Last week we delved into the most recent portion of discerning who Sophie is in her fullness. It is my goal to know as much as I can about what she is facing each day, what her challenges are, what her strengths are, and how we can best respond. I'm hoping to learn how Joe and I as parents can adapt to help her succeed, be confident, and feel supported. I'm hoping that her school will also be able to identify solid adaptations they can use to help her learn, retain information, and feel confident as well.
In order to make all this happen, we're in the midst of a multi-stage Neuro-Psych evaluation. This process began on Wednesday when the Psychologist who is working with us visited Sophie's classroom and observed her for a couple of hours at school. Sophie's incredible teacher planned the day so that while the doctor was there, she was able to observe Sophie in large group time, small group work, and independent work at her desk.
Then on Thursday Joe, Sophie, and I spent a full day at the clinic. Joe and I had the easier schedule for the day and only spent two hours with the Psychologist; Sophie spent six hours, some with the Dr and some with the tech. For our part, we shared details of Sophie's development from her time in-utero to her current life. This included her health history, milestones, habits, socialization, personality traits, family history, Sophie's strengths, our concerns, and our hopes. For the first three hours Sophie completed various evaluations with the technician, and then in the afternoon she spent a couple of hours with the Psychologist, followed by more academic evaluations.
Tomorrow is the final day of assessments for which she will be there another three hours. She's with the intern tomorrow and I think it's focused more on her gross and fine motor skills than academics or intelligence. Joe gets to go with her since he has the day off anyway, but there is no involvement for the parents tomorrow.
From the questions the doctor asked us, and her explanations of the process it seems to be quite a broad assessment. As to what they're evaluating for, what I heard her mention were: IQ, learning disabilities in general, dyslexia, autism, ADD, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and mood disorders...I think that's it, but it this list seems short for how long it felt. Regardless, I think they're looking at a wide array of what she might be dealing with, and are trying to focus in on impairments that typically are seen in children with Epilepsy in general, Absence Seizures specifically, and then also in children taking Depakote.
As a parent, this has been an uncomfortable process. I'm extremely hopeful for being able to better understand and support Soph, but I'm also terrified of whatever diagnosis we might get. I keep reminding myself that no matter what label might be added on, she's still the same person. Getting this information won't change her, it will only help us meet her needs and understand her more fully, and hopefully help her catch back up in school.
We won't be getting the results until the week of Thanksgiving, and I probably won't have time that week to update the blog, but I will do my best. Thanks for caring, for reading, and for praying for us. It makes a difference.
