Charlotte had her behavioral assessment today. Chris took her since I couldn’t take more time off work. The therapist asked a lot of specific questions about Charlotte’s habits and behaviors. She is the head of the department and happened to witness Charlotte’s tantrum at last week’s speech therapy. Charlotte was determined to have a 40% delay for social and emotional skills, or around 15 months old. This qualifies her for services. We don’t know yet how much therapy she’ll have, but we do know that we will have take parenting classes as part of the program (to learn how to deal with her behavior better).
In some ways I’m relieved that my instincts are right, but I’m also worried that she will always have to deal with developmental delays. It’s hard to have always envisioned an ‘easy’ path for your child to suddenly think that life might be much harder for them. It’s also really difficult to deal with the unknown…because who can really predict the future?
I have no idea how my parents’ generation were able to raise children without the extended support system blogging has given me. It really does take a village to raise a child and I am so thankful to all my friends who are so supportive. To Che who reminds me what is ‘normal’ behavior. To Ambyr, Tiffany, and Michelle who give me tons of advice about adoption and our special circumstances with Charlotte (reminding me of the very positive outcomes with their own children). To Amy who helps me navigate the scary terms ‘developmental delays’ and ‘therapy’. To Magda who offers simple fixes to reduce my frustrations. To Jen who reminds me to just enjoy the ride, the ups and the downs.
3 comments:
Hugs!! The therapy will help TONS. Just keep that in mind. And hopefully it's not something she'll always have to deal with. Or if she does, starting therapy this early will give her the tools she needs to manage it. You and Chris are doing a great job (I can't imagine being in your shoes). Just keep your chin up and keep trusting your instincts!
Ah shucks, thanks! I can't imagine raising kids without blogging either, if for no other reason than to just plain vent (btw, do you know about my other blog?). And it's so nice to get reassurance from other parents that it'll all be ok.
Your comment about me reminding you to just enjoy the ride was very touching. In all honesty, I try to focus on all the good things because those are the things that keep me going, not to mention those are the things I want to remember when I'm old and grey and look back on what I wrote when my kids were young.
I'm sorry to hear about Charlotte's results, though I'm sure you're relieved to at least have an answer. I'd be willing to bet, though, that since you are actually *DOING* something about it at such a young age, she'll be ok. It sounds like she might be "behind" the curve, but not significantly so. She'll do fine! Did I ever tell you I had 9 years of speech therapy? And look at me! I turned out ok. My mommy says so.
You so sweet! Thanks for the kind words, you are a helpful shoulder as well. Always there with advice or another option to try. You guys will get through this, and I imagine with flying colors. This is just a little bump in the road, look at how much progress Charlotte has made already. It's going to go well, and everyone will benefit from it.
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