We went in today for what was C's 2 year well-child check and J's 2 month (even though he's almost 4! we had to wait 2 months for this appt.). Both boys are growing nicely and healthy.
We had our suspicions confirmed, the little red mark on his back is a birth mark (strawberry) and it will continue to grow as he does. At this point its not very noticeable, we'll see how it is when he's older and cares more. (I believe there's some procedure to remove them.) He of course smiled at everyone and got lots of compliments on his cuteness. He's a charmer just like his Da and big brother!
Our surprise came with C. I knew I wanted to talk to our Ped about C being so nonverbal (he really doesn't say much and has around 25 words he uses regularly), not that it concerns me too much- I've learned after 7 kids that each has their own path. But what is "normal" now is different than when my olders were younger, back then they looked for 25-50 words now 100, with simple sentences mixed in. C doesn't really do sentences- well we just don't count "Oh man" and "got cha" as sentences. So we weren't too surprised when she said she thought a speech evaluation should be done- nothing bad's going to come from it, only good or it'll prove we're just nuts! LOL
But.....
We were a bit surprised when after talking about his sleep patterns (more like insomnia) and restless legs while sleeping that she wants to have this evaluated at a sleep clinic. She also recommended Melatonin which I had planned on asking about but had slipped my mind. So now we had 2 referrals for C. Then came the 3rd....
We were talking about his "quirks"- having to line his toys up just so, stopping in the middle of what he's doing to close a door or drawer, having to put toys away in the right containers, and the worst one (for us) was his recent attempt to "fix" a spot of peeling paint on the wall and continuing at it for days (got to the point he found a screw driver and made a hole in the plaster- while I was nursing J), he just would not leave it alone. She wants him seen by a Developmental Ped for an OCD evaluation. In combination with the fact he eats weird things (chalk, crayons, paper, dirt- not just mouths them but eats them and likes it) it sent up flags for her. (She did also order a lead test and iron- just to make sure his levels are good.) So now we're on a whole new journey in a whole new direction with another son. But I am really glad she is covering all our bases this time around (kind of dropped the ball with O- never had him evaluated for anything until after the age of 5 and we had teachers telling us to seek help for him).
At this point I'm trying not to expect anything, just keep an open mind- and KNOW I'm going to be even busier! lol
Something I wanted to touch on. My DH. As we were leaving the clinic he stated he couldn't help but feel this is his fault. While in the Marines he suffered a large dose of radiation poisoning (we saw genetic counselors early while I was pregnant with C, who assured us it would not of caused issues in any children we may have- yes issues for him but not his offspring.) and before we ever met he was a Meth addict. He's now guilting himself. I hope I can help him come to an understanding that this is not his fault- I've come a long way with those same feelings- with 2 older boys with their own special issues, it's something I have experience with. (We also have no idea yet what C's, if any, Dxes will be.)
So that's our update for our check ups today!
Each kid is different, but you might want to go back to July-December 2009 and look at my posts about Liam. At age 2, he knew all 26 letters, could count to 20, knew all his zoo animals, and their sounds, but his several language evaluations showed he was 8-12 months delayed in receptive speech and 6-10 months delayed in expressive speech because he wasn't talking to communicate, but more to label. Alot of OCD traits are common in spectrum kiddos. It doesn't mean C is on the spectrum, but I don't want you to be shocked if they explore that for him.
ReplyDeleteAs for your DH, well, I can guarantee you that my DH did no illegal drugs as he was involved in ROTC since age 18 and was always a straigh-laced type of kid. I was more the typical college student who would take a hit or two of pot if offered but was never interested in looking for it on my own. Liam did have birth trauma that could have caused issues, but we are seeing some similar problems with Ben (although he is more social). I find thinking about the why not to be so helpful and just focus on the what do we do now?
No one who meets Liam now knows he was ever language delayed and few people notice anything different about him at all. I plan to have him evaluated again in a couple of years and I wouldn't be surprised if he lost his diagnosis. I also wouldn't be surpirsed if he kept it, but I think he'll always be right on that border.
Contact your Early Intervention as developmental peds often have a long wait list. If C is delayed, Early Int can start services immediately.
I hope the sleep study helps.