Just keep waiting, waiting, waiting...

The last two weeks have had their share of ups and downs, but things are moving forward.

Miller is getting used to going to school 4 days a week and has been making progress in all areas.

Last week we had our much anticipated appointment at Seattle Children's Autism Clinic. Turns out it wasn't the testing appointment, but a qualifying interview for Miller to make sure that he would benefit from services. He passed, so back on another waiting list (at least this one is only 2-3 months!) to receive his ADOS exam. In the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), a doctor and child psychologist assess Miller's strengths and weaknesses in communication, social interaction and imaginative use of materials through play. Children's Clinic will also be our "middle man" when we are done with Kindering. Now to wait for another phone call.

Something that keeps popping up in conversation when I'm talking to other parents and Miller's educators is routines and schedules. This opens up a whole new can of worms for me. Growing up, I never had a real routine or schedule and things were done by the "seat of our pants." As a parents, Terry and I really don't have a schedule for Miller as both of us work full time, and things could change at any minute. However, we are starting to see the benefits of a small bit of structure. This last week, I worked on getting a "bedtime routine" going for Miller, because that seems to be a difficult point for us. Difficult in the fact that Miller is a night owl like Terry and myself. This was never really an issue before Miller started going to school, and even now we have worked around it somehow. By the end of the week, I had Miller going to bed at 9:30pm every night! I took some time to pay attention to his natural sleepy cues before I bombarded him with demands. I noticed that if he eats dinner, plays a little, takes a bath, has some warm milk, and we turn out the light, he will be asleep in less than 10 minutes. I was so proud of myself for sticking to this plan and following through. I had attempted bedtime before, but it always ended up in crying. Miller seems to enjoy a nice, full night's sleep as well!