Cory's Appointment

Back in February I saw Cory's pediatrician about some of the odd behaviors I was seeing in Cory. He gave us a referral to Dr. Rice in Tucson, a pediatric behavioral therapist. We immediately made the appointment, but the lady had a ten month waiting list. WELL, we FINALLY made it to the appointment. But it wasn't at all what I was expecting, and truth be told, I was seriously let down.

She says that his behavior can be attributed to his muscle development. Apparently his muscles aren't as tight as they should be, which makes just about everything physical more demanding on him. Instead of using just his wrist and hand to write, he uses his entire arm and shoulder and some abs. This is why learning to write has been so difficult for him, he's trying to coordinate his whole body. Walking, climbing, writing, etc. is just all a bit more difficult for him. So, her theory is that he's perpetually aggitated by not being able to move right, and is therefore cranky and more sensitive in general. She says that he looks around and sees others doing things just fine, but for him it's like walking in mud. Hmmmm.... just wasn't sounding quite right.

The whole drive home I pondered this. Had I been so focused on aspergers that I wasn't open to it being something else? Was I just frustrated that I didn't hear what I wanted to or thought I would? After giving it a lot of thought, I really don't think this is what's going on, I think she's missing a huge part of the issue. What she found is certainly part of the issue, or maybe a symptom of the larger problem, but that's not the whole enchalada. It just doesn't explain why he would run away screaming because he saw that his bus had a different bus driver a few days ago, or why he just looses it when I turn music on past a certain volume, or why the slightest scrape makes him hysterical.

I have since run this diagnosis by several family members who are close to Cory to see what they think, and they are all in agreement with what I am feeling; it fits for some of his issues, but certainly not all of them.

So, my feelings are that I need to stick with what the NACD told me last month. He's got a problem processing, and he is globally immature. This would include what I just discovered about his muscles, and also explain his separation anxiety and hypersensitivity to sound and touch. Additionally, the NACD have given me much more to DO to correct these things, so despite the high cost, I think we'll keep going with it.

Meanwhile, for those who are interested, he is doing very well in school. His writing is behind the class (which now makes sense, and I know to take a different approach with this), but he is slowly becoming more involved with his class. He has even started going full days, instead of me picking him up part way through the day. His teacher knows to sit with him during field trips and assemblies, and she allows him to sit seperate from the class if he is feeling overwhelmed, but he is coming around, and needing special help less and less.

So, after the long wait, it was a bit of a let down, but the information she gave me was valuable, and I can understand him better, so I guess it wasn't a total loss.