Neural Psych. Evaluation

We were referred to a neural psych evaluation when Dane turned 6.  I didn't see the point at the time but as he got older I thought it would be the right thing to do. 

It was to be another long day for Dane.  6 hours of testing.  We told his therapists that we didn't want him to do a bunch of tests he didn't need.  He was done in 3 hours.

They rated him on a bell curve.  They wanted him to fall within the 85% range.  During the first few fazes of testing which was very verbal, he fell way below the average.  Once they took away the verbal portion of the testing which was pretty much tests done to deaf children, his average shot way up into the 85%.  This means that he is very visual.

Danes fine motor skills and gross motor skills have gone way up.  He is starting to gain control of writing his own name and coloring within the lines.  His speech has grown much as well.  Some words are hard to tell sometimes.  He will say "baff" instead of "bath."

At the end of the test they determined that he has ADHD on top of the autism.  Not a big surprise because it runs on my wifes side of the family.  The therapists are concerned on how much he is learning at school.  Is medication the option???

Dane has been complaining a lot about headaches from school.  At home he has been really bad behaved.  The therapists think it's because he holds it all in at school.  At the end of the day he's overtired and takes out his frustration on us.

School is almost over and he will be in the first grade this fall.  The pre-K teacher who Dane liked very much may be his teacher in the fall again.  That would be great.

Very Bad Behaviour

I don't know what the deal is.  Okay, so Dane's uncle, Donny and his 3 yr. old daughter moved in with us in January.  Maybe Dane feels his home space is being violated.  Maybe he is just so tired out from the long day at school.  Anyways, Dane has been terrible to deal with.

Up to date!  My wife quit the factory and went back into nursing in an assisted living facility.  She is much happier with her life.  We are dealing with a lot of stress.  Hmm, an autistic son.  A 6 dollar pay cut, the brother in law and daughter, work.  It's boiling down.

I was having marriage troubles in August last year.  My wife moved out on me for a day and rented an apartment.  She realized how nuts she has been going not seeing me and practically raising our children by ourselves.  It reached its boiling point and now it's all out on the table what we don't like.  Needless to say, her quitting the shitty factory with bitchy women was a major plus.  I missed my happy and bubbly girl I fell in love with the first time.  We felt like we were falling in love again.  It felt like the end of our marriage was near.  I lost 20 pounds and she is rail thin.  She looks good and I've had some turn around looks at work I never seen before.  Some old bags but I can still feel flattered in such a way.

About Danes behavior.  He was down to once a week therapy for one hour.  He is now being booted back to 2 days a week for 1 hour. 

At school he has been making friends and learning how to read.  His teacher tells me what a good day he had.  I am starting to think that he started to "hate" school when during one of his teachers deleted Angry Birds off the school Ipad in front of him without any warning.  I guess he was being unattentive and now he needs to earn the game back as a "privilage."

For the past few weeks now he has such negative things to say.  "I hate you, I hate school, I hate Donny and Bella, I hate this show!"  Hate Hate Hate...I don't get it.

I never watch violent movies.  I watch my language (sometimes the f bomb slipps) Not too often.  But he comes home and talks about hand on hand combat.  That I know he is not learning from home.

I was thinking while mowing lawn tonight.  He's around loud noised and flickering flourescent lights all day.  The lunch room is especially loud.  Kids in the halls talking and running are loud.  His teachers and therapists say how good and well behaved he is.  Is this the same kid?  Ever since Angry Birds was deleted in front of him without warning...he's been awful getting up and out to school.  He has been late lots of times because he won't get dressed.  When he does get to school, the whole class yells his name and give him hugs.  He loves school!

My wife went to visit the babysitter from the earlier years.  She brought home another guinea pig and a bunny rabbit.  Dane was so proud he took it to school for show and tell.  He was very popular that day.  I wasn't too thrilled about the critters but as soon as I pet the little rabbit..I melted.

Only 3 more days left and he will be in the first grade.  He's very happy because his pre-K teacher got promoted to 1st grade.  He likes her very much.

Today Dane had a field trip to the zoo.  His teacher told me the chaparone had nothing but good news and how well behaved he was during the trip.  I don't think the parent he knew he had autism even.  Lots of people don't.

On Fridays and Sundays I have to drive 50 miles one way to trade my bro in laws daughter with her mother.  Especially working all day, I am beat!  I want to get there and back as fast as possible.  I mean, the guy has no job, license, car..not a pot to piss in and he has been with us since Jan. 1st.  I already have my marriage on the line, Danes therapy, a sassy daughter, now this?  I am up to my eyes in stress and trying to manage everyone elses lives instead of mine.

