Not at ALL the response I expected to my last post. I thought I was going to be lynched. lol. Thank you. <3

I can definitely keep names out. I try not to post my real name or my kids’ real names on the internet much anyway, especially not in conjunction with pictures. I’m sure someone could find me if they really wanted to, but they’d have a hard time Googling my name and finding this Tumblr or any of my other blogs. I Google myself just to make sure… :-P

So, can I just jump right in? I’ll call my son MT, because when I was still pregnant, my husband named him Megatron (“because,” he said, “who’s gonna mess with a kid named MEGATRON?!”). 

Two questions!

1. MT has been pinching us a lot lately (with fingernails, it hurts!). He does it sometimes when he doesn’t get his way, but I expect that. Kids act out when they don’t get what they want—heck, adults act out when they don’t get what they want. But sometimes he seems like he’s really excited. He’ll be watching one his favorite shows and jumping around the living room, and he’ll get excited and come pinch/scratch our arms. There doesn’t seem to be any intent at all to hurt us. How can I help him find another way to talk to us without scratching—any ideas?

2. MT has a toy soldier. He LOVES it. He asks for it when he’s going to bed, he carries it around with him all over the house. I love that he loves it. One of his therapists took it away from him the other day to try to get him to do something, and he got upset. I also got upset. It felt like bullying. I’m told using reinforcers is a big deal, but it doesn’t seem like taking the thing he loves most away from him is doing him any favors. (Also, none of his other therapists have done that.) I’m tempted to hide the soldier from her next time she comes so she can’t use it. Am I being overprotective? 

Thank you for those who clued me into the tag. I promise I won’t post to it, but maybe it’ll give me some insight. 

Thank you guys who answered! :-D