Today was supposed to be a set of standardized tests with Ryan and the aide, Chaz. We walked him back and Ryan was fine being left in the room with him. Chaz is the same one that worked with him last week and Ryan just loved him. Greg and I went into a small room with a one way mirror so we could watch with the psychologist. Ryan was not very cooperative this time. Chaz would ask him to point to something in a book and Ryan wouldn't do it. When Ry and I look at books and I ask him to point to the dog or the ball or whatever, he won't do it either so I knew it wasn't because he just didn't want to work with him. I think he just doesn't know what to do with the question. Chaz was wonderful with him and tried for a good hour. They switched it up a couple of times and tried a different test with play testing instead of pointing things out in a book but at that point, they had lost him and he just wasn't interested anymore. They gave him a break in the OT room with balls and mats but again, he was past the point of getting him back so we called it quits. So we have to go back on March 10 to try again and hope they can score him on something. These tests are so we can go back in 6 months or so, test him again and see how far he has come.
While all of this was going on, the psychologist had a list of questions for us....another standardized test based on our thoughts. He didn't score the whole thing yet but thought Ryan is at least 10-12 months behind on speech, what he comprehends and what he says. That was hard to hear but we knew he was pretty far behind.
Today was also pretty frustrating for me. The psychologist and the pediatrician saw Ryan for about 45 minutes on Friday and based their diagnosis on that. I understand that they have to base it on what they see but I have tried to explain what Ryan is like in social settings with other kids and his lack of speech and the constant head banging but because they didn't see it, they cna't really make a diagnosis based on that. I understand that but it is very frustrating to think your child make have Autism and the doctors do not see it.
So for now, we are ok with all of this. They just see him with a langauge & developmental delay. I am still not 100% sure he is Autistic but I am not sure all of my concerns were heard. With or without the diagnosis, it isn't going to change anything though. We are still going forth with all of the therapies and with MRDD. Autism or not, he needs these therapies. This is the time where I wish there were some magical test to see if he is Autistic or not.
With all of that being said, we have noticed great strides in Ryan. He is making better eye contact with strangers and isn't always burying his face or covering his eyes when someone tries to talk to him. He has been having fewer meltdowns lately and doesn't seem to be constantly banging his head on things. I guess the occupational therapy he has been in has been helping more then we thought it was.
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