So what is our plan?

We have an evaluation scheduled for J on Wednesday morning.  The evaluation will be performed by the Child Development Service Agency (CDSA) - Early Intervention.  They will do a very thorough evaluation based on the intake information I gave them.  I cannot tell you how ready I am for that day to get here.

We will use what we learn from them to make our next decisions (though we already have multiple plans in mind).  My understanding is that they can/will make referrals to the appropriate care providers based on the child's needs.

As for our concerns about B...
We have already had a speech/language evaluation completed on him and he will receive services through a private provider for the time being.  Once we figure out where we are going with J, we will pursue other evaluations for B to include our concerns about Asperger's and Sensory Processing Disorder.

I will be working on setting up a schedule for our daily lives.  All of the research I have been able to read thus far indicates that children that are on the Autism Spectrum function best on a very structured schedule.  This will not come easy for me.  I have always been very much a laid-back-no-schedule kind of person.  There is NO doubt that will be changing and pronto.

I am asking for prayers over the course of the next week.  Please pray first of all for our family.  Pray that we will keep our focus.  Please pray for little J.  I am not sure how well he will take the evaluation honestly.  He has a very difficult time with anything that has not been experienced before and this will definitely be a first for him.  Please pray that the Lord will guide us in the right direction.  Please pray that he will help us to see clearly what we are to do.  I feel selfish for asking for prayers for ourselves when there are SO many others out there who are suffering from many worse things than these.  So lastly I would like to ask that you make sure to pray for all of the people who are sick, hungry, lonely or upset.  There is much hurt and pain in this world for sure.  My last prayer is that those who are 'lost' will find Him who is the great healer.  I surely could not imagine how we would make it through the coming days without Him.

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