Taking a breath.

Wow.  What appreciation I now have for my Mom and all she did when we were growing up!  The holidays with kids are something else!

The kids are out of school and last night was the first time I've had in weeks that I wasn't trying to just prepare for the next thing, the next day, etc.  I know I'm not alone in this!

I am stealing time away from laundry, gift wrapping, etc. to do a little Andrew update.  I realized recently how great this works as I haven't done an update recently and I've found myself telling the same story again and again.  (Which I don't mind and SO appreciate that Andrew has a community that loves him and wants to stay up to date and it's also a huge support to me!)  But the blog is so great for keeping those who care in the know, and it actually is great for me to have this documentation as well.

Last week was a combination of wonderful and extremely stressful.

The outcome is wonderful.  The process was very stressful.

I attended a meeting about a study being done at 2 elementary schools for an integrated listening system done by a local non-profit.  The kids targeted are ADHD, and kids with Sensory Processing Disorder (which includes ADHD, Aspergers, Autistic kids).  I was VERY excited as I had read about a program offered in Texas and asked my pediatrician about it and couldn't find anything locally.

This program is VERY similar and includes activities that target the Cerebellum while the child listens to music that is delivered in a special way to target different parts of the brain.  You can read more specifics about it here.  It actually strengthens and creates new neuro pathways that are deficient in this group of kids.  It changes the physiology of the brain and has potential to actually help the underlying disorder and not just band-aid it.  These programs are extremely expensive and time intensive.  $5000, for 50-60 sessions that must be done 3 times a week for therapeutic effect.   To my knowledge, it's part of the newest treatment for ADHD.  The experts who wrote the books "Delivered from Distraction and Driven to Distraction" use it with their patients.

Because this is a study, and reliant on volunteers, they were offering it at $600.  An amazing opportunity as the data is extremely compelling.  It isn't a cure.  And there are kids who don't respond.  But to at least have the chance to try is a blessing indeed.  I am a little nervous as so far, Andrew has been a child who has not responded like the "typical" ADHD child. 

I'll cut through all the next details but after a very stressful day of having to make a decision very quickly, (I was worried about delaying and missing a spot in the program but also wanted to make the best long term decision that brought some other factors into play).  Anyway, we found a great alternative that I'm extremely excited about.  I contacted my OT after the meeting and we're actually going to do the program through her.  She is going to purchase the equipment and complete the training on it (which she has wanted to do) and we'll do one session with her a week.  I'll lease the equipment from her and do two one hour sessions each week at home with Andrew by myself under her direction.  After we complete the program we'll test Andrew, and see how he's doing and I'll have the option to buy the equipment (putting the leasing cost toward it) and complete the training on it, or just stop there if he isn't responding.

So that is the latest.

I am thrilled.

This will allow me to do the therapy at home without burdening more people for child care more than I already do (though my friends are SO nice about it).  I will create less havoc in our already busy schedule.  It will allow me to evaluate the program before investing in equipment if that appears to be our best solution.  And to be honest, I really trust our OT.  She's very educated.  She knows Andrew, and I feel most comfortable and confident with her.

As I sat listening to the Medical director talking about the program and some of the results that they saw in children that completed the program last year, I couldn't keep the tears from spilling from my eyes.....

Andrew is doing great though.  The medicine is going well and he was so cute getting into the car on the last day of school before break.

"Mama, Ms. Cocklin gave me three hugs and she only gave everyone else one!"

She does have a special spot for our boy.  I'm so grateful.

We went on the Polar Express this week, and in our rush, I forgot to give Andrew is afternoon medicine.  I can see such a difference.  Things are much more exciting!  :)

I can see a different look in his eyes....

...Medicine or not, he's always sweet. 

The therapist did something really interesting today.  She had me hold a piece of paper with two parallel lines on it and had Andrew look at it.  She had him put one arm out and she tried to push it down.  He was able to resist her pretty well.

Then she had me hold a piece of paper with a big X on it.  Again, she had him hold his arm out to resist and he couldn't resist her at all.  It was fascinating.  She said it was because the X forces the brain to "cross the midline" or communicate between both sides of the brain.  It was an amazing tangible example of the complicated theory that they have explained to me.  

So that's the latest on our boy.  I probably won't have much to report for a while as we'll start the new program in January and we're starting to settle in on his meds.  It feels so wonderful to have a plan that I feel good about.  Now that this program is in place I finally feel at peace knowing that I am doing everything I can to help him.  It was something that I knew about that I desperately wanted to do for him.  It was this nagging in the back of my mind that I just felt like we weren't doing enough.  That there was more I could be doing.  Now that I found this program and a way to make it work, that nagging has stopped. I finally feel peace that I'm providing every opportunity that I can for treatment, giving all the support that I can, and advocating to the best of my ability.  And now I'm just praying that the rest just falls into place.