tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:12:24 +0000Between our two kids we've got apraxia of speech, sensory issues and attention deficit disorder with a side of anxiety, compulsive behaviors and, depending on the week, tics. Things may be complicated in our house but, hey, at least they're unpredictable.http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)Blogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-3954826929982404327Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:13:00 +00002008-12-16T18:23:01.802-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2008/11/lessons-from-good-book.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)5Max attends Hebrew school on Tuesday afternoons. Like most fourth graders—this former kid included—he would rather not. It’s hard enough for some kids (read: boys) to get through a seven-hour...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-230971922716488885Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:44:00 +00002008-02-26T08:46:22.181-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2008/01/iced-tears.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)3It couldn’t have been the most exciting trip to the mall for an eight-year-old boy. We were there to help Dave’s sister and our future brother-in-law select their wedding invitations. Max was very...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-2265321428182933550Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:35:00 +00002007-12-29T19:38:12.730-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/11/in-mooooood-for-laugh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0Ari and I were cozy under the blankets in my bed as we read a book before bedtime. Max, who typically reads on his own (Something new that started when he started third grade. Yay!) was sleepy and...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-3223197827517395102Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:08:00 +00002007-11-04T17:09:52.088-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/10/aftermath-of-storm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)2I don’t know which was worse. The venom-spewing, arm-flailing, world-class tantrum Max threw the other day, complete with destruction of property, threats of violence, and an attitude so big I don’t...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-6449486510329248539Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:05:00 +00002007-10-22T17:07:35.224-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/09/scooby-dooby-dont.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1I wasn’t the least bit surprised to come out of the shower and find Max and Ari in front of the TV, watching cartoons. The same cannot be said for what came out of one of the cartoon character’s...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-9100531358099923797Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:43:00 +00002007-09-28T07:44:34.535-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/08/decline-of-easy-child.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0You know you’re really a special needs parent when the child psychologist hands you not one, but two sets of questionnaires for you to fill out. One for each child. Ari has always been my easy...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-2133063340785953440Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:26:00 +00002007-08-05T10:45:40.975-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/08/trying-to-cool-off.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)4Max asked Dave to help him make some origami. Dave had been in the middle of his own paper folding—he was reading the newspaper—so he told Max he would be able to help him in thirty minutes....tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-382261333704989435Wed, 23 May 2007 02:55:00 +00002007-07-17T05:08:38.491-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/05/something-to-chew-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1“Can I have some gummies?” Ari made this request as she and I were out grocery shopping. I admit, it’s hard for any kid to resist the fruit snacks—especially since the shelves featuring the faces of...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-4950843898281594662Mon, 07 May 2007 03:30:00 +00002007-06-17T18:31:49.441-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/05/kung-pao-confusion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)2It was somewhere between the won ton soup and the kung pao chicken when I knew something wasn’t right. My parents were visiting from New York and we were all at the kitchen table eating take-out...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-1254316373682791975Wed, 25 Apr 2007 22:51:00 +00002007-05-25T13:53:16.680-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/04/mayo-clinic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1Here’s Max, upon hearing my explanation of what goes into a chicken salad sandwich: “I didn’t know mayonnaise was for eating. I thought it was for putting in your hair for lice.” I don’t know which...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-630092216568059563Wed, 07 Jun 2006 23:45:00 +00002007-05-13T09:47:01.275-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2007/06/rude-awakening.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0Forty-five minutes. Max woke up screaming this morning and pretty much continued, non-stop, for forty-five minutes. I timed him. I know. He was screaming because he slept later than usual....tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-4152374856658583391Tue, 09 May 2006 00:44:00 +00002007-05-10T17:47:24.471-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/05/all-good-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0The Tenex did a great job of managing Max’s impulsivity and putting him on an even keel. And then, it didn’t. Max’s behavior the past week or so has not been good. He’s been highly reactive,...