The Walker Boys

I thought it was time to give an update on how Gus and Hugh are doing. I don't remember the last time I posted anything specifically about them, so this is long overdue!

Gus has been doing really well lately. His speech is progressing well, and that's without any intervention. He says some funny things... I actually have a Twitter account for him to share the funny things that are starting to come out of his mouth. You can follow him at @guswalker2012

We have been going to weekly soccer practices since March and Gus has successfully moved from the parent and toddler class to the independent three's class. This Saturday will be his last class for the season and we're so glad we signed him up. He's learned a lot about following directions and learned some coordination skills. We probably won't go back to soccer until next spring. I had thought about doing fall outdoor soccer, but I think we have a lot of changes coming our way, and we'll play it safe for a bit.

 

Leading the class in their warm-ups

 

He's such a fast runner!

Gus has been in swimming classes since the beginning of June. He goes twice a week for 30 minutes and LOVES it. He started out on the white level (absolutely no swimming skills). Here's a link to show the different levels: SWIM SCHOOL. I'm  proud to say that Gus has progressed from a solid white to white/red and then red and now red/yellow! He's doing so well. The only really bad thing is that because he's so fair-skinned, the water has caused him to break out. Our last class is on the 24th, so three more classes and we'll be done with swimming for the summer.

 

Laying back in the water and floating

 

GREAT job floating!

We've been going to the Lowe's Build and Grow clinics and Gus LOVES them! The projects are free and super cute. We've got it down to a science and have been able to get in and make the project and out in twenty minutes or less.

Since Gus has been out of school for the summer, we've been working on various things to keep his skills sharp. He's such a smart boy. Here are the things that Gus knows:

• He can correctly count from 1-20
• He can accurately identify the letters of the alphabet and is working on their sounds
• He knows his shapes
• He knows his colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, White, Black, Brown, and Gray)
• He can cut with scissors
• He can lace cards/pictures
• He can put beads on a piece of string/yarn
• He can jump and is working on hopping on one foot
• He is working on basic adding and subtracting

Our OT, Mary, said that she's certain that Gus is ahead of where most of his peers are and she thinks he'll have a great transition to five day a week preschool next month. I sure hope so. I'm getting more and more nervous about it, but I have to stay positive.

We are gearing up to head north. It'll be so great to see family and friends. We are spending part of our trip visiting with Gus's side of our family and I'm excited for them to spend some time with him and see how much he's grown since they last saw him (Labor Day weekend of 2012). It will be great to see my brother and his family and I can't wait to see my SIL's pregnant belly (she's due in August with my niece). We are also going to Indiana for  part of our trip and we'll be visiting my in-laws and going to the fair. We will also be going to Steve's 20th class reunion. It'll be a FUN trip!!!

Seriously, where do I begin, when talking about this sweet slab of beefcake? He is just the most incredible little baby. He is always happy, always smiling, and so easy-going. He reminds me so much of how Gus was as a wee-one. 

Hugh has been developing right on track in all areas except for the gross and fine-motor areas. He hasn't been rolling as much as he should, and it's mainly because of a weakness on his left side. He definitely prefers his right side, but this hinders his ability to crawl, push up, and readjust himself when he topples over. 

Gus's OT suggested that I talk to the pediatrician about it, and to sign him up for Babies Can't Wait. So, last week I called and today got a call back about scheduling an evaluation for Hugh. It's so weird to be back to BCW, but I'm thankful that if he qualifies, he'll get some help and we can hopefully get him on track before it's too late.

While his left side is weak, Hugh is not weak at all. He's so strong. He can sit unassisted and if you put him in a standing position, he can keep his balance and stand to play at his Leap Frog table.

He's been trying various flavors of baby food, and so far, he's a GREAT eater. He's much easier than Gus ever was, and I'm praying that it continues. Last night, I fed him some butternut squash with maple and oatmeal and he ate the whole pouch!!

 

He's so cute

I also gave him some puffs for the first time and he wasn't sure what to think about them.

That's about it for updates. We're doing well and are so incredibly blessed in so many ways. I'm thankful for all that I have and for the children that I am blessed to call mine.

