This morning was absolutely wonderful! We took David to see his developmental specialist for a check up. I had forgotten what he was like the first time we took him to see her on the day of his diagnosis. That day was so hard because he just cried and cried and cried the whole time. He was real spacey. He was not able to follow directions. His receptive language was still a struggle but that was at least much better than his expressive language. He was not able to point at pictures. It seemed like he had no clue what was on the page. He was not able to complete simple puzzles that should have been pretty easy. He seemed to not understand commands. His eye contact was not the best. He would make contact but we were not able to get his attention. He was acting like he may have had some hearing issues even though we knew he didn't. He was not making any type of verbal communication.....just babbling. He could not clap or mimic any songs or hand motions at all. He had no concept of what we were doing when we tried to sing simple songs like "Patty-Cake" and use motions. He would just stare. It was like he knew he was supposed to do something but couldn't figure it out. He had no words that he was saying. He wasn't at all interested in the toys that the OT was trying to get him to play with. He still did not really know how to play with toys at all. He could not stack blocks. As I think about all these things that I had forgotten about it makes me so encouraged to know that in many of these areas he has improved leaps and bounds! I need this soooo bad.
Sometimes even when you know your child has improved it is hard to see just how much improvement he has made. When the struggle goes on day after day it is easy to just see what is in front of you but hard to see just how far he has come. It is so easy to get discouraged when the improvement seems to be moving like a snail or when there is a digression of skill in an area. However, when there is an opportunity to be reminded of how far your child has come it is like a breath of fresh air! What a blessing to just be reminded!
David was so happy this morning with no tears at all (except when his ears were checked and head size measured ) and he just walked in the doctors office as if he owned the place. LOL He sat right on the play mat and began playing with the blocks and toys and puzzles. He even snuck around the OT and dug into her bag and found a car that she had and began playing with it. He said a few words that he has just started saying at school and home: "ashes", "done", "uh-oh". I have been working on getting him to mimic animal sounds and I think I heard him mimic the "moo" sound when he saw a cow in the book he was shown. He pointed to his eyes and nose when asked where they were. That has been something that they have been really working on at school. He seemed to be "reading" the book that he was given. He was sooo happy. His doctor just kept saying how much she saw huge improvement since the last visit and she was so happy. I love her. We kept praising his pre school and she was quick to remind us that it was also due to all that we have been doing for him. It was just so encouraging to be reminded of what great parents we are to David. I was able to ask her at the end of the appointment where she thought at this point David would be on the spectrum and she said he was VERY high functioning. Now, I know that some of you who know David will not be surprised by that. Neither are we!!! However, when his doctor confirmed it to us it was just so comforting and encouraging to both Brian and me. I needed to hear those words. I needed to hear how far he has come. I needed to be reminded that all the therapy and things that we have done in the last few years has paid off. We needed to be reminded that we have placed him in the perfect pre-school program for David. I also needed to be reminded that the major feeding/sensory issues are the last things that improve over time. I needed to hear that because that has been such a huge struggle and sometimes I feel as if David will never eat normal foods. But I was reminded that one day he will----even if it doesn't seem like it....he will. All I can do is do my best and that what I was doing was wonderful! I was just so thankful!!!
THEN to top it all off when we dropped him off at pre school I had such an encouraging conversation with his special ed teacher. In the last few months the plan has been for David to go to another school two days a week for specialized speech therapy. Then the other three days he would go to his current pre school in the inclusive environment. The plan was also to keep David back in the 2 year old class and not move him up to the 3s next year. Well, his IEP meeting will be next Thursday so nothing has been confirmed in writing but his special ed teacher says they are looking to change plans. They are considering keeping him full time at his current pre school and possibly not holding him back but move him up to the next age group. This is mostly due to the improvements in speech within these last few months. He is still significantly delayed in speech however since he has shown such great improvement and they are very encouraged that he will continue to do so!!!! As I said nothing has been put in writing or officially decided and either way we are content but it is just wonderful that they are at least considering these options.
Thank You Jesus for all you are doing in our little man's life. We are so grateful for all the improvements big and small that he has made. I pray that in those moments where I want to pull my hair out in discouragement and frustration that the Lord will remind me of this day. May those who are walking this journey and reading this blog be also encouraged to remember those moments when our children make improvements whether they be big or small. :)
