Posted by SuperADDMom on May 20, 2010
You know, it doesn’t matter how long it has been, or how far apart you are, or the things that have gone on in the past…True family is always there for you when you need them.
That family can be blood family, friendship family, neighbor family, or community family…one thing I have learned in our life with each of us having differing needs and disabilities, is just that.
I may bitch a LOT to get through the everyday stress…this is kinda what this blog is for…but I am very blessed in my life because of the true family and support I have in my life.
I told my mom and dad about the waiting for an audiologist test for the boy, from my mom’s asking on my FB wall the other day about his CAPD ( Central Auditory Processing)
Today I did some calling around to find out about alternate ways to get him tested faster.
I’ve been waiting for months to even HEAR anything back about a future date for the OHIP covered testing at the hospital in the city. My Nurse Prac. is not taking me seriously and the boy’s hearing is getting worse, he is loosing /not developing consanant sounds in his talking, is talking more “cotton mouth” like a deaf person with the soft pronouncing of his words, much like my dad did/does, and he is getting very frustrated when he tries to communicate with people. I’m seeing that “i don’t know what you just said, but I’ll smile and nod anyway” look on his face, that my dad often had in those situations.
I’ve asked twice if the referral has gone through because I have not heard anything yet and i felt that she got annoyed with me for being over worried and impatient. “there’s a process, these things take time” instead of just saying, “I see you are concerned, I’ll look into it for you.”
i’m SO SICK of this woman not taking my family’s issues serious. I’m trying to find a new health care provider, but so far no one can take us, and anyone in the county who is available refused us because we are HER patients, and they are on the same health care team, and they won’t take patients away from each other.
So anyway, I had called an audiologist and asked some questions…enquired about cost, coverage etc… it was SO REFRESHING to talk to someone who BELEIVED me when I told him my concerns and the signs my boy shows of CAPD. They squeezed us in for ASAP, and he said, “if you grew up with a deaf parent, and have mild CAPD yourself, NO health practitioner should be minimizing your concerns with him fulfilling ALL of the preliminary criteria for CAPD.”
So, on the off chance I can’t get the testing covered by our Disability, I had written my mom an email and asked if they’d loan me the money to get a hearing test on our own faster. My dad has been essentially deaf even with two hearing aids since I was 9…he had a cochlear implant at 55years old, and got back 65 percent of his hearing! He heard bacon fry for the first time in nearly 30 years when he was 55 years old. I can TALK ON THE PHONE with my deaf father. we now call him bionic Poppy, because he has digital ears technically. He can “turn his ears off” and be completly deaf when he is not hooked up to his implant. He says he sleeps REALLY WELLlo.. anyway…i’m getting sidetracked…
When I got home from swim class with the kids, my mom had emailed me back and said “of course, we know how worried you are, as are we with the family history of nerve deafness, and no we don’t want the money back.we’re glad to help. All you need to do is ask!”
So I have an appointment for the boy with an audiologist on June 21st. It’s a day trip, in a farther away city, but I don’t care. I’m hoping for good weather and a good health day for hubby, and i’ll pack a picnic, and we’ll make a day of it. At the appointment, he’ll get the full testing needed. A physical hearing test, the newborn screening nerve test they did when he was born ( which he technically “failed” because they did not get a reading, and the midwife assumed that meant her device was broken), and then the test with probes on his ears and head to see what he processes from ear to brain, while engaging in typical conversation/play and talking during background noise etc.
My dad knows what it is like to live without hearing well and growing deaf and he doesn’t want that for his grandson. He’s too smart a boy to be held back by any level of deafness. When I told my 5 year old about getting his ears tested, he was genuinely happy, and said he’s wanted his hearing tested, because he can’t understand people when they are too loud to him, and he can’t hear me when the disswasher is running, or when daddy is talking”.
