Keep on Truckin'

Mr Remy Remington is a huge fan of trucks. And now that we have removed television from his daily life he has even MORE time for trucks! This one is his favorite and it is brilliant. It is by Fisher-Price and it is a large, hollow firetruck with a removable "ladder" that serves not only as a lid but as a building surface for the stackable blocks that the truck came with. There is also a cute little driver and a fire hydrant. Oh, and in addition to the big all-purpose hole on the top, it also has three slots along the sides - circle, square and octagon - for sorting the three different shaped building blocks! I am learning that this type of dynamic toy is great for helping Remy move from something that he has mastered  into the areas that he needs more work - cooperative play, imaginative play, etc.

We are pretty worried about him lately. Not only does he not have any words, but he doesn't seem to know his name, he doesn't seem to understand pointing or verbal commands, he has lost the ability to clap, he doesn't make any animal noises, we have not been able to teach him any sign language beyond "all done" which he learned quite a while ago, and he engages in a lot of senseless physical activity like arm flapping, jumping in place, walking in circles etc. From what I am reading it seems clear that he has some kind of sensory processing disorder and it is possible that he may eventually be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This has been an overwhelming realization, but one that when I look in his face doesn't seem quite so daunting. He is still the same intent, happy, beautiful baby he has always been.