A Behavior? Really?

Haven't had much to say lately so I figure why waste the words?

It's been nothing but rainbows and sunshine around here in the land of Autism.

I'm loving that the Doodle is back in school and he too is loving it.  Sometimes I wish I had a little camera attached to him so that I could watch him in action and see how he's doing and how busy he's being and what kind of chaos he's creating there in the classroom.

The teacher is so sweet most days to write about his day at school.  It's a nice way to stay connected.  But...

Of course you had to know there was a BUT coming.  It's been too quiet and a while since I've complained on here so here goes.

I'm thinking it must be me.  I must be overly sensitive and hard to get along with because otherwise why would I keep seeing this pattern of conflict every where I turn?  It's me I've decided.  I'm on edge and feel like I'm to a point in my life where I'm not going to tread lightly and just smile and pretend and go about my business acting as if everything is dandy.  I've got too much going on then to try to pull off sweet and go out of my way to not offend someone with a reaction or something I might say. 

Is sensitive palate a Behavior?  Is being a baby and now a toddler and not being able to put certain things in your mouth because when you do a natural physical reaction such as gagging and throwing up occurs considered a "behavior"? Or would you say it is a physical or psychological condition or uncontrollable reaction? 

I'm having a battle of wits with the Doodle's new Preschool teacher. 

She's sweet and kind and nice but then comes out of left field with some demanding "behaviors" of her own.  Case in point:  She wants the Doodle off the "bottle".  Well, a few months back I was so happy that I had found the magic training cup for him...for the past 2 1/2 years I have tried every type of sippy cup there is with him and he refused because he would almost throw up.  But he didn't refuse because he was being a brat or having a bad behavior, when I tried to put the hard plastic spout with the different shape to his mouth or even a cup he would gag and throw up.  Hmmmm.  How can a 2 year old manipulate the situation and make himself physically sick and throw up?  He obviously couldn't help his reaction.  The Doodle has always been the type of kid who doesn't put weird objects in his mouth, like rocks or marbles or buttons not because he doesn't have the impulse but because they make him almost throw up.  Even some foods with certain textures do this.  Same thing used to happen with Jimmy.  Jimmy couldn't eat certain foods because of the texture:  pudding, yogurt, scrambled eggs.  He'd unintentionally barf.

The Doodle has been on the new training cup with the new spout now for a couple of months now (since August 22nd), which was a HUUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEEE mileston for him-- but the Teacher doesn't like it and doesn't believe it to really be a training cup at all.  Yes, Miss Teacher, oh wise one and knower of all things bottle related, it's just a bottle pretending to be a training cup.  It's all a big conspiracy to keep the Doodle on a bottle until he's 16 because that is my goal for him. 

Puh-lease. 

So, she thinks it looks like a bottle and doesn't believe it's a training cup so she wants to get us on a PLAN to get him off of the bottle at disguised as a training cup at our home. Completely.  And just have him drink out of a regular cup.



Hmmm.  In a perfect non-autistic-sensitive palate-Doodle world that sounds lovely.  But reality is it's not going to happen right now, nor do I want it to happen right now.  He's not ready for it to happen.  He just made the transition to this pretend sippy cup and he's only 4.  Let him have a few good months with the training cup.  And the last time I checked she was his preschool teacher and I'm still his mom.  Oh yeah and I have a few good reasons I want him to remain on the training cup right now.

I've got serious and strong opinions about this.  It's not a matter of choice or preference--for me, it's a matter of health and safety.  With epilepsy the Doodle needs to have a certain amount of liquid each day because of his seizures.  He needs and must stay hydrated; it's not optional.  I know now that he drinks at least four or five 8 to 12 oz bottles of liquid a day.  He is and has been also drinking out of a regular cup, a few sips here and there.  But he likes to dump it out and throw it.  The other issue I have from experience with my child is that he is prone to throwing up--and the last thing I want is for him to throw up his seizure medication.  It's really important that we avoid the gagging and throwing up if at all possible.

So I had to let the teacher know that while I am encouraging him to drink out of a real cup and he does drink out of a real cup at HOME--I have NO  PLAN to do away with the training cup she thinks is a bottle for awhile.  I let her know that I felt like the Doodle has bigger fish to fry...we have more important issues to contend with then a training cup.  Things like:  potty training, bad behavior, seizure control, sign language, learning to drink from a straw, ABC's, 123's, sleep, oh and TALKING.  Sorry, but I think talking is a little more important than him NOT drinking from a training cup.

Besides being just 4 years old and Autistic with sensory issues and epilepsy, once I told her it was a matter of health and safety that he maintain his liquids and not barf--and that I was not going to get rid of the training cup that's when she decided this was a "behavior" for him and that it needs and should be changed. So I'll throw this question out to you in the blog world--is having a physical reaction like gagging a "behavior"? Please enlighten me before I explode.

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