Wednesday, June 17, 2009

My little super trooper...






Today was a tough day to be a parent. It was Sebastian's 3 year assessment for the perinatal clinic. It was a busy morning. We saw a psychologist, speech therapist, dietician, doctor, physiotherapist, social worker and a nurse. They did so many tests with him and we were all exhausted by the end of it. For the most part, he did great, but he needs to be followed up by a couple people and that just made me so sad. I know they are following up with him for his own best interest, but last year when we left perinatal, we didn't have to see them again until this year. This year however, we'll be back again soon.

He may have some fine motor issues, so we have to get an occupational assessment done. He was having a few troubles with some concepts with blocks and stuff and that sort of sucked. Plus, the psychologist wasn't very patient with him and said he probably has some attention problems, which is a very common side effect of preemies. So we have to meet with her again, in addition to the occupational therapist. His speech assessment went fine. She noticed he was a bit short on attention at times, but worked hard to engage him and give him breaks and change things up. That was nice of her. And, pretty much, he did fine with most of those types of things. The dietician went over his typical eating day and then suggested we come in for lunch and get watched by the feeding team, which is a team of 5 different disciplines who watch his eating and then offer suggestions to help with eating issues. The doctor also noticed the attention issue, but went on to say he might have an ear infection, but she's not quite sure. She was incredible though looking in his ears, trying to see if birds were there, and making cute little bird sounds. She also said we might want to get his adenoids looked at. Then there was physiotherapy. He should get some orthotics and really shouldn't be wearing crocs or sandals as he doesn't have enough arch support to wear them. This could explain some of his clumsiness though. And then there was social work, blah!!

Needless to say, both my husband and I left there feeling pretty deflated. After early intervention discharged us, saying that everything was on track, we really thought he was doing well with everything, so it came as a bit of a blow that there might be all these issues. Nobody came right out and said he had an attention issue, but everyone of them noticed it, and said that it might be more of an issue than a "normal" three year old. I know they are looking out for his best interests, but man, it was still hard to take. I left there just wanting to cry my eyes out. I know in the big picture, Sebastian is doing really well. He's a great kid and I should be so thankful for who he is and what he overcame, and I am. It was just tough to hear about all these potential new hurdles he's going to have to overcome. At least his sportball is helpful for him, and swimming, and dayhome too. Now we just need to find him a preschool.

I'm going to give him some extra hugs in the next few days, because I love him, and he amazes me. He's sweet, and he's kind and he says the most heartwarming things sometimes. And, he's growing incredibly well. He's past the 50th percentile for his height now, and at the 25th percentile for weight. He's made huge progress considering when he started out, he wasn't even on the chart for either!! He's still very lean and has stayed that way since forever. He's my little miracle, and I'll always be so proud of him, even if he has a few more things to deal with now!! I'm including some pictures of just what a sweetheart he is.

1 comment:

Claudia said...

Don't lose heart - I have a 5 year old and trust me, he HAS attention issues and although it's infuriating, I know that it's just a normal, boy thing they have. So maybe the specialists are just being careful but take it all with a pinch of salt. Boys do not like to sit still, listen or do any of those sensible things - especially "normal" ones.