Yesterday my son had his two year checkup. It was sort of late since he turned two in April, but we had scheduling conflicts.
Seeing how much progress he made in other areas,some of the visit was a shock to me.
We got a huge surprise when he got weighed. Somehow my eating machine is only 23.5 pounds and 33 inches. If you remember, we had nutritional services for a while because he wasn't gaining and growing in the past. The Pediatrician asked us what he eats. I told him that the day starts with fruit, goat yogurt and cereal, plus water and whole milk, or whole goat's milk; lunch is either leftovers or eggs and vegetables in a wrap, or peanut butter and banana sandwich, or quinoa and vegetables or something to that effect; supper is whatever I made for supper that night. He gets milk before bed, and when he is hungry he gets snacks. I also drizzle olive oil on his food so he gets more healthy fat. He needs to eat more snacks, and we have to go back to the Pediatric Gastroenterologist to check that everything is working ok. If you guys could see him eat, you would be impressed with how much this kid packs away. He has chubby cheeks, a huge pot belly, and very chubby legs. He certainly does not look underweight and he is solid as a brick. I would definitely love advice on what I can do to help him healthfully add weight.
She then asked if he is showing signs of potty training readiness which I think he is. He pulls off his diaper, he holds his bladder, he grabs his crotch when he is wet. Since he is nonverbal she said we would have to work out a strategy for him to signal when he needs to go, which we already did. OT suggested we take a picture of his potty and put it where he can see it and point to it and say "It is time to go to the bathroom." She said we can certainly go ahead with potty training, but since he is nonverbal, and has developmental delays she said to really not push too hard.
She then proceeded with examining him and when she got to his genitals, she looked concerned. She asked with a worried voice if we noticed his testicles in his scrotum when he takes a warm bath. My husband and I looked at each other and no we don't pay particular attention to our son's scrotum when he is in the bath. She then said his scrotum looks empty and asked if we noticed his testicles ever. I said I see them time to time when I change his diaper, but again, I don't pay particular attention to that region other than making sure it is clean and well, looks ok. She said he needs to have an ultrasound to make sure they are not twisted inside his body and he may need surgery to pull them down and pin them into his scrotum. I thought my husband was going to pass out when she said that. She said it is a routine procedure and there is always the chance they will drop before the surgery. For those medically inclined, here is the procedure that may be done: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/undescended-testicle/basics/definition/con-20037877
Finally we got to his developmental delays. She said A. the EI coordinator called the office and said my son has rigid behavior patterns, is nonverbal, had issues with gross and fine motor skills, has low muscle tone, and does not play as a twenty four month old child should be. She asked if I agree. She made a referral for him to get an Autism screening done. I told her that I am so happy that finally that is going to happen. If you remember, I wrote about concerns with Autism before. You can read past entries http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/hearing-test-05182015.html and http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/03/thoughts-on-this-weekends-trip.html that sum up more or less how I feel he might have Autism. We can handle this, and I wanted to get a diagnosis for a while now because then we will know how to better support him and help him succeed. This isn't his journey, or my journey, it is our journey. I need to learn how to be a good mom and support to him, and he needs to learn how to comfort himself, how to adapt, and how to play up his strengths. I am reading Temple Grandin's right now and have taken books on Autism out of the library. This screening is going to benefit all of us and I frankly cannot wait to go.
We have a full week ahead with OT, going to Sensation Station and meeting with a mother of an Autistic child later this week. I will keep up with my blog about our journey as I have been doing.
