Prioritized - we did OT 2x wk for one year. Dropped one and started SLT. Finished OT and added another SLT session for 2x wk. Also, had play therapy for anxiety at a few points.

Looked into dev optometrist and decided it was not worth it. We and DS could only manage 2x week with school and school-based therapy too.

DH had flexible schedule and later we flipped and I worked PT and took DS to appts. DS has APD/dyslexia and dysgraphia/SPD. It can feel like a treadmill, but it helped.

Anonymous wrote:Our dev per wanted us to take my son for genetic testing. He has HFA... I decided not to do this testing at this time bc I am so overwhelmed with appointments and thought I could do genetic testing at any point if we wanted to.

Some people didn't think that social skills groups added any benefit. We feel it is helping tremendously.

There really isn't any rule book for what works for every kid, OP will have to try several things until things click. And, you just don't have time, energy or finances to do everything all at once either.

The reason for genetic testing is they are looking for a few syndromes that mimic Autism but are not. If your child has them, they are treated very differently. Genetic testing is no big deal. Its a blood test and maybe one appointment. Our developmental ped suggested it and took the blood sample at that appointment and we were done. Nothing was found.

Anonymous wrote:Our dev per wanted us to take my son for genetic testing. He has HFA... I decided not to do this testing at this time bc I am so overwhelmed with appointments and thought I could do genetic testing at any point if we wanted to.

Some people didn't think that social skills groups added any benefit. We feel it is helping tremendously.

There really isn't any rule book for what works for every kid, OP will have to try several things until things click. And, you just don't have time, energy or finances to do everything all at once either.

Bingo.

We've done many things that were recommended, and we've also bypassed other things that were recommended. You have to prioritize according to what you think is most important and helpful for your child.

Our dev per wanted us to take my son for genetic testing. He has HFA... I decided not to do this testing at this time bc I am so overwhelmed with appointments and thought I could do genetic testing at any point if we wanted to.

Some people didn't think that social skills groups added any benefit. We feel it is helping tremendously.

There really isn't any rule book for what works for every kid, OP will have to try several things until things click. And, you just don't have time, energy or finances to do everything all at once either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all of the responses from parents who have been there. Knowing that the beginning is the most overwhelming is helpful. I was sitting there last night filling out the paperwork for the developmental optometrist and wondering if that is going to be another weekly appointment.

For everyone who has figured out how to make it work for your families - thank you! I can not imagine navigating it without the support of the robust information on the internet as well as the virtual support they provide for you.

Developmental optometrist? You're joking.

Don't be mean.

OP, if you search the archives, you'll see a debate on the validity and usefulness of developmental optometrists. I've known by some parents who really do think they were worth the investment to help with eye tracking. You'll see other posts where some optometrists automatically recommend therapy. (We saw Kraskin who did not.)

Just do what you can do. No point turning yourself into a nervous wreck.

Lastly, try to maximize appointment times. If you can run errands, clean out your car, get gas, get the car washed...Or stay in the waiting room and read a book for pleasure, help another child with homework or play with an accompanying child depending on age, sort through your photos...Just some ideas.

I wasn't trying to be mean. I shouldn't have just said "You're joking" though. What I meant was that during this crazy time, don't do things like go to a developmental optometrist. If you have five appointments in a week, prioritize. Put things like a geneticist, developmental pediatrician, other specialist with long waiting list/only seeing patients once a month in this crazy period. Don't prioritize appointments that you can make or get at any time.

When DS was diagnosed with ASD/Asperger's at 4, I signed him up for all the things the developmental ped recommended, play therapy and private OT, and DS got an IEP where he got social skills, OT, PT, and Speech at school.

We did the private OT for a year and the play therapy for six months. We stopped both eventually bc they did not seem to help or do much of anything.

So now we mostly relie on the school and the IEP. DS is a rising 3rd grader. The only private service we use is my kid's psychiatrist who manages his ADHD meds. DS was diagnosed at 7 in addition to the ASD. He gets social skills, pragmatic speech and OT (typing instruction currently) at school. We have been very satisfied with his school services. We use both a neuropsychologist and education consultant to help with formulation of the IEP.

I do feel like I miss a lot of work. I have a flexible job, and they like me, but I feel really guilty about it.
Here are some things I do -- if it's therapy where I don't need to be there, I often let the nanny take them. Some of the offices have toys in the waiting rooms for siblings to play with (this is how one of my kids decided what to ask Santa for...); otherwise let them bring an ipad Uno, or books or DVD player or something. Or I go and try to do work while I sit in the waiting room. I often work from home on his regular therapy day so I can take him and try to take my work.

I do try to go to the medical appointments where it is necessary to pass on information and obtain information -- I wouldn't trust the nanny for that.

I ended up giving up on some of the specialists that I felt weren't helping and we were just going for endless follow-up appointments (like the automatic -- okay, schedule a follow up in 6-8 weeks and we'll see where we are -- but we were always just in the same place, and it was always hours of waiting in a waiting room to hear that).

I went to my DC every single therapy session, took good notes and practiced with DC at home. Basically, I learned from the therapists. Now, we are only doing consultations, and DC is doing "short sessions" with me at home, whether it's targeted to speech, gross motor, sensory, comprehension, etc.