november already??

wow! my intentions of being a more dedicated blogger are not going so well. actually, the intentions are going great; it's the follow-through i'm struggling with! it has been a busy, routine-interrupted, struggle-to-find-contentment-amidst-the-madness kind of fall. i have been desperate for sleep, peace, heaven really. my migraines have increased with stress and i've been more readily aware of my need for Jesus as i long to relax and have my anxieties calmed.



 

brayden's test results from early september finally came back! we sort of knew what to expect and sort of didn't!! in the immediate weeks that followed his testing, i'd gone to the library and checked out a stack of books on auditory processing disorder, autism, asperger's, asperger's undetected, "curing" autism, etc... i could see brayden all over some of the pages but then for the next 50 pages, the content didn't seem to relate at all. he'd do something at home to "wow" me and i'd think, "okay, i'm overreacting." in the meantime, we went back to the neurologist for a follow-up and saw a seizure specialist. i'd read that febrile seizures are 30% more likely in children with autism than not. well, HELLO!! he's had 7! i honestly was not too impressed with the seizure doc. chris didn't share my opinion, but i felt like he treated b's case very casually. idk...

 

we met with the team of specialists at the school last wed, oct. 31st to discuss his testing results and any plan of action. turns out, he scored low to below average in several areas. i wasn't ready to hear that. he did score borderline for asperger's, which means traits could manifest as he gets older, thus tipping the scale, or not. they said his case seemed "complex" in the broad sense bc there was so much going on with him, but right now what is definitive, what can be pinpointed are the deficits in speech and language. 1) there are some articulation issues that need correction; 2) he tends to his language to gather information and share that info with others, as opposed to conversational speech and social engagement; 3) he demonstrates very rigid thinking and low receptive language skills (ability to understand and correctly interpret what is being said). this is where i absolutely hit my head against the wall!! sometimes he understands and others i'm not so sure. the tantrums are louder and he is becoming more defiant and idk if that is because he doesn't understand me or he's just stuck in wanting things a certain way (rigid thinking!) it can make me crazy!! BUT---praise JESUS that somehow his grace is sufficient. i have struggled deeply with anger and in some ways, have been shocked at how awful i can be when i feel so pressed. truly being a mom is the hardest task! the plan is for bray to begin speech and language therapy 2x/wk, beginning this Mon. the goal right now is to have him ready for Kindergarten!! i could not be more thankful that we have had all of these services for FREE through the school system and am grateful that we are in a GREAT school disctrict!! that is such a gift!!

miss n is everywhere and into EVERYthing...she's had back to back ear infections, which is so fun for all parties involved. but she is such a delight...she is quite the terror to her brother though! she knows just how to push his buttons and instigates a full-on fight. i used to step in, but now sometimes i just let them handle it. she's a fighter!! a cute fighter :) she can talk like crazy! says: i don't know, uh-oh, mama, dada, oh wow!, welcome, bye-bye, ball, bayen (brayden), and a couple of other things i can't think of right now. we've said this for awhile, but i'm going to have my hands FULL with her. i have a feeling she'll be like her mama--her mouth will get her in trouble.

thanks for reading...i'd love to know you've "been here" so leave a comment and i'll write you back!

 

"but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. against such there is no law." gal.5:22-23