Good Luck Ty

Today is Wednesday! Today the behaviorist doesn't arrive until 12:00pm (usual time is 10:00am).

Sarah is out of school early today 1:30pm - an hour early for conference week.

Brian has to pick up Sarah from school and bring her home and the girls both have dentists appt. today at 4:00pm so Daddy has to come home early to watch Ty. (We are not able to leave him with anyone else- it's either myself or Brian always supervising- it's just not safe for him or someone else when his behavior is so unpredictable!

So lots of things going on, I have "planned" (we'll see how this goes) for Ty and I to do an activity in the kitchen.

We are going to make crepes- fun huh!!!

I gave him a little information yesterday about this idea, he seemed to be willing yesterday- so I"m hoping today goes "as planned"...

you just never know. But what fun- crepes- but with all the different events of the day, happening all within 3 1/2 hours of each other (that maybe not be that big of a deal to some of us, but to Ty- 4 different transitions, so close together

well, let's just say I better be prepared for things to "not go as planned"

That is a lot of challenges, a lot of transitions, a lot of demands that will require him to access his ability to cope, control and simply regulate himself (or at least attempt to) to get through this 3 1/2 hour window.

When you look at the world through "his eyes", the world changes. The world becomes a faster, noisier, bright (as if you are always looking directly at the sun kind of bright, where you just can't stand it)

You don't know what's coming next, you know the feeling you get when you are inside an haunted house during Halloween.

Where every step you take, there is something jumping out at you, or something trying to touch you, a new noise, a new scream that startled you, not ever knowing what's going to come next as you approach the next corner.

This is a perfect analogy of what his world is like to him.

Some days are better than others of course.... it all depends on his ability to regulate enough to meet the demands being thrown his way.

But at any given moment, the demands and challenges "he perceives" to experience, can instantly jump him right into fight or flight and it's all over. No reasoning, no rational thought, no understanding, no ability to cope with this increase in demands.

His body says "get the hell out of there- or you better put up the fight of your life!!!"

End of story-

So who knows what will go as planned, what will challenge him beyond what he can handle, or despite the increase in challenges, he is able to "cope and move forward!"

Wouldn't that be nice.

And as they say in the Disney show "Good luck Charlie" (which is our nightly family show we all enjoy watching before bedtime

"Good Luck Ty!: