Today, the new parenting plan officially giving Joe custody was signed by a judge! We have to wait about a week to get a certified copy from the court house. We are all VERY excited, especially Alayna. Don't get me wrong, she loves her mom, and her mom loves her; but Alayna's life at our house is very different than the one she lives at her mom's.
At her mom's house, she's an only child. She doesn't get a lot of interaction with kids outside of school, and they (from what we know) lead a very adult focused life. At our house, we have 3 other kids. There is ALWAYS something child friendly going on. We live a very child focused life. Very few of the activities we plan are for Joe and I; a good 98% of them are for the kids.
We've already spoken to the local school about Alayna and her special needs. She will be getting a full IEP evaluation (PT, OT, speech, social skills, academics, etc) EVERYTHING will be evaluated. We're expecting that she'll qualify for PT for gross motor skills, possible OT for sensory, speech/social for social skills development, and academic support. Alayna is very bright, but we don't know that she's ever really been pushed to reach her full potential.
The plan is to get her as much support through the local public school as possible and then decide if she needs more outside support. We'd also like to get her into counseling to help her work through all of the huge changes going on in her life right now. We think it would help her to have someone not involved (Joe, me, or her mom) to talk to about her concerns and feelings without having to worry about the feelings of the person she's talking to.
We are all very excited to have her home full time; however during the summer she'll be home every other week so that she can also spend time with her mom. Once school starts in September she'll be visiting her mom every other weekend.
And next week, Alayna turns 12 years old! I'll have a nice big post about that. I can't believe how big she's gotten and how fast time has gone. My little princess that could barely walk and talk when I first met her is almost all grown up!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Amazing news!!
Well, the average person probably wouldn't find this "amazing" news, but to us, that is exactly what it is!
Today was Brooklyn's intake appointment for a new behavior modification therapy. There's a bit of back story that's required before I get into today's exciting news.
*Back story: A little more than18 months ago Brooklyn started behavior modification therapy for the first time. At the time, I had NO idea what to expect or what my concerns actually were. All I knew is that my almost 4 year old was completely uncontrollable. She was aggressive, impulsive, didn't listen, had massive meltdowns at the store, and was like a 120+mph wild ball of energy. The therapist diagnosed Brooklyn with Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). The more I learned about ODD, the more I thought "there's NO way Brooklyn has ODD." You see, Brooklyn was not intentionally defiant.
After about 5 months of this, I went back to our pediatrician, again in tears, BEGGING for help. The therapy wasn't working. As I desperately tried to keep my daughter from tearing down the walls (she instead alternated between shredding the paper over the exam table, jumping off of the exam table, and ripping things from her sister's hands), our pediatrician suggested we consider trying medication for ADHD. This was the first time ADHD was brought up. Previous to this, I will admit I thought ADHD was a bunch of bull poo. I thought it was an over diagnosed excuse for insanely out of control children with crappy parenting. The doctor wrote out a prescription for 5mg of Adderall. 2 weeks later I still hadn't filled the prescription... That was the night that Brooklyn drank about 1/4 of my espresso while I was making dinner. That was also the first time Brooklyn sat still during dinner, ate her food in one sitting, and went to bed without a knock-down-drag-out battle. The next day we filled the prescription.
I can tell you, I INSTANTLY noticed a difference in Brooklyn's behavior. My 120+mph wild ball of energy was now a 60mph ball of less energy. It wasn't perfect, but it brought things down to such a level that it FELT perfect. We stopped the useless behavior modification therapy; 6 months wasted. But, as time progressed, I began to notice that the Adderall was not the magic-cure-all I had hoped. So, back to the pediatrician we went, this time armed with research. Research about Aspergers Syndrome (high functioning Autism) in girls and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Our pediatrician said no way to both suggestions and upped Brooklyn's Adderall to 10mg.
I continued my research online. I KNEW it wasn't just ADHD, there was something else. The more research I did, the more I kept coming back to Aspergers/high functioning Autism. Again, our pediatrician again said no way. You see, Brooklyn doesn't have severe social issues, therefore our pediatrician said it was highly unlikely. So, I compiled more information, printing out a 15 page Aspergers checklist and completing it based on what my husband and I saw daily in Brooklyn. And that is when I made an appointment with a different pediatrician for a second opinion.
And, for the first time, I felt like at least half of what I was saying was being listened to. Again, I was told it was unlikely that it was Aspergers, but that SPD was a possibility. We were referred to a different therapy location for NEW behavior modification therapy. I have to tell you, I didn't think it would do much good. But, it was a starting point. You see, our insurance wont approve of Autism OR SPD evaluations until we can prove that it's necessary. So, we went into the appointment today.
That ends the back story.
Onto today's appointment. We arrived 15 minutes early so I could fill out the MOUNTAIN of paperwork. Mental health history, health history, family mental health history, family health history.... Well, you get the idea. They picked up our paperwork and about 10 minutes later we were called back for our appointment. I explained my concerns with Aspergers and SPD and we discussed Brooklyn while the therapist tried her best to engage Brooklyn (it did NOT happen) and observed Brooklyn playing with Bella and Aiden. Finally, after about 90 minutes the therapist said to me "I am not comfortable making any type of diagnosis after just one visit, but I believe that Brooklyn IS on the spectrum. ADHD is not the only thing going on with her." That would be the autism spectrum. I cried. Not because I was worried or scared, but because I KNEW. And finally my concerns were being listened to. Finally someone saw what I saw. FINALLY!
Finally I could start working in the right direction to getting my daughter the help she needs to over come the bumps along the road of life. This was truly the best news I could have received. Even now, hours later, I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off of my chest. We have a game plan.
The plan isn't big, the plan isn't fancy, but it's a plan.
