So I took a couple of videos last night of both Brady and Lucey. It was after bathtime so they are fresh and clean and all jammied up. My favorite. Brad and Josey were at the library so it was just us. Lucey was tired and you can tell she is as not as "with it" as Brady but these are still cute. This is my video brag of Brady pointing out his eyes, nose and mouth. You can hear him clearly say "hi", "eyes" and "die"(bye) in this video as well as some other vocalizations. Enjoy! I know Brad got a kick out of them when he got home.
March 26, 2010
March 24, 2010
Eyes, Nose and Mouth...Oh my!
ok...so yesterday was a down day. I had a headache, I was tired and was having a tough time watching Brady struggle.
I want to turn my view point around today so I thought I would blog about some great news concerning Brady and some funnies from the girls.
Brady has never been able to point out body parts, most specifically his face. Lucey has been doing this for months. Many months. So we have been working with him more. He has finally been doing it! YAYYY! It started by me asking where his eyes were and he would blink them. Ask him about his nose and he would wrinkle it. Move to the mouth and he would open it. Now though he is full on pointing to them. I am over the moon! I keep asking the poor kid to show me. I am sure he is tired of it by now. He also makes noises with each one. The only one close enough for others to understand is "eyes" and he says that one pretty spot on. The nose and mouth need work but he knows where they are so I am gonna take it. Just watch your eyes because he is none to gentle when showing you where yours are.
Lucey is exploding with her words and phrases and such lately. it is amusing to listen to her too because of course she is a little sponge and she picks up on everything she hears. some of the cute things out of her mouth? "I awake. get drink, snack now?" When we get somewhere and she has taken off her shoes and socks in her carseat, as has Brady, she looks at me and says, "shoes, socks off. Bubs too Mom." and her favorite..."I want uppy."
I am trying my hardest to make sure to celebrate her words as hard as I am working on Brady's. I suppose for any mom with one child needing some help that balance is a tough one but I think having two the same age sometimes adds to my difficulties.
Josey is all about school and learning. Which is awesome. We recently found a website with a camera in an owlhouse 24/7. She is constantly asking for me to "turn the owl on". She will sit and watch to see what Molly the owl is doing. What is she eating. How many babies have hatched etc. They are studying balls at school. *giggle giggle* She is bargaining with me about which of her balls she wants to take. I think I will have to buckle today and let her take her "princess" one since that is the one she is fixated on.
Ok...so we have gymnastics this morning, school after that(my turn to carpool) and then Zumba this evening. so we have a busy day ahead. off to get it started.
I want to turn my view point around today so I thought I would blog about some great news concerning Brady and some funnies from the girls.
Brady has never been able to point out body parts, most specifically his face. Lucey has been doing this for months. Many months. So we have been working with him more. He has finally been doing it! YAYYY! It started by me asking where his eyes were and he would blink them. Ask him about his nose and he would wrinkle it. Move to the mouth and he would open it. Now though he is full on pointing to them. I am over the moon! I keep asking the poor kid to show me. I am sure he is tired of it by now. He also makes noises with each one. The only one close enough for others to understand is "eyes" and he says that one pretty spot on. The nose and mouth need work but he knows where they are so I am gonna take it. Just watch your eyes because he is none to gentle when showing you where yours are.
Lucey is exploding with her words and phrases and such lately. it is amusing to listen to her too because of course she is a little sponge and she picks up on everything she hears. some of the cute things out of her mouth? "I awake. get drink, snack now?" When we get somewhere and she has taken off her shoes and socks in her carseat, as has Brady, she looks at me and says, "shoes, socks off. Bubs too Mom." and her favorite..."I want uppy."
I am trying my hardest to make sure to celebrate her words as hard as I am working on Brady's. I suppose for any mom with one child needing some help that balance is a tough one but I think having two the same age sometimes adds to my difficulties.
Josey is all about school and learning. Which is awesome. We recently found a website with a camera in an owlhouse 24/7. She is constantly asking for me to "turn the owl on". She will sit and watch to see what Molly the owl is doing. What is she eating. How many babies have hatched etc. They are studying balls at school. *giggle giggle* She is bargaining with me about which of her balls she wants to take. I think I will have to buckle today and let her take her "princess" one since that is the one she is fixated on.
Ok...so we have gymnastics this morning, school after that(my turn to carpool) and then Zumba this evening. so we have a busy day ahead. off to get it started.
March 23, 2010
my heart
it is both heart breaking and heart warming to watch Brady try to talk.
He tries to. I know he does. Sometimes he is successful but sometimes...not so much. Today is just one of those days where listening to him try so hard, listening to him grunt out words that I know mean something to him, is just hard.
