Time Flies!

It has been one month since I last posted, and an update is long overdue. Ben has been working hard at eating. He still needs the level system we set up at KKI. When I employ those methods, he works at eating, but when I don't have the time, he uses way too much time. He will often complain when I sit down to time him. He suggests that he can do very well without the timer, and he can do well, if you can be patient with a meal that lasts two hours.

Ben usually earns level 3. Last week he went through a few meals earning level 2, however, and he had some of his very special behaviors. As he gets down to only one or two faces left on his board, he will begin to get upset and throw things, as he has in the past. Tonight we had company over for dinner, and he got down to one face, and out of frustration, he launced his bowl of rice onto one of our guests. Then in his haste, he threw up a little when he tried to eat his chicken too quickly. If you are not used to being around that behavior, it is shocking to see, and I think our guests were surprised.

It has been wonderful having Ben eat what we eat. We went to our neighbor's house for dinner on Memorial Day, and initially I panicked when it came time to eat and I did not have his food. When I looked at what was available, I realized that I could put together a great meal for him. He had some hamburger (I introduced that a couple of weeks ago), strawberries, cheese, and cucumber. He did a good job eating his meal until he decided he didn't want to eat anymore, and not wanting him to throw up in their dining room, we let him go. We still have to tweak some things, but it was fabulous to put together a plate of typical food, and not purees. It is also wonderful to know that he will feed himself.

Lastly, we met with Ben's school last week to come up with a plan for him. He will be going to all day kindergarten next school year, and will have to eat at school. Initially the principal told me that she had neither the funding to get him fed, nor the space to do it in. She also told me that it was in his best interests, socially, to eat in the cafeteria. By the time his 504 plan meeting rolled around, I was armed with documents, and completely prepared to do battle. His sweet preschool teacher even attended the meeting to make sure Ben's rights were honored. Thankfully, we found an agreeable plan for him, and I am happy with it. The principal was much more willing to offer resources. We will have to wait until August to see if this plan will work, and if the school will be consistent in implementing the protocol. I hope it will work as it should, for Ben's sake.