For those of you who don't already know about them, I'm going to do a short introduction to the stars of the show, Kirsty and Logan.
Kirsty.
Kirsty is my funny, quirky, little 5 year old girl. She was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) just before her 2nd birthday. She wasn't speaking or playing with other kids or toys and was just content to watch the same episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse over and over again. Kirsty was our first child so I wasn't the expert I am now!! I wasn't sure what it was but we knew something wasn't right. She also rocked and flapped constantly. We took her to the public health nurse at 16 months and our worst fears were confirmed. She was diagnosed at 23 months old and lives changed forever. At 5 now, she is currently attending an ASD unit and has been flying along. We are slowly getting there with the odd few words but she is still considered "non verbal ". She communicates mainly through the use of a PECS book. PECS stands for Picture Exchange Communication System, meaning Kirsty has a book with pictures of things she likes or wants and she hands them to us as a way of requesting. Of course, it's not as effective as speech but it has greatly reduced the levels of frustration she feels. With a bit of luck, she'll talk soon. :)
Her favourite things are puzzles, and lining objects up. Everything from my cutlery to her toys!! And she loves magnets too.We have magnets everywhere!! She melts my heart with her smile and although she prefers her own company, there are some days when you get her in the right mood and her cuddles are the best thing in the world. She also has a penchant for being naked but we try to keep that at bay!! LOL!!
Here she is...
Here's a little example of what she does best, lining up. :)
Logan.
Logan is our sweet little boy, aged 3. He arrived a month after Kirsty was diagnosed....God only knows how I got through that pregnancy, but anyway!! Logan seemed to be fine until around 13 months when he walked, and then the signs of autism became more prevalent. Maybe they were always there but I didn't want to admit it. He always had brilliant eye contact and wanted to play and engage with us, totally different from his sister. He began walking around in circles and flapping and again, he wasn't speaking either. History repeated itself and we had him diagnosed with ASD at 19 months old. There are no words to express how we felt. Life had dealt us another huge blow and we just had to accept it and move on. The tears seemed endless at the time and still do some days, but we do the best we can. Logan just turned 3 so he has started in an ASD unit and has settled really well. He loves nothing more than tickles and chasing and will watch nursery rhymes on Youtube all day long if I let him!! He is the sweetest, most sensitive little guy and his whole face lights up when he smiles, as does mine!! He doesn't really have much interest in toys yet, but all sensory things absolutely thrill him so he loves bubble tubes, beanbags and trampolines. Anything to do with water and jumping on my bed and he is happy!!
He has also just started out on PECS as he is non verbal too. It's slow but it's working little by little.
Logan has an issue with biting which we are working on, but other than that, he's the best.
Here he is. :)
So, there they are. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned.
x
Elaine
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