The specialists being:
1. The allergist/immunologist to discuss the chronic sinus infections. We met with Dr. Shome on May 8th and everything came back negative; we have had Gabriel on the antihistamines and nasal spray and antibiotic since.
2. The Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor (ENT) who will determine if Gabriel is experiencing any hearing loss, if he needs to have tubes put in his ears, and if he needs to have his adenoids and/or tonsils removed. We meet with Dr. Marchbanks on June 8th--a week from yesterday.
and 3. The developmental pediatrician to determine if Gabriel has a social or developmental disorder like autism, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified, or Asperger syndrome.
We were having trouble with that last one--we didn't even know if she took our insurance, and her office has yet to contact us.
Cassie asked me to talk to Tammy--the licensed family counselor and child developmental specialist that sees Gabriel for his social issues--about possibly getting in to see another specialist that can assess Gabriel and his failed M-CHAT so we could get seen before the summer let out.
The M-CHAT, or Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, is a test that is administered by the pediatrician when the child is a 12-18 months old to check for early indicators for autism. With developmental disorders, early intervention can make a world of difference in the manageability as the child gets older. Gabriel failed this screening because:
he does not take an interest in other children;
he does not engage in pretend play;
he does not point to indicate interest;
he has never progressed out of oral exploration;
pica (eating non-food items);
failure to make eye contact;
ear plugging/covering his ears;
does not imitate behaviors or facial expression;
does not respond to his name when called;
does not try to interest parents or caregivers in his activities;
there have been concerns that he may be deaf;
does not speak at all, although he is two years old;
and he engages in repetitive and limited play.
Seeing the complete list makes me more discouraged and worried than before. Crap.
Sorry--focusing.
The way Dr. Stripling put it is that some behaviors that are considered autistic behavior are also perfectly normal little boy behavior--there is a good deal of overlap. But with so many red flags popping up, it would be remiss of me and Michael to just ignore these things. That is why Gabriel has been meeting with Tammy, as the best thing we can do with Gabriel is to work with him from an early age, whether he is perfectly normal and just a little unsocial, or if he does have a social/developmental disorder.
Well, Tammy came over this morning and I shared with her the concerns that Dr. Roger's office had not called back yet; so Tammy called a psychologist that specializes in child development named Dr. Driskell and her associate, who not only takes our insurance but would be happy to meet with Gabriel on June 23rd!
I know that these concerns have been eating at me and Michael. We realize that it would be irresponsible and unethical to diagnose Gabriel too soon, and that most doctors won't give a definitive diagnosis until Gabriel is 3 or 4 years old; so it is unlikely that we are going to get a clearcut and definitive answer on the 23rd. But (at least for me--I cannot speak for Michael) the fact that we are accomplishing things, we are moving things forward and we are staying on top of this, makes me feel better and worry less. I want to feel like we are doing everything we can, that we are doing the best for Gabriel.
So, I wanted to update y'all on that front--let you know how that was coming along. We are making progress and coming along =) I will update more as we get through appointments!
~Andie~
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