I have purposely not posted for a while because I knew I would just whine and complain about how HARD the last few weeks have been. However, I figured I might as well just update (whine and all). This is what blogs are all about, right? (Sharing the good with the difficult).
My emotions are all over the map right now. We are trying to wrap up the school year, our oldest is graduating 8th grade next week, and then there is Boo's school! Can I just once again say that commuting every day stinks big time!!! People are rude, inconsiderate and way too aggressive on the freeways! While I'm at it, WHY can't they come up with some sort of plan to fix that blasted stretch between the 105 and the 10 (on the 405). It's ALWAYS a snail's pace!
How is the program going you ask? Well, let me tell you.....I don't know. There are moments that I just want to run screaming from that place and then other moments where I realize that I need to give it more time. I have to realize that I'm not going to agree with everything they say or do there. I also am trying to accept the fact that my son is not exactly like the rest of the kiddos in the program. He is so darn complicated! All of the professionals up there agree that Boo does not fit one specific diagnosis. He is such a mixture of FASD, Autism and ADHD (with anxiety sprinkled in there and some sort of mental health disorder). I am also feeling like they don't "get" me or Boo 100% yet. I'm getting the vibe that they think I'm overly-attached to Boo. The fact of the matter is, I've had to act as his frontal lobe for so long and as his main "translator", that it's hard to just hand him over and "trust" that they are going to figure him out. The other difficult piece to all of this is that the most brilliant mind in FASD research is one floor below Boo! She is so close to us and yet she is not affiliated with this program. I want to figure out how I can gently ask them to maybe "consult" with her....but I don't want to offend them. (This is a team of psychiatrists/psychologists and other therapists).
Here is the positive side of things:
They are really finding the "holes" in Boo's development. He (and this is so typical for kids with FASD), can look fabulous in one area of speech for instance and yet he has horrible word recall. So while he is able to string a beautiful sentence together, he can't always "access" the right word or phrase he's looking for :( He has so many learning challenges and spotty development that it's such a blessing that he is in this program where they basically assess every portion of his development! I am sooooo very grateful that he is being watched so carefully. When we leave this program, we will know EXACTLY where Boo needs help. We will know which areas of his development need intense therapy and which are on track. This wouldn't happen (and hasn't happened) with all the other assessments and professionals he's seen thus far.
In the end, I am hoping to take from this program that which will benefit Boo and discard anything that doesn't seem right to us.
I also want to add that Boo's teachers are AMAZING. They are so invested in all of these kids that are there. They have an unlimited supply of patience and are just bursting with energy! You can see that they are really genuinely there for the kids.
For all the whining and complaining I did tonight, I really am grateful for this opportunity for Boo. I am just tired, sick, and slowly beginning to realize that no matter how much experience or training someone has, it's still not enough to truly give us solid answers about Boo. This makes me sad. This makes it difficult to just keep going...and yet I do....because of Boo :) (that was not intentional..lol)
I'm off to bed. That doggone flip flappin alarm clock starts ringing way too soon after my head hits the pillow. Thanks for reading!!!
