We had two very exciting breakthroughs this weekend.
My youngest son did a BM in the toilet for the very first time. We have been working on this for months, creating social stories, trying to find a good balance between providing opportunities and keeping things unpressured. I was actually having serious second-thoughts and some despair about our approach. I had managed to catch him just as he began to have a BM and despite sitting on the toilet for ten minutes, he still went in his pants within five minutes of getting dressed. (Which meant I had it perfectly timed but there was still an underlying resistance.)
This doesn't mean the battle is over but it's a big breakthrough. With luck we can continue to build on this success and slowly but surely, gain a completely potty-trained child. Which is something which doesn't exist in our family yet.
Alex, not to be outdone, sampled a croissant at a family brunch. Alex's eating sensitivities mean that he rarely even consents to touch anything other than pureed food. We've been making specialty food for him for the last seven years, taking five years to move from pudding-like purees to fruits and vegetables with a chunky-relish kind of consistency.
Alex ended up eating three croissants and asking for more. This year, we introduced very well cooked pasta to his repetoire (5 months) and last year, we managed to get him to eat bread and sandwiches (2 years of work). Clearly the rate of acceptance has sped up and Alex is overcoming his distaste for solid foods.
Both of these are small steps to those outside the autism world. But for those of us inside it, these are cause enough for fiesta fireworks.
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