More thoughts about J's evaluation last week...

So it has almost been a week now since J's evaluation.  I have to admit, when we first walked out of there, we both felt a huge relief about it all.  I guess it was relieving just to hear the positive input instead of wondering all of the possibilities.

Where do I stand now?

Well kind of in the same place as before.  I still have concerns about apraxia of speech and/or autism spectrum disorder.  I already know he has sensory processing disorder/sensory integration disorder.  We will have our IFSP set in place after today.  That is our plan of action.  That is our therapy decisions put into action.

I think we are going to take J (and eventually B too) to a place in Carthage called 'Moore Pediatric Therapy'.  I haven't been able to find ANY information about them at all.  That is difficult for me to accept honestly.  I am the type who wants to know as much as possible before we get involved with something.  I guess I am just going to have to hope and pray for the best here.  It is the closest and most convenient location we could take him.

Our schedule has changed quite a bit this week already.  Here is the latest:

Today - IFSP meeting with CDSA Coodinator
Tomorrow - *cancelled B's Speech*  scheduled well visits for both B & J at their primary care provider to discuss our concerns and have ourselves 'grounded' in our home location
Thursday - *had to reschedule B's Initial Autism Appt due to scheduling mistake on their behalf*
Baby Z still has his well visit that day though
Friday - B's Speech Therapy

Praise the Lord for his provisions - I surely need my share of patience and understanding this week!

So what is this all about?

I know you are wondering.

The thing is... There is SO much to it that I am not sure I could post it all at once.

The short & not-s0-sweet version is this...

I believe J may be on the Autism Spectrum. I believe J may have Apraxia of Speech or other speech disorder. I believe J & B both have Sensory Processing Disorder (a.k.a. Sensory Integration Disorder) I also think there is a good chance B may have Asperger's Syndrome.

There I said it.

Why does that seem so odd? Why do I feel like I am admitting failure? Why is there a stigma with that?

Well I am not sure about the answers to those questions but I am sure that it is relieving to get it out in the 'open'. I have had this swirling in my head for some time and only letting a little of it out to a few people.

So why do I think these things about my children? I sure wish I could spell it all out in this post but it would impossible to do. I do plan to post these things as I can. I want you to see what I see on a daily basis. I want to share information that I have found.

If you are a mother or father of little ones, I urge you to arm yourself by knowing the red flags. Stay on top of the developmental milestones. I wish I had known the red flags before now.

A wonderful resource for the early signs & symptoms can be found here:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/autism_signs_symptoms.htm

Of course it is also helpful to know the appropriate milestones to be looking for as well. A good resource for those can be found here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html