This is a BIG deal for me…My parents are not well off by ANY means…. they get by on my father’s disability pension for his deafness & arthritis from a school board as a bus driver, and my mom works part time giving samples in a grocery store like they do at costco, and kills herself physically doing it…so for them to just give us the money, no questions asked, means A LOT to me!
you have NO idea how relieved I am right now! I’m sittin’ here with tears streaming down my face!
Posted by SuperADDMom on May 18, 2010
Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070402162106.htm
ORiginally titled”
Babies Who Don’t Respond To Their Names May Be At Risk For Autism Or Other Disorders”
I don’t consider being BORN with a certain set of characteristics that can be labelled autistic or other developmental disorders, to be called “being at risk” for it later in life, because they can possibly detect these things earlier.
It is clearly a case of , they are seeing earlier signs on development that may indicate communication delays, and or development milestones being met later than “typical” .
I’ve seen signs in my daughter’s sprectrim idiosyncrancies since she was a baby, as early as 5 months old, when she preferred alone time, and her own sleep space, and would only snuggle or cuddle when SHE wanted, and would get outright flippy screaming if you stopped her activity without enough notice.
By 2 years old, “Raising your spirited child” was my parenting Bible, and the first indication to me, that my daughter was not typical, and that as a parent I was not alone with a spirited child.
I knew in PREGNANCY with my son, he was a hyper child.
************************************************************
ScienceDaily (Apr. 4, 2007) — Year-old babies who do not respond when their name is called may be more likely to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or other developmental problem at age 2, making this simple test a potential early indicator for such conditions, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on autism spectrum disorders.
Although as many as half of parents of children with autism report concerns about their child’s developmental progress before the first birthday, the disorder is usually not diagnosed until age 3 or 4, according to background information in the article. “Earlier identification of autism offers the possibility of early intervention, which holds promise for improving outcomes in children with autism,” the authors write. “This has motivated a growing body of research that aims to ascertain the earliest reliable indicators of autism.”
Aparna S. Nadig, Ph.D., of the M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, and colleagues assessed the tendency of infants to respond when their names are called, which is “one of the most consistently documented behaviors in infancy that distinguishes children later diagnosed with autism from those with typical development or developmental delays,” they write.
Infants whose older siblings had autism, and who were therefore at risk for autism, were compared with control infants who were not at high risk of developing the disorder. While each child sat at a table playing with a small toy, a researcher walked behind the child and called his or her name in a clear voice. If the child did not respond after 3 seconds, the name was called again up to twice. Fifty-five at-risk infants and 43 control infants completed this test at age 6 months, and 101 at-risk infants and 46 control infants were tested at age 12 months.
“At age 6 months, there was a non-significant trend for control infants to require a fewer number of calls to respond to name than infants at risk for autism,” the authors write. “At age 12 months, 100 percent of the infants in the control group ‘passed,’ responding on the first or second name call, while 86 percent in the at-risk group did.”
Forty-six at-risk infants and 25 control infants were followed up for two years; three-fourths of those who did not respond to their name at age 12 months were identified with developmental problems at age 2. A total of 89 percent of infants who did not have an autism spectrum disorder (including autism, Asperger’s syndrome and related conditions all defined by deficits in language and social skills) and 94 percent of infants without any developmental delays at two years responded to their name on the first two calls at one year. Of the children who were later diagnosed with autism, half failed the test at one year, and of those who were identified as having any type of developmental delay, 39 percent failed the test.
“Thus, failure to respond to name at the well-child one-year check-up may be a useful indicator of children who would benefit from a more thorough developmental assessment,” the authors write. “It will not, however, identify all children at risk for developmental problems.”
“Since this task is easy to administer and score and takes few resources, it could be incorporated into well-child pediatric visits at 12 months of age,” they conclude. “If a child fails to orient to name, particularly reliably over time, this child has a high likelihood of some type of developmental abnormality and should be referred for more frequent screening, comprehensive assessment and, if indicated, preventive early intervention.”
