Jonah's Journey

A voice for Jonah

On Monday I met with the social worker at Jonah's school to talk about the hard time I had with Jonah last week, to ask about things I could do when he throws a tantrum. She told me I did everything right, restraining him in the car seat when things got really hairy so he couldn't hurt himself or anyone else. She also assured me that a lot of it is just normal developmental stuff -- and that Jonah is going through two developmental stages at once, which is really hard. He's in school full time at an early age, and they have expectations and demands that he feels free of when he's home with me. Home is a safe place where he can test limits and whatnot, she said, which made me feel if not better, at least relieved that it is a "stage" just like other kids go through.

I mean, sometimes I tend to assign everything he does to the autism. The social worker assured me that in many ways, Jonah is developing normally. She thinks he has a fantastic sense of humor and is also a smart, loving boy with a strong sense of self/ego, something many autistic kids do not have. She lent me two books: Psychosocial Development of Children by Irene M. Josselyn, M.D. & Developmentally Based Psychotherapy by Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D. They are heady books, not exactly Psych 101. Maybe she thinks I've got a psych background. But I will read them and get out of them what I can, and then I'll pretend I understood everything!

I told her that I think Jonah is ready for a PECS book at home -- I think it will give him a voice, especially when we are not home. So they (already!) made me a PECS book (little pictures velcroed to strips -- cheese doodles, car ride, playground, cookie, video, etc). and sent it home with Jonah yesterday. (These people are good!) Last night he chose "cheese doodles" and "pudding" from the book and handed me the pictures to request the food. It was awesome...almost like talking to him! Gladly I gave him what he asked for. They say if you don't want him to have something, just don't put it in the book. So we'll go easy on the pictures of soda and chocolate!

I'm running out of time, have to eat something and go get him at school, the little monkey boo....




"Whenever I'm caught between two evils, I take the one I've never tried."
         ~ Mae West (1892 - 1980)

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