A visit with the doctor

Yesterday Waylon had his regular follow-up appointment with his developmental pediatrician. Basically, we just go to ask questions and make sure we're on the right track.
We've been stewing over starting Waylon on a diet lately, and Dr. Hoffman agreed we should do something. He suggested starting by removing artificial dyes from his diet, and if that doesn't help try removing casein, then gluten. He also suggested we beef up the vitamins he is getting and be more consistent with his fish oil supplement.
He said that although Waylon has obviously made progress since his diagnosis, he is still moderately-severely autistic, and only one point away from being categorized severe. He said the therapy Waylon is getting is not enough, and suggested we try for at least 15 more hours of ABA a week. Yikes! Getting Waylon to ABCnD Autism Center two days a week is already a challenge!
He did feel like Waylon will talk eventually, but obviously couldn't tell us when. He said it's promising that he will be able to talk because he has already learned the benefits of communication with PECS.



A PECS book (similar to Waylon's)

 He also suggested we see a behaviorist to target some of Waylon's problem behaviors now, before he gets older and they become a serious problem.
So, now we have a whole new set of goals to work on. We're going to jump on the artificial dye restriction right away and we'll talk to the school district and see what we can do for more therapy. Maybe we can find someone closer to do extra ABA with Waylon. We're also going to try to do some more work with him in the evenings- although we're not trained ABA therapists, I think I've seen it enough to give it my best shot! Then we'll probably call the behaviorist Dr. Hoffman suggested to see if he can give us some tips to try at home.
We see him again in six months, hopefully with a much improved Waylon!