I've been meaning to write this for a week now, but I've been knee deep in poop. Literally. I cleaned poop off the carpet 4 times yesterday. 5 baths and 24 hours later, here I am. BUT! lucky for me, and you the reader, we finally have an answer to why the theme of my blogs are poop! Last monday Joseph was diagnosed as having high functioning autism. Earlier this year we went to a pyschologist who thought it sounded like he might have that, so we've had a little time to get used to the big "A" word. But on Monday we got in to see a neurodevelopment and behavior pediatrician to confirmed our suspicions. She's not calling it Aspergers quite yet. He also has the ADHD symptoms that usually go along with autism too. It was actually a huge relief to finally find out! I feel so validated. I get so tired of hearing he's just being a boy, or he's just 4, or so-and-so wasn't potty trained until blah blah blah. I get so tired of feeling like I'm being judged for being such a permissive mom and letting him get away with everything. I pick my battles like crazy!! So THERE! I'm not a crappy mom so stop judging!!! You just don't know what is going on in other people's lives and you just can't judge! The last 2 1/2 years have been nothing short of a nightmare!
During the month of July, Joseph attended an early intervention special ed. preschool. I was hoping he'd get to ride the short bus, but no such luck. A medium bus picked him up and dropped him off. At the end of the month, they decided he wasn't really special enough and needed to go to a regular preschool. Ok! NOW you tell me! With one month before school starts! Why is the dang underline on? So we finally found one. He'll be the token Mormon boy at the Brookwood Baptist Preschool! (Don't Baptists hate Mormons??) Or am I making that up? In the meantime he gets diagnosed and she thinks he definitely needs a special ed. preschool. Especially a social communications class. Urrgh...so now I'm trying to convince one school that he's special enough, and one that he's normal enough. Good grief! All the while trying to get Joseph to stop yelling "Ka-chow" at strangers.
I'm also trying to make appointments with a speech language pathologist for social communication and an OT for his sensory issues. His crazy "hippy" diet is the hardest thing in the entire world. For those not in the loop, besides his 20 allergies, he can't have milk, wheat, or sulfites (that's everything else). What is left??? What can I feed the poor boy? He's getting more picky all the time. This summer alone he's decided he doesn't like cantelope, blueberries, pizza, and waffles. All things he has previously loved. My head is spinning and I just want my little bubba and my little family to be normal.
Blaaahhh! That was a big fat emotional vomit. Who's going to clean THAT up???