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-115049130661271064Fri, 21 Apr 2006 20:45:00 +00002006-07-14T17:31:04.133-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/04/tics-on-tv.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)3Although the Tenex has done a great job of calming Max’s tics, save for the occasional head shaking, I still thought it was important to have him watch an HBO special than ran some months ago called...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114731035229078770Thu, 20 Apr 2006 01:18:00 +00002007-03-07T09:01:06.390-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/04/tenex-for-tics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)67Max is now taking a blood pressure medication called Tenex. Because it’s done such an amazing job of reducing both his tics and impulsivity, it’s actually succeeded in its originally intended purpose...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114678408038557706Sun, 16 Apr 2006 23:04:00 +00002006-06-26T13:52:07.643-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/04/tictictickaboom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1Four years. That’s how long Max has been ticcing. Had I been asked to guess, I would have said it was only going on for two years. Because they’re intermittent, Max will go many months without a...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114575368947454258Sat, 01 Apr 2006 04:52:00 +00002006-05-18T23:41:03.146-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/03/schedules-support-and-flying-solo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1“I can always tell when you see Dr. I. or Diane.” Dave shares this observation with me after spying the organic turkey, prepared salmon burgers and fresh hummus in the fridge—purchases from Whole...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114305287854696075Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:40:00 +00002006-03-22T10:41:18.560-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/03/headache-relief.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)5Forget stimulant medication, occupational therapy, fidget toys, physical exercise, psychologist visits, fish oil pills or dietary changes. I’ve found the one thing that totally keeps Max’s ADHD under...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114254151595282601Thu, 16 Mar 2006 23:37:00 +00002006-03-16T12:38:35.966-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/03/different-kind-of-need.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0The first time Ari started wheezing we went to our pediatrician, got a couple of prescriptions and started using a nebulizer. Within a week or two she was fine and we chalked it up to the harsh...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114126048348115877Wed, 01 Mar 2006 03:47:00 +00002006-03-01T16:51:00.110-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/02/dirty-joke.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1We’ve just left Max’s speech therapy session with Miss D and are heading to the car. Max is in possession of a squishy, purple robot, retrieved from Miss D’s treasure chest for a good day’s work. Max...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114062412778849524Wed, 22 Feb 2006 18:54:00 +00002006-02-22T08:02:57.080-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/02/ive-been-tagged.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)1I’ve seen the other kids playing for some time now and today I was invited to join them. My fellow writer Candy Harrington (whose website www.emerginghorizons.com is a great resource for travelers...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-114024355971901328Wed, 15 Feb 2006 06:18:00 +00002006-06-06T04:19:56.073-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/02/peds-need-to-get-with-alternative.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)5I came home from the pediatrician’s office with with a container of probiotics in my purse, plans to bring Max back for food sensitivity testing and a referral to a homeopath for craniosacral therapy...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-113884455268659946Thu, 26 Jan 2006 01:41:00 +00002006-04-30T20:33:43.773-07:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/01/frustrations-of-first-graders-mom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)6I have always liked – really liked – Max’s first grade teacher. A few days before the first day of school back in the fall, I went to meet with Mrs. G., to fill her in on Max. Basically, I painted a...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-113857349725322853Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:23:00 +00002006-01-29T14:24:57.266-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/01/mr-t.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0I don’t even remember the miniscule offense that got Max all riled up but here’s the exchange that left me puzzled: Max: I have to say the “t” word. Me: What’s the “t” word? Max: You...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-113858445989460063Thu, 19 Jan 2006 04:26:00 +00002006-01-29T17:27:39.906-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/01/sticking-it-to-him.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0It wasn’t the first time I picked Max up at school in a foul mood. (Him, not me.) But it was the first time I heard him say that he hated his teacher. This child was screaming and thrashing around...tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115153.post-113746225992098992Mon, 16 Jan 2006 04:43:00 +00002006-01-16T17:44:13.380-08:00http://ourspecialkids.blogspot.com/2006/01/max-tries-to-share-i-try-to-solve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Debbie Feit)0“I’ll try to listen better tomorrow and I hope I will.” --Max, as I tucked him in at bedtime It’s difficult to watch your child struggle with something. But “difficult” quickly graduates to...