He Qualified

On Wednesday, I took Gus to our local elementary school for him to be evaluated by FCPS (Fulton County Public Schools). As you know, back in October we had him evaluated through Georgia's BCW (Babies Can't Wait) program and he qualified for both speech/language and OT services. We decided to start with speech since that was our biggest concern (and STILL is), but because of scheduling conflicts, we didn't actually get a lot done with Gus and his speech therapist.

The ST came to our house three times and each time was horrible. Gus didn't seem to like her and she was constantly touching his face, talking really loudly, and just not a good fit with him. On the third visit she threw her hands up and said she just couldn't keep working with him until his sensory "issues" were resolved. She said I was the problem (he was looking to me for help and not doing as she wanted), and so it was for the best that we stopped using her for speech.

However, while it was great to start OT services with Mary, whom Gus absolutely LOVES, he hasn't been getting any help for his speech and language. As six months have passed, he has remained behind and has actually gotten further behind where he should be.

We did enroll him in preschool in January, and I honestly think it was the best thing we could have done for him. Any language gains that he's made have come from preschool.

Anyway, BCW is a program for kids up to age three. Once a child is three, they "graduate" out of BCW. Some end their services there, because they don't need assistance anymore. Others continue to need services and so they move to the public school system for their needs.

Because we still need support, we had to start the process to see if Gus would qualify for services. He had his hearing tested about a month ago and the results were excellent. Then on Wednesday, he went to have more testing done.

There was good news that came from the meeting. 

He qualifies for more services and will start in August at an elementary school that's close to us (not the school where he'll attend for K-5). 

He did not qualify for OT services. I say this is a positive because it means that he's doing really well in the areas that he was deficient before. He's been seeing Mary every week for an hour, and obviously it's paid off. They said they see the sensory problems that he'll need help with, but it's not enough to have an OT there to support his needs.

He will have an IEP. This will be good for three years and each year we'll write goals for him and we'll review to see how he's doing. When he's met all the goals we have for him, I believe the need for an IEP will be gone, and so will the IEP. However, it's a legally binding document that will spell out exactly what he needs and he'll be sure to get what he needs through it.

So the biggest question I had was what are we going to do next? The team recommended he be in a classroom setting. This means that instead of someone coming to our house for one on one time, once a week for an hour, he'll be in a classroom and seen at the school.

They said he could go five days a week (mornings only), and wouldn't need to continue with preschool somewhere else. This means no more Christ the King for preschool. It also means, no more spending $$ each month for preschool, since sending him to the public school is free (taxes pay for it).

I had a lot of questions and doubts. I want him to be with a variety of kids, not just a bunch of special education kids in one room. However, I was told that while he'll be with kids with IEPs, he'll be with similar kids. So he'll be there for speech delays, he'll be with kids who also have speech delays and maybe a few other things, but won't be with behavior/emotionally delayed children. They try to put the kids together based on their needs, which made me feel a little better about it. I want him to thrive and not be negatively impacted by the behavior of others.

I don't want him to go five days a week, but I found out that it's most likely a 7am-11am program. It might not be too bad for him to go five days a week for just that little bit of time. We could still do MOMS Club stuff and it's important that he still have time with non-disabled peers.

We'll see. We go May 9th for the IEP meeting and thankfully, Steve will be there with me. I just want Gus to get the support that he needs and I want him to be with teachers who not only have a passion for exceptional learners, but also have the background, training, and ability to serve his needs. 

Gus has a great teacher at CtK right now, but she's the only one on staff who is going to school for early childhood education, and is the only one focused on special education. It's been such a blessing to have her for Gus, but as the director told me, we cannot guarantee what next year would look like for him. He could have a teacher (at CtK) who doesn't understand his needs, and it could be a disastrous year for him.

So, we decided to give the public school preschool a chance. If it's not what we're looking for, or it's not a good fit, we'll have the IEP to help us find the right fit. CtK is a great school, and we'll probably send Hugh there when he's older, but for now, when we get to May 21st, Gus will be saying goodbye to CtK for preschool.

