Olivia part2

I left off yesterday stating or implying that I found CDS and we proceeded on with our course of trying to figure out what was "wrong with her" We knew she had massive delays.



I confess this period is not engraved strongly in my mind. I was distracted by the arrival of Abigail. Olivia attended CDS three or four days a week for about 4 hours daily. They told us she had Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Which my husband and I took as a complete diagnosis.--HA!! SI is when your body is unable to or has problems with how to process all the sensory things we all take for granted. It is very common. It's the degree to which people have it that causes issues.



CDS had a quick day seminar on this which my husband and I attended with other parents. What I remember most about it was how the other parents complained there kids wouldn't eat certain things do to texture and temperature and how a lot of information and time was spent sharing ways to get there kids to eat healthy. We didn't have this problem. Thank goodness.

She fit into some of the categorises but not all.



She didn't process pain quite the same as other people. This sounds awful but once when she was less then 2 I'd left her in the living room to play while I did something in the kitchen. She discovered the electric socket. I found her unaware that she had electrocuted herself as she was apparently trying to stick the object back into the outlet before I got to her. Another time one brisk November day she stripped herself naked and went outside by herself and went to play in the sand box. Now I am sure you all must think I am a terrible mother but she could move fast when she wanted.



Then, several year ago I worked in a video store we got a shipment of gag gifts(it was odd but I didn't do the ordering) A pen that gave you a shock. It was enough to keep your arm humming for a moment or 2. My husband gave it to Olivia just to see her reaction (she was around 6 years old) She shocked all of us watching as she proceed to click the pen several times in a row without a reaction. My husband took it and tried it thinking it no longer worked and dropped the pen in surprise as he was shocked by it.



CDS also introduced to us an very novel concept of potty training her at age 4. An egg timer. We set it every 5 to 10 minutes or so then take her to the bathroom. Yeah that was annoying but it got the job done. Finally -- even she got annoyed by it after a day or so. We all still talk fondly of the "pee-pee timer"



We moved during the summer before kindergarten, A very bad move although we were only a town away we ended up going backwards with Olivia's education. We met monthly to discuss Olivia apparently they didn't have anyone else like Olivia in this school and were unsure how to proceed with her. She did well the 1st part of the year. Her teacher loved her. She was pulled out of class for OT, PT and Speech. Then things started getting rough. The school year was half way thru There was more expected out of Olivia. She was stressing and back to biting her classmates. The teacher needed help in her class with Olivia usually only in the last part of the day. Instead of getting help the Principal decide that she needed to go back to preschool she wasn't he felt mature enough to be in the class with kindergartners. That he'd rather have his school pay for head start than to pay to have an Ed tech in the class.



If I had realized that this was going to be bad for Olivia I would of fought with him to sent her to the Bath public school with his school paying for transportation. Olivia needed appropriately aged role models Pre school kids were not her age they were 2 and 3 years younger than her. They took naps she did not she'd make herself pee in order to avoid taking a nap. She still received speech, and OT from the school with the same teachers.



This school also tested Olivia . She tested as mildly to moderately retarded. The psychologist who tested her came to my house to discuss the finding of the testing. She said and I quote"I don't believe Olivia is retarded she's just delayed."



Uh yeah your think so? Could she be delayed because of the MR?



At the time I accepted what she said I mean who wants a kid with MR? Just the label alone conjures up horrible images. I think she didn't want to have to be the one to say it. Who wants to kill a parent who loves their child as much as I did I mean she observed us for over an hour playing by telling them the truth. (Abigail was taking the world's longest nap on this day)



Our landlord wanted to sell the house we were renting so we moved again.



To Lewiston. It was closer to my husbands then job. It definitely had more money in the schools and they were use to kids like Olivia. We kept the same doctor. Who still thought Olivia was still to young for any testing. Lewiston was great for Olivia. the first part of the year was in the special ed room by midyear she transitioned into the regular kindergarten classroom with an ED Tech. She kept on with speech and OT.



We decided the best way to help Olivia further was to buy a house = no more moving. One school for a long time. Unfortunately we could not afford anything in the Lewiston/Auburn area and had to move north to our current small town. Luckily, we live near the center of town so everything is an easy walk for us. Now there are plenty of good things about small towns. You get to know your neighbors and your close to your friends. There are just as many negative things too. In order to get to a doctor or large stores you must drive 30 minutes most times. Not easy when your a one vehicle household. And many of the exciting things to do are in other towns swimming lessons, karate lessons etc... And section 24 won't let Olivia travel more than 100 miles a month which equals 2 swimming lessons a month instead of the 2 per week for the 2 months.



Any how shortly after moving we decided to find the girls a pediatrician instead of a family doctor which is what we had before. He referred us to Edmund N. Ervin in Waterville the first day we met him. It was there we were told in uncertain terms that she did indeed have MR.

The doctor who spoke with us and tested Olivia gave me a pamphlet, if you can call - it that it was a photocopy on folded purple paper about DHS services for MR. I called. They sent me a list of case management services. I went with the company who's Representative left her office came to my house to speak to me and explain what case management was. Instead of just mailing me more pamphlets which didn't really explain anything. I did find out one bright ray of help I could get someone to come in my house and help me with Olivia. I have yet to get into explaining her behaviors Let's just say explosive and unpredictable are very good descriptions. Hopefully my next post will directly deal with just that.