It probably does not help that I have a horrid headache as well.
He tries to. I know he does. Sometimes he is successful but sometimes...not so much. Today is just one of those days where listening to him try so hard, listening to him grunt out words that I know mean something to him, is just hard.
It probably does not help that I have a horrid headache as well.
March 20, 2010
Me!
So yesterday was Brady's appt. with the SLP, "S".
I took the girls to a friends house which proceeded to throw Brady into a terrible meltdown. It was awful. We got back home, they are only about 5 minutes away, and he cried until S showed up. I was worried he would not be able to get past it and be able to have his therapy but he did.
What an awesome job he did too! He was being very social with her. Some of the things he did that just excited the hell out of me...
1. he was taking turns sharing bubbles with S. Brady would hold the wand out for her to blow a bubble and then he would just giggle and giggle at her attempt. This is awesome stuff. I started crying watching him.
2. tear jerker number two...in the process of them taking turns she started modeling for him to touch his chest and say "me" when asked who wanted a turn. He did it a few times with prompting and then started to spontaneously answer that way. I seriously started to cry. I was so happy to see and hear him trying and learning. His me was not super perfect but damn he sure was trying.
Overall it was a great session and I was thrilled with him. He was trying. and he was just Brady and man I love that kid!
I did talk to her some about his sensory issues. Here is the deal...he has started toe walking. every few days or so. He also spins and will stand with his head on the ground and look at things upside down. S has noticed he is very aversive to having his mouth touched or hands near his face in general and there are some other sensory red flags. The oh-so-tricky thing is that ASD-sensory issues-speech delays-neuro symptoms-hearing and such...all of these things are linked. in a complicated way. At his age it is hard to say for sure if it is ASD, sensory integration problems, dyspraxia or other language disorders. again...this is my understanding.
I asked S about getting him into OT and she said it could be helpful, it is hard to predict. I am not too sure that our insurance would cover it without a diagnosis and we have to wait until June to get into the University for testing so we will wait on the OT until then.
The tough part of the ST is the wait. Brady saying "me" is huge for him. wait..not just saying "me" but understanding that he is "me", that is the huge part. Overall though it is a small step of a long journey. I am trying my best to just enjoy this journey, as I try with any other journey I am on, but there are times when I cannot help but want to speed things up and just hear him "talk". Soon enough I hope...soon enough.
So here is a funny for you guys...my husband is king of teaching the kids mildly inapprpriate things. Mostly these things are not what I would teach but they are funny. So this morning I go in to change diapers and he picks up the book 101 Dalmations. He points to the female character and asks Lucey what that is. I am expecting her to say dog or maybe even dalmation. nope.
"Beach" she says. it takes me a minute. I think about it and then shoot Brad a mildly scathing look.
"Did you teach her to call that dog a 'bitch'?" I ask him under my breath.
He sheepishly grins at me, the look that one makes when they know they are "in trouble", and says, "I told her that was a bitch and that one(the male) is a stud."
I wanted to be mad but first off...those terms are right, not what I would teach my 2 year old necessarily, but accurate. Secondly it was beyond adorable to hear her say it.
Right now she has no idea what she is saying and it will now fade from memory. I think for both of us to push her verbal skills to their limits is just where we are at. Making sure she is ok where she is since B is working so hard to catch up.
ah...a glimpse of the household in which we live.
I took the girls to a friends house which proceeded to throw Brady into a terrible meltdown. It was awful. We got back home, they are only about 5 minutes away, and he cried until S showed up. I was worried he would not be able to get past it and be able to have his therapy but he did.
What an awesome job he did too! He was being very social with her. Some of the things he did that just excited the hell out of me...
1. he was taking turns sharing bubbles with S. Brady would hold the wand out for her to blow a bubble and then he would just giggle and giggle at her attempt. This is awesome stuff. I started crying watching him.
2. tear jerker number two...in the process of them taking turns she started modeling for him to touch his chest and say "me" when asked who wanted a turn. He did it a few times with prompting and then started to spontaneously answer that way. I seriously started to cry. I was so happy to see and hear him trying and learning. His me was not super perfect but damn he sure was trying.
Overall it was a great session and I was thrilled with him. He was trying. and he was just Brady and man I love that kid!
I did talk to her some about his sensory issues. Here is the deal...he has started toe walking. every few days or so. He also spins and will stand with his head on the ground and look at things upside down. S has noticed he is very aversive to having his mouth touched or hands near his face in general and there are some other sensory red flags. The oh-so-tricky thing is that ASD-sensory issues-speech delays-neuro symptoms-hearing and such...all of these things are linked. in a complicated way. At his age it is hard to say for sure if it is ASD, sensory integration problems, dyspraxia or other language disorders. again...this is my understanding.
