Diagnosis???

Yes, we are very close to having a diagnosis for Andrew! Mrs. Wonderful Psychologist is just well... Wonderful!!! Today was a follow up appointment for me only, to discuss her observations and do yet ANOTHER questionaire together with her. It was very, VERY interesting. The score of that questionaire concluded Andrew is "borderline" autistic... so what does THAT mean???
Well, Mrs. Wonderful said "If I had to diagnose him right now, it would be PDD-NOS... but"
For those of you not familiar with the autistic jargon that stands for...
Pervasive Development Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified

That probably didn't help much did it?! Here is a great explanation from Autism Speaks that will probably do a better job explaining it further than the "mildly autistic" explanation that I will give you. In previous posts I have talked about more specific issues we deal with, if you want to search the archives. http://www.autismspeaks.org/navigating/pdd_nos.php

So Mrs. Wonderful continued "...but I think we are really dealing with Asperger's."

Yep, another jargon diagnosis... here is the link for it
http://www.autismspeaks.org/navigating/aspergers.php

We have done a lot of reading on our own and suspected that both or one of those diagosis' would come up in this process. Asperger's has a more specific diagnosing criteria that Mrs. Wonderful needs to solidify with more interaction with Andrew. We have one more observation/interaction appointment scheduled. THEN we will likely have a solid diagnosis!

Whewwwww... although Andrew will be forever "labeled", he WILL be able to get some great help in school. Mrs. Wonderful was glad I was prepared for our conversation since most parents see this diagnosis as bad or very disappointing and discouraging. I was prepared to hear what we were doing wrong and what we need to start doing instead. Quite the opposite... I was extremely encouraged when she told me that we are doing SO many things right. The most important thing we have done is NOT changed our lives to adapt to Andrew's inability to handle a lot of social situations. So I am very glad I (we) finally got over all the looks, stares, and comments... and continue to participate in less than ideal circumstances, like shopping with the entire family, going out to eat, going to a new friend's house, taking a trip, etc........

The biggest thing Andrew will have to eventually learn is that he thinks, feels, discerns, and reacts very differently from most other kids (people), but that he can't choose to withdrawl from life, rather he has to learn how to manage it!

So, here we are! I will continue to update as the end of the school year is fast approaching which means a Summer filled with less routine days, followed by starting "real" school in the Fall. *yikes*

If it is on your heart, please pray for Andrew and our entire family, as it really does affect everyone. (another post about that someday soon)