Most parents of a special needs child will go to great lengths and try just about anything if it offers a glimmer of hope for helping their child. Even a tiny improvement is worth any amount of effort. That’s why Josiah’s morning routine when he was younger was rather daunting.

As soon as he woke up, we would put an adhesive eye patch over Josiah’s right eye and his glasses on top of that. Then, a pair of too big headphones around his little head, held in place with an elastic head band. He listened to his sound therapy C.D. (to reduce hypersensitivity to sounds and improve auditory processing) through the headphones while his diaper was changed.

Immediately afterwards we ‘brushed’  Josiah with a small plastic sensory brush to help reduce tactile defensiveness. We brushed Josiah’s skin with firm pressure, a technique we learned from one of his therapists. Following that, we gave Josiah deep joint compression on his arms and legs, fingers and toes. Then he was dressed.  We strapped Orthotics on over his socks and tied his shoes. Then he ate breakfast.

During breakfast there were oral exercises to be completed. Teeth brushing was last and then off he went to his special needs preschool.

The entire process took close to an hour. There were 4 sibings needing attention as well during Josiah’s morning routine. It took 2 of us to manage. Thankfully, Rick had flex time hours and was able to be home most mornings to help. I’m not sure how it all would have gotten done had I been left to do it alone.

As Josiah got older, his routine changed somewhat. It eventually included a specialized diet. He could only consume foods made from scratch, consisting of all organic ingredients.  Nothing from a can or a box. Additionally, he received 14 supplements in varying quantities at each meal throughout the day.

What a time consuming ordeal that was. I remember making yogurt from scratch using goats milk. It involved specialized equipment I had to purchase on the internet. It involved expensive ingredients I could only find at a health food store about an hour from home. It involved hours of labor. Josiah hated it. Wouldn’t touch it. Not even a bite. We ended up throwing it all in the trash.

During this period of eating only healthy, organic foods, made from scratch, Josiah became ill with a stomach virus. He became extremely lethargic. He was listless and slept for hours on end. He refused to wake, even for sips of water from a dropper. He became severely dehydrated. He ended up in the hospital and stayed for a 7 days.

He lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks.

When he came back home, we fed that boy anything he wanted to eat. We stopped giving him all those supplements. We gave up on the idea of a specialized diet altogether.

Nowadays Josiahs routine is a much simpler one. He requires help with every step of the process. But, there are no more brushings. No more deep joint compressions. No more sound therapy. No more trying to find the miracle cure.

We gave up on trying to find the answer. That thing that would ‘fix’ our little boy. He is who he is. A wonderful, precious soul, sent straight from heaven. He blesses us each and every day with his joyful spirit. His smiles and his hugs melt hearts. We are happy to have Josiah in our lives.

We love him just the way he is.