Week Four of ABA therapy

All this week, Andy gets so worn out at therapy after about three hours. He is enjoying craft time around the other kids, and also song time. However, they keep him in the back on his own when they feel the noise levels are getting too overwhelming for him.

I think this is boring for him. I think he starts to fuss and whine because he wants to be around the action more. I have to bring this up at our next meeting. They have been meeting with me every other week, so that we can go back and forth about how Andy's doing there.

This week, they've been telling me it is hard to get Andy to eat anything. He usually just willingly eats all of his snacks and food, but for the last few days, he is showing them that he doesn't always want to eat. It isn't like him to pass up food. I think though, that they need to be trying to feed him near the other kids, and maybe they are. I have to look into this.

For today, I checked in with them after he had been there for two hours. I wanted to know if he had eaten a snack, and did he seem tired. They've mentioned to me that this week he was trying to put his head down a lot, and kept rubbing his eyes. He is so tired and worn out lately. I don't know if it is productive for him to be there.

I told them that if he refused to eat lunch, then I wanted to come pick him up early. I didn't want him to be there for five hours, and not have eaten much of anything. When this happens, he is a total wreck when I pick him up, and cries in a huge tantrum all the way home for 25 minutes.

I picked him up an hour early, it is Friday, and he is on week four of therapy. He had several days of not eating well at therapy only, but ate fine for me for dinner at home. Sure enough, an hour early, after four hours of therapy I pick him up. I take him to a fast food place and he eats like he's starving. I felt so bad. He enjoyed it so much, and kept saying "umm". It even sounded like he was trying to say "mine" to the burger.

We are going to discuss next week if we should cut down from five hours of therapy to four hours. He is just so worn out, I don't want him to stay there the whole time just for the sake of putting the hours in. I'm going to make suggestions, and am willing to see if they help. However, school will be starting soon, and I am going to want him to be among his peers again. I'm not sure how we will work in the ABA therapy and kindergarten. It is yet to be determined.