Just a few updates...

First off, Jerry is off the Vyvanse.  One possible side effect was increased irritability and boy was that ugly!  There were tantrums, screaming until he was hoarse and horrible rage episodes that sometimes resulted in a sibling getting punched!  Not pretty!  Anyway, Dr. Rao said to take him off and, when we saw him yesterday, he started him on Concerta, 27 mgs. per day.  We'll see!  I was a little aprehensive to try anything new for fear of new side effects, but we're giving it a go.  On the sad and shocking side of things, Dr. Rao is retiring and closing his private practice in two months.    So the hunt is on for a new child psychiatrist who can take over Jerry's treatment.  I hate the fact that we'll have to go through the whole new patient re-evaluation process again (and a little nervous about it too), but God saw this coming and I trust He'll guide us to who needs to be Jerry's next doctor.

We also went to the Walk Now for Autism 2009 walk kickoff party this past week.  It was nice to be in a room full of other families whose children who were "misbehaving" or acting out and not have everyone stare, give the evil eye, look at you with pity, or even acknowledge that anything was different!

On the speech front, Jerry still has to go three times a week.    YUCK!  We don't have to wait until next year's evaluation to change that and, at any time, can move down to twice a week if Miss Ramos feels he's ready.  He's doing much better and even has a habit of correcting the other kids in speech when they mispronounce a word.  He's great one-on-one, but still struggles in conversation.  I have made him a hundred chart and we're stopping him everytime he says a word incorrectly now and making him say it right.  When he does say a word right or corrects himself, we check off a block on the hundred chart.  Still working on what reward he'll receive once he reaches one hundred.  I'm sure the process of correcting him 73 times a day will get old and frustrating for both him and us, but it will be worth it!!  We're so used to the way he talks and can understand him so well, we have gotten lazy.

A new and fun hobby for Jerry is jumping endlessly on a pogo stick, sweat running down his face.  Miss Kim lent us one with a trainer bottom for ease, but Jerry jumped it to death in just one day.  Pieces literally fell off the bottom and then the spring popped out!  We're gonna replace it ASAP!

Finally, our new educational building at church is complete and we're officially moving in tomorrow.  On a "warm my mother's heart" note, Kim had the idea of painting colored squares around the classroom name plaques outside each door so that Jerry (and other pre-readers) could easily find their classroom.  "Go to the blue room, Jerry!"  Have I mentioned before how blessed we are to have such a wonderful support system in our friends and church family!