The perfect child

Yesterday I watched Jordan more than normal. Mainly because I have started him back on the vegan EPA/DHA and lowered the dosage of inulin he has been taking to ½ a teaspoon. I have read too many times that this could be the reason for some of the reactions we are seeing from him. So with the decrease in inulin, I am also giving him one pill of the omega 3 every three days.

So far what I have noticed in him is a decrease in the vocal stimming. He has been very quiet for the past few days with the exception of some stimming when dad comes home or when excited. He was very hyper his first day back at school after his second suspension (yep there was another), and at the movie theater when I finally took him after he asked me to "go outside to movies". However, yesterday evening we got to playing around with his dad. He wanted to "get him", or hit him more than one time which is normally not like him. It was obvious that he wanted to keep playing while his father and I were over it. Jordan then proceeds to pull blankets from me and even throw one on me. My first thought was the changes I made in his supplements weren't doing what I need them to do. But as usual, when it's time for me to go get in the bed for the night, God spoke to me.

I personally try to treat Jordan as I would any of my other children. Try not to single him out because of his disability. I talk to him as I would talk to them all. But there are some things that I just can't do to, with and for him that I do the others because he has Autism. He has a special diet, I brush his teeth because of poor muscle tone, and I put lotion on him because he just does not pay much attention when doing the task. There are many more things but I think you get the idea.

As much as I want him to be typical and treat him as such, the reality of it is he is not. He can't "shut things off" like we do. When it's time to stop playing and become serious, he just can't do it. He also can't express this to me. So when I am playing with him, and I am ready to stop, he may want to keep going. Because I'm not meeting his needs and he can't tell me that he wants to keep playing with his words, he continues to play physically. I used to look at it as defiance but I realize that it's the way he is wired. This is not because he is taking to much medicine or because he is having a problem with red meat, it's because he is a child with Autism. He can not tell me everything he may want or need to tell me. And I am expecting him to just shut down as I can. How selfish of me.

Proverbs 9:10 NLT, "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment."

So while I was ready to not cook him the beef that I bought him to see how he would take to it, I have now realized that I need to be on his terms. When we are playing and I'm ready to stop, I have to give him warning beforehand that we are going to do this a few more times so he can understand that it's time to stop. I have to remember that he can be irritated by something just like everyone else and he will react how he sees fit. While he is very aware of what he wants, he does not have the ability to control a lot of his actions because of his delay and not being able to communicate properly. No matter the dosage of whatever it is I give him, he is going to react to the good and the bad the only way he knows how. Now it's time for me to adjust and allow him to be him.