Tuesday, January 10, 2012

It's been awhile... but there's much to say!

There is so much to write and I don't even remember where I left off. SO let's just get right down to business.. We've completed the RSEED testing for the school district. The last appointment left me in tears and is the real reason I haven't blogged. I didn't know what to think or how to approach the matter. I'm better now and am ready to share. So the school district classified Ryan with high performing autism... it's not a diagnosis but they say he falls within the "range". Our meting is set for the 13th to see what the school district is prepared to offer. When I left the last testing appointment there was talk of him not qualifying for the free school district preschool and that I would need to find (aka pay for) his preschool. This kinda sucked since the original reason for going through the testing was in hopes that he qualified for the preschool. It doesn't suck in the fact that he's not severe enough that he needs assistance. He will, regardless of what they offer, still get an IEP and will have options.What those are I don't know. I'm hoping they will go over that in the IEP meeting later this month. So that was that so far with the testing. I was crying in the last appointment because I wasn't really emotionally ready for the "autism" word. I'm not worried about loving him or treating him differently. It was more a matter of "I love him no matter what" but let's be honest, no mom wants a "broken" kid. In the big picture it's not a big deal, but I guess I just had a harder time with it than I let others to believe. Moving on...  

On the other hand, having said all that, the doctors on his case at Kaiser think the school district is mistaken and everyone I've talked to thinks the idea of Ryan having autism of any form is ridiculous. The nurses I've spoken to say that the school district mislabel stuff all the time and that Ryan doesn't indicate specific signs of autism that Kaiser looks for... though this made me happy it also confused the heck out of me! I asked the OT (who firmly disagrees with the school district and blames the signs they pointed out on the SPD) for the referral to the Kaiser autism clinic anyway for the sake of peace of mine. She agreed and put the order in. The nurse from the behavioral department called on behalf of the specialist (who we met with originally, who had little to no contact with Ryan, and who was the one who had to put the original referral in to the OT and speech therapist) said that Ryan has technically gone thru 3 of the 4 steps of the clinic already. Seeing the behavioral specialist was the first step, meeting with the OT was the second and meeting with the speech therapist was the third. Apparently the last step is a final evaluation done by the same specialist. And that thereafter you meet with all of them and they give you the run down. Something that would have been nice to know YESTERDAY! (Sarcasm of course.. just annoyed that I was in the dark.. but still comforting still knowing that they're not worried he has autism). 
So we're still meeting with the OT, and the speech therapist. We have our retake schedule set for the age appropriate hearing test. And we have our meeting set with the school district. Thereafter I have a meeting set with the behavior specialist to go over the documents from the school district. Did I mention these appointments are ALL THIS MONTH! Sheesh! Well, it's all to his benefit so no big deal. I hope I'm prepared for whatever comes our way. I just want what is best for him (aside from quickly medicating him). I hate to prove the school district ladies wrong because they really were wonderful. 
As far as his sensory diet goes, I got him a jumpolene, which he popped in a matter of days. I'm considering a real trampoline now. Since watching and catering to his ques new developments have transpired in his behavior. He used to be a good sleeper (which is uncommon for SPD kids). The OT attributed this to his mental struggle to avoid light touch. Well now that he gets a fair amount of sensory input he has had trouble sleeping. He fights me tongue and cheek and incredibly attached to Dylan. Wants to sleep with him and play with him. When he isn't here he naps in Dylan's bed and  specifically asks for Dylan's bed too. It's cute but it's clear that Dylan is the new "comfort blanket". I also originally thought Ryan to be more hyposensitive (under-responsive to sensory experiences) but lately he has shown signs of hypersensitivity (over-responsive to sensory stimulation): like sound bothering him, and though he is talking A LOT more, he whispers a lot. He also has been putting things in his mouth. I'm going to ask the OT her take on this. I'm sure he's just getting more comfortable with life and people since he is given a chance to release his energy. I see the OT on Friday... Hopefully I remember to bring it up. 

As for what Ryan has begun to show a real liking too... the tire swing. Down the street at Dylan's school they have a tire swing and he loves to spin and rock in it. Just non stop! Until he sees Dylan doing something and then he is quick to follow. He also can really ride his bike now! He loves it!! 

Well that's all for now. I'm sure I left you with an earful (or an eyeful... since you're reading). I hope to blog again sooner than later. We meet with the speech therapist tomorrow so I will try to blog an update on that before I'm bombarded with other appointments and then forget to update you on all the fun details of this journey. 

For those of you interested in reading a little about what SPD is, check out this article my friend Crystal sent me. Feel free to email me anything you see or think of! I can use all eyes looking for good play ideas and tools! 

Thanks for listening and praying for me. I know having a good support system is important! Love you all!