An Emily Update (What Else?)

In my last post, I mentioned that we had an appointment with a developmental specialist to discuss Emily and her speech struggles. Initially I had made the appointment to try to determine if Emily had a disorder known as Verbal Apraxia. I was referred to the specialist (by our pediatrician) sometime before Christmas, when Miss Em was saying only 5 or so single-syllable words. The appointment was this past Friday and it went well. Now that we have a very good speech therapist in place, Emily is making dramatic improvements...to the point where yesterday she said a seven-word sentence more than once. So, while I'm thrilled with the improvements and I felt a little sheepish about still seeing the dev. specialist, I decided to keep the appointment to get a second official opinion.

As it turned out, I'm glad I kept the appointment. It was nice to be able to talk with doctor and get a brand new set of eyes and ears to observe Emily as she talked and played. I found out that, at 2 years, 7 months old, she is 31.7 lbs and a whopping 39.25 inches tall. (This kid is going to be 6 feet tall if she continues growing like this....she's always been above the 100th% for height.) Anyhow, I also got to talk to the doctor about Emily's sleeping battles, her sensitivities to certain things, her persistence (otherwise known as extreme stubborness), her insistence on routines and her speech difficulties. What the doctor had to say was helpful and encouraging.

She started out by stating that Emily was most definitely a very strong-willed child. Now, while this was not news to me, it did sort of reafirm what I have believed all along....and it reminded me that I am not simply a bad parent with poor parenting skills. Instead the doctor encouraged me to keep doing the things I was already doing and to be even more firm at times (like bedtime, in particular). I needed to hear from a professional that it's okay to let Emily cry for a LONG time, if need be at this stage, because this is her strong will coming into play. It's hard, but it's okay and it's what she needs.

Next the doctor encouraged us to continue with speech therapy, as Emily will definitely still need it once we are finished with our current program that will kick her out when she turns three in the fall. Again, this was nothing new, but it was nice to hear that the progress she's making is good, and that the specialists' opinion was the same as our speech therapists'. When I brought up the concern about Apraxia, the doctor agreed that there was probably some component of that at work in Emily. (For more info on apraxia and some pretty accurate representations of what we hear from Emily, visit Signs of Apraxia). Apraxia is a motor planning disorder. It's neurological in nature and a lot is still largely unknown. It is the same disorder that makes it difficult for some stroke victims to speak. In other words, it can be quite serious and difficult to overcome. It also has varying degrees of severity and is often misdiagnosed. In Emily's case, I think the diagnosis is correct and it seems from all accounts that her case is rather mild, for which we are all thankful. Still, it's going to be a long road to travel.

Lastly the doctor mentioned that our pediatrician was concerned about possible Asperger's (related to autism). This was sort of a shock to me as our pediatrician had never told me she had that concern. I knew she had asked me several times about some signs of autism, but my answers had always been no to her questions, so I was a little surprised and concerned that she had not mentioned this to me. I've never been overly comfortable with this new pediatrician, so I'm thinking of switching again. Anyhow, the developmental specialist thought is was a possibility too, but only mildly and it doesn't affect her social skills. (Emily is a little social butterfly 99% of the time.) I don't know how I feel about this diagnosis. I don't really agree, but then again, I think it's also still too early to make a real diagnosis, and the specialist just mentioned it as a possibility, so I guess I'm okay with it for now. Overall, she told us that she thinks Emily will outgrow most of our concerns and that she was a delightful little girl and that we didn't even need a follow-up appointment, so I think for now, we'll just keep doing what we're doing.

So, that's our update. Thanks to all who prayed for us on Friday. Thanks to all who have read through this monster post and stayed awake! I've been trying to process everything and get my own thoughts straight, so I apologize for the slight delay in posting....plus it's really nice outside!