I asked S about getting him into OT and she said it could be helpful, it is hard to predict. I am not too sure that our insurance would cover it without a diagnosis and we have to wait until June to get into the University for testing so we will wait on the OT until then.
The tough part of the ST is the wait. Brady saying "me" is huge for him. wait..not just saying "me" but understanding that he is "me", that is the huge part. Overall though it is a small step of a long journey. I am trying my best to just enjoy this journey, as I try with any other journey I am on, but there are times when I cannot help but want to speed things up and just hear him "talk". Soon enough I hope...soon enough.
So here is a funny for you guys...my husband is king of teaching the kids mildly inapprpriate things. Mostly these things are not what I would teach but they are funny. So this morning I go in to change diapers and he picks up the book 101 Dalmations. He points to the female character and asks Lucey what that is. I am expecting her to say dog or maybe even dalmation. nope.
"Beach" she says. it takes me a minute. I think about it and then shoot Brad a mildly scathing look.
"Did you teach her to call that dog a 'bitch'?" I ask him under my breath.
He sheepishly grins at me, the look that one makes when they know they are "in trouble", and says, "I told her that was a bitch and that one(the male) is a stud."
I wanted to be mad but first off...those terms are right, not what I would teach my 2 year old necessarily, but accurate. Secondly it was beyond adorable to hear her say it.
Right now she has no idea what she is saying and it will now fade from memory. I think for both of us to push her verbal skills to their limits is just where we are at. Making sure she is ok where she is since B is working so hard to catch up.
ah...a glimpse of the household in which we live.
March 15, 2010
That darn pillow
Ok...so Brady has a pillow and 2 dogs that are "must haves" in his world. He needs them to sleep and when we leave the house. He carts the pillow around everywhere throughout the day. I decided to wash it the other day, I thought it would be done before naptime. It wasn't! SO with much fussing and fretting he did finally fall asleep. I felt like crap.
I decided to make him a cover for this pillow. My thinking was that then I could just wash the cover and he would always have the pillow this way. it would just be "naked" sometimes. So I sit down at naptime and sew him a pillow cover with some Lightening McQueen fabric I had. dude....Lightening McQueen! Brady loves him. The pillow gets dry and the cover gets made. When he gets up from nap he immediately gets up and starts looking for his pillow. I hand it to him in the new awesome cover. He takes the pillow out of the cover and hugs it like there is no tomorrow. I try putting the pillow in the cover again, thinking he just may not "get it", and he again immediately pulls it out and tosses it aside. Apparently he is not keen on the cover. oh well.
So last night before bed we have his pillow and a moose he likes but cannot find the two dogs. Cannot.find.them.anywhere.at.all. Looked down the stairs, in the drawers, in all the rooms and even in the closet. They are completely MIA. We go to look in the van and then it hits me. We had the windows open all day because it was so beautiful outside and one of our screens is pulled loose in the corner. I look to the right of the door right under window with said screen...and yep. There is a small pile of toys with two little stuffed dogs right there. Stinkers had been tossing toys out the window. No telling who actually did it.
Yesterday Brady's eye started getting goopy and nasty so this morning we marched into the doc office to get it checked. Sure enough...pink eye. So far he is doing ok with it. He even let me put the eye drops in. I hope that good run of luck continues. lol
We got home and sat down to do his flash cards. I took a couple of short videos. I did this partly to keep up with his progress and also because I want to show clearly to others what he sounds like. I like to think when I blog that someone might get something from what I write. Maybe just a laugh, maybe an idea and maybe someone struggling with something similar can find solace in not being "alone" with it. Our quest for help came from me reading a blog that I could relate to that has led to a kinship with another momma that has been invaluable to my sanity. Perhaps I can be that for someone else.
Anyhow...here are a couple of videos of our flash cards this morning. He is turning to Josey to show her the card and "tell" her what is on it. You will note that almost all of his "words" sound the same. Also note that he gets a little "woof" in after choosing the dog. You will also notice Josey hamming it up in the back. Lucey was beside me so she is mostly out of frame...not by her choice I assure you.
I am doing what L told me to with him. Offer the pictures up for him to choose. Then regardless of what he chooses push the correct one forward and then congratulate him. Positive reinforcement no matter what. I get that when a kid has words for things and is choosing not to use them you need to work at "making" the kid to use those words. Brady however has no real words at this point in time so he has to just do the best he can and we reward that.
