Re: Well... interesting day...

[Guest guest]

Way to keep your cool, mama! That would've been super-difficult for me. Dylan has always liked taking tests and being one-on-one or two-on-one w/ adults so I've lucked out in that department, I guess. Looking forward to your next update.

"Over-optimism is waiting for you ship to come in when you haven't sent one out."

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...> Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 6:51:53 PMSubject: ( ) Well... interesting day...

After being a VERY squeaky wheel, I had managed to move up the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) test to TODAY, instead of waiting until JANUARY. So… after a good breakfast, (who’s 9, just to remind you) and I drove to the children’s hospital, and waited for the Child Development Pediatrician to call us. We went down the hall, to a room where a panel of people were watching from behind a two way mirror (Psychologist, Child Development Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, etc etc). There was one lady and the Speech Language Therapist in the room with us.

Well first of all, I couldn’t get him INTO the room. He buried his face in my stomach when the pediatrician (who we’d seen before, and quite LIKED) was introducing us to the other ladies (who were also very nice). Then he wouldn’t go IN the room. Tried to run out the door, hid in the corner, hung himself, FULL WEIGHT from my arms. It took every ounce of my strength to even get him into the room, and then he tried to run from the room, and I had to put my chair in front of the door to keep him from bolting. (Originally, they wanted him in the room and me watching from the other side, talking with the panel of observers. No such luck when he was terrified to go in the room, even with the knowledge that I’d be there.)

So then they tried to get him to play. He took another chair, and barred himself in the corner, under/behind the chair. He would NOT come out. He didn’t want to answer questions. She tried to get his interest in some of the MANY toys she had there, and he would NOT talk to her. He hid his face, and stayed behind or under the chair the entire time. Then he told me he had to go to the bathroom. I said I’d take him, only if he’d agree to come right back to the room, and we’d finish what we needed to do. We all reminded him that the faster we got the testing done, the faster we could LEAVE. He agreed, and even left his PUPPY in the room (which was HUGE! I am shocked he did that!).

Yeah… til he tried to RUN out of the hospital. I had to literally run, FULL TILT, to keep him from leaving. He was up the stairs… finally I caught him, and he INSISTED on going to the same bathroom (by the entrance) that we’d just been to. I told him there was a bathroom downstairs, that we’d been in before (the last time we came to see the asthma specialist). So he begrudgingly agreed, and we went to that bathroom. I was able to calm him some while we were in there, and he seemed better going back. He went in and sat down at the table. I was hopeful!

Then she asked him if he’d play table soccer with her. And he wanted nothing to do with it. Then she asked him to do the puzzle. He did do that… then she asked him to pretend with her. He said he would. She asked him to pretend she was an alien, and had just arrived on earth today. People were telling her how to brush her teeth, but she didn’t know how. So she “drew†an imaginary sink, taps, toothpaste and toothbrush on the table, and asked if he’d show her how to do it. He would not participate. He hung himself upside down from the chair, hid his face, and that was that. So, came a knock on the door. The child development ped. Wanted to talk to me. CLUNG To my leg, and I literally had to peel him off to get out of the room for a moment. He CRIED and cried, and they tried to engage him about his Nintendo DS (his obsession, his “escapeâ€), and he had already shut

down. All he did was scream and cry.

They told me they couldn’t score any of it if he couldn’t do the tests. They felt bad for him, and didn’t want him to suffer for another hour, just to get nowhere. The psychologist told her to commend me for my patience, and that it was “obvious†to her that I was used to this type of behavior, because my “feathers weren’t rattled a bitâ€. That some parents lose it. I told her I *WAS* used to it… and didn’t get “ruffled†anymore, because it just doesn’t help. SO, they pulled the plug on the test, and sent us on our way.

I now will get a phone call from a lady in the child development department sometime in the next week, and her and I will conduct an hour-hour and a half –over the phone- EXTENSIVE interview. A VERY involved “how was he then, how is he now?†type interview, which she can “scoreâ€, and share with the Child Development Ped, and we’ll go from there. YOIKES! I’ll keep you all posted.

Wow, what an exhausting day for us both. And I barely slept last night as it was !! We treated ourselves to lunch together, ice cream for him, and a Starbucks coffee for me. LOL I think we deserved it

Just had to share/vent/etc.