Fulton County offers free transportation to and from preschool. I immediately said no, I don't want Gus on the bus, but they assured me that it's a special bus for preschoolers only and it has car seats. I said I'd think about it. The more I've thought about it, the more I think I may do the bus. Not only because it'll be super nice to not have to load everyone up to go down the street, but because traffic is HORRIBLE at 7am. We'll see, but I'm leaning more towards letting him ride the bus and it'll give me more time at home with Hugh, will let Hugh keep sleeping and not have to wake to take Gus to school, and will give Gus a chance to ride a bus, since he sure as hell will NOT be riding the bus when he's in elementary school. 

It's REALLY odd to be on the other side of the table for an IEP. As a teacher, I sat in on multiple IEP meetings each year, and I'm very familiar with IEPs. As a teacher, they spell out exactly what you're to do for the child, how to help them be as successful as possible, and what goals to work on for helping the child succeed. 

As a parent, it's totally different. I just want Gus to get caught up on his language. 

Looking at the developmental milestones for a three-year-old, I was shocked at how many are centered around speech and language. At this age, EVERYTHING revolves around speech and language and he's significantly delayed. I'm excited that he'll be going to school (which looks just like any other preschool classroom) with teachers who can help him get where he needs to be.

I'm hopeful, I'm relieved, and I'm excited for him. 

I'll keep everyone posted. Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, and texted to see how the evaluation went. It means the world to know that you care!!!

Speech Therapy

This afternoon, Gus's speech therapist (Rebecca) and his service coordinator from Babies Can't Wait (Atasha) came to the house for our first official visit. We didn't get to any actual therapy today, because we spent the time discussing goals for Gus and trying to nail down a day of the week and time for therapy.

We didn't specify a time for him, but we did pick Tuesday as our therapy day. I think we'll be doing around 11:30/12:30 but it's not confirmed. We will be in Florida next Tuesday, so instead of skipping a week, we're going to do Monday at 11:15 instead. 

I'm eager to see what can be done and what activities and games we can do with Gus to keep his speech going. He was very friendly with them today and was excited to keep giving them high-fives (his new favorite thing to do).

I'm hopeful and excited for Monday and hope that it goes well!!

Election Day

I'm still a bit in shock that we're at Election Day 2012 already. It seriously seems like a blink ago that I worked the polls (in NC) for the 2008 election. 

I can remember quite vividly, watching the tv all night (I was tracked out and didn't have to work in the morning) and being so hopeful that Obama would win. I remember really wanting him to win and feeling so emotionally connected to the election.

I also remember not being too concerned if he didn't win. Being a Democrat to my core, I wouldn't have given my vote to McCain, but I supported him and would have been happy with him as my President.

This year is different.

Maybe I'm different, and because my life has changed so much over the last four years, my views are not as tolerant. I don't know what it is, but this election has me worried.

While I'm not as emotionally connected to Obama with his re-election (in fact, had other individuals been named the Republican candidate, I may have given them my vote today), I just cannot, for the life of me, get Romney.

I don't want comments about him. I don't want to know why he's so great for women (BARF) or why he's "so much better than Obama" because to me, he's not. To me, he's worse than GW Bush (and that was PRETTY bad).

So tonight I feel a lot of nervousness about the outcome of this election. It's going to be a close one, and we may not know the results for a few days. However, I will eagerly watch to see who will be the 45th President of the United States.

This morning, Gus and I went to vote at 9am. It was raining quite heavily when I left the house, and had not stopped when I parked at the school where we vote. Fortunately, there was ample parking and I got Gus situated in the umbrella stroller and we made a mad dash through the rain to the school.

When I walked in, I was amazed. The place was practically empty. I was not anticipating an empty cafeteria! I expected at least some sort of a wait, but thankfully, we walked right up, got the voter card and headed to a machine to vote.

I don't know if you're supposed to take pictures of your ballot or not, but I took one anyway. In GA, we vote electronically and use a yellow card that goes into the machine when you vote and then the data is downloaded. Our ballot was very short this year (four pages total- eight items) and I was done in no time at all!

 

Voting cards and stickers

 I hurried Gus back through the rain and got into my car and the time that it took from leaving my car to getting back into my car was 13 minutes. It was amazing and I was so thrilled that I didn't have to wait in a long line with Gus.


