who gets this chance?: Preston starts School!!

First off, let me take you back to Preston's 18 mo. and 2 yr. well baby check-up. During those check-ups at the doctor they ask how your kid is doing and what kind of things they are doing so they can make sure they are meeting the milestones they should be. We realized that Preston was falling behind in speech, but also with pointing at things or wanting to show us something great. He never pointed at anything until about June of this year. Usually 1 yr. olds are pointing at everything around them or things they want. At the age of 2 Preston was only saying 8 words, usually they are in the 30-50 word range and also putting 2 words together to say something. He also was not responding to his name being called. We'd call out Preston 8-10 times and he wouldn't look at us. This got us worried so we took him to the county to get him tested.

We started with a speech therapist just interacting with him, and seeing what he could do and also asking me questions. They said he definitely needed more testing to see what was going on with him. So that started the meetings with a social worker, a psychologist, another speech therapist, getting his hearing tested and then finding out the results to see what they found. Social worker got his whole background of his two years. The psychologist asked him to do some puzzles or put a block into a cup she had, she was the one who told us at first that he could be autistic, or on the spectrum somewhere. I was shocked that she would say that, but it was something I had already thought of, so it was good to be prepared for that kind of an answer. The other speech therapist played on the floor with him and saw how long he would interact, if at all, with her. The hearing test was big, because I thought for sure something was wrong, but turns out he has perfect hearing!!!!!

In the end they came back within a week and told us he was not autistic but he did have a Developmental Delay, especially with Communication. This started the journey we have been on now for a year. He was able to get an IEP (individualized education plan), especially for him. He would start school in a special education preschool class, and since we got to him so early he would hopefully be caught up to his peers by kindergarten.

His diagnosis is with communication, not just with speech. He didn't talk much, or copy what we said, but he also doesn't understand WHAT we are saying, or what it even means to communicate. When he wanted something to eat he would go to the fridge or pantry at the age of 2, and get whatever he wanted. Which we thought was just independence, but he needed to talk. So now he is learning how to communicate. How to show things to people, how to interact with others (another thing he never did when we'd go see family, not even when there was a whole room full of people, he would walk by without a glance at anyone), how to speak and ask for things, and look at us in the eye. Eye contact is something he doesn't do well either.

But the good news is, he started school in January of this year, and went until June, and started back up again in September and is doing well. He is not making leaps and bounds, but he is definitely progressing. He will be tested again in January to see where he lies and make sure his IEP is on track for him. I'm so grateful for a pediatrician that made me aware of this, and suggested we get things looked at, because it makes a huge difference! And I know lots of kids who just don't talk until they are 3 or 4, but his was so much more than speech. He has started to understand what we are asking of him, or telling him. It's his communication both ways, receiving and giving that was the problem.

Here Preston is on his first day of school!!! He didn't want to keep still for any pictures.

Trying to get away from me.

Ready for school with his lunchbox! Not an easy day for me at all. He was only 2.5 yrs. old and I couldn't believe he'd be going to school for half the day without me. I was a worried mess the first week.