Ammon's trip to the neurologist

Ammon has started on his road to testing. On Friday, we had his language evaluation done. No question he'll qualify for Early Intervention Preschool. He tests 18-24 months old developmentally in his NATIVE language, obviously much lower in English. Neither score even makes the "chart" as chronologically he is 3 years, ten months and five days old. So he is about 2 full years behind. We will have his large motor assessment done next week. He walks, runs, crouches, jumps (meaning he cannot), and does stairs just like toddlers do. So his motor skills are pretty consistent with his language skills. My husband and I had him pegged at this developmental age after the first day with him. Yeah for parental intuition being right.

Am I concerned? Yes. Am I distressed? No, not yet. Through my own experience through the years and also shown in studies of children adopted after the age of two years old, most of the children are behind when they arrive home. Most of them are still a little behind even after one year home. But, by two years home, the majority are starting to catch up to their peers. We still have 18 months before kindergarten and we have a great school helping him and lots of siblings modeling behavior and language. We'll keep taking those baby steps forward.

Ammon also has some behaviors that are on the autistic spectrum. (ie hand waving, stacking and sorting obsession, difficulty in transitioning, lack of language, etc.) but these can also be institutional behaviors. We aren't sure yet where he stands on that but we'll keep tracking him.

Now, the neurologist is a wonderful man. I'm really glad we have in as part of our team. I knew I liked him right off and then he told me that he adopted a 3 and 5 year old from Haiti 6 months ago. (He first met the children at an orphanage in Haiti and it took nearly two years to get them home. OUCH!) He looked at Ammon's EEG from China and it shows a global abnormality but the description of our seizure sounded like a focal issue. He also gave us a starting point for his new medicine. Then he sent us to the EEG room. What a delight! Yes, my tongue is firmly in my cheek. Can you imagine getting 27 electrodes on his head without him pulling them back off as quickly as they go on? Finally, they got them on and wrapped his head up like a mummy and said, "Okay, can you make him take a nap now?" Uh, hardly! We had to settle for 30 minutes of "semi-quiet staying on the bed" instead. They did tell me that I was likely right that an MRI unsedated would not work. LOL! Yep, that would be right. So, we have an appointment to go get an MRI under sedation. (Can you see Ammon with his panic in small spaces being put in an MRI machine while concious? Me neither!)

It took us all afternoon at the hospital and he was exhausted yet hyper when we got home. He had another seizure at 5:30 am on Tuesday morning. This time it was all on his left side. Dang. That does seem to show us this is going to be a global issue, not a focal issue.

Ammon has his admission to preschool meeting next Wed. afternoon and should be starting daily pre-school days after that. YEAH! He will really thrive there.

Tuesday morning we were able to get an appointment at Shriners to have Lan's braces adjusted because they are giving her blisters and we were able to visit Marcia there waiting for Anna to finish her double hip surgery. Thanks for the visit Marcia!

Katie has been to the hospital three times the past four days but they keep sending her home. So, bun still in the oven