Bye bye Attention Deficit...look there's a chicken...

I make a joke because I am so scattered all the time. I even said, "Look there's a squirrel" in the middle of my vows. But truly a diagnosis is not a joke.

We had Joey's quarterly appointment with his developmental pediatrician at the Melmed Center today. In January, I went in armed with a good report card and a good IEP progress report, plus data from home, to prove to the doc that Joey did not need the Focalin 5 she prescribed in October, after data showed that a low dose of regular Focalin did nothing to improve Joey's attention.

In 2011, when he completed the TOVA assessment, he scored in the double digits on most of it, impulsively hitting buttons and showing low focus. His results were "suggestive of attention deficit disorder."

Tuesday (4/16). Joey scored in the single digits, with a total of -120 (I don't understand this result) and his results were "not suggestive of attention deficit disorder." She did note that although the test is boring, which it's supposed to be, he still paid attention to it. When he came back into the waiting room after the test, he said "It was so boring!" The proctor told me it wasn't supposed to be exciting so they could test how well the patients attend to non-interesting material.

The doc is no longer pushing meds which makes me happy. We will continue to monitor him closely. I know as a parent, I can do things better, like push no electronics after a certain point, and be adamant about an earlier bedtime. There is always something that could use improvement.

Attention is a tricky thing and is a very common issue with kids on the Autism Spectrum. Most get a dual diagnosis. But for Joe, I never felt that he was truly ADD, even if both his parents are.

The doc did say that she would like him to have a pediatric cardiologist do a complete work up on Joey to get a baseline for when he is older, based on his cruddy family heart history.

Other than that, Joey is healthy (53 lbs, same as last time / 4 ft. 1 ins., he grew 1.5 inches).

I am so proud of my big boy and how hard he is working!

Best Report Card EVER

Yesterday, I received the best report card ever for Joey. I am so proud of him that I was almost in tears! I was with my Mom at the time and I think she got misty too!

Here's the lowdown:
P = High level of performance
I = Making steady and sufficient progress
N = Needs more time/practice/support

                                               1st quarter                      2nd quarter
Listening                                       N                                     P!!!
Speaking                                       N                                     I
Spelling                                        N                                     N
Writing                                         I                                       I
Reading                                        N                                     N
Math                                             I                                       P
Social Studies                               I                                       I
Science                                         I                                       P
Study/Social Skills                       I                                       P
Music                                                                                   P
Art                                                                                        P
PE                                                                                         P

He improved in completing assignments on time, exhibiting self control, and increasing dependability (all under study/social skills) and reads with understanding (reading). He also got a + for areas of strength in comprehending oral directions and messages read orally (both under listening). I am just amazed. He truly is amazing!!!

I am so beyond proud of Joey's report card. He got his standard P's in his specials (P=high level of performance), but he also got a P in math, science, study/social skills, and....wait for it...listening. His areas of strength were comprehending oral directions and messages read orally. This is truly amazing for my little dude. Back in October, his ped at Melmed wanted him on Focalin 5 for attention and compared his processing to that of a stroke victim. I refused to medicate him. His report validates my belief that medication isn't always the answer!