02 march 2010 - another Iman's appointment with pediatrician at Serdang Hospital - follow up of her previous neonatal jaundice. Two problems were brought up.
The last time we were there the doctor were concerned about her lack of vocabulary/meaningful spoken words and she gave her few more months.
Then, I began monitoring her speech and her behavior. I realized that she became less vocal and began to show strange (to me it is weird) behavior - she loved to spin around and around, looked like she was enjoying herself doing the spinning. She sometimes avoided eye contact when spoken to. She refused to follow instruction or what was said to her not like before she was one chatterbox. Now she is more `quiet'. No more `amin' after I read her al-fatihah like before (sad...). But she still loves to cuddle up with me. I began to search the internet (as usual) hoping to find some answers or guide about what's going on with that child. Then I found out about the sign of autism that matches some of her behaviors... what?? she can't be autistic ? how could that happened? She was such a happy/naughty/noisy kid before (right till her age about a year old). What happened? Where did it go wrong?? I was shocked, afraid, frustrated and most of all I was sad. I thought I was doing the the right thing and we were on the right track to make sure that she develop into a happy, healthy, intelligent kid. I couldn't take it at first. I spent more time searching the internet to find out more about autism or autistic spectrum disorder... I showed some of the infor to my husband and then he began to watch Iman more closely - I am sure he was feeling what I was experiencing. We do have friend with an autistic child, so we did hear some stories about it. But having one ourselves?? Now what?
Well those signs were told to the pediatrician on the visit on 02 March 2010. The pediatrician did agree with `the signs ' - she noted how Iman was poor in eye contact. The most obvious sign was her delay in speech (I am still hoping that she is just a late talker !). The pediatrician suggested to sent her to a speech therapist and may be later to a child psychologist.
These are some of the things the pediatrician wrote in her reference letter to the speech thereapist:
- speech delay
- previous noenatal jaundice
- three meaningful words
- able to recognize parents
- able to scribble straight line (Iman loved the pediatrician pen and she was given the paper to scribble)
- running and climbing (as before Iman climbed up the doctor desk to get the pen and running out of the room twice)
- noted poor eye contact
- noted some repetitive movements (loves to spin around)
- sometimes flapping hands while watching TV
- not obeying commands
- love to engage in her own activities but still able to mix and play with other kids
TRO - possibble autistic spectrum disorder
The pediatrician did tell us about her own autistic nephew who are doing alright (sharing her own experience). She did tell us that she used to hold his head in order to get him to focus on what she was trying to say to him (and that was what I did to Iman sometimes - especially when she was naughty). When I asked did she really see her as an autistic child? She said ..hhmm she did shows sign of the spectrum !
Second problem was the lump at the back of Iman - it was there since birth but didn't seem to grow. The pediatrician referred her to the surgery department.
These were the things she wrote in her reference letter:
- small lump at the back of trunk
- which was persistent & not increasing in size and not affecting child's activities
- clinically, child alert, comfortable
- small lump @ interscapular region, size ~ 1 x 1 cm (firm in consistency), mobile, not tender, not attached to skin or underlying structure
- other systemic review was not significant
Diagnosis - Small lump over interscapular area
TRO - Dermoid cyst
Then we when to the departments (oral and surgery) to get an appointment.
The book was `full' - Speech therapy in May and surgery in August (wow... we have to wait that long? )
Now what? As the pediatrician advised - try to get Iman involved in conversation - not to let her lost in her own world so to speak. Yeah...what else to do (beside praying ?) Frankly, at this very moment I am still in denial that Iman is autistic (I am a mother okay !!). Well as a mother of course I will try to help Iman all the way... but only God knows ... and I pray time will heal her ... I really miss her jovial chatters ....really really miss them... God help us all...how much more tears to be shed??
About her weight (the other clinic said she was obese !), the pediatrician did the BMI calculation and told us that Iman's BMI is okay. Since she is active, she will loose more her weight later on.
Whatever it is umi will always love you Iman...
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