=)

[Guest guest]

What a day that must have been, I admire your strength and patience....with the ADOS!!!

Keep us posted.

Lor B

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>Subject: ( ) Well... interesting day... Date: Monday, 26 October, 2009, 23:51

After being a VERY squeaky wheel, I had managed to move up the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) test to TODAY, instead of waiting until JANUARY. So… after a good breakfast, (who’s 9, just to remind you) and I drove to the children’s hospital, and waited for the Child Development Pediatrician to call us. We went down the hall, to a room where a panel of people were watching from behind a two way mirror (Psychologist, Child Development Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, etc etc). There was one lady and the Speech Language Therapist in the room with us.

Well first of all, I couldn’t get him INTO the room. He buried his face in my stomach when the pediatrician (who we’d seen before, and quite LIKED) was introducing us to the other ladies (who were also very nice). Then he wouldn’t go IN the room. Tried to run out the door, hid in the corner, hung himself, FULL WEIGHT from my arms. It took every ounce of my strength to even get him into the room, and then he tried to run from the room, and I had to put my chair in front of the door to keep him from bolting. (Originally, they wanted him in the room and me watching from the other side, talking with the panel of observers. No such luck when he was terrified to go in the room, even with the knowledge that I’d be there.)

So then they tried to get him to play. He took another chair, and barred himself in the corner, under/behind the chair. He would NOT come out. He didn’t want to answer questions. She tried to get his interest in some of the MANY toys she had there, and he would NOT talk to her. He hid his face, and stayed behind or under the chair the entire time. Then he told me he had to go to the bathroom. I said I’d take him, only if he’d agree to come right back to the room, and we’d finish what we needed to do. We all reminded him that the faster we got the testing done, the faster we could LEAVE. He agreed, and even left his PUPPY in the room (which was HUGE! I am shocked he did that!).

Yeah… til he tried to RUN out of the hospital. I had to literally run, FULL TILT, to keep him from leaving. He was up the stairs… finally I caught him, and he INSISTED on going to the same bathroom (by the entrance) that we’d just been to. I told him there was a bathroom downstairs, that we’d been in before (the last time we came to see the asthma specialist). So he begrudgingly agreed, and we went to that bathroom. I was able to calm him some while we were in there, and he seemed better going back. He went in and sat down at the table. I was hopeful!

Then she asked him if he’d play table soccer with her. And he wanted nothing to do with it. Then she asked him to do the puzzle. He did do that… then she asked him to pretend with her. He said he would. She asked him to pretend she was an alien, and had just arrived on earth today. People were telling her how to brush her teeth, but she didn’t know how. So she “drew†an imaginary sink, taps, toothpaste and toothbrush on the table, and asked if he’d show her how to do it. He would not participate. He hung himself upside down from the chair, hid his face, and that was that. So, came a knock on the door. The child development ped. Wanted to talk to me. CLUNG To my leg, and I literally had to peel him off to get out of the room for a moment. He CRIED and cried, and they tried to engage him about his Nintendo DS (his obsession, his “escapeâ€), and he had already shut

down. All he did was scream and cry.

They told me they couldn’t score any of it if he couldn’t do the tests. They felt bad for him, and didn’t want him to suffer for another hour, just to get nowhere. The psychologist told her to commend me for my patience, and that it was “obvious†to her that I was used to this type of behavior, because my “feathers weren’t rattled a bitâ€. That some parents lose it. I told her I *WAS* used to it… and didn’t get “ruffled†anymore, because it just doesn’t help. SO, they pulled the plug on the test, and sent us on our way.

I now will get a phone call from a lady in the child development department sometime in the next week, and her and I will conduct an hour-hour and a half –over the phone- EXTENSIVE interview. A VERY involved “how was he then, how is he now?†type interview, which she can “scoreâ€, and share with the Child Development Ped, and we’ll go from there. YOIKES! I’ll keep you all posted.

Wow, what an exhausting day for us both. And I barely slept last night as it was !! We treated ourselves to lunch together, ice cream for him, and a Starbucks coffee for me. LOL I think we deserved it

Just had to share/vent/etc.

=)

[Guest guest]

Well, no matter what the outcome of the day or how different it "ended" than what you had hoped, it's obvious that you know your son and are a great mom.

