PPCD evaluation

Well today Matthew had his evaluation with the Mansfield ISD to see if he qualifies for services when he is 3. There was a speech therapist and a diagnostician and Matthew did very well today. He was cooperative and had fun. They really just played and interacted with him and asked me questions. I also had to fill out several questionnares prior to the evaluation. Today was just a time to gather information and they will call me back for a meeting prior to his 3rd birthday to give me all the results of the evaluations and they will let me know if he qualifies for services and what they recommend. Of course I had to ask if they think he would qualify based on what they saw today and they didn't hesitate to say "yes." Even though Matthew did well with the evaluation he does have a significant communication impairement. He just isn't communicating like he should. Does it make me sad? Of course, but at the same time there is still a lot of hope because he is still young. There is a good chance that he will be all caught up by kindergarten but there is always that possibility that he won't and I am accepting of that. I do fear that all these language impairments may be a sign of later learning disabilities. Only time will tell.

I have been doing some reading on language delays and was looking back on Matthew's visit with Dr. Mauk in September and she did diagnose him with "developmental language disorder" which is another term for "specific language impairment." Kids with specific language impairment have problems with expressive and receptive language that can snowball into other issues such as social, self help and cognitive delays. A very high percentage of these kids go on to have learning disabilities so getting help early is key. There is a lot of information on specific language impairment and it seems to fit Matthew very well.

I will update when I have the "official results" of his evaluation.

Betsey

What's new with us!

Things are good here. Had a good Easter. Matthew scored 3 easter baskets. We had a small family easter egg hunt in our backyard. He enjoyed that. He did get the hang of finding the eggs and was very proud when he would find an egg.

The cat is working out great. He has actually been a wonderful addition to the family. The cats name has changed to "Mia." Not really a boy cat name but that is what Matthew calls him so "Mia" it is. "Mia" is Matthew's word for meow so basically he calls all cats "Mia." The cat is very tolerable of Matthew and is quite playful. The cat loves to be out back with all of us and likes "playing ball" with Matthew.

Found out my Aunt Vicky passed away. She was only 60. Sad. She lived in New York. She lived a tough life. Hopefully she is at peace now! I really didn't know her too well. Saw her a lot when I was a kid, but didn't see her much as an adult. That's the reality of extended families these days. Noone really lives close anymore. It's kinda of sad.

Matthew's evaluation with the school district is set for April 20th. I will update when I get those results. He is doing pretty well. His word list is growing. He is up to about 60 words. Go Matthew. I will be curious to see what the school district thinks. ECI will end in June and I think I will just lay low with Matthew the rest of the summer. I think it will be good for him to have no therapy for a few months.

Enjoy the pics! "Mia" loves to climb trees in the backyard so there is a picture of him in a tree. He was way up there.

Until next time!