I decided to make him a cover for this pillow. My thinking was that then I could just wash the cover and he would always have the pillow this way. it would just be "naked" sometimes. So I sit down at naptime and sew him a pillow cover with some Lightening McQueen fabric I had. dude....Lightening McQueen! Brady loves him. The pillow gets dry and the cover gets made. When he gets up from nap he immediately gets up and starts looking for his pillow. I hand it to him in the new awesome cover. He takes the pillow out of the cover and hugs it like there is no tomorrow. I try putting the pillow in the cover again, thinking he just may not "get it", and he again immediately pulls it out and tosses it aside. Apparently he is not keen on the cover. oh well.
So last night before bed we have his pillow and a moose he likes but cannot find the two dogs. Cannot.find.them.anywhere.at.all. Looked down the stairs, in the drawers, in all the rooms and even in the closet. They are completely MIA. We go to look in the van and then it hits me. We had the windows open all day because it was so beautiful outside and one of our screens is pulled loose in the corner. I look to the right of the door right under window with said screen...and yep. There is a small pile of toys with two little stuffed dogs right there. Stinkers had been tossing toys out the window. No telling who actually did it.
Yesterday Brady's eye started getting goopy and nasty so this morning we marched into the doc office to get it checked. Sure enough...pink eye. So far he is doing ok with it. He even let me put the eye drops in. I hope that good run of luck continues. lol
We got home and sat down to do his flash cards. I took a couple of short videos. I did this partly to keep up with his progress and also because I want to show clearly to others what he sounds like. I like to think when I blog that someone might get something from what I write. Maybe just a laugh, maybe an idea and maybe someone struggling with something similar can find solace in not being "alone" with it. Our quest for help came from me reading a blog that I could relate to that has led to a kinship with another momma that has been invaluable to my sanity. Perhaps I can be that for someone else.
Anyhow...here are a couple of videos of our flash cards this morning. He is turning to Josey to show her the card and "tell" her what is on it. You will note that almost all of his "words" sound the same. Also note that he gets a little "woof" in after choosing the dog. You will also notice Josey hamming it up in the back. Lucey was beside me so she is mostly out of frame...not by her choice I assure you.
I am doing what L told me to with him. Offer the pictures up for him to choose. Then regardless of what he chooses push the correct one forward and then congratulate him. Positive reinforcement no matter what. I get that when a kid has words for things and is choosing not to use them you need to work at "making" the kid to use those words. Brady however has no real words at this point in time so he has to just do the best he can and we reward that.
March 12, 2010
Farts, Poots and nl-o
so first of all...this is about all the kids not just the B-man so I am trying to remember that. :)
Josey is ALL about body parts and functions these days and it is making me insane. literally, completely and totally insane. She is right now chasing her brother and sister down the hall calling herself "Naked the Clown". I shit you not.
She farts, and they are farts(trust me) and laughs. Literally laughs and then most times will sheepishly grin and say " 'scuse me". yeah...I am not sure it still counts if you laugh after you rip one off. She talks about poop. She scratches her butt. She belches like there is no tomorrow as well. Brady and Lucey think she is hi-larious. I think she is a 35 yo hairy man in a wife beater hidden in a precious little 5 yo body.
Lucey is all about the "toots" and "poots" too. Hers however is an obsession I will take since this can only lead to good potty places as she becomes more aware of herself. She tells me when she toots and poots(poop). and will wrinkle her little nose up at it.
So Brady worked with L yesterday. We got a little bucket with a lid and some flash cards to work with. We have him identify the item, mostly by choosing it right now, and then he gets to put it into the bucket through a little slot on the lid. this is awesome fun for him and for Lucey. Josey even gets into it as well.
He said a few things during his session too. She wrote them down for us....words he said or that she caught him trying to say while holding an appropriate picture up were:
duck-"du"
hi
please-"peas"
truck-"uh"
car-"ah"
spoon-"uh"
eat-"eeh"
mom
no
I listed the word and then the sound he makes when he tried to say it. I will make a list of words he uses here soon to add to this. She pointed out that we need to encourage the vocalisations regardless of how they sound. I am working on making sure I don't correct him but guide him and just continue to label the hell out of things. We are also working on the functions of things with these cards.
I was sitting with him and Lucey looking at books and Lucey pointed out "Mel-mo", Elmo, and B immediately looked and said "nl-o" which was his two syllable sound for Elmo. Seriously...I was thrilled. It truly is the little things.
Another goal we have, besides his speech, is that he will understand language and start following 2 step directions. Also showing understanding of concepts such as one, one more, all, big and little. Those types of things.
ok...going to go get dinner heated up. the natives are hungry and need to be fed.
Josey is ALL about body parts and functions these days and it is making me insane. literally, completely and totally insane. She is right now chasing her brother and sister down the hall calling herself "Naked the Clown". I shit you not.
