Evaluation Complete

Fun @ Funarium

The two week evaluation period is complete. The doctor is very pleased with what Killi can do but at the same time there are several areas we need to work on. Thank the Lord, our son has not been diagnosed with autism but with developmental delays in several areas and for the sake of having to call it something the doctor said he would diagnose him with PDD-NOS.

Here is the definition of PDD-NOS from the autism speaks website.

PDD-NOS stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. Psychologists and psychiatrists sometimes use the term “pervasive developmental disorders” and “autism spectrum disorders” (ASD) interchangeably. As such, PDD-NOS became the diagnosis applied to children or adults who are on the autism spectrum but do not fully meet the criteria for another ASD such as autistic disorder (sometimes called “classic” autism) or Asperger Syndrome.

Like all forms of autism, PDD-NOS can occur in conjunction with a wide spectrum of intellectual ability. Its defining features are significant challenges in social and language development.

Some developmental health professionals refer to PDD-NOS as “subthreshold autism.” In other words, it’s the diagnosis they use for someone who has some but not all characteristics of autism or who has relatively mild symptoms. For instance, a person may have significant autism symptoms in one core area such as social deficits, but mild or no symptoms in another core area such as restricted, repetitive behaviors.

He explained that we would call it this for the fact that there is something going on with Killian and his development but we can’t necessarily put our finger on it. I was hoping that the doc would say at the end of two weeks “There’s nothing wrong here! He will be fine.” but at the same time I guess I knew this was coming.

The next three to four months we will be working with Killian on specific developmental goals that children his age are reaching but he is not, through play therapy.  The doctor has established goals based on the milestones he should be reaching and while we play we will be focusing on two to three at a time. Once the doctor figures out what Killian will respond to in the form of play and his ability to learn, he can teach me how to do it at home during our everyday activities. The good news is that you can tell within two weeks if the method you are using is working and if nothing has changed within the first two weeks the plan can be altered quickly.

It breaks my heart that this wonderful life experience in another part of the world that is so culturally enriching has become such a massive life change that has affected my son in a negative way. It makes me wonder if we hadn’t moved what would be his current condition but really there is no way to know this. I am so happy and grateful that we have a place to go that will help us work with our son, get him to where he needs to be and have him preschool ready in a very short time.

As our therapy progresses in the next few weeks I will be posting on his progress and the methods we are using at home. It is very encouraging that just within the two weeks with the very little we have learned during the evaluation period my son has said dog, bye bye, movie, juju (juice) and please. The doctor has expressed how pleased he is with Killian’s ability to problem solve, his gross motor skills, balance, the appropriate use of toys and his conniving… I mean clever ways.  As parents, we only want what’s best for our children.  This move to Bangkok and the help we will be receiving is a two for one deal that I believe is the best thing possible for my son and our family.