Because its a holiday weekend and we've been enjoying it to the fullest, I'll keep this entry short and to the point.

 Safi had a great week at school. I had my last day at big girl school and now I'm out for summer. It was a great day and I even asked a girl in my class to play ball with me. My speech therapist set that as a goal for me 2 classes ago and I was finally ready. She said yes and we tossed the ball back and forth two times! I was very brave, just like the social story Teacher Mari made for me about Buzz and Jessie being brave and asking friends to play. Everyone was proud of me and I was proud of me, too!

Mom's birthday was interesting.  Safi and I were both having an off day so it was a bit dicey.  However, it ended on a high note with a sushi dinner and cupcakes!

 Mom and dad finally got my psychological report back from the Regional Center evaluation. The following are highlights from the 10 page report:
"Test Results:
Chronological Age: 2yr10m
Mental Age: 4yr10m
IQ:  155+

At the time of testing Nixi's chronological age was 4 years 10 months, with a mental age of 4 years 10 months. Her IQ performance score fell outside the standardized normative samples used in both the original  and Arthur Adaptation forms of the Leiter.  By estimation using the two scoring systems as reference, Nixi's performance yielded an IQ score of 155, at minimum, placing her overall nonverbal intellectual functioning in the genius range."

My scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (CARS2) which is used to differentiate autism from other types of developmental disabilities, as well as assess level of severity of autism symptoms.  There are 15 different areas commonly associated with autism that are scored from 1-4, 1 being normal - 4 being severely abnormal..with a maximum score of 60 possible.  Severe being a score of 36 or higher, with a score of at least 3 in 5 areas.  Nixi scored mostly 4's, with a couple of three in 14 areas.  The 15th area being verbal communication where she scored a 1.5
"Total CARS2 score = 53
Nixi's overall score indicates that she is exhibiting severe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder."

In reference to DSM(psychological diagnostic manual) criteria for Classic Autism:
"According the DSM-IV-TR, at least 6 criteria must be met to qualify for an Autistic Disorder diagnosis.   Nixi met 11 out of 12 criteria."

Diagnoses

Axis I  299.00  Autistic disorder

Axis II  V71.09 No Diagnosis (Genius Nonverbal Intelligence with Mildly Impaired Adaptive Skills

"Although Nixi appears to be cognitively superior at this time, her overall presentation and current level of adaptive and social capabilities suggests an increased risk of falling further behind in her development."

Then the psychologist recommended I continue with current services, address sensory issues with a qualified Occupation Therapist, etc.

So, I'm a brain inside this confusing little shell just waiting for someone to bust me out!  I'm sure mom and dad will find the key to my world and make a terrific bridge leading back to theirs.

This week is lots of excitement.  Dad is off from work all week, Safi has water fun day at school and I get to go, Safi's last day of preschool is Thursday, and Friday night we get to go the zoo!!  Its called Dreamnight at the Zoo, 32 countries participate in it the first Friday of June every year.  The park opens from 5-8PM just for families of kids with special needs.  We're really excited!!  So, make sure you check back in next week to see how it all went down!

Peace
Nixi

The super magical, totally awesome, never boring, uber amazing new popcorn popper!!!


Safi singing a song that Teacher Mel sings at school...."You got a line, I got a pole X....you got a line, I got a pole X.  You got a line, I got a pole we'll got down to the xx hole, honey..baby of mine!"

An interesting week...I swallowed a plastic Strawberry Shortcake shirt, we went to the sand park and I actually ENJOYED watching the bugs and played in the middle of them, Nixi had a great day at big girl school, we went to dinner at the China Buffet, and we had fun at the fountains over the weekend! Also, I got to hold some baby chicks at school and it was amazing...and I bought Squinkies with my allowance and Nixi bought a remote controlled dog she named Kayla! Tonight was a rough night for me, so this post is going to brief. Every night before bed Nixi and I each get to pick a TV show to watch. As you know, we're on a big My Little Pony kick. We can only watch Ponies through Netflix connected to the TV off of mom's phone and the internet wasn't working. No Netflix, no Ponies...no bueno. Yeah, I love the show and all but what I love..no NEED..is the predictability of the routine that is picking a Pony show before bed. So, I had a meltdown. See, mom and dad gave me about 5 minutes of screaming, going into the bedroom, and coming out again screaming before they just had to move on and let Nixi pick her show. Usually I pick first at night, but me being upset can't throw off the whole house or I'd be more upset and Nixi would be, too. So, Nixi picked The Wiggles. I couldn't take it......... I know I'm saying it hurts my ears, so it looks like mom and dad are torturing me. In reality, mom has taught Nixi and I to say "It hurts my ears" when each other is screaming instead of starting to scream ourselves. I have generalized it to any situation in which I do not like what is being said. Mom, dad, Heather, or a teacher can say something to me taht I don't like such as "no", and I reply with "ouch, that hurts my ears." So, that phrase for me has become a means of expressing my dislike for something...generally a rule or boundary. Anyhow, my ears were just fine...my "center" was not. Eventually I got it together and watched the end of The Wiggles. Low and behold, by the time Nixi's show as done the internet was working fine and I got to pick a Pony show. Still, rough half hour or so for everyone. Even though I'm happy that I got to watch Ponies, I never feel good about myself after a meltdown. No matter how much mom, dad, and Nixi love me...its hard for them to feel amazing after my meltdown, too. Everyone is just a little cautious and a little on edge around me and taht makes me sad. I get it though, so I try my best to say I'm sorry either directly or through my actions. By the morning all will be back to normal so I'm not too worried about it..just drained. So, I'm going off...more to report next week I'm sure. Oh, and I passed the Strawberry Shortcake shirt this afternoon in case you were wondering! xoxo Safi Some video from Friday...check out the intense imaginary play going on before Nixi went to school! Looks like it primed her for socializing because she interacted with her peers for the first time without prompting and she modeled her play after this play on the video. Her new buddy Carter loved it!