This research was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Posted by SuperADDMom on May 13, 2010
The Mundane One and I over Lunch.
me: you should have seen the boy on the balance beam this morning, he was really going..so fast, he was flying like a bat in the wind
hubby: bat in the wind?
( I always get those “old sayings”/metaphors/assimilies wrong since I grew up with a deaf father, who heard them wrong all his life and passed them onto me, so i knew I said it wrong by his question)
me: ya, you know. like really fast.. I guess that one is wrong too right?
hubby: uh YA.. you’ve been saying that for months now, and I keep trying to ask you what the hell…
me: ya. i dunno. i got that one from my dad I guess…. bat out of hell then right?
hubby: ya I guess that would work
me: whatever, he was going really jam fast!
hubby: jam? what is THAT?
me: giggle.. ya. I dunno, just came out, meant to say damn.. but…
hubby: jam tho?
me: YA… I’m trying to curse less for fuck’s sake ok? so, I said JAM instead of DAMN
hubby: (laughing) so.. ok.. how’s that working for ya so far?
me: really fuckin’ great! 
hubby: ( shakes head and laughs at me in the knowing.. you’re hopeless, but I love ya anyway look)
Posted by SuperADDMom on May 6, 2010
So yeah.. I’m watching Big Bang Theory with the hubby the other night and sheldon talks about spaghetti with hotdogs in it, and I think “OMFG no, people don’t really do that do they!?”
But given I know people who think a real nice spaghetti dinner is pasta boiled and thrown into a can of Tomato soup! GAG
So I did what any normal sane person would do, I googled it.
And when i searched the pictures results…which is how I decide what result page I go to first for every search I’m doing-this little concoction for kids came up when I looked for Spaghetti with cut up hot dogs.
So I decided to call them spider dogs with just 4 pieces of noodle. I made them for a surprise for the kids for lunch yesterday, and then tonight when we got home from the girls swim glass, and needed supper fast, they again asked for spider dogs.
Easiest Cool mom points EVAR.
Posted by SuperADDMom on May 2, 2010
The boy insisted on pulling the heavy 20 kg bag of sand to the box hmself.. he did a great job! heavy sensory therapy work DIY style.
He’s been in the sand box ever since. The sand has always been one of his most favourite things to do. I can currently hear him humming to himself under the cherry tree playing with cars in the sand.
Posted by SuperADDMom on March 3, 2009
Hubby and the children decided to do some chemistry/science tonight
making crystals, while I made a science experiment of cooking dinner.
I snuck the picture, he doesn’t like having his picture taken, and
he’ll be upset that I did, but I don’t care…he is a good daddy &
that needs to be documented 
Posted by SuperADDMom on February 7, 2005
Yeah. More. Doesn’t it bug you when people have new babies?
Auntie and Uncle come for a visit and bring presents, too!
Big Sister finds out she will have to wait to babysit until she is 12.
Dozey Toesies
Boy meets Bird. Boy loses bird. Bird goes back in cage for poopin’ on Mommy.
Hey Dad, Cool Camera!
Hi Mommy, can I make faces with you?
Mama kisses, pucker up!
Posted by SuperADDMom on February 6, 2005
By popular demand! Ok, well, not really… but here are pictures from the first 3 days of the life of our family’s new addition:
50 mins old, posing with his big sister
4 hours new and slinging out with Daddy
Uncle J visits at 5 hours of age, his first family visitor
Thinker Jr. and only 12 hours post-womb
Bright eyed & Bushy Tailed at 21 hrs new
Meeting Nana
23 hours and Sis & Bro ham it up again
New PolarBear Outfit @ 46 hours old, I wonder who picked that out? Note that it was bought on his first short trip (to Wal-Mart the evening before at a day old)
Snoozing after 54 hrs on the outside
Sweats and Tees Already and only 3 days & 8 hours old
Naps are good
Mommy catches a biiiiiiiiiiiiig streeeeeeeeeeeeeetch
And a sleepy tango to say goodnight…
Hope you like. All pop large in new windows, or they should if your pop-up blocker doesn’t try to stuff them. Its amazing how much personality he is already showing, some comes through in these pictures.
