Sometimes you just aren’t fast enough.
When Bianca wakes up in the middle of the night, she tends
to get upset and meltdown. Who doesn’t?
Unfortunately for us though, it means she has to find a way
to release the pent up energy that comes from not being able to communicate
exactly what it is that is upsetting her. She will cry, kick, flail and punch…
but most often her frustration manifests itself in head-butting. So when we
hear Bianca get REALLY upset, we run into her room to soothe her.
The other night, we did not run fast enough because my wife
and I woke up to Bianca in a full-fledged desperate cry. We jumped out of bed
as fast as we could and raced to the girls’ bedroom as we heard incredible loud
“THUD THUD THUD” permeate the structure of the house.
As I rushed into their room, I hunched over to Bianca’s
bottom bunk and hugged her tightly letting her know that everything was OK and
that mommy and daddy were right at her side. The hugs usually help because
Bianca seeks out deep pressure a lot. As quickly as the sadness came, it went.
A lot of Bianca’s meltdown moments are that way… fleeting and powerful. You can
feel the energy melting off of her body as her muscles get loose and her jaw
relaxes.
As I sang Bianca’s favorite Dora song with her, the smiles
returned but then I heard a gasp.
“Oh my God. Babe. Look”
There in the drywall beside her bunk was a perfectly round,
Bianca forehead sized hole.
Things became suddenly serious. Bianca appeared to be fine,
but what kind of force was required to put that hole in the wall? I became numb
with fear. Keeping Bianca safe has now become a bigger challenge.
If you have not already, please take time to watch my videos, "Fixing" Autism and Autism Awareness with Nichole337 and share them with your friends.
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