If you don’t know me yet, I’m Abby Gibson, a Gilbert, Arizona, mom and two of my four children are diagnosed with Autism.
April is Autism Awareness month where we raise awareness for the WIDE spectrum of Autism and celebrate what makes our children and loved ones unique. In order for my children to have the best chance, early intervention is key. Which is why we are constantly on the move. Let me break down a couple things for the reader.
Asher is my oldest and attends preschool daily from 8:30-11:30.
Jace is my 2nd and attends preschool M/W/F from 8:30-11:30.
Maggie is my 3rd and spends her day with me or with her hab provider.
Aiden is my 4th and only 10 months old so he is along for the ride.
Our morning routine with 2 kids on the spectrum
My day, every day, starts at about 7 am when my husband or the kids wake me up. My sweet husband gets up with our kids early and makes them breakfast and usually gets them dressed too. I know how lucky I am.
Once 7 a.m. rolls around he wakes me up and I start to get ready which usually is me showering, putting on yoga pants and shirt, and a mom bun.
Around 8 a.m. (ok many days 8:15) I get the kids to the car and head to school. I drop both boys off on Mondays and Wednesdays and then head to work till 11-noon. Tuesdays I drop Asher off and I take Jace to Occupational and Speech therapy.
Therapies for my kids on the spectrum
Jace does not have an Autism diagnosis and only has mild speech delay and some sensory issues. His pediatrician suggested that it would be beneficial for him to receive some therapies.
Occupational therapy is therapy that focuses on things we need to do, but also on our sensory input. So many things are targeted like fine and gross motor skills and regulating the body and how it processes input.
Asher, Jace and Maggie all receive OT and work on different things that are appropriate for them.
Many kids on the spectrum need OT because they lack fine motor skills that develop naturally in neurotypical children and they don’t receive the sensory input like their neurotypical peers do.
Jace also receives speech after his hour of OT, meaning we are in the therapy center for an hour and half.
Maggie is usually home with her ABA provider (or hab provider) working on behavioral and social goals.
Aiden and I wait in the waiting room where I try to get him to nap so I can work or we play or sing songs. Whatever I can do to keep him contented, but also working his brain in some way.
After therapy with Jace or work, I go pick up who ever is at school and then we rush home to eat lunch.
Asher has therapies in the afternoon because of his school schedule. OT on Monday and Wednesday, Speech on Thursday, and Social group on Friday. Between all these appointments I try to get some time with Maggie playing and try to give the boys down time.
Our evening routine with kids on the spectrum
My husband gets home between 3-6 depending on if he is running a club with his students or has a car he is detailing (it’s our side income). He spends time playing with the kids outside while I make dinner. We clean up dinner around 5:45 and start getting baths ready. We read stories and the Bible to the kids after bath, last snack and maybe a short show.
Then Jace has to have 4 songs before bed usually Daniel Tiger songs and possibly Jingle Bells thrown in there. We all pray and then night night.
Consistency on the calendar with kids on the spectrum
It’s hard for me to write a day in my life because I really don’t have any day that might be consistent. That is the nature of being a mom with multiple children, plus those children having special needs.
Our regular “schedule” can have a spattering of other appointments that come up. For instance this is my schedule for just one week in February.
I’m in the car way too much, and I worry the baby might never walk because he is in a stroller so much (kidding, kind of), but I know this is what is best for my children.
I want to set them up for the best future they can possibly have. The amount of growth they all show with each passing day, week, month, and year is incredible.
I am incredibly thankful for the resources that have been provided to me and families like ours. I am even more thankful for the wonderful people that pour their time, energy and love into my children.
AZEIP Evaluations
To close, I encourage EVERY parent to be aware of the developmental milestones. Every child is different and does develop at different rates, but I think it’s important to have an open and honest dialogue with your pediatrician if you are concerned.
The state of Arizona also has a program called AZEIP that will evaluate your child for developmental delays for free if they are ages 0-2.
If they are 3 they can be evaluated by your local school district and possibly placed in preschool at no cost if they qualify. Early intervention is the best chance for any child’s success, no matter the diagnosis.
To find out more about my journey with my children and autism read part one of my story.
Part two can be found here
Information on AZEIP
So thankful for parents who share their journey with Autism and are a support for other parents traveling on a similar path! Thank you for encouraging early intervention, as a pediatric OT myself, I see the benefits of families who choose to get services early for their kids and the long term rewards for their time and sacrifice. Way to go Abby, it takes a village!!
Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad someone pointed out the signs with Asher which led to me to noticing them in Maggie as well, way before she was 1. They have both made such huge gains that wouldn’t have been possible without the interventions from professionals like yourself! Thank you for all you do!