Our girl was the best baby and toddler. When she turned 3, we got the feeling her speech was delayed. Her articulation was amazing. She started talking at 15 months and was up-to-date with vocabulary and sentence structure at age 3. But something just wasn't right. She could follow simple commands like - get your shoes or sit down. But when it came to questions and answers it became difficult. At first, there was no response, just a blank stare. The pediatrician told us to wait. I wish we hadn't.
Closer to age 4, we grew more concerned. Her behavior had always been good, however, "What's your name?" would be answered with "I'm three." and "What's your age?" answered with, "No thank you." We were confused. The pediatrician told us she was being defiant. Friends told us to spank it out of her. We were lost. Our little girl was not communicating with us. She would relate her basic needs and wants but that was it. What was going on in her head? I yearned to know what she was feeling, what she was thinking. When she cried she couldn't tell us what was wrong. She'd just shut down. I knew she wasn't just being defiant.
What was going to be our next step? I sobbed and sobbed in the pediatrician's office and begged for a referral. I finally got it. I felt like I was losing my little girl. Yes, she could talk but so much was going on in her little head that I felt like I was missing her - missing her take on life. She has always been a joyful, loving, and happy child. I felt disconnected from my daughter. I wanted to know what she thought, what she felt, what she was daydreaming about. When she'd look at a bird flying by she'd have such amazement in her eyes and her smile was huge. But there was no conversation, no telling me what she saw or why she was so amazed by it. I felt locked out. She'd happily play by herself. She had no friends. There was little to no communication with other children her age, older, or younger. But she was happy and content.
We decided to do her evaluations through the school system. Even though we were homeschooling her older brother, our insurance did not cover evaluations. The school system was wonderful and quickly made us feel at home. She was accessed by every sort of therapist you could imagine. In the end they told us she had a speech-language impairment and was developmentally delayed. Her receptive and expressive language was delayed. She could not communicate well and did not play or talk with other children. She was 4 and was not potty trained. Her motor skills were also delayed. She could not even hold a pencil, throw an object, or catch a ball. They recommended enrolling her in their special education preschool. We were hesitant and felt lost and alone. We met with the teacher and quickly felt at peace. We will call her Mrs. Pencil. She was amazing.
Over the year that our girl was there, she quickly caught up in her development. She received speech therapy and they helped her with her communication. She blossomed so much that year. She was finally able to answer simple questions correctly. After intensive therapy, she could also follow step by step directions. She turned 5 that spring and still was not potty trained. They thought she may have a slight sensory processing disorder. The more she communicated, the more issues seemed to arise. She was scripting. She seemed confused when spoken to. She could not hold a back and forth conversation. Her social skills seemed odd. And then the word AUTISM was presented to us. My husband and I always thought of severely autistic children whenever we heard the term AUTISM. Not our girl. She walked, talked, and was happy-go-lucky. She just needed to be fixed. Autism? Now that was scary. I just wanted her fixed. This was suppose to be short term, not life long. We were devastated. And of course they must be wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment