So today was the first evaluation. This one was for her Speech and Communication. The evaluators name was Carla and she was very sweet. We had a bit of a miscommunication when she called me last night, as I was doing laundry and thought she said to call her after 830 am today...well what she REALLY said was "I'll be there right after 830am tomorrow." Woops.

Carla came in and G paid her no mind, as usual. So, Carla started talking to her. Still, no interest. Then Carla brought out some bubbles. THAT got G's attention. :)  She proceeded to give Gabriella a phone, keys, a truck...I thought that the way she "played" was taking the toy and throwing it. Well, it turns out that Gabriella throws the toys because she doesn't know HOW to play. Hence the reason she shows no interest in her many toys she has. WOW! Was all I could think. Carla tried to show her how to push the truck back and forth, and G grabbed it, looked at it, and threw it. As she does every other time. I guess thats why she likes balls....because they keep moving after they have been thrown.

So next, Carla wanted to see how she eats. G is a baby that SHOWS interest in a plate of food, but as soon as you try to give her some, she runs. I've had to supplement her meals with "baby food smoothies"...stage 3 baby food fruits and veggies, milk, and baby cereal a lot of the time. I guess that's why her pediatrician didn't raise too much concern about her still using a bottle, because she is getting all the nutrients she needs, as she is in the 35th percentile of her weight for her age. Surprisingly, G took well to the baby food we gave her. She ate about half the jar, and was good after the inital gag she did on the first spoonful. Now, since she eats 3 meals at daycare and just one with me, we all have to be stern and stick to feeding her with a spoon. She will get use to it, whether she likes it now or not.

Carla was with us for a little under an hour, and said that I should do some research on PDD specifically. Because of her almost no communication skills and a few more things, she advised me to do my studying and come up with questions if I have any.

Next comes another evaluation and then the big psych evaluation. The psych eval is the most important, as that is when the final diagnosis will be given. Once I told Carla that I had already been to see a neurologist and that is who infact referred me to EI, she seemed a bit more at ease to talk to me about the PDD/Autism side of things. Before I had mentioned it, she didn't even bring up the words. I guess she was afraid that I was a parent who was in the dark about the facts of my daughter. I am sure she comes in contact with those kind of parents everyday, however I am NOT one of them. Knowledge is MY best form of protection, and as much as I don't want to hear what could be wrong with the love of my life, the bottom line is that reality has to be faced in order to be productive and move on.

Thanks for reading.
XOXO
Kristy