I cannot nor do I speak for Jacob's opinion but I will ask him and see if he wants to write a post about his views.
I have always believed in inclusion and teaching Jacob self-advocacy and life skills. At this point, he is almost 16 so many of the issues we face may not be due to his diagnoses but instead to just being a teenage boy.
After Jacob and I started the bedtime routine, he became more comfortable each and every night. If you are a member of Mendability, you can see in the videos I uploaded there to show his progress. If you watch the first video, you can see how hyper he is and this was around 11:00 p.m. as we had to wait for the birthday man to get there. I do not usually let him stay up that late but he really likes Ben so I allowed it that time. His hyperactivity and his inability to focus, inability to been in a discussion with anyone as he always has to interrupt. He will not sit down and is melting down because we had not lit the cake yet.
Now, if you look at the video I took of him this morning, you will see a dramatic change. I cannot remember the last time he looked so peaceful when he slept. Usually, he is very restless, ends up sideways or his head at the end of the bed. He also does not have any covers or sheets on his bed in the morning due to the restlessness.
I could not be any more impressed, excited, scared, happy, and terrified all at the same time. If you have had close relationships with those who have Autism, you will find that once you begin a new treatment and it seems to be working, you tend to go through a mixed bag of feelings.
Anyone else feel the same way???
Regards,
~ Holley Jacobs
