18 Months!!

Time sure does seem to be flying lately. We are so busy with therapy, preschool, activities and occasional doctor visits or tests. I am so tired by the end of the day. Joshua is doing really well though. The biggest thing is that he is pulling up, standing and even cruising a few steps! The week before we went on vacation his preschool report said he was pulling up and standing. We didn't see it until our last day of vacation. We had put him down for a nap and a half hour later he was still up so we went in there to see why he was still up and he had pulled up in his pack'n'play! We were almost speechless! I didn't find out about him pulling up at preschool until the next week so we didn't even know he'd been practicing it there. His pediatrician was very pleased to her about it today.

His stats are:
32 inches tall (42nd%)
25lbs (40th%) We think he might be a little less since he was fully clothed and wearing shoes when they weighed him, unusual since they usually get him undressed before they weigh him.
48cm head (57th%)
He is in size 4 diapers and mostly 18 month clothes.

He had apparently missed a shot so he was due to get 4 but by doing that he doesn't have to get any shots (except maybe a flu shot once a year) until he's 4!! So we went ahead and did it. He seems fine, he is cutting his upper molars and canines so he's cranky from that but not too bad. He has all his bottom teeth until his 2 year molars come in.

We told her that we are trying to get a sensory evaluation done since the PT thinks he has sensory processing disorder. She didn't say much, I'm not sure she knows much about it. We went over the M-CHAT screening for Autism but she said that even though we answered yes to some of the questions since he is delayed in all areas it wouldn't be right to just put him in that category.

We did make an appointment with a pediatrician in Charleston who is certified in sensory integration. I have left a message for her because I want to be sure she can evaluate him since the test that is usually used is for kids 4-9. We don't want to make a trip down there if she can't evaluate him but I do want another opinion so we will see what she says.

More Questions Than Answers

So we went back to Greenville Developmental Pediatrics today. We met Dr. Shulkin, didn't see the nurse we met with last time but she was in another room observing (you know the one way mirror glass, we saw ourselves in it but she could see us). He told us that he put Joshua at 10-11 month old level but that in communication he was further behind than that, that was his primary concern. He didn't agree with the sensory issues at all that the PT and head teacher at Epworth have discussed with us. They never gave it a name but I looked up and found Sensory Integration Disorder/Sensory Processing Disorder. I printed out a checklist for infants & toddlers and brought it with me. I don't think he'll even look at it, he basically disregarded sensory issues saying that they are part of a broader problem or issue, such as child who was anxious might have sensory issues. He did bring up the Autism Spectrum, saying that it was too early for Joshua to have any sort of diagnosis but if he wasn't making progress (primarily in communication, he doesn't seem concerned or maybe as concerned with gross motor - walking) then we would re-evaluate. We go back July 28th, I wanted an appointment after we saw the geneticist on July 19th. We called back because he said if we thought of anything between now and then we could talk on the phone and of course driving home I had a ton of questions. Mainly about the sensory issues, I'm so confused now. The PT and head teacher at Epworth are sure he has sensory issues, no one has mentioned anything regarding an Autism Spectrum disorder. In fact Joshua's primary pediatrician has specifically said he's not Autistic. He has very good eye contact, something the speech therapist mentions every time she sees him. Also something I told the doctor. We brought Joshua's new braces and shoes, showed them to him and told him about them and he said nothing. He said even if Joshua was walking there would be issues whereas the PT has said that something would click in his brain (some part of his brain that hasn't been turned on yet?) then everything would fall into place. I told this to the doctor and he didn't say anything. I'm not sure if the doctor doesn't believe in sensory issues or what but we will be asking him when we speak to him. The OT had said she could add sensory therapy but I think the doctor wouldn't say to do that.