Disability? Delay? WHAT IS IT?

A few weeks ago I posted about our daughter having an MRI and that the results were good… they saw no abnormalities! 

Today we actually met with the neurologist and wanted to know where we go from here. While they didn’t see any flat spots on her brain (because our brains are bumpy) and they didn’t see any loss of cell migration or abnormal development we do know that we still have a kid who deals with anxiety (at 7 years old!) and she exhibits behaviors that are different from the average kiddo.

I will explain a little about what I mean. When she is at school, for example, she will hold onto the sides of her chair and do this rocking motion that seems to take her into another world. She gets this look on her face like she has stepped out of her body and she’s in la la land. She can’t seem to come out of it until she is redirected or something catches her attention that interests her  more than rocking. It almost seems like an autistic kid that self stimulates by watching their hands or spinning, BUT she does not do it at home…. unless she’s playing on the computer. Interesting, huh?

 

We think that she does this to help herself deal with the stimulation around her. The sound of kids shuffling around and talking, a teacher’s instructions, papers, expectations to do work, etc. are all coming at her at once and we know that she is ultra sensitive (though it’s getting better) to her surroundings. (She can gag at the smell of toothpaste! Ultra sensitive! A “Sensory Kid” is what they call ‘em.) SO the surroundings make her anxious and the behavior presents itself.

(She has other anxious behaviors like asking the same questions over and over again when she’s uncertain about a situation, she’s showing some frustration over not keeping up in math, she talks and talks and talks when we are in new places and she will talk to ANYONE or she is extremely quiet and internalizes the situation until it’s over… like going to the doctor.)

Today the doctor wanted to discuss putting her on medication that would potentially help her deal with the extra serotonin that her brain produces that causes her to be anxious. He said that sometimes when the MRI shows nothing you begin to treat symptoms and in this case it seems that anxiety is a symptom that she deals with.  (WELL, YEA!)

Thing is.. the medication is an anti-depressant! Dag gum it!

Ya know, if she were a diabetic we would put her on the meds for that. It’s just that no one wants to put their SEVEN YEAR OLD on ANTI-DEPRESSANTS! THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!

Her OT (who I LOVE and who I think knows her very well) says that being in school with the kids is really really good for her. She sees kids with normal levels of anxiety and they can model appropriate behavior for her since she is an only child. It’s also good for her to be socialized with these kids since she is in a conservative Christian school and most of the kids also come from great families who love Jesus.  I really don’t think that her school is causing any of the anxiety and to be honest… she has done this since she was 4! We have tried redirecting her, therapy and all sorts of things to help her deal with all that she seems to struggle with and so far she is taking little steps, but not overcoming!

I feel confident that the Lord is directing our every step with her. She seems happy and she’s growing. This is just another decision that I pray He will just be in total control of as we press on! It would just be great if He would set the tree in my front yard on fire if it is a total yes! You know.. the whole burning bush thing would be great!!

Does anyone know why raising kids has to be SOOOOO hard? Anyone? I was really hoping a manual was going to pop out along side her the day she was born. No such luck I’m afraid!