Yesterday afternoon we had our appointment in Charleston at Coastal Pediatrics with Dr. Kimberly Caristi. I found her on the SPD website (sensory processing disorder) by searching their treatment directory. Here is her profile there.
Our appointment was for 2pm so we decided to pick Joshua up a little early from preschool so we would have time to have lunch on the way down. 10:40 to 11:10 has been their outside time, they put the kids in a buggy designed for multiple kids and stroll around the Epworth campus. This almost always puts Joshua to sleep which is why he hasn't been sleeping in the car on the way home because they have been going outside lately. Thankfully they were getting started late and had just gotten outside when we got there so he fell asleep promptly in the car. He slept for about an hour and woke up when we were between Orangeburg and Summerville.
We had lunch in Summerville and got to the doctor's office at about 1:45. We then waited until 2:30 to get into the room and then until after 3pm to see the doctor. We were not happy about this but it was our only complaint, the visit was worth it. Joshua was tired by then, really tired. He spent the next half hour or so crying, poor baby. The doctor then went out and got some cheerios and he perked right up, he sure does love to eat!
She took a history from us about him. She also read over the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile that they had mailed to us, we filled it out and brought it with us. She tried to observe him and get him to do things but up until she brought in the cheerios he was so tired he wouldn't do anything but cry. She is certified in sensory integration as well as being a pediatrician with years of experience dealing with children with all types of special needs. It didn't take her long to see that he is a "sensory" kid. I told her that the PT had been calling him that. It was a pretty whirlwind appointment, Joshua being fussy and we didn't really go into specific detail, I didn't get to ask her all the questions I had but we are going to be e-mailing.
She took down all the numbers of all of the therapists and the EI, she's going to call all of them and formulate a plan of what they can do and what we can do with him. She told us to read The Out Of Sync Child and Raising A Sensory Smart Child. She is going to get him an eye test, we know he can see she wants to know how he sees. We are also going to get him tested for food allergies/sensitivities. I had done some researching and food can play a part if the child has sensitivities. I'm sure there will be more to come as we learn more about it and start working with him. She said that often she doesn't see the kids until they're 3 or 4 so we are really ahead of the game.
Overall we are very pleased we went, the traffic and waiting we could have lived without but we are glad we found her. I feel like now we have a team behind us and that will really help. Looks like we'll be canceling that appointment in July in Greenville.
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