There are bad nights

Max had an awful night last night.
He was doing things he hasn't done in months. 
We give him 1mg of melatonin to help him relax and allow his body to sleep.  But last night, his poor mind was racing a thousand miles per hour.  He was up saying gibbering, echoing and moving for hours.  Will was up with him almost until 2am when his brain finally turned off.  I went in to check on Max and Will at 12am, and Max was very awake, talking 50 miles per hour.  Now when I say "talking" he repeats sounds, and letters, but they don't mean anything. 

This morning he was up at 7am.  So with very little sleep he is ready to face the day.  And Max is non-stop.  He doesn't rest.  So here is hoping for a good nap for everyone today!

I know there are going to be nights like this.  I know every child has bad nights, and bad days.  It makes me realize how far we have come.  How much good we are doing for Max because he doesn't have awful, frustrating, exhausting nights ALL the time.  I feel so blessed to have found out early that Max is Autistic so we can help him, and that our family can move forward. 

Early intervention is so important. 
Know the early signs of Autism.  
If you question something developmentally with your child ask for help and guidance. 
Go with your gut.  Especially Mom Guts.  They are powerful!
Ask for help, and don't be ashamed of your child. 
Helping your child will help you. 

Max is a champ.  He makes me a very happy and proud Mom. 

Echolalia

One of the very first things Will and I noticed, and questioned, about Max was his constant repitition of sounds.  He would go into another "world" which now we call "Max world" and repeat the same set of sounds over and over for up to 5 to 10 minutes.  Sometimes he would rock while making the sounds, other times he would be playing with cars, other times he would be standing alone.

What Max was doing is called Echolalia.  Or Echoing.  It has been reported that up to 75% of verbal persons with autism can exhibit echolalia in some form.

His echoing has become clearer in the last few months as he has gained more words.  So typically he will end a long string of sounds with a word he knows.  For example "ba da ba la ba ba ba Car" or "ba da ba la ba pppp Tire."  

Here is a video of Max Echoing:

-Tiff