Today was a big day for us. Today was the day we saw our pediatrician and today was the day she told us he was autistic.
I knew he was. I was expecting it. And I don't hurt the way I did a few months ago. I was really dreading this appointment, somehow checking every box of "Rarely" or "no" on those stupid development papers is like someone shoving a knife in my heart and twisting. But it wasn't that bad, painful, but not bad.
I am just glad that she actually listened to me, considered everything I was saying, and told me I wasn't nuts. It's there. He has high functioning autism and for that I am so thankful. Our next step is the neurobehavioral specialist and as long as they agree we can start seeing what we qualify for, but so long as we qualify Idaho has tons of helpful resources for us.
I love our pediatrician. She took over an hour listening and answering my questions. She is worried about how much milk he drinks, (time to add in some pedi-a-sure), she is concerned about the head banging and is recommending that we get a tablet for him since he adores my phone and that seems to be one of the things to get him out of a rage (Anyone have any recommendations for autistic kids?!), and she is incredibly worried about his sleep patterns. We now have a prescription for sleep meds that we may or may not use. Nayt and I are really leery about drugs for him, but he also needs to sleep more than 4-6 hours a day.
So, we wait again. But in the mean time I can know that I am not crazy, I am right in finding answers and that my little man is a special quirky boy who is handsome, smart, incredibly special and all mine.
Thank you everyone who has been with us through each step of this new, scary journey. There is an amazing network of special needs bloggers that I am learning so much from and I can't tell you how much you mean to me, even if you don't know it, (especially you Lizbeth since you keep commenting on all my lame entries. It means a lot! :) and everyone who follows my blog via facebook. I love you all and I couldn't do it without that support! <3
I'm so glad you got definate answers. I know no one wants to have that appointment, but hopefully every step from now on is truly moving forward.
ReplyDeleteStay strong mama! Love ya!
I'm so happy for you that you have answers. I haven't read all your other blogs, but know that you have been doing your best to get some answers. Stay strong & keep your head up as I know that autism can be a struggle for everyone. You are such a great mom to be following your momma instincts. If there is anything I can do to help you through this, let me know.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your son is lucky to have such a loving, understanding, and dedicated mother. Dealing with an autism diagnosis must be difficult, but your focus is definitely in the right place- giving your son what he needs to thrive. xx
ReplyDeleteAs far tablets go, my niece has a vtech tablet and my daughter has the leap pad and of the two the most age appropriate for your son would be the vtech. It is fairly cheap and durable so it will withstand any tantrums and there are a lot of games available. Good luck with this new journey.
ReplyDeletemy kids have the tablet by leap frog... but is your pediatrician suggesting you get a "real" tablet, like an ipad? If that's the case, I would suggest the kindle fire. It's not as fancy as the ipad, but it has a lot of the same apps, it's way more user friendly, and it's like a third of the price!
ReplyDelete