Another week gone by...

Well we have conquered yet another week of school. Greyson is still running out of sorts but has been able to spend some time with Ms Kathy in his room. She is there to help him as well as the other kids and the teacher. She will be an asset in that she gets him and his behaviors and can help reel him in if need be. I feel there may be some triggers there that we have yet to pick up on that are causing his walking and avoidance of his work. I spoke with his therapist who will be coordinating a visit to his school to observe and see if we can pick out what might be triggering his avoidance to do the things he should be doing. In the mean time I just monitor things and try to help Greyson keep from having a full meltdown as best I can. Dealing with him has always been a delicate balance of pushing him and knowing when to back off or let it go per say. You can never push too much or it will result in complete shut down. I was having huge heart burn about this for the last few weeks but now it seems not such a big deal. I have no idea how to explain that something that seemed all consuming of me just lifted. It's like somehow I just know it is all going to be fine. It is what it is. Some will get it and him, some won't. He is still a great guy and a great kid. Just an 8 year old struggling to make sense or things. His friendships and relationships in general run very deep once he bonds and he can be totally devastated by the least little thing. We all get that to a degree, he just has to work harder for those relationships so it makes things much more intense for him. That creates some problematic issues at times but he will learn to work through it. It still can be heartbreaking for me to see his struggles unfold in front of me at times. Plight of a mother huh? Not one on this planet doesn't understand that. His birthday is coming up too. November 20th he will be 9 years old. Time sure flies. All I can say is I could have NEVER been given a greater blessing than him. Helping him sometimes consumes me, other times it just happens as we go along. Right now...we roll along day to day. My job as far as I am concerned is to see he is learning and challenged while not being riddled with anxiety. Not just academically, but overall. My biggest concerns don't lie there in his academics anyway, but in his dealing with the world at hand and learning how to navigate it successfully. He is soooo funny and so attached to Michele and me. That scares me sometimes but we are his navigators and he is well aware of that. Detachment from us seems slow if at all but it is going to be crucial to his survival. It will come, as all other things have, in his time. My good friend gave me the book, 'All Cats have Aspergers'. I have to laugh because Aspies are soooo cat like. I totally get that. I even told his therapist about it and he laughed. He totally gets it too. He deals with other kids like Greyson and he said he soooo sees it over the group. I guess they are his little group of kittens. :) I assume the people that may find cats annoying may view Greyson, and children like him, that way too. Well...maybe he can help those folks find a place for cats in their hearts as well. If anybody can he can. As Dr. Tony Attwood said, "Cats are just dogs with Aspergers". Tony Attwood is a world renowned expert on Aspergers out of Australia. He travels the world speaking at conferences and seminars on the subject. i had the pleasure to see him in Columbia this summer and he is phenomenal. I have several of his books that I use as references when things crop up. I am always looking for the best and most effective ways to handle our challenges and he seems to have the best suggestions/answers to almost anything Greyson throws our way. Thank goodness for the doctors and scientists like Dr. Attwood who have spent countless years seeking to understand Aspergers and who help us make sense of the world Aspies live in each and every day. Without these things we would truly be lost.

Well, today is Saturday and we hope to have some family fun before Michele and I head out to a party later tonight. Outside to play and expend energy if the weather holds up. Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for stopping by our world.