It's only money...

We had a good meeting with a psychologist today. Spent a lot of time talking about CJ and his strengths and weaknesses. It sounds like she'll do a great job working with CJ and also coordinating with whatever school he ends up attending, great news. She's going to see him on Tuesday and we'll take it from there.

She also said she thinks he has Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). Basically, it means that he can't process all the information coming at him from his senses (think of the mixing bowl at rush hour). He still walks on his tip-toes and has all kind of sensitivities to touch (doesn't like seams in his socks, weird about collars on his neck, etc.) and also hates to use utensils (seriously, he prefers to eat his rice with his fingers). We did have an OT evaluation last year but she wants us to have it redone by someone who specializes in SID to make sure. If he does have SID, she thinks it could also explain his low Performance IQ score since so much of that draws on areas impacted by SID. I have to admit it would be a relief to have a concrete diagnosis that is actually fairly easily handled with Occupational Therapy. We'll see what the new evaluation says, he definitely has sensory issues but whether they are the source of his problems or a symptom remains the question.

Of course, not only are we paying out of pocket for the psychologist but the OT person doesn't take insurance. It feels like a trap, I can either be home so we have the time to figure all this out or I can work so we have the money to pay for it. Still, we are far better off than many and will figure it all out. We can change insurance plans in January, which would mean most of the psychologist is covered. It will more than double our insurance costs but that's still better than paying ourselves. If he does need OT, we should be able to get that through the school so might only need to pay for the evaluation. That means we only have to make it through December and the worst should be over (knock on wood).

We took the boys out tonight for a last dinner at their favorite restaurant (Noodles and Company) and ice cream and then let them run around on the grass at UMD. They had a great time playing hide and seek (very poorly) and climbing trees (very well). It was fun to watch them enjoying the night and each other, another one of those memories I'll carry with me forever.

The thing about kids is that having one of them in need makes you realize that money is only important if it makes the lives of those you care about better. We don't work to earn more so we can buy a better car (although it can be a nice bonus), we work hard to ensure that when something like this happens we can do what needs to be done for our kids.

I hope they all understand that when they show up for school with their home haircuts.