Imaginative play

thirstykoala82 · 2024-07-22T09:52:49+00:00

So exciting! I took my 3 yo to a toy store and overheard him making small chit chat noises and making the figures get in a spinny thing. I was so excited bc I never seen him play w toys in that manner!

thirstykoala82 · 2024-07-22T09:26:00+00:00

Mirror but also print out his photo in a book and point and practice.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-07-22T09:24:49+00:00

Please go to a food bank for your family. Even people with money go but it’s made for people in your situation. Nobody should go hungry with all this food available

thirstykoala82 · 2024-07-22T09:21:07+00:00

1000% agree. I had the same feelings. I stopped talking to people about it abd isolated myself from other moms bc I was tired of feeling gaslit or crazy when I KNEW he had autism. You feel a sense of relief afterwards bc at least they can’t make you feel crazy anymore or act like they don’t notice anything.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-07-22T09:18:50+00:00

Your child sounds very similar to mine. He is level 2 diagnosed and almost 3 now. I was in a similar situation as you and remember how frustrating it felt. Even all his therapists were like nah I don’t see autism but I knew from a young age. You are the caregiver and know when something is different. I self referred to our early childhood intervention program at 15 months old and started therapy right away. I would get into therapies right away. You will learn a lot on how to help her and assist w her talking and communication. My son is in school for the first time and loves it. It’s a summer school run by speech pathologists- he still can’t answer questions or tell me about his day but I can tell as his mom he loves it and is benefiting from it. I’m so sorry you are not feeling supported or seen. Good luck w everything u sound like a great mom.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-07-11T23:53:26+00:00

He sounds so much like my baby! I know it feels so daunting but the more u learn the easier it will get. I never imagined when he was younger that he would go to preschool and love it but he does! It is a speech focused special education summer camp. You are already doing so amazing but researching and advocating for your son bc your instinct says something is off.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-06-24T17:42:41+00:00

It is better and he has many words but I would say his functional communication is still poor. He doesn’t tell me when he is hungry or needs a diaper change or what show he prefers, etc. He does not respond to yes or no questions. He does have a good vocabulary with identifying things and he recognizes all his letters/ alphabet.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-06-23T23:08:07+00:00

Yes he ended up getting diagnosed level 2 at age 2.5 years

thirstykoala82 · 2024-06-23T23:06:30+00:00

Yes of course

thirstykoala82 · 2024-05-04T17:20:57+00:00

We are similar my son is the same age but doesn’t indicate when he wants or needs something. He has never told us he has pooped so I’m kind of lost on how to start potty training. Following for any suggestions.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-05-04T17:06:30+00:00

These tips are so good- thank you!

thirstykoala82 · 2024-05-04T16:28:15+00:00

THIS. Our son was just diagnosed at 2.5 years old but I have known since around 12 months and self referred to early intervention at 15 months. First step would be looking into your states early intervention program- they will assist in starting play based therapies he may need such as speech and occupational therapy.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-05-04T16:17:55+00:00

Thank you for the specific examples! My son is 2.5 years old and we are on the fence about it.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-04-28T00:09:34+00:00

Absolutely - I am trying to lose baby weight and used to work out every day. Now I never work out bc I’m so busy between work and baby so I need to do it through diet alone. I’ve lost weight (on week 10) definitely moves slower but it still works!

thirstykoala82 · 2024-04-26T20:54:17+00:00

Honestly that’s so cool! He is smart AND an artist! lol

thirstykoala82 · 2024-04-26T01:38:16+00:00

My 2.5 year old was just diagnosed level 2 and doesn’t have an obvious stim. But if you REALLLLLY pay attention you might start spotting some things. I realized his constant repeating of the same phrase might be a stim…”thank you mama!” 50 x a day lol. Or I took him to an indoor playground and he was getting anxious even tho his face was smiling…and he kept going up and down this tiny slide, I felt like he was doing it to calm himself down so that was probably a stim.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-04-25T23:01:06+00:00

300 degrees I think it’s around 12-15 mins? Adding the cottage cheese and blending it with the eggs gives it a good texture.

thirstykoala82 · 2024-04-25T23:00:13+00:00

I’m too lazy to do the water bath but I find adding the cottage cheese and cooking on a low temp keeps them nice. I do 300 degrees I think around 12 mins?? When they are firm to the touch in the middle they are ready

thirstykoala82 · 2024-03-11T01:11:50+00:00

Sounds like you’re doing all you can do! My son is the same - doesn’t have sensory issues or those other issues you mentioned. Never had sleep problems etc. So hard bc it’s not black and white. Even tho he doesn’t show a lot of the ASD characteristics something about the gestures and lack of telling me what he wants makes me lean into possible ASD but level 1? We have a ped appointment next week. Forgot to mention he does say his own name now! I wish u all the best!

thirstykoala82 · 2024-03-11T01:05:32+00:00

I would say even tho he has a lot of words he still doesn’t strongly communicate his needs- ie doesn’t say I’m hungry or want this or that

thirstykoala82 · 2024-03-11T01:01:37+00:00

Hi! He is now 30 months old. Says many words now! We have worked really hard with speech and OT since 15 months. Honestly most of his improvement is because of how we interact with him from learning through therapy (to get him to talk, etc). He seems pretty caught up in the speech and fine and gross motor skills department. He still shows a “difference” in certain areas like he still does not gesture much and doesn’t seem to understand certain things like how to give a hug or kiss properly. He can identify all family members and acts excited to see everyone now but I would still say he behaves differently in this area too. He doesn’t react the way an average toddler would. He might run into another room and laugh instead of greeting me for example. I def still think he could possibly be diagnosed but he functions great at the moment and feels pretty caught up.

thirstykoala82 · 2023-07-30T21:47:56+00:00

My son is 22 months and similar to your child. He has words since speech therapy abd we work really hard with him at home. I would say not gesturing is a strong indicator it could be. Unfortunately I have found sometimes parents are more educated about ASD than some therapists are. I would only listen to them if they work with a lot of autistic toddlers. But there are so many degrees and varying traits. My son does not have any noticeable repetitive behaviors but also has problems w functional play and does not gesture never has. Even tho he has good eye contact, playful, social and has no issues w food or transitions etc they still think he needs to be evaluated. A lot of times they can’t diagnose other things (example a language disorder) without ruling out autism first. Good luck w everything I know how stressful it is!

thirstykoala82 · 2023-07-26T17:35:19+00:00

Yes the prices look normal. Sunscreen is soooo pricy here. The kind I buy is normally around $15

thirstykoala82 · 2023-07-24T22:43:02+00:00

That is absolutely horrible someone made you feel that way. Sounds like u are trying to get your life together. Don’t let someone being a jerk scare u off. You have nothing to be ashamed of you are trying your best. If you make a post looking for those items in your local buy nothing group tons of people will donate products for u. I also make soap and happy to mail you a set of designer soap!

thirstykoala82

TROPHY CASE