Having had the Autism Spectrum bomb dropped on us last week, it was a case of kick 'em while they're down today as a draft copy of the SEYSCAT report came home with Emily from Dragonflies.
This report is compiled by a number of professionals - paediatrician, occupational therapist, music therapist, Emily's teachers, etc. - as well as from comments from Sue and I.
Woven together into a 9 page document it played out rather damningly. As much as Sue and I want to put our head in the sand and believe that Emily's only brushing the end of the spectrum and she's 99% OK, this report brought us straight back into reality.
I won't go through everything it said as it makes for some sad reading, but it picked up on her fine and gross motor skills being underdeveloped; her language being well behind - which is no secret. It even mentioned the way she walked down the stairs - preferring both feet on one step and then putting one forward - as being immature. I didn't even notice it until this evening. BTW, walking upstairs was fine.
The report did end saying she's happy, bright, and all the other positives that you can pretend even start to balance out the negatives. There were also some strategies that Sue and I have to continue to take on board - MORE inset puzzles, for instance.
It's not going to be an easy ride and every time we think we can cope, we keep getting knocked down another peg on the Parents Who Can Deal With Their Child's Disorder (PWCDWTCD) chart. Hopefully the bad news will stop coming and we can turn this situation around.
As Sue said, she's only three, so all hope is NOT lost, but it will take a lot of effort from us. It will also possibly take a major change in lifestyle and the way we do things to accommodate Emily's condition. If it results in future results being more positive, it can only be worth it.