Kids and Cars

The more I think about it the more I come to the conculsion that kids are like cars. Each has their own set of symptoms but diagnosing what is really going on is the tough part. Cars talk in squeeks and strange noises and kids talk through their actions or lack there of actions. Either way, it is easy to see or hear that there is something wrong but sometimes it is almost impossible to diagnose what is causing the issues to occur.

Over the last two years I heard many many opinions and comments from friends, families and strangers - "it's a good thing your kid is cute", "he has such a kind heart and he tries so hard, if he just wasn't so difficult to deal with he would be great", "your kid has a behavior problem", "let me teach you how to deal with his reactions, I can help you stop his meltdowns or tantrums", "there is nothing wrong with your kid, he is just being a boy" "you think that was a meltdown, that was just a little tantrum b/c he didn't get what he wanted", "wow, he has really matured over the last few months", "he is such a kind hearted child", "whatever you have been doing to help him...keep it up" and finally, "you are an advocate for your child, you should share your story for others to find hope and ways to keep moving past the red tape and get their child the help they need"

As you can see, the comments and opinions went 360, but what most people didn't know was that my son had been receiving many many hours of early intervention services so that we could figure out the cause of his issues instead of just treating the symptoms. Although we still don't know the underlying cause of his reactions in certain situations (some days he can self regulate and other days he is just a loose cannon) what we do know with 100% certainty, is that we are on the right path and that every step we have taken thus far has led us a little closer to the answers we have been seeking for over 2 years.

So if you are reading this post and in anyway feel that your situation is like that undiagnosed sound under the hood of your car, don't give up............keep peeling back the layers, one symptom at a time.........eventually you will find the cause and once you do you will be able to work toward fixing it.