Posts Tagged ‘Diagnosing Autism’
A New Diagnosis
The doctor said it. She said what I knew in my heart was true. I had been waiting over a year for this appointment and she confirmed what I have suspected since Joelle was eighteen months old. But how can something you saw coming still hurt so much? I knew when my second daughter wasn’t meeting her developmental milestones. As a nurse, I saw the red flags. At her eighteen month well visit, I brought up my concerns. When her pediatrician wanted to take a wait and see approach, I…
Read MoreWell-Child Visit
This little guy and I just came from his 18-month well-child visit. He’s 22 months actually so I was late. But only by four months. Not too bad if you ask me. I blame Covid. But really it’s because life is crazy and he’s healthy and we are all thankful to be able to avoid the doctor’s office right now. I have two other boys too. Cooper is 9. Sawyer is 7. I don’t remember any of Sawyer’s baby visits. I think because they were easy. He was easy. He…
Read MoreDon’t Be Afraid of the Label
My son, Chase, started school a couple of weeks before his fifth birthday. He had never been in a school setting before. Had never been in a “structured” environment. That first year of school turned out to be, what I would say, just short of, a disaster. Chase was in trouble multiple times a week. I felt like I was getting a call at least once a day, and was in meetings every two to three weeks. I was told Chase had aggression and anger issues. Chase was throwing a…
Read MoreThe Diagnosis Post
I made an appointment at Fraser, an Autism clinic a little over 4 months ago. It is the best place in the state of Minnesota for diagnosing Autism. When I made the appointment I thought maybe we would never really have to go. I thought maybe the quirks and rigidity would start to get better. Honestly, I made the appointment because I felt pressure from other people to do it. The appointment was 4 hours long and scheduled for July 15th. Before the appointment I completed a book of paperwork as well…
Read MoreRunning From Your Problems
I can think of a dozen times throughout this journey where I have considered taking my family and moving away. I fantasized that we would buy a cabin on a lake somewhere. Jamie and I would both work from home and we would raise the kids the way we wanted too. I would even homeschool the boys. Doing this seemed so right. Probably because the parent of a special needs child lives in constant Fight or Flight mode. I guess what I am really trying to say is that I fantasize about…
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