When we decided to seek assessment for Andrew, we were told that we were on a waiting list and that the assessment would start some time in the fall. Well, it turns out that Children First hired a few more psychiatrists in order to clear up the backlog. We will now know by the end of May if Andrew does indeed fall in the autism spectrum.
The start of the assessment program means that we will have a plethora of activities to complete. The first was to compile a list of red-flag behaviors that we have observed over the three and a half years Andrew has been home with us. We were given this task on Thursday afternoon and it's due late Monday afternoon. We chose to break the list into language concerns and social concerns and as I have mentioned before, these concerns are pretty extensive. The biggest lately is the repetitive nature of his language. Everyday he asks the same questions, dozens of times, even though he knows the answers. I have spent the year listening to his classmates and they simply have more varied speech than he does.
The second task was to make an appointment with the doctor to determine if there are any medical (i.e hearing) issues that could be the cause for the red flag behaviors. We'll go to the doctor on Wednesday morning to determine all of that.
We meet with the social worker on his case later this afternoon. I know that she observed him in his class today, so we'll get some feedback about that. I'll keep everyone up to date as we move through this process.
6 comments:
Sooner is always better than later. But it sounds like you have a lot of homework. Good luck with it.
Hi Toni.
Like Mary said, getting an apt sooner is a good thing. Best of luck with all the activities ... thanks for keeping us updated. Sending good thoughts and energy your way.
I'm trying to imagine how I'd be feeling right about now in your shoes and I think it would be a combination of apprehension about what you'll find out and relief that you're at least moving forward and being proactive (I hate that word....like "closure" and "paradigm shift" and all of that)....but the best any of us can do is keep moving forward and hope for the best. Andrew is lucky to have picked you for a Mom.
Hi Toni,
I agree with everyone that sooner is better. I really hope that everything works out best for Andrew and ya'll.
Thanks for keeping us updated and best of luck.
FM
Mary - You're right, sooner is much better than later. I'm pretty habituated to homework.
Olivia - Thanks for the good thoughts and energy. We can always use it around here.
Laura - You know what I'm thinking - I'm thinking that I'm glad we're getting this done before I go back to work in the fall.
FM - Thanks so much. You were asking about pictures the other day, well here's a link to Andrew's first school assembly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NxqVwiX-Sk
Hey Toni,
Thanks for the Bean Bag and Old MacDonald had a Band. Andrew looks so cute, and I can't get over how much he has grown. I still remember you posting baby pictures. In my opinion they just grow up too fast.
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