Ahhh Organization! You Gotta Love It!

Today was a good day, at least I think so. To most people today probably would have been a really bad day, but to me it gave me a renewed sense of purpose, organization and focus.

My day started with taking JD to his 2-hour evaluation at Early Steps. There was a group of about 5 professionals evaluating JD for different developmental milestones, behaviors, etc. He also had his hearing checked, which came back perfect. They evaluated him using the Battelle system - a 450 question test that looks at all aspects of his development. Dr. Lynda Pollack who is a pediatric behavioral specialist as well as the medical director for the Early Steps program was there and confirmed to me that JD has autism. I was upset, don't get me wrong, but having that second opinion really helped me come out of denial and move forward with what I need to do to get him help.

I sat down tonight and finally put together the binder that I've been wanting to do since I got JD's first diagnosis. I think the denial just kept me from doing it. But tonight I went through everything - all of his evaluations, all of the paperwork, handouts, etc. and put them in order. I also created the therapy plan I want to follow along with an estimated expense sheet. I feel a lot better and I'm ready to move forward.

There are two people who really helped me out today. First is my friend Amy who came with me to Early Steps to help me watch Kyle while JD was evaluated and then watch JD while they explained his results. Then my sister came up tonight and helped me get the kids ready and in bed and my house cleaned up while my husband was at a 2-day conference. It made the day so much better with them there. Thanks guys :)