something new - a diagnosis out of left field

So long story short.. my second son who we have been waiting for an assessment to see where things are at, finally got to see the paediatrician  So all the testing happens I know at what points he will find it hard and he does. Then she adds up the scores and development delay suddenly becomes a concern. Apparently he is around 15 months behind where he should be in 4 out of 6 of the areas of testing. We were well prepared for the speech aspect of his assessment knowing that he is not where he should be, but the rest was a bit of a shock. Then the next stage is to wait for a report from the paediatrician outlining how things are and what referrals she is making apparently occupational therapy is all that is recommended. I can't help but think is that all? There is a new label and really not a lot we can do about it yet. 

Processing this news is quite difficult I never thought that things were really this bad, I knew that there was some effects from the hearing loss that he has experienced but this much I was not expecting. Feeling a little let down or something, why wasn't this picked up sooner. Why did it take so long for the stupid referral to turn into an appointment. What does it really mean I really don't know. 

These are the things I found while doing a quick search on old faithful google:

Recognising developmental delays by Web MD I have cut and pasted the article onto my blog it was hard to read as it was split up over several pages. So you can read this all in one hit please note it wasn't something I have written.

Developmental Delay a brochure on what it means

So today the testing was carried out and my boy completed the Griffith Mental Development scale. This is used a lot by psychologists and paediatricians and can give an idea of a child's development in regards to their expected development and where they really are some more information I found on the Quirky Kid Psychological Services page

"The Griffith Mental Development Scales (GMDS) are widely used by pediatricians and psychologists to measures the rate of development of infants and young children from birth to 8 years. The GMDS assess a child’s strengths and weaknesses in all developmental areas, and can be used to determine if a child is in need of an early intervention or a treatment program.

The six areas of development measured by the scales include:

• Locomotor. The Locomotor sub-scale assesses gross motor skills, including the ability to balance and to co-ordinate and control movements;
• Personal-Social. This sub-scale measures proficiency in the activities of daily living, level of independence and interaction with other children;
• Hearing and Language. Is the assessment of hearing, expressive language and receptive language;
• Eye and Hand Co-ordination. This sub-scale focuses on fine motor skills, manual dexterity and visual monitoring skills;
• Performance. Performance assesses the developing ability to reason through tasks including speed of working and precision;
• Practical Reasoning. The Practical reasoning sub-scale measures the ability of a child (2 to 8 years) to solve practical problems, understanding of basic maths concepts and understanding of moral issues."

What now.. that waiting business again. In the meantime there isn't much I can do for now as nothing can be given or funded for until the report comes in. What do I feel? disappointed  angry, frustrated, heart broken. You dream of providing your best for your children so they succeed in life you never imagine that they might struggle for the small things. Deep down a part of me knows that my son will be OK, my situation is not as bad as some others, but it's definitely bad enough for me. 

For now I am going to do my best to do the normal day in day out stuff and let time pass, I am going to allow myself not to think all of the time about what on earth to do to fix this, or to help him or to make it better. I am not going to spend every moment looking for information or second guessing the time it took to get him help, what else I could have done.  So the program is look after myself, look after my marriage, then be the best parent I can be and somewhere in there fit in the housework! That is enough trouble for one day!