Frustration in Battle

Okay, so what I thought was going to be easy and clear cut...isn't...is it ever?

My struggle for Nathan to get into preschool has begun. We had an evaluation, if you want to call it that, from Arizona Early Intervention last week. The lady ran through questions for a Battelle test for Nathan. It tests his development...which is fine. He's a smart kid and tested on a mostly 4 and 5 year old level. She did not do anything with him, no games or toys...just asked me questions. I'm not worried about his intellectual development.

Today I got a call from the school district and I was explaining what happened with AZEIP and the lady tells me that Nathan won't qualify for the preschool then...which I was told a couple weeks ago that with his diagnosis from the Melmed Center, there'd be no problem getting him in. So, the frustration is setting in...

What worries me and Brady is his Sensory Integration and how he interacts socially with other children. On the outside, Nathan looks and acts like a very normal child. However, being with him on a daily basis and seeing him struggle with transitions and behavior problems and other things which "normal" children don't deal with makes me frustrated when I can't get a clear answer or guidance on what to do.

I feel like I have to fight harder in getting Nathan services. If he was a "typical" autistic shild with "common" tale tale signs of Autism then there'd be no problems.

I read this article today http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/08/20080608edautism0608.html

This is the quote I like the best: "Autism" is a label that covers a spectrum of severity. That's partly what makes it difficult to diagnose. One child could have only a few symptoms - such as a lack of social skills- and be considered "high-functioning," or having a mild form, while another is severely affected, withdrawn and cannot communicate.

And it made me realize that I'm going to have to fight if I want him to succeed. I don't want Nathan to be labeled as a trouble maker or the kid with behavior problems. Nathan should not have to struggle for years when there are resources out there now. I struggle with Sensory Integration and I know what an internal struggle that is and no one understands. Well, my Nathan, I understand and I will fight to get you to succeed in this life!