Yesterday was picture day at school and Dylan wore a shirt with a collar. It was a big deal, an all the way to the moon and back kind of a big deal. He hasn’t worn a shirt with a collar in a really long time, an all the way to the moon and back kind of a long time.
In the morning, I took a chance and offered him a surprise (the double-decker bus from “Cars 2”) if he would wear one of the nice shirts collecting dust in his closet. I really didn’t mind if he wore a t-shirt, but I wanted to test the waters because he’s had some impressive breakthroughs recently. Unexpectedly, he said, “Okay.” I restrained my astonishment and simply told him I was proud of him for choosing to wear a really cool shirt for his school picture.
After Dylan agreed to wear the nice shirt, he said please and thank you a lot during breakfast. Then, without being asked and without asking for help, he put his sneakers on all by himself, and when we got in the car to go to school, he buckled himself in his car seat.
When Dylan started OT, our therapist said we’d see results immediately. I was skeptical, but I’ve come to realize that small successes, like having the confidence to put on sneakers independently or sleeping without Pull-Ups, are positive (and necessary) steps toward tackling the big challenges, like eating new food, going upside down and wearing pants.
The best part about Dylan wearing the collared shirt was that he was as proud of himself as I was of him. Ironically, Riley pitched a fit about his nice shirt, cried all over it and ended up wearing a t-shirt for his school picture. At dinner, though, Riley tried broccoli and cheese ravioli (and liked it), but feeding Dylan was a battle.
No victory there, but this one…
The Runaway Mama by Jen Gregory 