On being Pope

Pope is an interesting kid. His TVI describes him as "an onion... we've just got to keep peeling back the layers." I think she's probably right.

In a lot of ways, Pope is like many other 4 year old boys. He likes to climb and run and swim. He enjoys being tickled and loves cars and trucks. He enjoys exploring new places and taking things apart that he should not, like the tv remotes. He loves electronics and can work the iPad better than Mike and I can. He loves to eat and is especially fond of such kid delicacies as macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers and cereal. But he also loves mussels in red sauce. He enjoys Sesame street and especially adores Ernie. He has a wicked sense of humor and a love and interest in music that is well beyond his years.

But in many other ways, Pope is not like a typical 4 year old child. He is essentially non-verbal. He has a handful of words and can say the entire alphabet and count to at least 50, but he cannot hold even a simple conversation. He cannot answer questions like "How do you feel?" or "What would like for breakfast?" He's hit or miss with "yes or no" questions. He doesn't engage other children or adults, and rarely engages us, and even then, it's usually only when he's frustrated with a task. He doesn't point to things or ask us to watch him do something. He doesn't ask for bites of our food or sips of our drinks. When he's excited, he flaps his hands or pats them against his thighs. He still loves to closely watch his own fingers wave in the air. He spins... in a lot of ways. He spins himself, wheels, toys... anything that spins, he will spin it. His recall is improving. There was a time when he wouldn't come to us no matter what we did. Now he comes when called back, some of the time. He's in special education preschool this year and will be again next year. He loves preschool. He made amazing progress this year, but he's had speech therapy 3X/week, physical therapy 3X/week, occupational therapy 3X/week, vision therapy and orientation and mobility instruction... all during his 3 hours per day at preschool, so he doesn't get much in classroom time. He's going to start going all day, two days a week and 1/2 day the other 3 days a week. I think that will be good for him.

This is a boy who was lost a year ago. A year ago, his day was spent rocking, flapping his hands and repeating "Eee, Arr, Eee, Arr" over and over again. He walked with trepidation. Now he walks with confidence, exploring his environment and, if the mood hits him right, he runs!
A year ago he was barely able to finger feed himself and he would only drink from a soft tipped sippie, similar to a bottle. Today he is a master of the fork and spook and can drink from a cup with a straw. We are currently working on the open top cup. A year ago, he was so lost, it was like no one else in "his" world existed. Today he finds others, at least some of the time. We are in awe of the progress he has made. To say he is a special little boy would be an understatement.