Pea of Sweetness

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Re-evaluations for Speech

January 26, 2013 by Emilee Evans

Yesterday was the 6 month re-evaluation for the boys’ Speech Therapy. It’s a chance to re-visit their goals, see their progress, and possibly make new goals. Sometimes, though, it can mean ending their services. That isn’t always a good thing, either. So here is what is going on with our boys and their speech.
Little man went first, as usual. It really throws him off his routine if he doesn’t, so it’s just a given now that if it’s a therapy day where they won’t be switching (one day a week one is in OT while the other is in Speech and they switch), Chaz goes first. He was having a good day today, which means he wasn’t being grouchy and disagreeable. Luckily, that continued into the evaluation. They said he did really well and cooperated without any fuss! As far as the testing goes he’s about the same as he has been – no delay in receptive communication but a moderate delay in expressive communication. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t made any progress – he has. He’s made A LOT of progress! He’s actually communicating with words now, which is a big difference! Some of his words are still getting “stuck,” though. What I mean by that is instead of making a clear sound they come out nasally. He has so much going on with the nasal speaking, the choking on drinks, the stopping breathing when he sleeps that we’ve been taking it one step at a time – seeing one specialist at a time. We discussed, though, that instead of doing it that way (which is taking a long time and getting us nowhere), she is going to give us referrals to both ENT and for the swallow study so we can knock them both out. It might be easier to see then as well if they’re related or separate issues – and if both (or neither) could be affecting his speech. So, we are keeping the same goals for Chaz and we’ll just keep going! I am so proud of the progress he’s made, and we’re so blessed he has such an amazing Speech Therapist that works with him on his good AND bad days and truly is concerned for him!
B then had his evaluation. I have to admit I was most nervous about his because he was already “borderline” of not being able to qualify the first time. When the testing came back he did score at age appropriate level for receptive communication and just under age appropriate for expressive. Not enough to qualify him by our insurance’s standards. Overall, though, they’re really cracking down on therapies, but that is a post for another day! Well, then we talked about articulation, which was (and still is) a BIG concern. He tested below his age more significantly for articulation, but it still wouldn’t be enough. The next biggest concern is pragmatic speech. This is a common concern with children on the Autism Spectrum. Pragmatic speech is basically how you communicate socially. Things like having him interact with others on a regular basis seems like the easy answer, but when they’re on the Autism spectrum that is definitely not always the case. Some concerns with Brayden’s pragmatic speech are:

  • Not being able to look in your eyes when communicating.
  • Interrupting.
  • Not being able to stay on topic, changing the subject, etc.

And well, those are just the tip of the ice burg. He really has many of the key issues with pragmatic speech that are listed in this article, but those are the main concerns. Because he has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS (Autism Spectrum) there is still a chance he will get approved to continue speech therapy based on the pragmatic speech concerns. The wonderful team of therapists will be doing all they can to try to keep him in therapy, so now we just have to pray for the best. Don’t take this the wrong way, we are VERY happy he is at age appropriate levels for receptive and expressive communication and getting better with articulation, but a child on the Autism Spectrum needs that extra help particularly with the pragmatic speech. He is also so very close to meeting the goals we had set with his speech! Of course, I’ll always continue to work with him, but I can’t quite describe how it’s not the same. So, we’ll find out in a couple of weeks whether he will be able to stay in speech or not.
As a random closing: I’m really disappointed with the way things that are important in regards to special needs children get disregarded by insurance. They’re also cracking down on all types of therapy. Some are saying once they hit a specified age (I believe it’s around age 7) they will no longer qualify for things like Occupational Therapy because it’s a “chronic illness that can’t improve.” That DISGUSTS me. Yes, Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder don’t just go away, but they CAN and DO improve with help! I think it’s so wrong that they basically just tell you to “live with it” rather than giving each person a chance to be the best they can be. Actually, they don’t even acknowledge Sensory Processing Disorder as a disorder needing therapy if you remember what I wrote about our daughter’s evaluation. Again, there are MAJOR concerns that need to be addressed, but everything is calculated by test scores and other things that don’t reveal the whole picture. I hope we can spread enough awareness that it trickles to those that make these important decisions for insurance coverage! I know I, for one, won’t stop pushing to be an advocate for my children!

What a week!

August 24, 2012 by Emilee Evans

Well, I took some of the advice that I deserved a little break, and I really haven’t been feeling well, so I took one! It really has been a crazy week! The boys will now have therapy 3 times a week. I’m still trying to grasp how to work our homeschooling around this, and I admit I’m feeling a little unprepared for the upcoming school year! I know we might get off to rocky start, but it will all start to balance out and flow nicely I’m sure! The princess has her Developmental Pediatrics appointment on Monday. It has taken us about 4 months to get this appointment, and it’s been with A LOT of frustration. Her doctor insisted she cannot go to therapy for Sensory Concerns until she has an official diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder made by Developmental Pediatrics. I fought this on many occasions. At one point I thought I finally got him to understand, but then he turned around and said since we now have an appointment for Developmental Peds we will just wait anyway. Since the boys both had their OT evaluations this week I asked her what she thought, and she was as confused as I was. Her point echoed mine – how would you know if a child needs therapy if you don’t refer them for the evaluation? Not to mention she has two brothers with special needs, which puts her in the high risk category – particularly when her behaviors/concerns are similar to theirs! We did also find out at B’s evaluation that he does have Sensory Processing Disorder in addition to PDD-NOS. I’m not surprised. It wasn’t until our younger 2 started exhibiting signs of SPD that I started to learn more about it, and I learned that A LOT of children on the Autism spectrum have SPD as well. It’s not always noted, though, because it is assumed it is actually part of the spectrum. That is a topic for another time, though, because it is already after midnight, and our little guy that has sleeping issues in conjunction with his SPD is restless again, so I am going to help him go back to sleep!
I have a few more great reviews and giveaway coming up this week and quite a few topics I want to cover, so stay tuned! You may have noticed I gave the site a little makeover, which is still in progress. I’m going to be rearranging and revamping some things as well! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank-you all for your sweet encouragement to get some rest! It was much needed!
Oh, and guess what:

Seriously, I don’t go overboard with my birthdays ever, but it’s still fun to acknowledge it! haha Besides, I’ll only turn 31 once! I must make it a point to find some red velvet cake or cupcakes! ๐Ÿ™‚
 
 

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