We headed home and a little after 10:45 this morning, Gus threw up all over the kitchen floor. It was quite disgusting and I almost threw up cleaning it up. He has been fine for the rest of today, but I've decided to keep him home tomorrow and not go to the mall for our MC event there.

We played with dough tonight as we waited for Steve to get home from work. Gus was loving it. I'm so excited for Thursday because it's his first speech therapy session. I'm already loving the way he says blue "beeew" and orange  "oooooooar---ge." I'm eager to see what more he'll start to say with a little bit of help. I'm so glad that we'll be starting therapy before he's 2.5 (granted, it's three days before turning 2.5) because our pediatrician said if he wasn't talking more at 2.5 then we should seek help. Well, the help has arrived!!

That's it for me. I'm going to go to bed. I hope when I wake up in the morning, I hear that Obama was re-elected. If not, it's going to be a VERY long four years and I don't even want to think about the direction that our country will go.

Glad it's the Weekend!!

Yesterday was stressful for me. My morning started with a voice message left for me from Melissa at our home study agency.

Let me backtrack for a second. Last Tuesday (the 23rd) we had our home study visit. Then on Saturday (the 27th) while we were out exploring the area, I got NUMEROUS calls from Melissa asking me various questions about our paperwork. I made sure to put everything IN ORDER as shown on the checklist that they provided on their website. First the 911 Call History was missing... then she found that but couldn't find the one for Wake County (she had Holly Springs). I had to explain that Wake County is the county that Holly Springs is in... it's not a city. Then she called about not being able to find Steve's drug-screen results (his doctor listed on the paperwork).

It was literally, one call after another. She obviously had not looked through everything very carefully, because everything that she was "missing" was in fact there (of course it was... I double/triple/quadruple checked EVERYTHING to make sure nothing was missing!!).

Then she called to say that our financial form was done incorrectly, so Steve had to sit down and do that.

The last thing she said was that they were still waiting on our GBI clearance. Let me explain what the GBI clearance is and how the system works (it's rather complicated if you ask me). GBI stands for Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I had to preregister us into the GBI system a day before going to get our prints taken. I paid online and added all required information into the system. All we had to do was show up at a location that has the COGENT system and we'd be all set. When I put our info into the system, I had to provide a reason for needing the prints (adoption) and a code for the organization requesting the prints (our home study agency). The code was provided to me by our agency, so I just had to follow the very clear instructions from their website.

After the person(s) has their prints scanned (it's called a livescan), the prints go through COGENT and are sent to GBI to run the prints and do the criminal background check. Then GBI sends the prints back through COGENT and they notify the agency (based on the code) that the background check is ready for pick-up (electronically).

Because there are so many different reasons why someone would need a GBI check, and it's for the entire state of Georgia, once the individual has their livescan done, the organization requiring the scan has 30 days to retrieve the information.

We had our prints (and all our required home study stuff) done on September 7th. On our way home from getting our livescan, I called Melissa and told her that we had just finished our scans and that they were free to pick up the info. I was given a receipt from the lady at the livescan location that had a confirmation number and proof that our prints were in the system. I included a copy of this receipt (and a note showing the date and time that I called Melissa to inform her that our prints were taken and ready to be retrieved) in our home study paperwork.

Okay... so on the 27th when she said they still didn't have the prints from COGENT... I wasn't sure how it was possible. I immediately said to myself, "I bet they never went into COGENT to get the results and the 30 days passed."

Okay, so my voice mail left for me by Melissa basically said that our home study report was done, but they don't have the GBI results, so we may need to go and get them done again.

EXCUSE ME???? UM NO!!!!

I was livid. So I called her back and she was frustrated and kept telling me that they called on the 30th and 31st and that they were getting nowhere with trying to get our prints. She had called a Cheryl Peyton at GBI to find out what the problem was, and Cheryl said that she could see our scan and that she'd send the results back through COGENT. This happened twice (apparently) and Melissa was mad that nothing was coming through. Cheryl told her to call COGENT and find out what the issue was.

