progression

I met with Lucas' developmental pediatrician (she keeps track of his ASD diagnosis) a few weeks ago and it was the best meeting I've had with her thus far. No devistating news of how my son may never drive a car, may never attend college, etc. This time was different.

Lucas has improved his IQ in a year and a half from borderline M.R. to the high average/superior range. The doctor commended me on getting him the right treatments (early intervention, ABA, speech and occupational therapy), but I told her that I didn't do anything. It was 90 percent Lucas and 10 percent therapists. I was just the cab.

Anyway, according to the doctor, she feels that Lucas may be in on the road to "recovery," however this does NOT mean that he'll be "cured." He'll always have his little quirks and sometimes he may still zone in on the water in the sink or something of the like, but for the most part, he's found a way to control his behaviors and blend into society better.

There's always a downside, isn't there?

His psychological evaluation revealed some difficulty with executive function. This means that in the future, he may have difficulty with ADHD type symptoms such as resisting impulses, sitting still, and controlling his emotions. Who the hell doesn't have ADHD? I mean, really!?!

Despite the ADHD probability, much-needed services will be harder to obtain with the amazing progress Lucas has made. For example, Lucas' speech evaluation resulted in the speech pathologist not recommending speech therapy at this time because he's doing so well. However, he still needs help with pragmatics, social skills, and 'wh' questions. His developmental pediatrician is recommending speech therapy at this time, regardless of what the previous speech evaluation said, but we now have to go through another evaluation to determine if services are necessary. Round and round we go!

I'm celebrating his progress, but also cursing it in a way because it could be a fight to get what Lucas needs from this point on. Either way, I'll move forward with full force, busting through walls and toting my big guns, all while smiling my charming smile, of course!