I found out this week that this blog is a Babble.com nominee for Top 30 Autism Blogs for Parents 2012.
That’s really cool. I’m not sure if I deserve it, but hey, I am very grateful that someone thought I did. 
If you would like to vote, go here,
then find the listing for this blog (it’s easy to find in the alphabetical tab listing),
and click the thumbs up I like this button beside of the blog title, Enduring the Silence.
There is nothing to sign up for and they don’t take your email address or anything like that.
Ella has had a really great week this week. She’s been so involved in interacting with the family and making lots of sounds. She also seems to be better understanding the connection between actions.
For example she has a tendency to get very frantic about food (one of many traits she never had pre-autism). I have to prepare food out of her sight, or she melts down during the process. When I do get ready to feed her, I typically sit the bowl down, tie her hair back out of her face, and then feed her. Usually she gets very excited when she sees the bowl, then becomes devastated and screams at an ear-piercing volume, when I sit the bowl down. The time I spend pulling her hair back into a quick ponytail, is usually spent with her screaming in my face – very loudly.
But something nearly magical has happened. She’s starting to understand the process of some things. Now when I sit the bowl down, she continues to smile. She leans forward for me to tie her hair back and doesn’t scream in my face at all, while I do it. Because she now understands her food is coming.
That may sound like a tiny thing. But it’s not. I think it’s important that she’s starting to “get” the sequence of certain events. But most importantly, she is a great deal less stressed when she understands what is happening and isn’t freaking out over nothing. And less stress = less bad stims, less “zoning out” spells, and a lot more “with it” moments.
So while it might sound like a tiny thing, it isn’t.
Also, in addition to my last post, she has also said “Dad” and several additional “Hi’s” this week. She also said, “iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” when she was taking my hand to gesture for me to get her i-Pad for her. I feel certain that she was trying to say i-Pad. We’ve had a lot of little “almost words” this week.
And I actually managed to get her ON VIDEO saying “Hi”!
I cannot wait to upload it and share it with you. I haven’t found time yet. But I can’t wait for you to see it.
After several weeks enduring the silence, without so much as a single word again, we are really enjoying the few words and sounds we’ve gotten recently.
As I type this to you, she is saying, “ooooooooooo, aaahhhhhhhhh, mmmmmmmmmm, aaaaaahhhhhhhhh”. It reminds me a little of the way she played with sounds as a tiny baby, when she learned to talk the first time. Before it was all stolen from her.
It’s all baby steps, but as long as they are baby steps in the right direction, then I am one happy and grateful Mama!
Thank you all so much for your continued thoughts, prayers, and support!
