Our journey through the world of "assessment" continues. Bubba had his first speech assessment by a speech therapist (as opposed to the occupational therapist) on October 7. We just got the report today. In NZ the speech therapy is done through the Ministry of Education and so takes a long time to process. In fact it took us 10 months to get that appointment.
Anyway, there is no help yet. Just a need for
"further assessment." But I must admit that the report itself had a chilling effect on me. I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds when you read it, but still a mother's heart and all.
Aside from his hearing loss in the left ear and who referred him--there's nothing much in the intro. Oh, my name is apparently "Barney" and I have no last name. That's how the letter got delivered. Thank goodness the postie isn't too fussy about who lives here. I've already called to get that corrected.
Here is a breakdown:
Attention and Play Skills--Ian is active, he has minimal eye contact, self-directed play and played alongside the adults, fleeting attention span, not able to be distracted (like when he got obsessed with the closet)
Communication Skills--Ian only makes eye contact with his mother, he only uses single words and learned phrases (like "oh no"). He named a few objects spontaneously and repeated other words. He did not follow instruction and did not demonstrate any recognition of the instruction. He did not take turns or appear to be aware of taking turns while playing a game. "It was difficult to get a clear picture of what language Ian understood in the unfamiliar clinic environment. He showed little facial expression through most of the session."
"Ian has significant difficulties with communication and social skills and will require further comprehensive assessment of his speech and language and social skills in different environments at home and at his day care. He will be put on the waiting list."
Nothing surprising really. And the journey continues. The good news he is in the system and we have had a great week or so. He has been so friendly and so sweet. We had an awesome day on Sunday and I even got to sit through a whole worship service. As long as I don't try to think too far in advance--like what will he be like when he's 10--I am okay. Because right now he's only 3 and he's learning.
Anyway, there is no help yet. Just a need for
"further assessment." But I must admit that the report itself had a chilling effect on me. I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds when you read it, but still a mother's heart and all.
Aside from his hearing loss in the left ear and who referred him--there's nothing much in the intro. Oh, my name is apparently "Barney" and I have no last name. That's how the letter got delivered. Thank goodness the postie isn't too fussy about who lives here. I've already called to get that corrected.
Here is a breakdown:
Attention and Play Skills--Ian is active, he has minimal eye contact, self-directed play and played alongside the adults, fleeting attention span, not able to be distracted (like when he got obsessed with the closet)
Communication Skills--Ian only makes eye contact with his mother, he only uses single words and learned phrases (like "oh no"). He named a few objects spontaneously and repeated other words. He did not follow instruction and did not demonstrate any recognition of the instruction. He did not take turns or appear to be aware of taking turns while playing a game. "It was difficult to get a clear picture of what language Ian understood in the unfamiliar clinic environment. He showed little facial expression through most of the session."
"Ian has significant difficulties with communication and social skills and will require further comprehensive assessment of his speech and language and social skills in different environments at home and at his day care. He will be put on the waiting list."
Nothing surprising really. And the journey continues. The good news he is in the system and we have had a great week or so. He has been so friendly and so sweet. We had an awesome day on Sunday and I even got to sit through a whole worship service. As long as I don't try to think too far in advance--like what will he be like when he's 10--I am okay. Because right now he's only 3 and he's learning.
OHH good gracious, Barney, don't borrow your troubles when you deal with such "morans." lol
ReplyDeleteSeriously. Don't! You're working so hard and he IS learning if a bit slower in this department. I don't know that he will 'catch up' or whatever necessarily but I could easily see him stringing small sentences in the next year or so.
The problem would be if you sat and did nothing. I know you are a momma who will follow through, practice speech each day and that sort of thing. :)
You do know in my saying that I am not brushing aside your concerns as I have them myself, for your Ian and my Woodjie...
OH man, I remember crying when I heard the list about Chaz at 5 years old. I was really broken because any parent wants the best for their kid. It's hard to imagine the future so all you can do is help them and love them unconditionally. Especially since as they get older, it's not easy making friends and they need to find complete acceptance in their home. I've seen huge strides in Chaz that the doctor said wasn't possible so don't lose hope. Love ya, Bonnie.
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