Diagnosis!

First off, sorry I haven't posted sooner! There has been so much going on with Delyn, and it has taken me a couple of days to get my thoughts straight.

Okay, so we had our evaluation at the Duncan Center down at the Childrens Learning Institute.  They were extremely nice down there, and it was easy to find and park (although the valet service will cost ya $15.00!).  The test was a long process (I'll post some more on that

later).

My dad and I went back down there this past Friday for the results.  I wasn't surprised with anything that the doc had to say.  I was sooooo glad that I had done my homework, and I knew the terms she used, and was familiar with the tests she described.  She said that Delyn has a lot of positives, and seems to be very bright and smart.  However, he does show symptoms in all areas to be qualified on the Autism Spectrum.  She diagosed him as PDD-NOS (Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified).  Basically that means that he doesn't fit into the other four categories of the spectrum, but still shows symptoms.  She labeled him as "Low to Moderate" on the scale, and said she thought he would do very well with early intervention.  She gave us some advice as to what to expect/ask for from ECI, and recommended that he have speech therapy twice a week.  She doesn't think that occupational therapy is needed.  She also recommended that I enroll him in any kind of class that would have him interact with other kids his age, such as a Music and Movement class, or any of the classes at Gymboree.  She also recommended I engage him in what is called "Floortime."  Basically, it's just a different way to play.  For example, if I see him playing with his cars on the kitchen floor, I engage him in play, and then offer up different ideas of what to do with the cars.  Maybe we have a race, or maybe we stack blocks to crash into with our cars, etc. 

Delyn has come such a long way in the past few weeks.  I think that maybe since I've been aware of this possible diagnosis, I've been approaching things differently with him, and taking more time to try to really teach him things.  Same thing with my mom and dad.  He's already started imitating more, and his eye contact has improved tremendously.  Actually, the psychologist at the Duncan Center said she thought his eye contact was great.  So, we're going to keep doing what we're doing!  I just have to keep in mind that Delyn's mind works a little bit differently, so we have to try new things in order to get him to understand and learn.  He's a fast learner, and that's such a good thing!  He also LOVES to be applauded when he does something correctly, and that makes it easy to encourage him. 

So, we still have our second meeting with ECI at the end of this month, and I'm going to see what they recommend in terms of therapy. 

There is a huge chance that with great therapy and hard work, Delyn will be able to attend regular school and not have any issues.  Keep your fingers crossed for us! 

When I have some time this week, I'll post in greater detail our experience at the Childrens Learning Institute, in case anyone would like to know exactly what to expect if you have your child evaluated for ASD.

First Steps

We had our screening appointment with ECI today, and everything went well!  They came out to the apartment, and basically this first appointment was just a question/answer session, and was spent filling out paperwork.  I was so glad that I had done my homework, because when she started talking about PPCD and things like that I totally knew what she was talking about.  That saved a little bit of time, and I was able to ask her some questions.  She did see some positives with Delyn, and that really lifted my spirits.  When she walked into the apartment, of course he did his whole "bashful" thing.  However, the rep looked at me and said, "He realizes that I'm here, that's a good thing!"  She also saw significant eye contact, which is a great sign as well.  But, we're not out of the woods yet.

We are still keeping the appointment at the Duncan Center next week because I would really feel better with an actual diagnosis, which ECI does not provide, by the way.  We have a second appointment with ECI for the end of October, for him to actually be assessed.  During that visit, they'll ask a lot of questions of me, and see how Delyn plays and does things.  Then, they'll write a "plan" for him to help him get on track.  ECI seems to be very focused on not only working with the child, but also working with parents and caregivers to ensure that teaching moments are not ignored, and coaching us on how to better help Delyn learn.

So, we seem to be staying on the right track! Delyn is still a happy kid, as usual.  He has actually started making more "conversation" type sounds, which I'm choosing to view as a good thing. :)  One week till our major appointement.  So, this time next week I'll have a much clearer view of what needs to happen.

ECI Appointment!

A rep from ECI just called, and they already received the referral from the Audiologist!  We have an appointment scheduled for September 28.  The first appointment is just for an evaluation, and to learn whether we qualify for ECI services.  The cool thing is that they come out to your house to evaluate your child.  That's better for everyone involved, I think!  We're still keeping our appointment at CLI in October, but we're going to go ahead and get started with any speech therapy he needs. Today has been a pretty good day, even though I had a flat and it screwed my schedule up!

Testing Today

Delyn had the ABR test today, and everything came back great.  So, no hearing loss.  That's good news.  Now we've ruled out a reason for his speech delay, and we can move on to his evaluation on October 5.  For anyone who has to schedule their little one for this test, it was really pretty stress-free.

Delyn HATES doctors.  He doesn't like anything about it.  So, I was feeling pretty stressed out before we went, knowing that not only were they going to have to assess him before the test, but we were going to have to give him a sedative and get him to go to sleep (and stay asleep) for the actual test.

