Her Speech Evaluation

Today she had her first appointment with HKIS, the state funded developmental program. Two ladies came for the eval. One played and tested Amelia while the other drilled me with questions. Amelia was very cooperative and did even more than I thought she could! She shared toys with me as well as them when asked, jumped on command, mimicked sounds they made and even did the puzzles...correctly! Ha ha. It took about an hour and a half, and when finished they went over it with me. Basically, as we know, she was on target for everything except speech and few minor communication areas (really?!) They want to work on getting her interested in book pictures and pointing to things when asked as well. That's something she really has no interest in.

So, overall, very pleased that someone that does this for a living was able to come to our home, see her in her element, and figure out what to do to help her! I'll be getting the official report in the mail in a few weeks, then we can draw up a plan special for her. Can't wait to begin!

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?

Potty Introduction

We've had a long time bath routine. First we signal we're finished, I drain the tub, pick up the toys and wipe down all excess water from the floor (she is an excellent water kicker), then before I pick her up I ask her if she has pee pee and point to her vagina. She will look down and pee. So, we've established what pee pee is. Time to make the transition! Now, for the past few nights, after the bath I pick her up and place her on the pot (I have her baby seat on the toilet). No luck so far. However, just now after her nap I noticed her diaper was dry so I decided to try it. (For the record, she loves sitting up there, grins all around.) She couldn't resist digging in her vagina the entire time, but she did tinkle!! Very happy. :)

Her Evaluation Appointment

Her appointment at Tripler was this morning! She was a really good girl. The pediatrician's name was Dr. Chan, he conducted several small tests to test her language and cognitive skills. She scored average in cognitive and below in language (go figure!) I was able to tell him everything she does and doesn't do, and tell him my concerns which made me a very happy mama! So, we have another appointment to redo basically the same tests with him along with their speech pathologist on April 15th. In the meantime, he referred us to a state program that will come and evaluate Amelia from home to see if she qualifies. Also, we will be going back to get a hearing test done, it's routine anyways.



*Note the shapes in the wrong places, lol.

Droopy Drawers!

Still no talking!

So I decided to be proactive and call the doc to see if it could be hearing related. I thought it could be a start. She checked her out and seemed to see nothing wrong there (thank goodness). After filling her in on the things Amelia isn't doing at 20 months, she thinks she may have a learning delay. But does she? After all, she only learns what I teach her, right? So if she can't point to body parts, and I haven't really covered those bases, wouldn't it be my fault? She also never has to ask me for things because I already anticipate the things she wants. I may be an enabler.

Nonetheless, I will follow through with Tripler's Developmental Center. I want to know from a professional what I need to do to get her on track. She is a smart cookie, she is developing completing normal aside from the lack of verbal communication. We'll get there soon enough, I'm sure.

I taught her how to knock, then say "Come in". This is her interpretation.

Amelia Skywalker

Us @ 19 Months :)

Two big things have happened.

1. Because she is the size of her crib mattress, we have just full blown converted her into a full sized bed. She also wakes up still to come get me in the night. I usually crawl into her crib with her and sleep, and I just can't take it anymore! Now, I will fit! Last night was her first night in her new big girl bed and I think she may have been scared. She cried every time I tried to lay in it with her, but later was fine. Who knows.

2. She took her first poo in the tub. I had to scoop it with my hand, gross!