It was a fun in the sun Mother's Day, not without its dramatic moments...but generally a fun, exhausting day. So, I'm keeping this brief because we're all pooped! Safi had a great week at school. She's really in to the ocean theme and she got the biggest kick out of Teacher Mel letting me sing Slippery Fish with the class. It was super fun. I went to big girl school again and it was ok. I really like my speech therapist and the teacher, I'm just a little uncomfortable at this point with the kids. I also had a hard time "reading" one of the adults there and thought that she was mad at me so I decided I'd be mad too! Mom explained to me that the lady wasn't mad, but that that's just how her face was and I kinda bought it. Either way, I went, I did what I was supposed to and I was happy to see mom and Safi at the end of it! Mom went to Safi's IEP and it was ok. There wasn't really much for them to talk about because we still don't know what school Safi will be going to next year. The school psychologists from both school that are in the running were there but mom's really anxious to meet her new teacher. So, once they find out where she's gonna go they can pick a teacher and then mom will get to mee with her and tell her all about Safi. Hopefully it will all get figured out soon. We got to go to the fountains at the park with week twice after school and it was super fun. We also got to take Safi's best buddy Kameron to school one day this week and after we got to play at his house. He has a little dog that I thought was really cute and Safi was excited because his big sister put Spongebob on the TV for us! It was awesome! We also got a slip n' slide and a new canopy for the front yard so we have lot's of shade...super cool! We also got paid for doing our jobs and Safi bought a Pinkie Pie pony with the money she saved up and I bought a Cinderella electric toothbrush. Its really neat and we're just doing a great job of keeping up with all of our chores. Mom and dad are super proud! Mother's day was great until it wasn't anymore. I have a hard time remembering things. I thought Safi took my cup but it was really her cup. I started screaming and then Safi started screaming to the point that mom had to take her inside. On the way in to the house she clamped down on mom's hand and bit her. I played for a little more than me and dad went inside. After Safi calmed down she apologized to me and to mom. She felt really bad and told mom, "I'm sorry I made you mad." Mom just cried and scooped her up, telling her she didn't make her mad...but the bite hurt like heck. After they had some tears and some snuggles we had a great rest of the night. There you have it. hope you all had a great week and a great Mother's Day. Peace Nixi Water fountain fun!

We're baaaack............and we're working our tails off!

Ok, so it was a long month with no access to the computer but we're back! So, let's not waste any time...let's talk about our week! We did a lot of cool stuff this week. I had a great week at school. This month's theme is the ocean and I LOVE all things ocean. Mom and dad said that we might get to go to the beach this summer so Nixi and I are pumped! I got to finger paint HUGE waves and makes some sand starfish. It was awesome. This is my last month as a preschooler. I'm not so sure how I feel about that..I've really loved my classroom and all of my friends for the past two years. I guess I have all summer to get used to the idea. Luckily, we're doing summer school again so I'll still get to hang out with friends and keep on a good schedule. Fun times are ahead! Nixi went to big girl school again on Friday and she did a really great job. She adores her speech therapist who wears bright red lipstick and has a high pitched voice. She thinks she's the best. Towards the end of class she was wanting mom and me and started to get a little upset. By the time mom and I arrived she was excited to see us and ready to go home. When she got home she laid on the couch under a big blanket and just spaced out. Its good that she knows how to calm herself and this school is a lot less overstimulating and structured so she comes home with a lower level overstimulation. We're all happy about that. So, we got jobs this week! See, I want to buy more ponies and mom said if I want more ponies I have to have money. So, I asked her for a job. She came up with a cool chore chart for Nixi and I. We have a few chores we have to do everyday like making our beds, wiping down our tables, and feeding/watering the guinea pigs. Then, we get to pick one "special job" each day in addition to the regular ones. We can vaccuum, sweep, wash windows, wash dishes, feed the dog, or feed the cats. My favorites are vacuuming and feeding the dog. Nixi's favorites are vacuuming and cleaning the dishes. Its hard work but each time we complete a chore and we turn the chore picture upside down to show we're done we feel really good about ourselves. We get paid on Sundays, and today was our first pay day! We each got $5. Nixi bought a pony with light up wings and I opted to save up my money so next week I buy a bigger pony. It was really hard not to get something at the store. Nixi had a hard time with it, too, because she's uncomfrtable with us doing things differently from each other. So, even though she really wanted that pony it was hard for her to make up her mind when she realized taht I wasnt going to be buying one. She really struggled, screaming and confused. I can't stand it when she screams so I started screaming louder. It was kind of horrible but we got it together long enough to make it out of the store. When we got home mom let me pick a little goodie from her goodie bag to mark a week of good work and to hold me over until next week when I can buy the pony I've been drooling over. Dad brought home a surprise activity for us to do with him. We got to be farmers! I got to plant peas and Nix got to plant fantasy pumpkins! Dad planted tomatoes. It was awesome. We put the dirt in the containers, poked holes for the seeds withour fingers, planted the seeds, and watered the whole ball of wax. It was really cool. Can't wait to see our plants grow! So, that was our week. I ended up at the walk in clinic in Saturday with another sinus infection and ear infection. Mom has my IEP on Friday, where it looks like she's going to have to fight to get me to be able to stay at the same school I've been at for the past two years...they waitlisted us. Should be an interesting week. Make sure to check back to see how it all goes! xoxo Safi