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.