Sunday, April 18, 2010

I'm still warming up to the news given to me by the hospital on Thursday. Thank God Tammy was with me because otherwise I would not have heard anything the doctor said. To start, we arrived 20 minutes late because I got lost. Dr. Ching and a speech pathologist evaluated Amelia. She was good, but not doing the things they had laid out for her to do as well as I had hoped. After her little tests they sent us to the waiting room. Then they called us back and laid it out for us. Yes, she has a speech problem. But she also has a communication problem. She lacks the ability to relate to others, or relay her feelings. I guess, in a nutshell. So, he says it. The "A" word. And I lost it. He says she’s within the realm of an "Autism Spectrum Disorder". But diagnosing her with this can get her good help in good programs, even though she only displays some of the symptoms. She doesn't have any weird behaviors, but just needs help catching up. But still, it is so misunderstood, even I don’t. And I am not okay labeling her with that. Let’s just say she's slow, k?

1 comment:

Elsie said...

Personally, I think your Dr is a wacko for even going down this path. Grandpa Mike