They asked that he be brought in as drowsy as possible, so I kept him up as late as I could last night, which was 1:30am.  I woke him up at 8:15am, changed his diaper, put on his elmo slippers, and we left for the appointment.  They saw us pretty much right away, and they had to look in his ears and weigh him and stuff. That was the bad part.  Delyn hated it, and screamed and cried the whole time.  They administered the sedative via syringe, and that was pretty traumatic as well.  BUT, he took all of the medicine, and settled down pretty quickly.   They left us alone in the darkened room, and I rocked him and walked around with him until he fell asleep, which took about 30 minutes.  Once he was asleep, the audiologist connected three electrodes to his head (one on his forehead, and one behind each ear), and put teeny tiny headphones in each ear.  He conducted the test, and everything was great.  We woke Delyn up, and he was awake long enough for me to put him in the stroller, then he was fast asleep again.  He slept all the way home, and then slept for three more hours after we got home!

The Audiologist was really nice (and he happens to be married to a speech therapist!), and said that he was going to put in a referral for us for ECI.  I let him know that we had an appointment at the Childrens Learning Institute in October, and he thought that was a great idea.   I'm so glad I had done some research before we went, because I was able to undertand what he was talking about!

So, we know he can hear.  Now, we can move one step closer to getting him the help that he needs. 

Friday Night!

Delyn is spending the night at his Mama & Granddaddy's tonight.  We've worked really hard with his shapes this past week, and I can tell that he's learning!  We're playing/learning with the toy where you put the differently shaped blocks thru the correct holes into a container.  He loves to be applauded when he gets one right.  I bought him a puzzle the other day, to see if I can get him excited about learning how to put the pieces together, but he hasn't shown much interest in it. 

Our storytimes are going well!  We read for about 20-25 minutes each night right before his bedtime.  He has really taken to it, and sits next to me on the couch while I read.  He's good until around the 15 minute mark, and then he wants to flip the pages himself. :)  His new thing now is watching our recording of Nickelodeon's Mega Music Fest that was on this past Monday.  It was really cute.  His favorite songs are Wyclef Jean and Dora's "La Bamba" duet (we dance together during that one!), and the song from Team Umizoomi called "Snack Patterns."  He dances and laughs and screams when those come on.  Nothing makes you feel better than watching your kid have such a good time, and knowing that he wants you right there with him joining in the fun.  When he turns 16, I'm guessing that won't happen anymore, huh? Ha! 

So our appointment for his ABR Test was moved up, and I'm so relieved.  If they can't get any results from this test (meaning if the sedative doesn't work for him and he doesn't go to sleep), we'll have to schedule another test.  The next one has to be done in the Operating Room, and Delyn will have to be put under.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this test on Thursday is successful.  I'll post as soon as I can after the testing is complete!  I'm reading some pretty good books dealing with the subject of Autism, so I'll post those titles in the next couple of days.  I've also found some really informative websites.  Everyone have a great weekend!

Testing Moved Up!

There was a cancellation, so Delyn now has his appointment for his ABR Test this Thursday! YAY!! I really wanted all of the hearing questions answered before he was further evaluated.  This is good news!

Hearing Test Today

The results from D's hearing test were mixed.  Delyn HATES doctors.  He is a little bit partial to female doctors, but even they have a hard time looking in his ears, listening to his heart, etc.  At one point, it took the doc, two nurses, and myself to hold him down and keep his head still so the doc could look into his ears to make sure there was no fluid, etc. 

The hearing test took place in this booth-like room.  There were speakers in each corner, and there were little light boxes that contained a toy in each corner as well.  When there were certain noises, the box lit up and the toy rattled and made a noise.  I sat in the booth with Delyn in my lap while the nurse administering the test worked the controls and monitored how Delyn noticed the noises.  The times when the box lit up, he turned and looked towards the sound.  However, there were other times (it seemed to be at low frequencies, but what the hell do I know), where Delyn didn't react at all.  Does this mean he has a hearing problem?  Hell if I know.  The results came back as "iffy", and so we scheudled an ABR.  Delyn wasn't very cooperative during the test.  He kept wanting to get down, and he was very squirmy.  D doesn't like to be contained.  :) From what I'm reading online, this test is very reliable in children with development delays, and at least we'll know for sure afterwards if a hearing problem may be at the root of D's problems.  One drawback to this test is that they have to sedate the child.  I've been instructed to keep him up late the night before, and try to bring him in very tired so he'll have an easier time.  I'm still not sure how the technology works in order for them to test his hearing while he's asleep, so I'll have to research that a little more.

The earliest opening they had was in late October.  I had hoped to have a final decision on his hearing before our appointment at CLI, but that's the way it goes, I guess!