She farts, and they are farts(trust me) and laughs. Literally laughs and then most times will sheepishly grin and say " 'scuse me". yeah...I am not sure it still counts if you laugh after you rip one off. She talks about poop. She scratches her butt. She belches like there is no tomorrow as well. Brady and Lucey think she is hi-larious. I think she is a 35 yo hairy man in a wife beater hidden in a precious little 5 yo body.
Lucey is all about the "toots" and "poots" too. Hers however is an obsession I will take since this can only lead to good potty places as she becomes more aware of herself. She tells me when she toots and poots(poop). and will wrinkle her little nose up at it.
So Brady worked with L yesterday. We got a little bucket with a lid and some flash cards to work with. We have him identify the item, mostly by choosing it right now, and then he gets to put it into the bucket through a little slot on the lid. this is awesome fun for him and for Lucey. Josey even gets into it as well.
He said a few things during his session too. She wrote them down for us....words he said or that she caught him trying to say while holding an appropriate picture up were:
duck-"du"
hi
please-"peas"
truck-"uh"
car-"ah"
spoon-"uh"
eat-"eeh"
mom
no
I listed the word and then the sound he makes when he tried to say it. I will make a list of words he uses here soon to add to this. She pointed out that we need to encourage the vocalisations regardless of how they sound. I am working on making sure I don't correct him but guide him and just continue to label the hell out of things. We are also working on the functions of things with these cards.
I was sitting with him and Lucey looking at books and Lucey pointed out "Mel-mo", Elmo, and B immediately looked and said "nl-o" which was his two syllable sound for Elmo. Seriously...I was thrilled. It truly is the little things.
Another goal we have, besides his speech, is that he will understand language and start following 2 step directions. Also showing understanding of concepts such as one, one more, all, big and little. Those types of things.
ok...going to go get dinner heated up. the natives are hungry and need to be fed.
March 10, 2010
the game plan
So we are going to wait to get Brady evaluated. The EI people will need to look at his progress come June so we will go ahead and schedule testing at the University for that time frame just in case we still need to have him looked at.
For the next month we have appts. scheduled once a week to work with him. Case worker and SLP trading weeks. Tomorrow is the case worker, L. I will be glad to see her and again get some more tips and ideas for working with him.
He was trying to say Elmo earlier. It was adorable. Lucey of course loves "melmo" herself and has been saying that forever so he was repeating her when she would say it. But he was pointing at him so I am gonna count it as a try. :)
I have also been sitting with him and doing some flash cards. Just simple pictures for now. Nothing too detailed because I don't want to complicate things for him. showing them to him, naming them and then trying to have him point them out to me when I have them grouped into threes. I am trying to mimic some of the stuff that I have seen the workers do when they are here.
Josey had gymnastics this morning. It is her second session and she really is doing well. I just love to watch her. The teacher told her today that she was doing so well maybe she could just teach the class for her. Josey could not have smiled any bigger. She came running over to tell me all about it. She was bursting she was so proud of herself.
After that we went to a new playgroup for Multiples. It was fun to have 4 sets of twins in one room with older siblings and one pregnant mom too. There was one set of older twins, L and B, another set of 2 yo and 10 week old babies. Oh so cute. loved them. Brady was all about sitting beside one of the little babies. She was smiling at Brady. it was so precious.
ok....everyone is in bed. it is quiet and I am hungry because I think I have yet to eat dinner so I am going to go find a snack and enjoy Dinner Impossible on Food Network.
For the next month we have appts. scheduled once a week to work with him. Case worker and SLP trading weeks. Tomorrow is the case worker, L. I will be glad to see her and again get some more tips and ideas for working with him.
He was trying to say Elmo earlier. It was adorable. Lucey of course loves "melmo" herself and has been saying that forever so he was repeating her when she would say it. But he was pointing at him so I am gonna count it as a try. :)
I have also been sitting with him and doing some flash cards. Just simple pictures for now. Nothing too detailed because I don't want to complicate things for him. showing them to him, naming them and then trying to have him point them out to me when I have them grouped into threes. I am trying to mimic some of the stuff that I have seen the workers do when they are here.
Josey had gymnastics this morning. It is her second session and she really is doing well. I just love to watch her. The teacher told her today that she was doing so well maybe she could just teach the class for her. Josey could not have smiled any bigger. She came running over to tell me all about it. She was bursting she was so proud of herself.