1. We will be meeting with a psychiatrist to discuss options for medication for the ADHD, I'd like to consider herbal options as they tend to have much less dangerous side effects than pharmaceutical stimulants. I don't think we'll be able to get Brooklyn off of medication completely any time soon. Without the medication Brooklyn is a mess; that's really the only way to describe her off of her Adderall. But, the hope is that we can find the best fit for her to give her the ability to attend school without any issues.
2. We will be starting therapy with a therapist who works with ADHD and Autism. There are 3 goals here, to teach Brooklyn some type of impulse control, to help Brooklyn be able to function well enough in school to reach her academic potential, and to prove to our insurance company that a full Autism evaluation at either OHSU or Providence is necessary.
3. As soon as school starts we will be requesting a full IEP for Brooklyn, especially an OT (occupational therapy) evaluation, as they would be best able to deal with the sensory issues.
So, good news hearing that our daughter most likely has Autism.
Today was Brooklyn's intake appointment for a new behavior modification therapy. There's a bit of back story that's required before I get into today's exciting news.
*Back story: A little more than18 months ago Brooklyn started behavior modification therapy for the first time. At the time, I had NO idea what to expect or what my concerns actually were. All I knew is that my almost 4 year old was completely uncontrollable. She was aggressive, impulsive, didn't listen, had massive meltdowns at the store, and was like a 120+mph wild ball of energy. The therapist diagnosed Brooklyn with Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). The more I learned about ODD, the more I thought "there's NO way Brooklyn has ODD." You see, Brooklyn was not intentionally defiant.
After about 5 months of this, I went back to our pediatrician, again in tears, BEGGING for help. The therapy wasn't working. As I desperately tried to keep my daughter from tearing down the walls (she instead alternated between shredding the paper over the exam table, jumping off of the exam table, and ripping things from her sister's hands), our pediatrician suggested we consider trying medication for ADHD. This was the first time ADHD was brought up. Previous to this, I will admit I thought ADHD was a bunch of bull poo. I thought it was an over diagnosed excuse for insanely out of control children with crappy parenting. The doctor wrote out a prescription for 5mg of Adderall. 2 weeks later I still hadn't filled the prescription... That was the night that Brooklyn drank about 1/4 of my espresso while I was making dinner. That was also the first time Brooklyn sat still during dinner, ate her food in one sitting, and went to bed without a knock-down-drag-out battle. The next day we filled the prescription.
I can tell you, I INSTANTLY noticed a difference in Brooklyn's behavior. My 120+mph wild ball of energy was now a 60mph ball of less energy. It wasn't perfect, but it brought things down to such a level that it FELT perfect. We stopped the useless behavior modification therapy; 6 months wasted. But, as time progressed, I began to notice that the Adderall was not the magic-cure-all I had hoped. So, back to the pediatrician we went, this time armed with research. Research about Aspergers Syndrome (high functioning Autism) in girls and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Our pediatrician said no way to both suggestions and upped Brooklyn's Adderall to 10mg.
I continued my research online. I KNEW it wasn't just ADHD, there was something else. The more research I did, the more I kept coming back to Aspergers/high functioning Autism. Again, our pediatrician again said no way. You see, Brooklyn doesn't have severe social issues, therefore our pediatrician said it was highly unlikely. So, I compiled more information, printing out a 15 page Aspergers checklist and completing it based on what my husband and I saw daily in Brooklyn. And that is when I made an appointment with a different pediatrician for a second opinion.
And, for the first time, I felt like at least half of what I was saying was being listened to. Again, I was told it was unlikely that it was Aspergers, but that SPD was a possibility. We were referred to a different therapy location for NEW behavior modification therapy. I have to tell you, I didn't think it would do much good. But, it was a starting point. You see, our insurance wont approve of Autism OR SPD evaluations until we can prove that it's necessary. So, we went into the appointment today.
That ends the back story.
Onto today's appointment. We arrived 15 minutes early so I could fill out the MOUNTAIN of paperwork. Mental health history, health history, family mental health history, family health history.... Well, you get the idea. They picked up our paperwork and about 10 minutes later we were called back for our appointment. I explained my concerns with Aspergers and SPD and we discussed Brooklyn while the therapist tried her best to engage Brooklyn (it did NOT happen) and observed Brooklyn playing with Bella and Aiden. Finally, after about 90 minutes the therapist said to me "I am not comfortable making any type of diagnosis after just one visit, but I believe that Brooklyn IS on the spectrum. ADHD is not the only thing going on with her." That would be the autism spectrum. I cried. Not because I was worried or scared, but because I KNEW. And finally my concerns were being listened to. Finally someone saw what I saw. FINALLY!
Finally I could start working in the right direction to getting my daughter the help she needs to over come the bumps along the road of life. This was truly the best news I could have received. Even now, hours later, I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off of my chest. We have a game plan.
The plan isn't big, the plan isn't fancy, but it's a plan.
1. We will be meeting with a psychiatrist to discuss options for medication for the ADHD, I'd like to consider herbal options as they tend to have much less dangerous side effects than pharmaceutical stimulants. I don't think we'll be able to get Brooklyn off of medication completely any time soon. Without the medication Brooklyn is a mess; that's really the only way to describe her off of her Adderall. But, the hope is that we can find the best fit for her to give her the ability to attend school without any issues.
2. We will be starting therapy with a therapist who works with ADHD and Autism. There are 3 goals here, to teach Brooklyn some type of impulse control, to help Brooklyn be able to function well enough in school to reach her academic potential, and to prove to our insurance company that a full Autism evaluation at either OHSU or Providence is necessary.
3. As soon as school starts we will be requesting a full IEP for Brooklyn, especially an OT (occupational therapy) evaluation, as they would be best able to deal with the sensory issues.
So, good news hearing that our daughter most likely has Autism.
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