Replenished Hope

I had a phone appointment with the Thoughtful House last Friday and they were really trying to get an idea of where Brian is now so we could start a couple new interventions before our visit in February.

The doctor really wanted to know what behaviors I was concerned about so that we could try to address them.

And I'm still in shock about this, but I could not think of what to say.

Okay, so Brian isn't cured, he sure as hell still has autism, he still flaps, he still isn't interacting or communicating typically, he still gets really upset when the routine is off, he is even still having a teeny bit of trouble with his bowel movements, he still has some obsessive compulsive traits.

Despite all of that, he is steadily improving.  Since coming home in September from the Thoughtful House it has just been a steady increase of everything good- eye contact, attention span, less rigidity in routines, language, disposition, sleep- oh thank god, sleep!

Nothing has become worse, nothing new has popped up, and every area I was concerned about in the beginning has seen some sort of progress, no matter how minuscule it may seem to others.

Some of this I could maybe contribute to him growing older but a huge chunk of it I have to think is thanks to the interventions the Thoughtful House prescribed us this past fall.  We have never had this long of a period of steady (slow but steady) progression.  And to think that I agonized over the decision of travelling there....it was seriously the best decision I made in 2010, the best decision I have made since his diagnosis.

Yes, we have a long way to go and there are a ton of things I hope that change for him.  But my hope has been replenished- and that's good for all of us.