So her basic statement to me was that I needed to call Cheryl because she wasn't getting anywhere with her, and maybe since they're my prints, I could get her to fax the prints to Melissa. WHAT???? Good Lord... anyone who knows me well, KNOWS how much I HATE talking on the phone. Especially to deal with crap like this.

She said if we couldn't get the prints, we'd have to go get them done again. Which pissed me off because it was $70 and we followed the protocol. How was this OUR problem??? But her view was that it clearly wasn't HER problem and she threw it off on me to deal with. She didn't care when I said that Steve can't take a day off work to go get prints, and he's traveling with work and it's Summit season-- his BUSY time of the year. She didn't care.

Okay, so I called Cheryl at GBI. As soon as I said who I was and started to explain our situation, she cut me off and laid into me with how she'd already told Melissa that she's sent the results through. TWICE. I said that Melissa had told me that and thought by having me call, maybe there'd be some progress made. This pissed Cheryl off more than anything. She point-blank told me that GBI DOES NOT deal with the public. No individual should EVER call them. They only deal with businesses and organizations and it's for a reason.

I apologized and told her I didn't know what else to do. Thankfully, she softened up and said she wasn't mad at me, but it was a shit-move by Melissa to try and use me as a power-play. She said she'd call COGENT and find out the problem. I said that Melissa had told me that she called and was not helped. Cheryl said that Melissa should have called her and told her that, and she could have called COGENT on their behalf... but Melissa should NEVER have given me her number and told me to call. Yes, she was pissed.

She got my name and number and said that since she never got a number from Melissa, she'd call me back and let me know what she finds out. GREAT!

Like ten minutes later, I got a call from Melissa saying that she got a call from COGENT saying that they'd be running our print results at 3pm. She said they wouldn't be at work, but she'd call me in the morning (today) to let me know the results. Her last statement was, "Don't call Cheryl yet..." I said that I had already called...

DUH!! Why the eff do you think COGENT called you???? Just randomly?? NO! It's because Cheryl called COGENT because I CALLED CHERYL!

Anyway... like two hours later, I got a call from Cheryl and she said that everything looked good with COGENT but she found out some information. She said that our prints were taken on September 7th. This means that Melissa had 30 days to get our prints (October 6th). The prints were not retreived in the 30 days (AH HA!!! I KNEW IT!!!) and the first attempt to get them was on OCTOBER 30th (which is WELL over a month). The second attempt to retreieve was OCTOBER 31st!!

So she wanted me to know that WE did nothing wrong. All the blame is on Melissa and so she said because she felt bad for me, she wanted to help me out so she went ahead and pulled out our info from the system and sent it through COGENT. She asked if she could get Melissa's number from me because she wanted to personally tell her that SHE screwed up (not me). She wanted to make it VERY clear that she is to NEVER again give their number to a client, and they are to check the system before the 30 days, and there will NOT be a second chance again. YIKES.

I ended up getting a call from Melissa at 2pm letting me know that the prints came through and we're all set. The home study report would be finished and sent to us early next week. THANK GOD.

So that stressed me out (as you can tell). I finally got a call today from Babies Can't Wait about making Gus's first appointment for therapy. I found out that LaTasha and Rebecca (2/3 of the people who evaluated Gus) will be on our team! LaTasha is our BCW coordinator and Rebecca will be our Speech Therapist (which is AWESOME because she has an OT background as well)! Hopefully she'll be able to help with the speech delays and the SPD at the same time!

I'm feeling REALLY eager for Christmas to arrive... so I've been getting my Christmas music gathered from iTunes. I'm ready to make a playlist and sync it to my phone, so I can listen in the car. I love the holidays!!!

We have no plans this weekend and I'm so glad to be able to just relax and not do anything. We're supposed to go to a craft fair with Lesley and Jason tomorrow and meet them for breakfast before. It should be a fun morning!!

:-)

It's Like A Puzzle, Right?

 

I adore these two!

A good friend of mine that I met when we lived in NC, messaged me on FB about my blog post about Gus being diagnosed with SPD. She's an OT and said that if I had any questions, she'd love to talk to me and help in any way. I decided to take her up on her offer.

