Yay!

It's official.

Went to an evaluation yesterday with a Sensory Specialist. P is a classic case of SPD. Funny that his previous screening didn't pick anything up, but that's why we went with a specialist this time around. He skipped his nap and was totally hyped when we got there, and went totally hyper nuts in her office. I tried to calm him and she kindly told me, "It's okay, I have to see this." It's hard to see him get overwhelmed and out of control (sometimes doesn't happen for days, sometimes happens several times in a day). It's really hard to sit back and not do much, or anything, when he does get hyped like that.

She explained a lot to me, told me why he's doing certain things, pointed out dozens of small things that clued her in to him having SPD. She filled me on on the treatment plan (45 min/1ce a week, ins. pays for 20 visits). We're now scheduled for every Weds afternoon at their Raleigh office. We'll be putting together a sensory diet for him with his OT. The stressed that this is a lifelong thing, that it will never go away, that we're just going to be learning how to work with it and make it liveable.

And I'm feeling... great. Wonderful. Stupendous even! We have a flipping DIAGNOSIS!!! Finally!!! We know what it is and we have a treatment plan, no not to cure, but to help. And things can really, generally, only get better from here. He's already loads better since starting preschool, now with actual specialized help, seeing an OT once a week, and a daily sensory diet that's consistent (he freaks out with lack of consistency) OMG!

Also? I'm not insane! And my kid is not insane! It's all something common and we can deal with it, and find support.

Hoooraaay!

Now back to planning our afternoon. When he wakes up we're going to make sensory balls, 4 punching balloons that I'm going to let him fill with rice, lentils, beans and flour, then squeeze and feel the different textures. I now have puddy in my purse and I already have looked up some calming exercises for SPD kids with over-arousal. Suddenly everything seems so much more bearable! And suddenly there's a world of support out there that I feel like hadn't existed before, other parents who get the same looks and suffer the same embarrassment and deal with the same things, and kids who are truly doing better just like we hope P will do better.

So yay! Yay for diagnoses and yay for treatment plans and yay for OTs and yay for hope cause man we've really needed that!

Yay!