Posted by SuperADDMom on February 4, 2005
Written by “The Mundane One”
Here is a short picture summary of the birth of our new son on February 2nd, 2005. No freaking out allowed, if you do you’ll be sent to the principal’s office. All pictures will pop large versions in new windows. Before I go any further, I want to be sure to thank our neighbour, Sonya, who was amazing through the whole process – she took care of our daughter while her Mommy and Daddy were very busy, and it would not have been the same (if not impossible) without her. Mom went into early labour on Monday evening, dilating to 5 cm almost right away and then stayed there with baby slightly asynclitic and resting around the pubic symphysis. Active labour picked up on Wednesday afternoon. The water broke at 3:45 pm Eastern, and that’s about where we begin…
Mom makes her best pushy face… baby is moving down but much slower than her first baby who was born 3 weeks sooner, so she is working hard. It is 4:26 pm.
A brief moment of rest as the last contraction ends, but more are coming – one almost on top of the other. Mom says, “I am never doing this again!” She is certain she makes sure that everyone present knows it, as well as the neighbours and anyone who may have been passing by in a vehicle on the highway 2 kilometres away. Big sister watches, wishing she could jump in the pool while the midwife twiddles her thumbs patiently.
Our daughter decides she wants to be a 4-year-old Lamaze Coach. “Its OK, Mommy, you can do it,” she says as she massages her Mommy’s arm since Daddy is a bit busy providing perineal support and trying to make sure baby’s head is still moving down. It is 4:31 pm.
The baby is out! And IT’S A BOY! It is now 4:38 pm. Big sister takes her first look at a new baby brother while the midwife reaches in to check his APGAR score (1 minute was 8, 5 minutes was 9, for those who may have been curious).
At 4:44 pm, Mom looks down and she and Daddy officially name their son. They’ve had names picked out for a long, long time and waited for this moment to find out which one they would use – the boy one or the girl one. No one wants to look in the pool any more.
Big sister gets in close and observes how he has such a cute, tiny nose. Little brother is only 16 minutes old right now, but everyone is in love with him. Mom has already forgotten how much work she just did, at least for the moment.
We wait for the cord to stop pulsing, making sure baby gets everything he needs from Mom before sending him into the world to survive on his own. After 20 minutes, at around 4:59 pm, it stops pulsing, so with big sister checking his work closely, Daddy clamps it with a plastic cord clamp and a haemostat…
…then big sister has her biggest moment: she cuts the cord to separate baby from Mommy. This is no token cut like often done in hospitals, this is the real thing, the first cut, and she does a great job! She has been waiting to do this for the last 2 days. It is now 5:00 pm.
Then, she finally gets to admire her work at 5:34 pm – baby is 56 minutes old and she can finally hold him now that he is all checked over and not attached to Mom any more. Ever had a 4-year-old beg for a toy in the store? Well, imagine that only with wanting to hold a baby.
At about 1 hour 45 minutes old, baby boy rests on Mommy’s chest. He was supposed to nurse to stimulate oxytocin and make the placenta come faster. He opts for a nap instead, so Mommy has to do it on her own – and she does, about 15 minutes later at 6:38pm.
So, we find out he weighs 4000 grams or 8 lbs 13 oz, and he is 51 cm or 20 inches long. Done with the day’s work, everyone tries to rest a little. Mommy gets hungry at 10:45 pm, though and only 6 hours after delivering a baby, she drives off to get everyone McDonald’s with the neighbour and daughter in tow. Daddy and new baby pass out on couch, because only Mommy is a real superhero.
When I came home from McDonald's I found my two men sleeping on the couch, having a little father son, bonding moment.