After that we went to a new playgroup for Multiples. It was fun to have 4 sets of twins in one room with older siblings and one pregnant mom too. There was one set of older twins, L and B, another set of 2 yo and 10 week old babies. Oh so cute. loved them. Brady was all about sitting beside one of the little babies. She was smiling at Brady. it was so precious.
ok....everyone is in bed. it is quiet and I am hungry because I think I have yet to eat dinner so I am going to go find a snack and enjoy Dinner Impossible on Food Network.
March 7, 2010
Brady
I am tired. Let me tell you straight up...I am tired. I have looked at the things that were said to me on Friday backwards and forwards and sideways too. I am overloaded with what to do. As a mom, for me anyway, it is always hard to make decisions about my kids because I am consumed with the fear that I will make the wrong decision. In this situation I will tell you that I am not overall a religious person but I do consider myself to be spiritual and I will pray for the faith I need to know that Brady is in good hands...whatever we decide to do.
He was evaluated by the SLP, with the case worker here again, on Friday. He was verbally at about a 15-16 month level. Cognitively, what he understands, was at about 19 months though. While this is still considerably behind where he should be it is good that he understands more than he says. That means we can catch him up, hopefully.
He also failed his MCHAT. This is not a diagnostic test for autism or ASD but it can be indicative of red flags. Failing means he had the red flags that indicate there may be something wrong. wow. I expected it but was still reeling a bit.
At this point in time I think we are going to wait to have him evaluated further. I am going to copy and paste an email I sent to friends for further explanation. sorry but I have not got the energy to type it all out again.
ok. the reason we will probably wait to have him evaluated is that they wonder if the fact that his speech is so delayed perhaps he "looks" worse than he really is. and perhaps some of the other more autistic behaviors are influenced by his lack of communication. does that make sense?
He would have to be evaluated by the university. You have to have an MD diagnose specifically PDD and probably the other conditions as well. I know, from speaking with the U already, that he would be seen by a developmental pediatrician and speech pathologist at the least. He would probably also be seen by a neurologist and potentially have a pysch eval as well.
there are specific therapies for autistic children. We will be working with some of the more troublesome developmental issues with the case worker. They are fine with me having him evaluated. they did not tell me not to. they just said that perhaps if we wait a bit then he may catch on to some of these things without needing the diagnosis. Obviously, as I am sure you can figure out, a diagnosis is a double edged sword. can be good...can be bad.
I think that it seems reasonable, for now, to allow him a couple more months to work on his speech and see where things go. They will reevaluate him in June to see where he is at and whether or not he would qualify for more help after turning three, since that is when EI ends and he would need to be turned over to the school system for early preschool or something of that sort. I will set up appts at the U for June as well. that way if he is not where he needs to be. or if I still have my concerns then we can get him in there to be evaluated.
I will be honest and tell you that for the most part I am ok with this, but part of me wants to whisk him away immediately and get a DX. part of me worries that I am doing him more harm by not getting him right in to get him evaluated....but that part of me is about as big as the part of me that worries about a dx following him around.
If he is on the spectrum he is obviously very high functioning thing is though that he could possibly eventually function high enough to barely register the spectrum if that makes any sense. I had, up until recently, only shared my concerns with Brad. and no one else. not even my mom. because I wondered if perhaps I was over thinking things. but I have had concerns for a few months now. if I see any of his symptoms or behaviors seeming to become worse or more pronounced I will also be getting him in earlier.
again...sorry for just copying and pasting but I am just too tired to try to type it again.
I am keeping a log of odd behaviors and other troubling stuff. I think I will also start trying to get little videos when I can of the things that worry me.
I am hoping that with the SLP and the case worker helping me out we can start to see some improvements even without an immediate diagnosis.
We will also begin feeding him a gluten free diet, which means we are all going GF since Josey is already.
ok....off to play with the littles. I will update my own blog later once the kids are in bed.
He was evaluated by the SLP, with the case worker here again, on Friday. He was verbally at about a 15-16 month level. Cognitively, what he understands, was at about 19 months though. While this is still considerably behind where he should be it is good that he understands more than he says. That means we can catch him up, hopefully.
He also failed his MCHAT. This is not a diagnostic test for autism or ASD but it can be indicative of red flags. Failing means he had the red flags that indicate there may be something wrong. wow. I expected it but was still reeling a bit.
At this point in time I think we are going to wait to have him evaluated further. I am going to copy and paste an email I sent to friends for further explanation. sorry but I have not got the energy to type it all out again.
ok. the reason we will probably wait to have him evaluated is that they wonder if the fact that his speech is so delayed perhaps he "looks" worse than he really is. and perhaps some of the other more autistic behaviors are influenced by his lack of communication. does that make sense?
