As a baby, James was curious, outgoing and friendly, engaging people and animals wherever he went. When the darkness descended, that baby disappeared. I can't express enough how wonderful it is to see that child again! James hears a noise, he turns to see what it is. He hears a child and stops everything to watch them go by. He has even caught a little girl walking home from school in his ball playing trap. She wanted to play! The big boy downstairs starts to play basketball and James flies to the window to watch. Of course, this has it's drawbacks. A child is having their own meltdown or is simply upset and James goes wild with despair. If the lunchroom is too noisy, he cannot concentrate enough to eat. Fortunately, these problems are workable. I assure James that the upset child is being taken care of. That, in itself, is amazing: James can listen to my reassurance and process it! At school, he "reads" books to direct his concentration away from the noise. When that is too much, noise canceling headphones are used. We will get past this. It is much better then the previous James that didn't/couldn't/wouldn't notice a screaming, bright red, fire engine racing by.
So we are holding steady. Still no luck with the potty. Still no increase in using words. Lots of improvement in his awareness, his agility and - of course - his ball playing skills. Even more importantly, James is engaged and happy. Meaning, we are happy! We are actually enjoying our son.
