A Little Bit of Tweaking

I have been thinking lately that I should check in with some experts now that Zachary is in 2nd grade.  He was diagnosed with PDD-NOS when he was 2 1/2.  We got him into early intervention prschool and he was able to enter kindergarten without any IEP at all.  He has done very well in school so far academically and behaviorally.  He still struggles socially but sometimes I wonder if maybe that is the mommy in me wanting him to feel liked and accepted by his peers more than that it is something he needs.

I wonder this because I watch him, I have seen him.  He is a happy child.  He is happy and content to just sit and play by himself or work independently of others.  Just because I feel more comfortable if he were to have friends over for sleep overs or more playdates, doesn't mean that it is what he needs.  I think I have forced him into situations that he could have done without on a few occassions because I have forgotten that "normal" for Zach isn't "normal" for me or most of his peers.  That is okay.  I need to be okay with that.

There have been many times where I wish I could spend an hour in his brain.  There is so much going on there!  Because of the sensory issues that autism brings, I find myself wondering if as full as his brain is, it is no wonder the physical things overwhelm him at times.  I tucked him in bed the other night and I was trying to get him to give me a few highlights of his day.  He was talking in his head as I watched his eyes ALMOST reflect some of the adventures going on in there.  So close to seeing, but still so far.

I was looking up on the internet today to find some help with his reading comprehension.  His reading speed and accuracy is off the charts!  He scores through the roof every time.  However, I have noticed his reading comprehension slip slowly each semester and I think it is time to get him working on building that.  We are reading Charlotte's Web together right now.  I am so thankful for books that suck kids in.  He loves it and if I keep my eye on him to reel him back in when I see his mind start wandering, he is very good at retelling what I have read.  I just want to help him keep that concentration up while he is listening and learn how to help him do the same while he reads to himself.

I found this book on a website and after reading the table of contents got pretty excited about what may be in there for us to work through.  We are moving into the next phase of Zach's life and he has arrived here with a lot of hard work and effort that makes this mom so proud of him!  I know that as he faces some of the challenges ahead, I will be seeking to find the things he needs to prepare him.  Right now it is reading comprehension, tomorrow, who knows what it will be.  I am going to dig into the book and hopefully give a good report when I am done reading.

Thinking it would be nice to see what other books are out there right now, I typed in the search field "Austim" and up came 151 pages with multiple titles on each screen on all kinds of autism subjects!  Can you say OVERWHELMING?  I am so glad that God gives me concerns one at a time.  Today we are tackling comprehension and he gave me my "daily bread" to devour!