He would have to be evaluated by the university. You have to have an MD diagnose specifically PDD and probably the other conditions as well. I know, from speaking with the U already, that he would be seen by a developmental pediatrician and speech pathologist at the least. He would probably also be seen by a neurologist and potentially have a pysch eval as well.
there are specific therapies for autistic children. We will be working with some of the more troublesome developmental issues with the case worker. They are fine with me having him evaluated. they did not tell me not to. they just said that perhaps if we wait a bit then he may catch on to some of these things without needing the diagnosis. Obviously, as I am sure you can figure out, a diagnosis is a double edged sword. can be good...can be bad.
I think that it seems reasonable, for now, to allow him a couple more months to work on his speech and see where things go. They will reevaluate him in June to see where he is at and whether or not he would qualify for more help after turning three, since that is when EI ends and he would need to be turned over to the school system for early preschool or something of that sort. I will set up appts at the U for June as well. that way if he is not where he needs to be. or if I still have my concerns then we can get him in there to be evaluated.
I will be honest and tell you that for the most part I am ok with this, but part of me wants to whisk him away immediately and get a DX. part of me worries that I am doing him more harm by not getting him right in to get him evaluated....but that part of me is about as big as the part of me that worries about a dx following him around.
If he is on the spectrum he is obviously very high functioning thing is though that he could possibly eventually function high enough to barely register the spectrum if that makes any sense. I had, up until recently, only shared my concerns with Brad. and no one else. not even my mom. because I wondered if perhaps I was over thinking things. but I have had concerns for a few months now. if I see any of his symptoms or behaviors seeming to become worse or more pronounced I will also be getting him in earlier.
again...sorry for just copying and pasting but I am just too tired to try to type it again.
I am keeping a log of odd behaviors and other troubling stuff. I think I will also start trying to get little videos when I can of the things that worry me.
I am hoping that with the SLP and the case worker helping me out we can start to see some improvements even without an immediate diagnosis.
We will also begin feeding him a gluten free diet, which means we are all going GF since Josey is already.
ok....off to play with the littles. I will update my own blog later once the kids are in bed.
March 4, 2010
ahhh...my children
this post is from a previous blog, posted yesterday(March3,2010)
more on that in another March 4 post to come
I am a mom therefore I worry. or something like that.
I love my children. all three of them. they are the joy and the frustration of my days. They are my job.
Josey will be starting Kindergarten next fall. I am not sure why I use capital letters on Kindergarten except that it feels like that…it feels all proper and important. And big. Really really big. It has been a fast 5 years. She is doing well. Loving preschool and the friends she makes there. I just got a reminder call from the University where she had her cranio surgery at 4 months old and it is time for a re-check. in the earlier days I was calling to schedule these appts. and this time I was a little surprised. She is doing so well that some days you can almost forget she ever had her skull reconstructed so young. Almost…quite a bit happened around that time and although she is healed and well I can seldom talk about the surgery without crying. Not all out sobbing or anything. Just tears of a mom who feels incredibly lucky to have come through something like that with her kiddo intact and healthy. Sometimes I wonder if all that oxygen her brain was exposed to did something to it…like accelerate growth. She is smarter than I am I think on some days.
Lucey…techinically our second born since she was the first twin out of the gate. She is only a minute older than her brother but I am fairly certain that will be a detail she will not let him forget as they get older. She is talking all.the.time. these days. She ask about things. Lets us know when she “toots” or “poops”(for the most part). She loves to play with her big sister. She still sleeps with a paci, known as “paa-ie”, but knows when she gets up she needs to hand it over. Lucey eats just about anything and everything. No exaggeration…no lie. She is an awesome eater. She loves our boxer Oscar and lays with him while he is sleeping. The cat is also intriguing to her, she loves the sounds he makes when she pulls his tail. *small chuckle* We are working on teaching nice touches.
Brady…my youngest and only boy. ahh Brady. I was so scared to have a little boy. I did not think I would know what to do with him. I am here to tell you that little guy came out holding my heart in his hands. I love my girls but there is just something different about a boy and a mom. He is all over this house these days. He is active and moving. He LOVES cars. LOVES them. The movie, the toys…anything with wheels. He has a couple larger ones that he leans on and just pushes all over the house. Full of energy and love.
It is him I am worried about right now. It is Brady that consumes my thoughts and fears right now. He is not talking. Please understand when I say not talking I mean it literally. I don’t mean that he is hard to understand or that he is not talking as much as other kids. I don’t mean that he does not want to talk and so is choosing to be silent or that he gets everything handed to him so he does not have to talk. He really does not seem to be able to form words.
