In my last post I shared some of the things I wish I had known about autism. Today I want to revisit those bullet points and share our own son’s progress.

To see where we started in our autism journey, you can read this post. I felt like there was an enormous gap between where that post ended and where this one is beginning, so I have created a post for those in-between moments. I share what school was like for Koby in kindergarten all the way through sixth grade, how he handled moving to a new school district, what school is like for him now, and what life skills he has mastered over the years. It will be posted this week.

Sleep
Koby is in bed by 9 o’clock each night and wakes up on his own each morning. He goes to bed without being prompted to do so and is completely independent when it comes to his nighttime routine. When he wakes up the next morning, the first thing he does is make his bed.

Toileting
Koby hasn’t had any issues with toileting in several years. What was once one of our biggest struggles is now a distant memory.

Eating
Koby still doesn’t eat vegetables or any fruit other than apples, but his willingness to try new things has improved significantly. He loves tacos, spaghetti, pizza, and chicken tenders with barbecue sauce. He loves water, milk, and takes a vitamin daily. He drinks nutritional supplements to ensure his body is getting some sort of nourishment. He is very responsible and takes his vitamin on his own each morning as a part of his morning routine. When he was a year old, he was on Lactaid milk and with his stomach issues, I was certain he was lactose intolerant or had some sort of food allergy. Fortunately, his symptoms subsided and we haven’t had any reason to have him tested for any allergies. He drinks regular milk and loves everything dairy. Cheese and ice cream are two of his favorite things.

Bathing
Koby showers daily without having to be asked. In the past I would have to use a first and then visual to get him to bathe so once he started to enjoy showers, it was a victory worth celebrating! He lays out each item of clothing on his bed very neatly and then he will take a shower. He gets out and wraps his towel around his waist, brushes his teeth, uses mouthwash, puts on his clothes and deodorant, then brushes his hair.

Going in Public
Overall, Koby loves going in public. He loves to go shopping and out to eat, but if we go somewhere that might be too loud or somewhere crowded (like Kylan’s sporting events) he gets anxious. He will ask if he can go off on his own and he will pace back and forth to self regulate. However, he doesn’t shut down anymore. Thanks to amazing people who have worked with him the past several years (teachers, therapists, etc.) he is able to successfully self-regulate and work through big feelings without any additional tools.

Appointments
He doesn’t have many appointments anymore because therapy is a service provided by the school, so he is seen during school hours. Other than his regular dentist cleanings and his yearly physical with his primary care physician, he doesn’t have any appointments. IEP meetings are very relaxed where I work for the school system and I’m familiar, and in frequent contact, with his teacher(s) throughout the year.

Education
Big changes happened this year. Koby is now going to regular classes all day long, whereas last school year he went between two teachers whose classrooms were side by side in a secluded hallway. The class size was small and he was with special education teachers. This year he has six classes that are on three different levels of the building and teachers who aren’t certified in special education. For such a big change, he has been doing great. I’m excited to see how he grows this school year.

I understand that our experience with autism may not relate to anyone else’s experience. However, I recently read a study about the change in severity of autism symptoms and optimal outcome as a child ages. That particular study found that nearly 30% of young children have less severe autism symptoms as they age. Regardless of how accurate that study is or how severe someone on the spectrum may be, there’s so much you can do as a parent or guardian to ensure that your child has the happiest, healthiest future possible. At the end of the day, that is the most important thing. I will be sharing some of the things we’ve done, products we’ve used, and many other resources that we feel has helped our son thrive in an upcoming post. Stay tuned!