A Beautiful Mind Update: Our First Preassessment Visit

On Tuesday, we met with one of the therapists at the clinic that we will be bringing LBB throughout his Autism Evaluation. We are blessed to have good insurance that covers a fairly decent chunk of "preassessment appointments." Since we were told it would be 2 to 4 months before we could get LBB in for his actual evaluation/diagnosis, we get to meet with different therapists between now and then to learn exactly what the Autism Spectrum is, what we can do to help him through his rough times, and they are able to get a feel for what issues he has been having.

The therapist we met with was awesome. She was kind and made what was actually pretty stressful thing not so stressful. And we walked away with some good things...after hearing all of the things that have been going on with LBB, she is going to try to get him into his evaluation sooner than 2 months. We are on the list to accept any cancellations. We are attending a workshop in August that explains the in's and out's of ASD and different ideas to help LBB. And then, she decided that she would "load him up" on consultations between now and his evaluation. (Thank goodness it is billed as a bundle price. lol.) He will be going to:

*Feeding Therapy Consultation---to help build his special diet and help us to learn how to introduce foods successfully to him and his VERY picky appetite. (Sensory issues stink. lol.)

*Visual Consultation---to help us teach him to communicate and understand using pictures because he just can't find the words to tell us what he needs, and most times he just doesn't understand when we ask him or tell him something, even if we repeat 18 gazillion times what we said.

*Occupational Therapy Consultation---to help with his daily routine and to learn coping skills to do the basic things he needs for daily life (like toothbrushing and all that stuff.)

*Speech Therapy Consultation---to help figure out WHERE he should be speech wise, work on his regression of speech, and help him to use actual words instead of words he made up for things.

She also suggested that we talk to our pediatrician about getting melatonin for his sleep issues. I need to research it a bit more, but from the people we've spoken to that have used it for their kids said it helped immensely.

Since the appointment, we switched rooms around, made the dining room his playroom (and used a perfectly sized spot behind the living room for the dining room). We once again have the Master Bedroom, and LBB now has the smaller room, which is much cozier, has a relaxing paint color on one of the walls, and is only filled with books, non-stimulant toys, his bed, and his comfy Pottery Barn chair. We have his Sit N' Spin in his room (which he uses when he is feeling overwhelmed) and a convenient "FEELINGS" poster that we are constantly talking about and referring to. Overall, just that change alone has helped him a bit...he is waking up happy at least, and that is a humongous achievement.

So that's the news. :) I better go because I hear LBB "helping" Daddy rehook the Wii up to the TV...and by helping it sounds more like things are getting tossed around where they shouldn't be. :)