Diagnosis

I finally got a schedule with the doctor I originally wanted for Micah. It took 1 whole year. I called the clinic in June 2013 and I got my slot last Monday, June 17, 2014. Wow! That doctor is certainly in demand. She's Dr. Alexis Reyes. I've seen her name on various blogs and most feedbacks were quite positive. Coincidentally, three weeks before we were called for an assessment, I saw a poster of a seminar called "GAP 3 Autism Across Ages". Mike and I were just checking out the new Cinema at High St in BGC. As I was about to ask the person in the counter about the schedule, the small poster caught my eye and immediately, I took note of the details. Somehow, I knew that my son is somewhere in the spectrum. Nobody had to tell me. In fact, that was my initial "scare". In April 2013, I was sleepless. I researched day and night. It wasn't about what Micah has. I listed down all the red flags  and my research were all to rule out Autism. I couldn't accept it at first. There was no diagnosis but I knew in my heart. I would cry out to God. I asked so many questions. They were mostly Why's. Months after, my prayers were of healing for Micah and wisdom for me, Mike and Mikel.

Before we got to this day, my husband and I had been through a lot of rough patches in our relationship. I have been telling him that I know Micah has "something" and he has to see it too. I wanted him to be on the same boat with me so we could help Micah together. I was begging him to just open his eyes but he was so much in denial. He just could not even consider the thought. He thought, like everybody around him, that Micah is perfectly fine.Perhaps it was his way of coping. It was months of giving him small details. I made him see what I was seeing. I spotted and identified red flags just when Mike was around. Little by little, he was opening up to the cruel possibility. And that opening lead the way to the initial therapy. Even when Mike already agreed to therapy, he still stated that it was just to please me. It hurt me so much that he thinks that way. But my feelings were not important at any point. My pride had to take a back step so that Micah could get the help he needed. All this time, it was more important for me that Micah gets Early Intervention so that he could live a life as close to normal as possible. Being a teacher myself and seeing special kids everyday in school, I knew it was all possible through Early Intervention. I wanted that for Micah.

On the day of our appointment with Dr. Reyes, the doctor suggested that Mikel, my eldest son, stay in the room during the assessment. We were there for about 2 and a half hours. The last 30 minutes, I have asked Mikel to leave the room as he was getting a bit restless and loud (perhaps bored). But Micah did so well. He wasn't bored at all. He played so nicely and the doctor got so much stuff and noted them all. She wrote a referral letter to Tisha of Kids in Motion (McKinley Taguig). Coincidentally again, I have called Kids in Motion in the week of Micah's brithday to schedule an assessment. The letter indicated that Tisha sees and monitor  Micah who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Boom! I read the recommendation only after we left the clinic. The whole time the doctor and I were speaking, I think she assumed I already knew because I never acted surprised when she pointed out Micah's characteristics. In fact I validated her observations and agreed with her most of the time. There were still some questions in my mind up to that day. She certainly answered a lot of them without knowing. She said, she's so glad I caught it so early. She called this time "Golden...rather Platinum!" The whole time we were referring to Micah having ASD like a known fact, but I still had to read the letter so it would sink in...and it did.

It was still a sad time but there was a feeling of relief. At least now I can say, I wasn't imagining things. The doctor felt a bit disappointed that Micah did not benefit much from his initial therapy. It was not intensive enough in her opinion. She mentioned that in the US, therapy can start as early as 6 months. She reiterated the importance of the whole family working as a team in helping Micah. She encouraged me by saying it is not yet too late, we can now move forward and get Micah the best help. And hopefully now, Mike will want to be part of it.

Micah and me during his Fiesta themed birthday party in May 2014.

Jitters

I tried my best to get a developmental pedia with an open schedule in just a month. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Most Dev-Peds have their schedule full for the next 3-6 months. I fortunately found one in St. Luke's QC,45 mins away from where we live. We went there, June 6, 2013. Micah was a little over a year old. I got the jitters on the way. Will she confirm my suspicion? Or will she downplay things to leave me hoping? Most doctors are like that anyway. They're very positive and reassuring. But this time, I want the truth, however painful it may be. Otherwise I can't move on properly.

She gave me things to keep in mind and promised to email her results with her recommendation. I got it in about 2 weeks after our assessment date. 

Micah's cognitive skills is 2 months behind but catching up. His motor skills was very much of age. Did I rest upon getting the results? No. Not the worry-freak mommy that I am. I still see a lot of things that seem peculiar and I did not want to just shrug them off. 

We got a second opinion in September of the same year. We went to Dr. Francis Dimalanta in st. Luke's fort Bonifacio. At least it was just nearby. He immediately recommended Micah to go into occupational therapy twice a week starting October. We were referred to GOALS BGC. We saw the head therapist in October and started sessions a week after. We were assigned to a female OT, Sheila, was young and pleasant. It wasn't easy for Micah at the beginning. I was there and yaya Claire was too. We were just watching the OT, win Micah's  trust. Although Micah was cooperative, he would sometimes complain  when he felt he was being asked for too much. He would cry a few times. Very typical of a one year old, I thought. The OT didn't feel so though. She wanted Micah to be able to follow everything on her list. I was thinking--- impossible, but of course I encouraged Micah to listen to his teacher. Micah's OT eventually became frequently successful. We started once a week for the first 4 weeks and moved on to doing twice. Francis was his other therapist in January for his other day.

We ended our OT sessions at GOALS in April 2014. I felt like giving Micah a break which I did not realize to be a mistake on my part. All I know was I did not have diagnosis yet. Micah was said to have Sensory Processing Disorder. I kept praying for God's leading for the next 2 months. In June, I got a call from the doctor I have always wanted to see for Micah, and everything took a turn from then on.

A Start

I opened this blog a year ago but was not able to post anything. Got too busy with life I guess. I wanted this blog to be a sounding a board, a place where I can share my experiences as a mommy. I was compelled to write since I started noticing that my second child, Micah, had developmental delays. Before his 12th month, it dawned on me that he wasn't doing so much of what my 1st born was at that age. It was a frightening feeling. I got goosebumps everyday until we got him to a developmental pedia. I couldn't even throw him a party for his 1st birthday because I was too busy worrying and researching about what condition he may have. Some people thought I was crazy. Everybody was telling me, "he's too young". "Let him grow up first." "Wait and you'll see he'll be as talkative as Mikel too." Did I take their advice to wait and see? No. This is my kid and I never doubted my instinct as a mommy. God entrusted me with these precious beings and it's my responsibility to take good care of them alongside my husband. I prayed, and God's leading got us to where we are now.

Join me in my journey! I will post past events so you will have an idea and can relate to the present ones. I hope this blog can be of help to you whether you are a mommy of a child with special needs or a neurotypical one.  Feel free to share your experiences as well. Other readers would surely appreciate your input. Thanks!

My boys, Mikel, Micah and Mike.