Pampered Chef Michelle

I've written often about my son Keon and his inability to self regulate
because of his autism. It's something we have worked really hard on helping
him learn. Things like recognizing when he is full, tired, has to go to the
bathroom. While I haven't put too many limits on him, I do have to tell him
things like, "Keon, you've only been up for an hour and a half and you have
had a bowl of cereal, 3 eggs with cheese, a bagel, a cup of juice, an apple,
and a slice of cheese. I think your tummy may be full. Come back in 20
minutes and if you are hungry, then we will look into something else to
eat." He doesn't recognize "I'm so full I'm about to puke." (And he has.)
We've had to the the same with sleeping "Sweetie, you look exhausted and you
know you will be up at the crack of dawn. It's after 8:00 and you want to
get a good night's sleep so you will be fresh in the morning." He has an
agreed upon bedtime of 8:05 (and yes, the :05 part is very important - and
he is usually out by 8:07). And the same thing with pooing (I'll save you
that conversation LOL!) Lately I've been sort of testing the waters to see
if he has made any progress and it seems he has to some degree. Twice this
past week he has said that he is full after eating what one would consider a
normal size portion. He has only had one poo accident in 10 days (someone
knock some wood for me) and while I haven't been reminding him about his
bedtime I've noticed that around 8:15 he is heading off to bed on his own.
In fact last night I had a meeting to go to and didn't get home until 9:00
or so. I figured he would still be up, but he was not. I asked Mary Elayne
what time he went to bed and she said, "Must have been before 8 because
(some tv show) was on. He said he was tired and needed to go to sleep."

I can't tell you how exciting this is!!! It's that small little
breakthrough that I've been hoping for for him. He has made some tremendous
leaps lately in some areas that have previously made him seem younger than
he is. It's hard on him because he is a very tall and heavy child for his
age (almost 8 and he is closing the gap on my 5' quickly) so people
automatically assume he is older but then he says something and it is like
talking to a 4 or 5 year old unless you are talking about one of his
interest areas and then he seems like some sort of savant. I just know that
one day he is going to be able to make decisions for himself, self-regulate
and be as free as his sisters. He isn't aware of the difference, so it
hasn't been an issue of, "Well, Emily gets to stay up as late as she wants
and eat whatever and whenever she wants."

For those of you that are doubting that your child can learn to
self-regulate and become in tune with their own bodies, know that they CAN
and WILL if you help them. For some children it is going to take more
assistance from parents and for other children it is going to mean taking
hands off completely. I've had both in my home and I've seen it work. It's
taken us 3 years to get this far with Keon, so if it doesn't work for you in
a week, a month or even a year, know that it *will* eventually. Help your
child and trust your child.

--
Michelle
Independent Kitchen Consultant #413652
The Pampered Chef
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Ask me how you can save 60% on some of our most favorite products!


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>>I can't tell you how exciting this is!!! It's that small little
breakthrough that I've been hoping for for him.>>

WooHoo Keon! And woohoo Michelle for helping him get there.

--
~Mary
http://zenmommasgarden.blogspot.com/

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Pampered Chef Michelle" <pamperedmichelle@...>