was hope for progress, and that she would hopefully move to the more mild end of the spectrum.

People always ask me when I knew something was different, and it is hard to say exactly when. With a family of extroverts, I was excited to finally have what I thought was just an introvert. Looking back at her baby album, I see comments that were red flags even as early as 4 months. For example, "It's so cute how Lizzie flaps her arms when she gets excited!" Or at 6 months, "Lizzie sits for hours just paging through books". At 9 months, she would crawl around after Andy, and it was like one day she just stopped looking up. She would run into walls, and we thought it was hilarious. At her 1st birthday party, I remember thinking that I knew she wouldn't enjoy all the people being there. By her 2nd birthday, I had to put a really cool teapot on her cake just to make her sit there for her birthday song. It has been really interesting to me to go back and listen to the unknowing comments that Greg and I made about Lizzie's behavior on the earlier videos.

By 18 months, we started her in speech with ECI. We began a more intensive program shortly after she was diagnosed.

Video: Lizzie at 23 Months

2004-12-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

This video was taken of Lizzie just before she turned 2. You can clearly she that she has no response when Greg tries to talk to her or get her attention even when he is very persistent. It is hard to remember exactly what would get her attention, but it would take either food, a video or a fun toy with lights. She had no interest in people. You will also notice her the screetching sounds she makes. At this time, Lizzie had no functional language. She would talk jibberish all day long, but would not say or repeat a word if asked to.

Video: Lizzie at 20 Months

2004-08-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

This is a video from our vacation to Destin when Lizzie was about 20 months old. Lizzie constantly flaps her arms. She keeps jumping off a ledge into shallow water, and has no understanding of danger. She also has no desire to listen to my warnings or even acknowledge that I am talking to her or standing near her. At the very beginning of the video, you will see me hold my hands out for her to jump to me, and she completely doesn't even acknowledge me. She jumps the other way.

I am not thrilled about being in a swimsuit on video. If I had known what I know now, I would have lost a few pounds! But, I felt this was a really important video to show. Ah - the sacrifices of a mother. Just keep your eyes on Lizzie, and we will all stay happy.