happy being trevy

If you’re anti behavior blocking and die hard teaching the behavior you want to see instead… then you’ll probably wanna stop reading this post.  Right about now . Seriously. Just click away from the page. Because I’m about to drive you bonkers!  And if you keep reading, and then feel compelled to correct educate me in the comments section…you’ll drive ME bonkers!  That’s my fair warning that this entire post will be singing the “block the behavior” praises of my newest special needs mommy gear love – The Nickel Bed Tent ! Hear my pom poms flapping?!  I just LOVE this thing! See, after our last Topomax decrease, it was like Trevy stepped out of the fog.  With each decrease prior, we’d seen speech growth.  But suddenly he was discovering and trying (way too many) new things! Life with Trevy is a unique balance and when the balance tips everything goes to pot until we regain our footing. A couple of the m...

    Visual schedules are a pain in the boot, if you ask me.       but     They really do work for Trevy.  He really responds to full communication.  So we use a morning schedule to help remind him of what’s happening and/or going to happen.  Not that he’s always happy about it, mind you.      Like the other day when he was absolutely refusing to brush his teeth.  I pointed at his handy dandy picture schedule and reminded him that it was indeed time to brush teeth.  He gave me the stink eye and proceeded to rip the “brush teeth” card off and shove it into the all done pocket.      He was totally thinking, Take that!     I laughed and told him nice try.  Now get over here and brush those teeth!     I was too busy to find the card and put it back up.  It stayed blank for several days.  Until I found it replaced by…       ...

    Trevy’s right sided weakness is so subtle that to the untrained eye it’s practically invisible.     It’s easy to miss how after a couple two footed frog hops his right side moves a smidge more slowly and doesn’t get as much air.  Or how his right foot ever so slightly starts to drag a bit while he’s running.  The toes of his right shoes show the scuffing though.  I need to take pictures as evidence!  You know…for the doubters.  Or to place on the table during IEP meetings.      Anyway.  Mild or not…his right side is compromised.  He’s always had right sided weakness but after his surgery his right side was completely paralyzed.  We’ve encouraged him to work hard (most times against his will) to help his healthy right brain rewire all those functions the left should control.  In a perfect world, he’d be plugged into an intensive outpatient PT program.  And for a while we were.  But ala...