Extra Special Boy

Suck It Up and Drive On! or The Acronym Party!

There's a saying in the Army world (and probably other military branches): Suck it up and drive on! What this means is that you take everything in stride and keep going.

After Zach's diagnosis, and the four or so hours of extreme sadness and the feeling of loss, we went home, hung out with the family, ate dinner, etc.

The next morning, I woke up on the phone! Not literally, but I started calling every place I could think of that might have a program or a class or something. I knew the best thing for Zach was to get him "intervention" as early as possible. Intervention is an odd word for Autism. It's like someone walking up and saying, "Hi, I'm here to completely rewire your personality!" That's not what they are doing, but it just seems that way to me.

My first call was to E.F.M.P. What this program involves is help, care, and learning opportunities for people with a special need. The needs can range from asthma (there are places a person with asthma cannot live), to autism, Down's syndrome, and many others that I didn't name. Basically, if there's a person who needs more medical attention than the once in a while illness or a check up, that person qualifies for E.F.M.P. status.

E.F.M.P. needed his diagnosis and I.E.P. (which he had from March because he was in early childhood education) and I had to fill out a mountain of paperwork. As a result of all of this, we were able to get Zach into speech therapy that August (just a short three months, which is incredible in Autism Land), and by the end of November, I was working with ECHO (part of EFMP) to get Zach into ABA therapy .

LOOK! It's an acronym party! Sorry, random moment. 

That took a few months, and they weren't easy months. Jimmy was home, hallelujah, and this made life less stressful.

In February, he started ABA therapy. The next chapter will go into more detail, because it is just that significant!

I will try to explain some of these terms and acronyms, but I think I promised that last chapter, and you still don't have it!

ABA - applied behavior analysis, which helps people with behavioral issues in most special needs from ADHD, to Down's Syndrome, and, you guessed it, Autism.

ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder.

ADHD - Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder

ECHO -  I'm not sure what the letters stand for exactly. This is a part of EFMP. They helped get the ABA therapy started.

EFMP - Exceptional Family Member Program. Basically, anyone who has above average medical or behavioral needs qualifies for this. It's how the military helps us take care of the extra costs that incur when we have to go to several different places to get help.

IEP - Individual Plan for the child. It's an alternative learning plan. Anyone from speech delayed, ADHD, or anything else, usually has one of these. Goals are set for the year for that child.

Occupational Therapy - Very similar to physical therapy, but it extends past just physical needs. In Zach's case, he is learning how to hold a pen or pencil properly, but they also do destressing activities, like jumping on a trampoline, or playing in the ball pit!

Speech Therapy - the therapist helps the person with the delay or impediment learn to speak properly, with eye contact (big deal in Autism Land), in social situations (school, church, pretty much society in general).