My angels!

My angels!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Whats going on in his head?

I feel like I am running into a brick wall. We know that something is off with our 3 year old, Christopher AKA Topher.  He does many odd things, and doesn't get many social concepts.  Getting an actual diagnosis so we know how to handle him has been impossible.  The pediatrician says "there is definitely something there" "psychological not neurological".  That is the closest to a diagnosis we've gotten. 

We saw a psychologist at the Children's Hospital in Chicago.  Great hospital, but this was ridiculous, and a waist of time.  We came in once a week and sat in a tiny tiny TINY room. Where she asked me questions, listened to me talk, and somehow watched Toper.  How can she assess him in such an awkward place? He wasn't his normal self.  She gave him a couple of diagnoses Oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), middle child syndrome, and sensory integration disorder.  My son gets tons and tons of attention.  He does not act the way he does to get attention.  In fact most of the time he yells at me to leave him alone, and screams to not be touched or hugged!

Another psychologist saw him in our home from a government sponsored program called first steps.  They also provided speech, occupational, and developmental therapy once a week as well.  This psychologist was to eval Topher for autism.  The pediatrician suspected high functioning autism.  She said "No way is he autistic.  He is way to social." 

The school evaluated him to see if he qualified for services in developmental preschool.  They said he is way to smart.  He doesn't qualify.  Just because he is smart doesn't mean he doesn't need help. He is super smart.  However, has trouble processing things.  He doesn't understand other people and their emotions or social cues at all.  He accidentally head butted me today I yelled "Ouch!" He bust up laughing.  Either he didn't get it, or he likes hurting people. 

The pediatrician and psychologists both agree he has sensory integration dysfunction.  He needs both occupational and developmental therapy.  Our insurance covers them but leaves a 20.00 copay.  That is 40.00 a week plus costs of gas.  I can't afford it right now!  I don't know what to do.  There has to be something.  I feel lost and like a failure to my son.

1 comment:

e wainscott said...

hi there!
i live in illinois..have a year year old and 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old irish twins (11 months and 1 week apart...you've got me beat ;o), two of my kids are going through OT for spd...it is an overwhelming, confusing, frustrating process when you are starting out.
if you are in need of a place to vent or someone to talk to I would be happy to share some of what I have learned with you!
best of luck!!