A New Chapter

Hard to believe that we are back to school! I am happy to report that the boys successfully started the 3rd grade and that each made a good first impression. Trevor was very happy to get back to school and was super excited about seeing his friends. I don't ever remember being happy about going back to school...even at his age. Mark says that he was the same...so we are both thrilled about Trevor's love of school. Third grade is a big year and speaking of big...this school is very big! It hold grades 3-5 and consists of 950 students. Teachers (my former co-workers) have been very kind to Trevor at school. I have no doubt that Trevor will continue to do very well.  Trevor decided not to play Fall Travel baseball...he is looking forward to playing basketball in the winter. Although, I am not sure where they play basketball around here since none of the elementary schools have gymnasiums. Guess we will find out!

Darren started back as well and is having his best start ever. A new chapter has begun. We have entered the world of medication. I never thought that I would be writing about this. Mark and I up until this point saw no need for medicating Darren. He was healthy, happy, and doing the best that he could under all circumstances...but then the rainbow appeared. A couple of weeks ago we made an appointment at the Dan Marino Outpatient Center in Weston, Fl which was about an hour South from us. Of course, the draw was in the fact that Dan Marino also has a son with autism and has made create efforts to provide services to help other families with specials needs children. Click on the link for more information:

Dan Marino Center

I scheduled an appointment with a Neurologist (who specializes in Autism). I am not sure I knew what I was going there for. I have taken Darren to a Neurologist before...but was honestly not impressed with anything they had to say. Which is surprising to me because Autism is all about the brain....

Anyways...we all went together. All were curious and anxious to see the facility etc. We were not disappointed. The whole experience was a very positive one. We first met with a nurse practitioner that was very kind and did a wonderful job of listening as we explained "Darren" to her. We gave her a much information as possible in a relatively short period of time.  I felt very comfortable explaining all of the unique aspects of Darren. She shared information as well about testing options including an EEG, genetic testing, and thyroid testing that would provide a baseline of information for us. She asked about his school placement and we explained that Darren was in an accepting and loving environment....a school hand picked...literally. So after all of this was said....there was a moment that I felt myself asking "why are we here?" The answer was this: I have always wondered if Darren could just come down a notch...could/would he function better at school and at home. I didn't want a cure...I just want to provide him with all the tools to be the best Darren that he can be. The nurse left the room and returned with the Neurologist. He immediately interacted with Darren and took advantage of every moment to watch him carefully.  I was impressed and liked him right away. The nurse practitioner had done a thorough job of filling him in and we briefly continued our discussion. The most enlightening part was when I was explaining Darren's Visual Stims:....opening and closing doors, obsession with lines, spinning, etc. He listened and asked me this question...."Do you really think he WANTS to open and close the doors a million times a day?" I think my thoughts froze at that moment...it was an "a-ha" moment for sure. I honestly have never thought of it like that. I really felt like he "saw" Darren. He targeted his issues quickly and without judgement. He then recommended an ADHD medication called intuniv. It is a non-stimulant, time release medication that is given once a day to help with ADHD.  He recommended this due to Darren's non-stop movement and impulsive behaviors. He felt that it was a good choice for him and simply stated "either it will work or it won't".  He provided us with a sample started kit and we left there feeling good about all that we had heard and shared.

After a week of avoidance....Mark and I finally talked and texted (haha) each other about this issue. I think it kinda made sense to both of us and felt that maybe it was time to try something. We had been seeing an increase in his anxiety in the car....occasional aggressive outbursts....to summarize nicely...Darren can be a handful. So after what seemed like hours of googling intuniv....we agreed to try. It has almost been two weeks and I am excited to report that we are loving the results. Darren is calmer and less impulsive. He no longer is freaking out in the car and most importantly he had an amazing week at school. The principal even said..."We should name Darren the star student of Renaissance". It seems to me that the medicine has "brought him down a notch'" and for the first time Darren is seeing the world straight on...no longer in snapshots.  He is still in motion...but walking not bopping. He is more in the moment and not as controlled by the fast moving world around him. He is still Darren....but we are seeing some really positive changes. Please pray that these continue. This could be a big turn for Darren. For some reason I have always felt that I would have a good sense of Darren's long term abilities by the age of 10.  Something tells me this could have a great impact on that vision.

I started my year as well. I absolutely love being at RLC. Darren and I ride to school together and he hangs out in my room until school starts (Mark drives Trevor to school). I have 8 students and 3 assistants. I am putting a lot of pressure on my self to provide a learning environment that I know that I would want for my child. I am energized here...I love working with these kids and feel that I have so much to learn and lots of opportunities to creatively teach these kids functional life skills.  Mark continues to do well at Ruby Tuesdays...SO all are happy in Florida:) Much love to all.