I can see why Dane is acting out.  He needs his space as well as me. 

Headaches

Dane has been hating to to to school lately.  He does not cooperate getting dressed and out of the door for my wife.  A lot has been going on and I need to catch up to date .  About the headaches, he says he gets them in the hallway and in the cafe during lunch break.  He says he doesn't get them at recess.  I put his earmuffs the school gave him in his backpack today thinking he would know to put them on when he needs them.

My wife quit the factory and got back into working at an Assisted Living with 34 residents to take care of as a CNA.  She took a 6 dollar pay cut but she enjoys her job and wants to be a nurse someday.  The time is now to figure out what we want and what I want is for her happiness.  Now for me to get on the ball and figure out a fullfilling career move for me.

My brother in law moved in with us with his 3 year old daughter and theres been drama.  He has no license, job, car and fighting for custody of his kid.  Not to mention his ex is preggers again and hes a 1/4 candidate of it being his...or not.  I am doing my best to stay out of it.  I have my own family and my own problems.

Dane also got prescription glasses.  He uses them in school and no where else.  At least he knows how to take care of them like a big boy.

The tranmission on our 06 Escape has been acting up.  I talked to the mechanic today and he says it may be a neutral switch.  It skips 2nd gear and goes from 1st to 3rd and the rpms reach almost 5k before switching gears.  He cant rule out the the  tranny may be going out. 

Dane is crazy about Angry Birds and he is really good at it.  He really concentrates like he is calculating in his head how to slingshot the bird and get the green pigs.  He gets past levels that I can't get past. It's amazing but I have to use it to my advantage to ground him from the  game when he hits and swears and doesn't listen.  He needs to understand the the game is a privaliage and he needs to earn it by being good at home as well as school.

A boy in class wanted a play date set up.  I talked to the father and we met at Mc|Donalds.  That went good except there was a birthday party and lots of loud kids running around.

Comming up is a neurological evaluation that the state passed that we do NOT need a doctors reference.  We have been having trouble twice getting a referral for Danes services for this test.  Now he has a date set from 9 in the morning to 3 at night.  Thats going to be a long day for the little man.

Things haven't been easy having another kid and grown adult who acts like a kid in my home.  On the contrary Dane has had less meltdowns since they moved in.  When he does have a meltdown it has been pretty agressive.  I think hes holding it in and then unleashes the dragon when enough is enough already.

Fixatin on pinwheels never stops.  It seems like he gets one and breaks it to fix it and then whine about getting more pinwheels. 

Dane is the leader in school tomorrow so I bought some cookies for his  class and he needs to take something to school for show and tell.  Im guessing it will be a pin wheel this  time.  The good news is that Danes class really likes him and looks up to him.  One day I got him out early to take him to his therapy and the whole class ran out to say goodbye.  I think a little hispanic girl has a crush on him
also. 

My brother Jeremy sold his house and is moving closer to my sister.  The way things are going in my town I may just throw in the towel at my dead end job and sell my house and move there as well.  The only thing left for me here are my parents.  Dane loves them so much and it would really break his heart to move.

What Meets ASD Criteria

Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across contexts, not accounted for by general developmental delays, and manifest by all 3 of the following disorders...

1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity; ranging from abnormal social approach and failure of  normal back and forth conversation through reduced sharing of interests, emotions, and affect and response to total lack of initiation of social interaction,

2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction; ranging from poorly integrated- verbal and nonverbal communication, through abnormalities in eye contact and body-language, or deficits in understanding and use of nonverbal communication, to total lack of facial expression or gestures.

3. Deficits in developing and maintaining relationships, appropriate to developmental level (beyond those with caregivers); ranging from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit different social contexts through difficulties in sharing imaginative play and  in making friends  to an apparent absence of interest in people

Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities as manifested by at least two of  the following disorders...

1. Stereotyped or repetitive speech, motor movements, or use of objects; (such as simple motor stereotypies, echolalia, repetitive use of objects, or idiosyncratic phrases).

2. Excessive adherence to routines, ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior, or excessive resistance to change; (such as motoric rituals, insistence on same route or food, repetitive questioning or extreme distress at small changes).

3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus; (such as strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).

4. Hyper-or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of environment; (such as apparent indifference to pain/heat/cold, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, fascination with lights or spinning objects).

5 Symptoms must be present in early childhood (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities)

6. Symptoms together limit and impair everyday functioning.