So after our morning playdate, and shopping at the Goodwill (I had no idea how quickly they turn over merchandise!), we came home and played for a bit and then once I put Gus down for the nap that he never took (LOL), I gave her a call.

She was super helpful and helped explain a lot of things that I have been wondering, but have no one to ask yet. We have to wait until our BCW case worker calls us to set up anything with a speech pathologist. I think after talking to Melanie, I'm going to definitely ask about doing speech for like a month and then OT for a month and then we'll see what we should do from there. I have a nagging feeling that if we do the speech for a long period of time, it'll just delay the help needed with the sensory issues. At least by doing OT, we can still get some help with speech, since most OTs also have some speech things that they can do.

It's all a very fascinating world and one that I never thought I'd be in. He's not autistic (I don't think anyway), and Melanie said if he was, they probably would have mentioned it. So, I guess that's a good sign. He doesn't have all the quirks that come with all parts of sensory processing disorder.

Melanie told me about some things that we can do with Gus while we're waiting to see an OT. She also sent me some info tonight and I went onto a therapy website and ordered some things that I think he'll really benefit from having. I'm hoping that Steve can submit the receipt to our flex-spending account. We'll see.

I feel like the puzzle pieces to represent autism are so appropriate. While Gus doesn't have autism (at least I don't think he does), SPD is something that many children with ASDs have. It's a complex disorder and something that many don't understand or see as real. I guess the more I'm reading and researching about it, the more real it's feeling, and the sadder I get knowing that there are people who don't think it's real. I guess until you've got a child who is suffering from something that you can't see or understand, you can't say if something is legit or not.

I feel like it's a big puzzle and I'm slowly getting various pieces and I'm left trying to put it together and find out what it all means. My hopes are that once we have contact from BCW, we'll get some answers (clues to our puzzle) and have a better idea of the whole picture and what's next to come.

For now, I'm eagerly awaiting my books to arrive that I ordered from Amazon. I'll read them and try to start creating a healthy "sensory diet" for Gus. Those are two words I never knew about before Monday, and here I am using them like it's been something we've been doing for months. A sensory diet includes things that we (mainly I) can do with him during the day to keep him busy, active, happy, and balanced. Having a good OT would be awesome because they can help create the sensory diet for him and I'd just have to follow it for him.

We shall see what comes. Melanie said it might be worth it to just find out the name of a good OT, meet with them and pay whatever is needed (we have a $1,000 deductible), let them get us started with what we need, and then not worry about the OT until we've done the speech for a while. I don't know... not sure what we'll do. I do know that our insurance doesn't cover a lot once we actually do meet the deductible (25 total visits a year from all therapy). 

Don't get me started on why I think we should have universal health care... but honestly, the fact that I have to pick a therapy for my child, because we can't afford more than one... it's ridiculous. But anywho...

 

The trampoline has been amazing for Gus. He jumps on it for several hours a day. Sometimes while watching MMCH, others while listening to music and dancing.

 

Gus and Steve at dinner on Tuesday

 

He loves bead mazes!

So as the picture becomes clearer, I'll be sure to keep y'all updated. Please keep us in your prayers as we head down this unfamiliar path. I pray that God equips us with all that we need to make sure that Gus is happy, balanced, and having all his needs met.

10-22-12 He Qualified!

We took Gus to the North Fulton Training Center in Sandy Springs today to be evaluated for Babies Can't Wait. I had hoped they would observe and evaluate him and then report back to us that he did indeed qualify. Hang on, let me back up a minute.

In my deep heart of hearts, I've felt like something has been "off" for a while. Gus still speaks a lot of gibberish and while it's somewhat normal, it's not progressing. He doesn't use pronouns (doesn't say, "Gus go" or "Me do" or "Mine") ever. He doesn't even refer to himself if you ask him what his name is. If you say, "Where's Gus?" he will point to himself and say, "Gus" but he doesn't just tell you that his name is Gus.

So anyway, while I have known that something isn't right, I had a part of me that was hoping that it was just in my head and they'd tell me that he's absolutely fine. After all, when I told his pediatrician at his two-year appointment, that I was concerned, she didn't hesitate to write a referral and said if a parent is concerned, she let's them have a referral. But she herself, wasn't concerned and didn't bring up taking him for a referral.

