November 27, 2006

On November 27, 2006 Brian and I took Haiden to Children's Resource Group in Indianapolis. (Most of the time leading up to his visit and the actual visit are a blur to me now. After reading his report again this evening, I now know why God has a way of helping us forget things. I forgot how sick Haiden actual was.) The psychologist, Dr. Steck, spent about 2 hours with us reviewing Haiden's history, questioning his current state, and playing with Haiden. At the end of our appointment, here was her summary (in the most optimistic way ever): "Haiden is a 2 year, 9 month old boy who was referred for psychological consultation by his mother due to concerns regarding the possibility of an autism spectrum disorder. At this time, Mrs. McKinney reported concerns regarding Haiden's language delays, sensory integration difficulities, and poor social skills with peers. (He rarely wanted to play with other kids his age.) In addition, Mrs. McKinney expressed concern about Haiden's lack of imagination, odd behaviors, and echolalic (repeating what someone else says) speech patterns. Based on Haiden's developmental history, parental report and observations during this consultation, it is felt that Haiden demonstrates symptoms of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)." PDD-NOS? No, no, this wasn't happening. Even though I had prepared myself that Haiden could be on the Autism Spectrum, I wasn't ready to accept it. Why? Why did this have to happen to Haiden? What caused this? What now? Brian did everything he could to comfort and reassure me but I felt completely lost. I had no idea the roller coaster of emotions I was about to go through but I knew one thing...I had to fix this.