I called Early Intervention in our area 2 weeks ago. We met with them for the first time last Tuesday, Feb 23. The case worker was very nice and spent about an hour and a half here that morning. She did some developmental tests with him to see where he was at, she did say she would score him another time as well to make sure to get a more complete view of him. He scored very low in communication skills; at 27 months he scored at a 16 month level. Have you any idea how hard that is? To hear that your child is almost a year behind where he should be. He was behind in all other areas as well. He basically scored between 16 and 20 months.
A speech language pathologist, SLP, is coming this Friday, March 5, to meet with us and evaluate him as well. Where we go from there I am not real sure. She also bringing a test that will alert us to any red flags of autism spectrum disorders, ASD. again…kind of scary. I will blog more about my own thoughts on my other blog.
I am eager to meet with these professionals and move on to whatever the next steps are. I am so happy to have Brad to walk this with me. He is a wonderful person to lean on. I am grateful to be able to check things with him as well and watch him watching Brady. I know that whatever comes of all this we can walk this together. We always have been able to walk these tough roads together.
Well…smells like I need to get back to work. The girls have been playing for a little bit after getting up from nap and I believe that Lucey has made a lovely package for me in her diaper…oh the joys.
more on that in another March 4 post to come
I am a mom therefore I worry. or something like that.
I love my children. all three of them. they are the joy and the frustration of my days. They are my job.
Josey will be starting Kindergarten next fall. I am not sure why I use capital letters on Kindergarten except that it feels like that…it feels all proper and important. And big. Really really big. It has been a fast 5 years. She is doing well. Loving preschool and the friends she makes there. I just got a reminder call from the University where she had her cranio surgery at 4 months old and it is time for a re-check. in the earlier days I was calling to schedule these appts. and this time I was a little surprised. She is doing so well that some days you can almost forget she ever had her skull reconstructed so young. Almost…quite a bit happened around that time and although she is healed and well I can seldom talk about the surgery without crying. Not all out sobbing or anything. Just tears of a mom who feels incredibly lucky to have come through something like that with her kiddo intact and healthy. Sometimes I wonder if all that oxygen her brain was exposed to did something to it…like accelerate growth. She is smarter than I am I think on some days.
Lucey…techinically our second born since she was the first twin out of the gate. She is only a minute older than her brother but I am fairly certain that will be a detail she will not let him forget as they get older. She is talking all.the.time. these days. She ask about things. Lets us know when she “toots” or “poops”(for the most part). She loves to play with her big sister. She still sleeps with a paci, known as “paa-ie”, but knows when she gets up she needs to hand it over. Lucey eats just about anything and everything. No exaggeration…no lie. She is an awesome eater. She loves our boxer Oscar and lays with him while he is sleeping. The cat is also intriguing to her, she loves the sounds he makes when she pulls his tail. *small chuckle* We are working on teaching nice touches.
Brady…my youngest and only boy. ahh Brady. I was so scared to have a little boy. I did not think I would know what to do with him. I am here to tell you that little guy came out holding my heart in his hands. I love my girls but there is just something different about a boy and a mom. He is all over this house these days. He is active and moving. He LOVES cars. LOVES them. The movie, the toys…anything with wheels. He has a couple larger ones that he leans on and just pushes all over the house. Full of energy and love.
It is him I am worried about right now. It is Brady that consumes my thoughts and fears right now. He is not talking. Please understand when I say not talking I mean it literally. I don’t mean that he is hard to understand or that he is not talking as much as other kids. I don’t mean that he does not want to talk and so is choosing to be silent or that he gets everything handed to him so he does not have to talk. He really does not seem to be able to form words.
I called Early Intervention in our area 2 weeks ago. We met with them for the first time last Tuesday, Feb 23. The case worker was very nice and spent about an hour and a half here that morning. She did some developmental tests with him to see where he was at, she did say she would score him another time as well to make sure to get a more complete view of him. He scored very low in communication skills; at 27 months he scored at a 16 month level. Have you any idea how hard that is? To hear that your child is almost a year behind where he should be. He was behind in all other areas as well. He basically scored between 16 and 20 months.
A speech language pathologist, SLP, is coming this Friday, March 5, to meet with us and evaluate him as well. Where we go from there I am not real sure. She also bringing a test that will alert us to any red flags of autism spectrum disorders, ASD. again…kind of scary. I will blog more about my own thoughts on my other blog.
I am eager to meet with these professionals and move on to whatever the next steps are. I am so happy to have Brad to walk this with me. He is a wonderful person to lean on. I am grateful to be able to check things with him as well and watch him watching Brady. I know that whatever comes of all this we can walk this together. We always have been able to walk these tough roads together.
Well…smells like I need to get back to work. The girls have been playing for a little bit after getting up from nap and I believe that Lucey has made a lovely package for me in her diaper…oh the joys.
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