Good luck with the phone interview and what comes of it.

RobinNormal is only a cycle on a washing machine.......

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>Subject: ( ) Well... interesting day... Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 6:51 PM

After being a VERY squeaky wheel, I had managed to move up the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) test to TODAY, instead of waiting until JANUARY. So… after a good breakfast, (who’s 9, just to remind you) and I drove to the children’s hospital, and waited for the Child Development Pediatrician to call us. We went down the hall, to a room where a panel of people were watching from behind a two way mirror (Psychologist, Child Development Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, etc etc). There was one lady and the Speech Language Therapist in the room with us.

Well first of all, I couldn’t get him INTO the room. He buried his face in my stomach when the pediatrician (who we’d seen before, and quite LIKED) was introducing us to the other ladies (who were also very nice). Then he wouldn’t go IN the room. Tried to run out the door, hid in the corner, hung himself, FULL WEIGHT from my arms. It took every ounce of my strength to even get him into the room, and then he tried to run from the room, and I had to put my chair in front of the door to keep him from bolting. (Originally, they wanted him in the room and me watching from the other side, talking with the panel of observers. No such luck when he was terrified to go in the room, even with the knowledge that I’d be there.)

So then they tried to get him to play. He took another chair, and barred himself in the corner, under/behind the chair. He would NOT come out. He didn’t want to answer questions. She tried to get his interest in some of the MANY toys she had there, and he would NOT talk to her. He hid his face, and stayed behind or under the chair the entire time. Then he told me he had to go to the bathroom. I said I’d take him, only if he’d agree to come right back to the room, and we’d finish what we needed to do. We all reminded him that the faster we got the testing done, the faster we could LEAVE. He agreed, and even left his PUPPY in the room (which was HUGE! I am shocked he did that!).

Yeah… til he tried to RUN out of the hospital. I had to literally run, FULL TILT, to keep him from leaving. He was up the stairs… finally I caught him, and he INSISTED on going to the same bathroom (by the entrance) that we’d just been to. I told him there was a bathroom downstairs, that we’d been in before (the last time we came to see the asthma specialist). So he begrudgingly agreed, and we went to that bathroom. I was able to calm him some while we were in there, and he seemed better going back. He went in and sat down at the table. I was hopeful!

Then she asked him if he’d play table soccer with her. And he wanted nothing to do with it. Then she asked him to do the puzzle. He did do that… then she asked him to pretend with her. He said he would. She asked him to pretend she was an alien, and had just arrived on earth today. People were telling her how to brush her teeth, but she didn’t know how. So she “drew†an imaginary sink, taps, toothpaste and toothbrush on the table, and asked if he’d show her how to do it. He would not participate. He hung himself upside down from the chair, hid his face, and that was that. So, came a knock on the door. The child development ped. Wanted to talk to me. CLUNG To my leg, and I literally had to peel him off to get out of the room for a moment. He CRIED and cried, and they tried to engage him about his Nintendo DS (his obsession, his “escapeâ€), and he had already shut

down. All he did was scream and cry.

They told me they couldn’t score any of it if he couldn’t do the tests. They felt bad for him, and didn’t want him to suffer for another hour, just to get nowhere. The psychologist told her to commend me for my patience, and that it was “obvious†to her that I was used to this type of behavior, because my “feathers weren’t rattled a bitâ€. That some parents lose it. I told her I *WAS* used to it… and didn’t get “ruffled†anymore, because it just doesn’t help. SO, they pulled the plug on the test, and sent us on our way.

I now will get a phone call from a lady in the child development department sometime in the next week, and her and I will conduct an hour-hour and a half –over the phone- EXTENSIVE interview. A VERY involved “how was he then, how is he now?†type interview, which she can “scoreâ€, and share with the Child Development Ped, and we’ll go from there. YOIKES! I’ll keep you all posted.

Wow, what an exhausting day for us both. And I barely slept last night as it was !! We treated ourselves to lunch together, ice cream for him, and a Starbucks coffee for me. LOL I think we deserved it

Just had to share/vent/etc.

=)__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Sounds like you and your son had an awful, awful day, but maybe your son's fight

or flight response will help you get services in the long run. Many times I've

had to fight for a test or an appointment and then have my son totally not

cooperate and so we'd have to reschedule again. He'd be all quiet and polite

with the doctor, but wouldn't say or do anything until it was time to leave. I

often wished that they could see the meltdown that happened on the way to the

car or when we got home.

