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[quote=Anonymous]My son was born premature, had multiple issues and needed intensive PT, OT and speech therapy. Then it was confirmed that he had severe ADHD and was borderline high-functioning autistic, something I'd noticed early on, but that doctors and my husband had downplayed. He also has medical issues and anaphylactic nut allergies. I did a ton of research, chose his elementary, middle and high schools to be the best fit for his needs (special programs in Montgomery County public schools), for which we had to move. He had multiple evaluations over the years, and we've had to do much of his therapies and training ourselves, because paying someone else for the number of hours he needed would have been prohibitive.

And now he's a senior in high school and has already been accepted to one college. I have no idea whether he's going to be functional as a freshman, away from our support, but at that point, it will be out of our hands.

It's hard to raise a child with chronic issues, OP. It's mentally exhausting and emotionally draining, and sometimes people don't have a lot of sympathy, particularly for "invisible" disabilities. People have told me to my face that "boys will be boys" and that "ADHD is overdiagnosed, are you sure he has it?". My husband and my family for the longest time, weren't on board with medication. DS had to fail in school and become depressed before my husband relented.

So managing your relationships with experts and your spouse and your relatives and friends is also key to your wellbeing. Some will be supportive, some not. You'll have to be strong, be very knowledgeable, and become adept at holding your own and presenting persuasive arguments on your child's behalf.

I hope all of your little one's issues are temporary, OP!

And PP is right. There are many things you can do yourself, instead of paying a PT/OT/Speech therapist to do.[/quote]

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