Okay, so Cooper just got a diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder. We are still waiting on insurance approval to do farther testing to see if he is on the Autism spectrum somewhere. That could either be classic Autism or Asperger's or PDD-NOS. So we will see and I will report back on that one....
Okay, so how it all started... Cooper has always just been quirky things that were unique to him. I always say he got every bad gene I had to offer! He has food allergies (severe life threatening to dairy and egg) as well as being incredibly stubborn (so like his mama!) and averse to new things (again I point at myself) to name a few highlights. We just always thought that was Cooper nothing to it just his personality. Well, I started e-mailing with a friends sister, this sister is a pediatric occupational therapist. She told me that it sounded like SPD to her so we went to the pediatrician to get a referral to the OT and speech for evaluations.
We went to the OT first and she said that she did recommend therapy for him and she would mail me a report in a few weeks. We went to the hearing test that is required for a speech eval (don't even get me started on how stupid it is to put a child who is immensely bothered by noises in a room to make him listen to noises and actually respond!) then to speech. Cooper's main speech problem is when he gets frustrated/tired/hungry he starts to make noises instead of using his words. So "eeeggghhhh" instead of "stop that! I don't like that!" However, ST does not recreate this they play and chat so they did not recommend speech for him.
So, I got the report in the mail from the OT and she diagnosed Cooper with Sensory Processing Disorder. I thought I was okay with it and I really am okay with it but to get the report in the mail that lists all the things that your child does that are atypical can be a little tough on a mama. So, I read it and then went out to the bookstore like I had planned. For the rest of the day though I felt like I had just been hit by a truck!
So, on March 12th I went to the developmental neuropsychologist. This psychologist talked to me for about an hour about Cooper and what is going on with him. He reviewed the reports from the ST and OT and came up with a list of tests that he wants to do. It is more physical testing (Cooper has gross and fine motor skill delays) as well as the Autism Spectrum testing. After this appointment again I felt like I had just been hit by a truck! I am a pretty tough cookie, I don't need a lot of coddling or hand holding. However when I have gone from thinking my son is a typical 3 year old to finding out that he has a lifelong challenge, albeit one that he can significantly improve, in less than a month. Is a little hand holding too much to ask for??? I think not!
So that is where we are. We wait for the insurance to approve all or part of the testing and then we will test. Cooper is also on the waiting list for OT but there is another place I am going to try to get him into that I think will be better for him.
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We don't have the hands over the ears. But he hates baths. HATES THEM. He freaks out in big places. He likes to sleep under the bed; loves pressure, and likes to be on top of people. Delayed on gross/fine.
ReplyDeleteAnd ditto on the hearing/vision. First of all a new place. Secondly a loud new place. Third, he is not going to put headphones on...Fourth, he can't read yet so letter don't work. Fifth, he doesn't know the lady testing him - Bottom line is, "It just AIN'T gonna happen!" We were in and out of the public school last Saturday within 10 minutes. The lady laughed and said, "This just isn't going to happen is it?" She gave me her card and we are going to bring him up the school several Saturdays in a row alone to get him used to the setting, her, and the headphones. Guess we'll try again in a month or a year! :-)