[Guest guest]

sounds like an intresting day. I guess we do get used to our kids and can't allow ourselves the luxury of having our feather ruffled. lol

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>Subject: ( ) Well... interesting day... Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 6:51 PM

After being a VERY squeaky wheel, I had managed to move up the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) test to TODAY, instead of waiting until JANUARY. So… after a good breakfast, (who’s 9, just to remind you) and I drove to the children’s hospital, and waited for the Child Development Pediatrician to call us. We went down the hall, to a room where a panel of people were watching from behind a two way mirror (Psychologist, Child Development Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, etc etc). There was one lady and the Speech Language Therapist in the room with us.

Well first of all, I couldn’t get him INTO the room. He buried his face in my stomach when the pediatrician (who we’d seen before, and quite LIKED) was introducing us to the other ladies (who were also very nice). Then he wouldn’t go IN the room. Tried to run out the door, hid in the corner, hung himself, FULL WEIGHT from my arms. It took every ounce of my strength to even get him into the room, and then he tried to run from the room, and I had to put my chair in front of the door to keep him from bolting. (Originally, they wanted him in the room and me watching from the other side, talking with the panel of observers. No such luck when he was terrified to go in the room, even with the knowledge that I’d be there.)

So then they tried to get him to play. He took another chair, and barred himself in the corner, under/behind the chair. He would NOT come out. He didn’t want to answer questions. She tried to get his interest in some of the MANY toys she had there, and he would NOT talk to her. He hid his face, and stayed behind or under the chair the entire time. Then he told me he had to go to the bathroom. I said I’d take him, only if he’d agree to come right back to the room, and we’d finish what we needed to do. We all reminded him that the faster we got the testing done, the faster we could LEAVE. He agreed, and even left his PUPPY in the room (which was HUGE! I am shocked he did that!).

Yeah… til he tried to RUN out of the hospital. I had to literally run, FULL TILT, to keep him from leaving. He was up the stairs… finally I caught him, and he INSISTED on going to the same bathroom (by the entrance) that we’d just been to. I told him there was a bathroom downstairs, that we’d been in before (the last time we came to see the asthma specialist). So he begrudgingly agreed, and we went to that bathroom. I was able to calm him some while we were in there, and he seemed better going back. He went in and sat down at the table. I was hopeful!

Then she asked him if he’d play table soccer with her. And he wanted nothing to do with it. Then she asked him to do the puzzle. He did do that… then she asked him to pretend with her. He said he would. She asked him to pretend she was an alien, and had just arrived on earth today. People were telling her how to brush her teeth, but she didn’t know how. So she “drew†an imaginary sink, taps, toothpaste and toothbrush on the table, and asked if he’d show her how to do it. He would not participate. He hung himself upside down from the chair, hid his face, and that was that. So, came a knock on the door. The child development ped. Wanted to talk to me. CLUNG To my leg, and I literally had to peel him off to get out of the room for a moment. He CRIED and cried, and they tried to engage him about his Nintendo DS (his obsession, his “escapeâ€), and he had already shut

down. All he did was scream and cry.

They told me they couldn’t score any of it if he couldn’t do the tests. They felt bad for him, and didn’t want him to suffer for another hour, just to get nowhere. The psychologist told her to commend me for my patience, and that it was “obvious†to her that I was used to this type of behavior, because my “feathers weren’t rattled a bitâ€. That some parents lose it. I told her I *WAS* used to it… and didn’t get “ruffled†anymore, because it just doesn’t help. SO, they pulled the plug on the test, and sent us on our way.

I now will get a phone call from a lady in the child development department sometime in the next week, and her and I will conduct an hour-hour and a half –over the phone- EXTENSIVE interview. A VERY involved “how was he then, how is he now?†type interview, which she can “scoreâ€, and share with the Child Development Ped, and we’ll go from there. YOIKES! I’ll keep you all posted.

Wow, what an exhausting day for us both. And I barely slept last night as it was !! We treated ourselves to lunch together, ice cream for him, and a Starbucks coffee for me. LOL I think we deserved it

Just had to share/vent/etc.

=)