Day 130 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson had a good day. His residential assistant (RA) said that he was an angel today. When he returned from the clinic this afternoon, he chose his cleaning chore for the day – vacuuming. He then went about his afternoon routine of putting his lunch box away, resting for a bit and other tidbits. About 30 minutes later, before his RA went on her break, she asked Grayson what chore was he supposed to do today. He said, "Vacuuming". Hooray – successful recall of a short term memory item!

Grayson appears to have adjusted well to his change in one of his meds, as he has not been as drowsy at the clinic or at the residence. He focused on and completed his therapeutic home program (THP) quickly this afternoon, and did not resist or try and lay down to sleep. Over the next week, he will be weaned off of another med, so we are back on pins and needles to see what effects this change has!

Since Grayson got his chores and THP's done in time, he was able to go on the pizza outing today! At the pizza parlor he was on his best behavior. He stayed with his RA the entire time, he did not try to get up and leave or walk away from the group. He ate in a safe and controlled manner, and he drank his drink with a straw without consuming anything too fast. A pizza parlor is a place with a lot of commotion. The fact that Grayson could remain calm in the environment and not react with negative behaviors is really exciting.

This evening after my plane landed in Burbank, I spoke with Grayson. He was already in bed, but I got to hear the happy, "Hi Dad!" that I look forward to daily. He had a good day, and even though he couldn't communicate the details to me, he was in a good and happy mood, and that is contagious!

Pax!

Brant