Jack's 1st Developmental Pediatric Appt

Yesterday was Jack's first appointment with the Developmental Pediatrician (whose name happens to be Maj. Flake). First, can I just say that this doctor is WONDERFUL?! Dare I say it...is it even possible...I think I like him even more than Jack's primary ped, Dr. Helo! Anyway, Dr. Flake was very thorough. He didn't rush us out of the office, he made sure he really spent time observing Jack, asking us questions, letting us just talk to him, asking preferences for treatments, etc. I mean, it's like he isn't a military doctor ;)

Anyway, when we were put into the exam room to wait, Jack was THRILLED. Seriously. But the room had foam mats with letters, a fisher price table and chair set, a really cool exam table that looked like a school bus, complete with stairs, bright pictures on the wall, and a velcro board with a velcro ball to throw to it. Jack was in heaven. His current "thing" is letters. He has learned his letters and numbers and whenever he see's them, he likes to point them out (which gets old, believe me!). Also, since the foam mat came apart, he was doubly in heaven, as he LOVES to take things apart. So, he got to play for a good while since Maj. Flake was on the phone with a school. When he came into the room, Jack stopped dead in his tracks, ran over to the table and chair set, and buried his head and wouldn't respond to ANYONE. The closer the doctor got to him, the further he shoved his head down. I knew this wasn't a good sign, and I could tell the doctor was worried with this. He asked if it was ok if he went to pick him up, and how would Jack respond to that. We told him he was welcome to do that, but Jack would probably not like it. He attempted to pick him up, but Jack wanted nothing to do with that. He went back to hiding in the chair. The doctor called his name several times and we did too, but he refused to acknowledge any of us. So, Dr. Flake began asking us when we first started worrying about his behavior, and while we went through this, he began blowing bubbles. Jack came away from the chair after a while, but still did NOT want to play. He was holding onto his "beer" (his teddy bear) for dear life. After a while he did point and say "Bubbles!" and the doctor was VERY pleased with this. So, Dr. Flake played with him and observed how he interacted with us and with him. Jack eventually warmed up, but still did NOT want much to do with him (pretty normal behavior for him...). The doctor brought out a wooden board with shapes that nestled in (much like a puzzle) and watched Jack figure out where the pieces went. He immediately put them in the correct spots, and this was no surprise to us because he has been proficient at his shape sorter since about 9 months old. So, Dr. Flake flipped the board around to see how Jack would react, and if he would be able to figure out the difference. Jack didn't even bat an eye, and put the shapes in their correct spaces. Dr. Flake was really amazed at this, because he said even "normal" children that are older don't get that correct. He said Jack was very smart- but we knew that already! :)

So, basically, after watching him play and interact, and asking us a jackjillion questions, he said that he wasn't AS concerned about Autism as he was when he got the consult about him. When he got the consult, Jack wasn't really talking much- all of his vocabulary is about 3 weeks old. Also, he said that it IS evident that Jack has behavioral and sensory "problems" , but he isn't quite sure about speech problems yet. He IS developmentally delayed in that aspect, aside from the size of his vocabulary. He has 30-50 words, which is on target for 18-24 months (he is 21 months), but the way he expresses his ideas, asks for things, etc, is only around a 12 month level. He said that right now, he absolutely wouldn't put a diagnostic label on him, because this age is tough. He could just be waiting to talk, a little behind developmentally, or have a real problem.

So, we are to go back and see Dr Flake in conjunction with his 2 year appointment in December, Jack is starting out with a hearing test (he is hypersensitive to sounds, but ignores voices), and then he will begin receiving Early Intervention therapy to assist with behavior/sensory issues. All in all, a great visit. I'm very excited to see how the therapy will help Jack, and ME too! Maybe I will finally learn the proper way to connect with him, or the way that he understands, anyway.

Incidentally, while we were waiting in the exam room on the doctor, his primary ped, Dr Helo, called us with lab work from last week and said that his Immunoglobulin panels came back and they are STILL low. This problem was noticed at 12 months, and the labs have been repeated a LOT to make sure it wasn't a fluke. They thought that repeating the tests after 18 months would show that his immune levels were normal, since around 1 year -18 months is when they build their own antibodies and lose the antibodies from mom. But, Jack's are still low- all of them except one (IgM is on the low end of the HIGH range). We have an appointment for THAT next tuesday, and I think that will conclude our visit to every pediatric specialist that Keesler has to offer. This will begin ANOTHER round of testing and referrals...just like last year. Last time around, they could not figure anything out, and decided to wait and see, hoping that it was a benign immune disorder. But it seems that isn't so.

Thank the good Lord that I listened to what my "mama instinct" was telling me, and delayed vaccines, pushed the doctors for referrals when they couldn't find anything wrong with him, and that we have access to wonderful (pediatric) doctors. I won't comment on our Internist/Family Practice docs.