Step 1: The In-Home Evaluation

In Home Evaluation

The great thing about an in-home visit is that they get to see your child behave the way they normally would, in their own home and in their own familiar environment.

Nikolas had his in-home evaluation today and we were visited by an occupational, physical and speech therapist. The entire evaluation lasted about an hour and a half.

They tested an array of things:

Fine and gross motor skills

Adaptive behavior

Social behavior

Speech and communication skills

Language skills and

Sensory issues

Not surprisingly, Nikolas has his strong points, which are very strong, and he has his weak points, which unfortunately, are very weak. 

The easiest way to sum it all up is just to say that anything over a 1.5 is considered ‘significantly’ behind. Nikolas scored an average of 2.67 in all but two categories. In adaptive behavior, he scored a 3.0 and in his social skills and behavior he scored a 1.87. 

He was also evaluated for sensory issues. He has no body awareness and doesn’t respond the way most typical children would to sights and sounds. While I’m not surprised by these results, it doesn’t stop me, as a mother, from letting it get to me a little. 

What now?

Well, now, we take the scores he received and send them off to the Kirsch Center, along with the parents questionnaire and the doctors referral. While it’s still going to be a few months before he gets into Kirsch, he will be able to start receiving services from Early Intervention and Kidstart. If it’s anything like Isabella, when she started, then he’ll go for half-days and get a combination of one-on-one therapies with a speech, occupational and physical therapist. 

Again, much like Bella, he was seen as early as he possibly could have been, since most Kidstart programs will only allow a child two years and older to participate. Since Nikolas is turning two just one day shy of three weeks, they’re going to let him start as soon as all the paperwork is filled out and signed. 

If you are concerned that your child, or a child you know may be showing signs of autism or a sensory processing disorder; there are ways to either confirm or ease your worries. 

M-CHAT stands for Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. It’s best used for children over the age of 12 months. While it’s not a definitive testing method, it can give you a better idea of what to look for, how many “red flags” your child is showing and whether or not you should seek assistance. 

Online, interactive M-CHAT test

Early Intervention is a great first step in getting the help your child might need. Early Intervention rules differ from state to state. 

Early Intervention by State

Kidstart/Headstart is an exceptional program that offers services for special needs children as well as neurotypical kids. They have Pre-K and daycare as well as evaluation services and trained therapists. 

The local Kidstart/Headstart program is free for those that qualify and offers services to those who, otherwise, couldn't afford it. Put it this way; the average price, per MONTH for a special needs child who needs speech, occupation and physical therapy daily averages out to about $4,250 per child. Without the services a place like this offers, most children who NEED therapy would never be able to get it. 

Lehman Center/Main Office

5871 Groveland Station Road, Mt. Morris, NY

Main Number (585) 658-4023

Day Care: Ext. 4409

Director's Office: Ext. 4321

Headstart Services by State

The Kirch Developmental Services Center is located inside the Golisano Children's wing of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY. It is one of the only places in Western New York where you can get an official diagnosis for autism. While it might not seem important to have this label for your child, with this diagnosis, your child qualifies for services that otherwise wouldn't be provided. State grants and subsidies as well as SSI and help with at home therapy equipment. Having that diagnosis will also help with things like enforcing the Children with Disabilities Act. For example: A landlord that won't let you keep a therapy/companion animal or tells you that you can't make simple modifications to a home to make your child's quality of life better. 

Since it's the only place that can do this, the waiting list is sometimes very long. 

All in all, today went pretty much exactly the way I thought it would. Niko wooing the ladies with his charming laugh and sweet toothy smile, and the therapist assuring me that they will do everything they can to get him into the services he needs as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the thing you, as a parent, end up doing the most is waiting. So now, we wait.

Ready For Round 2

Ready For Round 2

I’ve decided, that since I started blogging about my experience with Bella after she was diagnosed, that this time around, I’d tell Niko’s story from the very start. It’s not a surprise to me that he has autism. I’ve suspected it since he was six months old.

He wasn’t babbling, or making any noise besides crying. He had limited eye contact and was off in his ‘own world’ most of the time. He would respond to his name, every now and then, but most of the time, it took a loud noise to get his attention. As he got older, I grew more and more convinced that he was autistic. 

Now, he’s almost two and has yet to say his first ‘real words’. He has no communication skills, doesn’t like being held, but unlike Bella, who cried a lot, he’s full of smiles and laughter. Everything makes him laugh, even if we can’t figure out why. 

This time around, I skipped the doctors appointments. Last time, they just kept telling me that ‘she’d grow out of it’ and it added nearly three months onto the time it took to really get her evaluated. So, I went straight to the source, and the only people that can really help Niko; I called the Kirsch Center at Strong hospital and Early Intervention. 

The Kirsch Center has a long waiting list, but while I wait, I know that I can get him into the therapies he needs. From Kirsch, I got the paperwork needed to get him an appointment. I was able to get them to email me the papers I needed; A parents questionnaire, a doctors referral and the early intervention forms. When I called Early Intervention, they were able to send someone out to the house within days to get the process started. 

His official in home evaluation is on the 21st. They’ll be sending out a pediatric pathologist, a physical therapist, speech therapist and an occupational therapist to evaluate him and decide which therapies he’d most benefit from. At this point, I’m pretty sure he’ll qualify and benefit from all three. 

So, for the next few months, I’ll be using the blog to document the process my son will be going through, from the preliminary evaluations to the Kirsch, to his first days of therapy. I’ve seen the amazing progress my daughter has made and I have high hopes that these programs will help my son as well. 

Isabella (on the left) and Nikolas (on the right) were born on the same say, three years and one hour apart. They were the only ones born with hair (and lots of it). As their pictures hang on the wall, most people who see them at the same age can't tell them apart. Sometimes when I go through their baby pictures, I can't even tell them apart. 

Sweet Nikolas will be 2 years old in just under 4 weeks. His smile can light up a room and his laugh is one of the greatest sounds I've ever heard.