#1805 Thursday 10 May

As I dropped off Kaylia at school this morning I saw a behaviour that shows her autism .....

We arrived just as one of her classmates was walking through the gate.  Kaylia got out of the car and went in .... her friend had waited about 10 metres away and was watching Kaylia ..... clearly waiting for her.  Kaylia walked off in a different direction!  I suspect that Kaylia was in her own world and didn't notice.  ......

Afternoon
On the drive home from school she was doing her usual singing away ..... and every now and then, a few words would creep into the wordless singing ..... today I heard "happy" a couple of times.  This gives me a good feeling to know that she can recognise how she is feeling.


Kaylia has had a followup visit to the podiatrist this afternoon.  She has pronounced bunions on each foot and she now has a "serious stuff" orthotic in each shoe to correct her  stance and walking.  This visit was to see how it is going after 2 months use.  Her walking has improved and the weight distribution of her foot inside the shoe has also improved.  The weight is now evenly spread as she walks.    Apparently this will not correct the existing bunions but it will help slow down the development of the bunions.

I'm also going to try some little doodads from Ebay ..... these cost very little so it's just a trial and error exercise.  The podiatrist is OK with trying these as she says that these doodads cannot correct the bunion but they may provide some comfort. .... so they are worth a try.  I will let Kaylia choose what she uses.


Evening
As usual, she played a lot in her room after story time and after Dr Daddy time .... this is teeth cleaning .... The playing means many trips to the loo and lots of having the blankets put over her.  The loo trips are a stim I'm fairly sure.  There's no way she could have that much wee inside her!  She has been rewarded by praise when she goes to the toilet and now she keeps on going to the loo in order to produce further praise.... the loo trips have become a source of rewards for her.

By 9pm I "lay down the law" and insist that it is sleep time.  I explain that she wants to go to school ... so she must have a big sleep so that she is ready for school in the morning.  Tonight I laid the praise on very thickly ...... and she was so happy to hear it!  Her face was shining before she rolled over to sleep.