Can You Hear Me Now?

Today was a pretty great day. This morning after I took his diaper off from the night before I informed Rhys that he will be wearing underwear. He took it very well.

We had an appointment today with his pediatrician. Before we left the house I made sure that he went to the bathroom. When we got to the office we went straight to the back where the wellness room is located. There were a few kids in there already and Rhys happily settled down with a Sesame Street toy. He was pretty entertained by the toy and so it was not surprising that he was not too happy with the idea of sharing it with one of the other boys in the room. The other boy started to get teary, but his dad told him that it was not his turn yet and that he will have to play with another toy. Shortly afterwards Rhys was called by the nurse. Rhys got up taking the toy with him, and to my astonishment he walked over and handed the toy to the boy. I was so proud of him!

The nurse led us into a room where she handed him what looked like half a headphone without the headband. She asked him to hold it up to his ear and say yes when he heard a beep. After a few minutes he started goofing off and then we realized it just wasn’t going to work. Soon after Dr. W came in and I discussed with him my concerns. He suggested that we get his hearing tested at an outside facility and gave me a referral at UCLA. He reassured me that it’s a good idea to have all my bases covered, yes, have him tested to take advantage of all the programs available. But stressed that the main problem is speech delay. Once that is corrected everything else will most probably fall into place. He pointed out that at 2 years of age Rhys was using words and that in the most cases of autism kids do not generally speak at all.

I’ve been living in a strange dreamlike state since I began entertaining the idea that there might be a problem. The second I started to think there might be a problem I immediately began trying to figure out how I could fix it. But isn't it always easier to think you can pinpoint a problem, label it and then try to change it? Instead of accepting the idea that this is probably a phase and/or that's his personality. "Yes, my son is a spaz." The closest way I can explain my mindset is the mode I go into when something needs to be done or fixed. I will not, and cannot rest until the matter is laid to rest. If he does have this it would explain a lot, but as I mentioned Dr. W also reminded me that Rhys is still just 3 and that he is going through the terrible threes compounded by the frustration of not being able to fully communicate. Another thing that is so frustrating is how slow everything is moving. These appointments seem so far in the future. The speech evaluation is not until June 11, and now I have the hearing test scheduled for the following week. And until all of these evaluations are completed nothing can be ruled out. The ironic thing is that both these appointments are at UCLA, and their offices right next door to each other.

After the appointment I got him something to eat and then we drove to Gymboree. I asked the teacher if it would be better if I put a Pull Up on Rhys since I wasn’t sure how he would act if he needed to go. She thought it was the best option so I complied. She also recommended that we sign up for the Play class, she feels it would benefit him to get a little more structure. So we’re starting tomorrow.

We played in the climbing structure in the food court for a bit before heading home. On the drive home, I kept stealing looks in the mirror to see if he had fallen asleep yet. He had not, at least not until we rounded our block. By the time I pulled up in the driveway he was knocked out. I was hoping he would still be up and would fall asleep when we went to pick Henry up thereby giving me some quiet time to sit and do homework with Henry, but that was not to be. I parked the car and turned to get him out of his car seat. When I reached to unbuckle him he started swatting at my hands in his sleep! He made it clear he wanted to be left alone in his seat as he napped.

I collected my things and took them into the house leaving the doors to the car open. I checked on him a couple of times before I finally was able to get him out without a struggle, but once in the house he was suddenly wide awake. So I put on a Spongebob DVD and he settled in until we left to get Henry. Once there I was greeted by the instructor with news that Henry had been goofing off in Karate class. I promised the instructor that I would have a talk with him.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly with Henry finally finishing homework and Rhys consistently able to make it to the bathroom without a problem!