Ive been thinking of whether or not I should post something in regards to Shelby. I dont know how people will take to me posting about her on Facebook,but I have decided that if we can help another family then it has made this worth it. Ever since, Shelby was really young Chris and I had noticed some things that she would do that would be different from the norm. Ex: texture issues with food, grass, mud,etc. reciting of phrases she knew from shows among other things. I would bring them up to her pediatrician at the time and she would blow our concerns off. At the age of 3, her doctor wanted to send her to a pediatric psychiatrist due to her overwhelming fear of doctors. We made the decision to switch to our current pediatrician and we have loved her ever since. Our current pediatrician has taken a real concern into the welfare of our children and I am forever grateful to her. As Shelby got older, more unusual behaviors came about that concerned me as to whether or not she could have autism or a form of it on the spectrum. Last year, she began her 1st year in school and had a fantastic teacher, mrs. Brusky. During the year, she notice some behaviors in Shelby that could suggest high functioning autism. Shelby is an incredibly smart girl, but struggles with processing issues and communicating appropriately with other kids. After a meeting with mrs. Brusky and Shelbys team at school, I talked with mrs. Brusky about my suspicions that maybe there was more to what was going on. She told me that what I was suspecting might be true. It was a relief to finally hear from someone else that has day to day contact with her that saw most of what I saw. We started the process of getting Shelby evaluated by a pediatric behavioral specialist. Due to his schedule, we didnt get to meet with him until August 12. After further evaluation from August 12 and her appointment on August 20, he determined that Shelby has a very very mild form of autism along with a social/language processing issue. Why he says she has a very mild form of autism is because according to the diagnostics he used and along with talking with Chris and me that she was borderline for autism which makes him suspect the mild form. He also believes that she will be able to grow out of autism and ultimately have that part dropped from her IEP because of the immense progress shes made in the last year. He believes, as do Chris and me,that with some increases in her speech therapy and other services she will be very successful. She will have some difficulty at times. We just have to figure out how her brain thinks and help her that way. I know there are some people or family members who believe I was just pushing for some diagnosis or believe that I shouldnt have made this public on Facebook but our true intentions are to help other people. Shelby is an awesome little girl who just wants to have fun in life and learn all she can. All Chris and I want for Shelby is to be successful in life and school and get her all of the help she needs. Please remember if your kids encounter someone who talks differently, looks different, or whatever the case may be to include them in on things. They just want to be loved and accepted as we all do.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:45:24 +0000
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