2.23.13

Wyatt at 8 months.

On Tuesday I had a chat with Wyatt's doctor about SPD. Somewhere along the way in rushing to get referrals and appointments, I never bothered asking his opinion. Nothing life altering, it just would have been good to get his point of view too. I still believe that Wyatt has sensory issues. But the more that we learn, the more I see myself in him. I've had to leave our lunchroom at work because the sound of people chewing food is so distracting that I can't even eat my own lunch. I find loud sounds like sirens and certain toys beyond annoying - my ears literally hurt after hearing certain noises. I don't like wearing socks or jeans because I don't like how they feel on my skin. I cannot and never in my entire life have I been able to do a somersault. Forwards, backwards...nope. Hate being upside down. Hate the idea of festivals/carnivals/rides/etc. And you know what? That's okay. I can't think of one thing that those "issues" have prevented me from doing (that I've wanted to do, that is). I think I'm successful - I may not have a degree or fancy initials after my name, but had I wanted to pursue that type of education, these issues would not have stopped me. Nor do I think any of Wyatt's sensory issues are going to stop him from being a happy and successful person.
The thing that IS bothering me is that he doesn't seem happy now. And it seemed to be to be something separate from SPD. I didn't (and still don't) know if it was a larger issue, a different issue...so this is why I talked to his doctor. I explained that Wyatt seems to be far to anxious and upset to enjoy "normal" kid things. Everything these days is becoming an ordeal, with lots of talking beforehand, explaining, discussing what will happen, what won't happen, etc. And Wyatt's been doing a lot of copying - not with words specifically, but with behaviour as well. It's as if he's afraid to be his own little self. His doctor thinks he may actually have an anxiety disorder. I haven't done much reading up on it, because I'm currently suffering from "disorder" burnout, and don't want to overwhelm myself again. But from what I have read, it does make sense, and it seems to fit the issues we've been having lately far more than SPD. We have a referral in to a child psychologist (yikes!), so we'll wait for that appointment and take it from there.
In the meantime, we'll finish up his OT session, and then I think we'll cut out any appointments for a while. The weather will be warming up, we can enjoy the fresh air and hopefully Wyatt can enjoy being Wyatt.