I wasn't sure what to expect today. We walked in and there were three individuals. One was LaTasha, and she's the person that I talked to on the phone to set up the evaluation. Then there was the evaluator named Rebecca, and then a guy named Phillip who would also be doing some of the evaluation.

Right away, Rebecca had Gus join her on the floor and Steve went down too. She asked Gus to point to a few pictures for her (and he did) but then he saw the train and wanted that. While they were on the floor doing that, I was asked questions by Phillip. The whole time, LaTasha was at a computer just observing and taking notes.

We were there for an hour and a half. When we started, Gus was somewhat hesitant and nervous/anxious, but after an hour or so, he was himself and started into his happy gibberish chatter. I'm glad they got to hear it. He did really well with the tasks that they asked him to complete, and after about 90 minutes, they started to compare their scores/notes.

I don't remember the exact numbers for the five areas, but 85-100 is considered normal range for the five areas. For gross-motor, he scored 100. We weren't surprised by this at all. His cognitive score was in the 90s, but then the auditory processing (how well he listens and follows directions) was like 84/85 (not enough to be a moderate delay). I kinda knew his speech and language would be delayed, but in order to qualify for BCW, you have to either be significantly delayed in one area, or moderately delayed in two areas. 

His speech and language was like 79 (moderately delayed) but then his sensory processing was also 79/80. I was shocked. So he was moderately delayed in two areas, and hence, he qualifies for services through BCW.

So what does this mean? I was completely shocked by the sensory processing delay. However, when Rebecca explained it, he's basically sensory-seeking. The medical term is sensory modulation disorder. He's hypo-sensitive. Several of the things that I just thought were either normal for a toddler, or just because of teething, are aligned with being hypo-sensitive. For example, he sucks on his shirt (he'll get as much of the neck area into his mouth and wad it into a ball and suck on it. We have to tell him to stop chewing on his shirt. Sometimes, he sucks on his arms (giving himself a hickey). He puts things into his mouth all the time (we assumed it was teething). He'll bang his head on the floor occasionally, sometimes walks on his toes (when nervous, and though it was just a quirk- but it's what hypo-sensitive kids do). He also loves messy play and loves play-dough. He likes spicy food, he loves swings and slides and anything with a lot of movement.

Other things like the tamborine at Rigg's birthday party and it freaked him out... and loud noises and the vaccum... all go with this. Being scared of elevators and physically clinging when in one (which he does), and being a thrill-seeker, all go with this. Loving being tossed in the air, wrestling, jumping on furniture, trampolines, his pillow racer... running and hopping and galloping instead of walking. 

So anyway, the list is long of things that we thought were just normal but turn out to be sensory seeking traits. The good news is that we will receive services to help. We can only pick one area for our focus, and for now it's the language. He was evaluated at one year and nine months. Just under a year behind. So they want to get that under control, but they said that often times, once you get the senses organized, language will bloom. We're hoping that's the case.

We'll get a call within three weeks from our coordinator and then we'll set up our therapy. We can go a few months with S&L and then move into Sensory Processing if we want. The good news is that he's qualified and isn't three yet. We'll be able to transition him to Fulton County Schools at age three and they'll continue his services at our local elementary. He has been diagnosed and will continue with services until he no longer needs them.

Rebecca said that her son was SPD- Sensory Seeking and got it in check before school started. My hopes are that we can do the same. I fear that Gus will be labeled a bad kid because he's not the kind of kid who will sit still and focus. It's been my fear all along. Fortunately, we'll have plenty of time to work on it (and his language) and can make some progress before he's school-aged. It makes me even happier that I've got an elementary background and plan on keeping him home for preschool.

I think right now, if he were in preschool, we'd be having a lot of problems. I don't want him to dislike school or feel like he's not liked because a teacher can't tolerate his personality. It's why I don't like his gymnastics teacher-- but that's a different blog post.

I'm going to head to bed. It's been a long day. I've got a lot of reading to do on SPD and OT and I want to familiarize myself with how I can best help Gus. 

We have our home study tomorrow (I guess technically it's today since we're past midnight)... wish us luck!!!