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Part I: My Son Sees A Different World

It’s one thing to know in your heart that something is “not quite right” with your child. It’s another thing to hear it confirmed by another person.

For the first year of his life, Michael faced many challenges. He stumbled as he walked, he spoke in grunts, and he repeated certain movements over and over again. By his eighteen-month check-up, it was apparent that he was not improving. His pediatrician suggested we call the Carlton-Watkins Center in Charlotte for a special needs evaluation.

I knew he needed this evaluation, but my husband insisted Michael would “grow out of it”. Michael just needed more time. He was just stubborn and all he needed was “the right push to get going”. My husband and I argued about this; as an educator, I knew that sometimes “pushing” wasn’t the right thing to do. I reminded myself that Robert was also worried about Michael’s progress; after all, Michael was his first born, and we both had hopes and dreams for him. The possibility of Michael not being “normal” was frightening and heartbreaking for both of us. We both dealt with it in different ways: I rushed to gather information about “special needs”, while he withdrew into his work. Finally, I agreed to wait until his two-year appointment “to see if there’s any change.”

There wasn’t, and his doctor again suggested calling Carlton-Watkins. It took me two days to gather up the nerve to call. I spoke with Jennifer, a social worker with the Infant/Preschool Special Needs Program. She sounded warm and sympathetic over the phone and I relaxed almost immediately. We arranged a meeting where she could observe Michael and we could talk about the testing process. Three weeks later, Michael and I went to the Huntersville Annex, north of Charlotte, and met Jennifer in person. We entered a huge room with toys and games and Michael dove into them…um…literally. As Jennifer and I talked, he scattered them about the room and arranged blocks into straight lines (in autism, this is called stimming). We decided to go ahead with the testing; there would be another meeting with the various therapists (speech, physical, occupational), then the actual testing.

The second meeting took longer, but I was impressed at how thorough it was. We went over the procedure and what each therapist was looking for in Michael’s performance. On the day of the test, we entered a huge room with mats on the floor, a balance beam, blocks and various toys. Each therapist worked with him on various tasks: Michael tried to put candy pieces in a cylinder, he ran, climbed stairs and matched shapes. The therapists took copious notes on his performance.

When the results were compiled, we held yet another meeting. The results shocked me: Michael’s speech level was on par with a 6-8 month old, his gross and fine motor skills were on par with a 12-18 month old and he performed poorly on other benchmarks. The ultimate diagnosis: moderate to severe autism, sensory integration issues, and possible moderate mental retardation. I sat there in shock and wondered what I did wrong as a mother. It was my fault; after all, I was the one who spent the most time with him.

Jennifer reassured me that it wasn’t my fault. Now that Michael was formally diagnosed, we could get him the help he needed now, as opposed to when he would be struggling in school. Michael was only two, but the earlier he was placed in therapy, the better. She wrote up a list of therapy places in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. It was time for the next step: finding therapists for Michael.

Links:

Carlton Watkins Center, Charlotte NC

Face Autism

Sensory Integration International

[tags]autism, diagnosis, stimming, evaluation, special needs, moderate to severe autism, sensory integration issues, Carlton-Watkins Center[/tags]

Thanks to Miguel Gomez for the use of his Creative Commons photo.