February 25, 2008
Okay I guess I should start at the begining. On March 29, 2001 I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Cameron Nicholas who is apporaching his 7th birthday. He was my 2nd child him and his brother were only 13 months apart. Cameron was delayed, but not really to the point of concern. He walked around 14mths old. Around that time he hit "the terrible two's" along with his older brother he got into a lot !!!! He would strip his clothes in Walmart throw his shoes off. I recall pulling over many times to keep him in the carseat. When My husband and I drove together I would hold his leg down to keep him from climbing out of the the carseat. I thought for sure He would calm down with age as his older brother then. I got him into Speech around 2 yrs old. BOth private and group speech though the school system. By the time 2 yrs came I couldn't wait for him to outgrow this. At this time I was pregnant with Isabella and I had her when he was 2 ½. I was quite frazzled I was still nursing Cameron and his new baby sister. He was climbing thing destroying my house. Taking his Diaper off and playing in his poop often, which I was assured was a boy thing. by the time he was 3½ years old the tamprums had not gotten better I felt there was no end in sight. I was sent to a doctor who saw us about ½ dozen times and told us he had ADHD and he was put on medicine. It helped a great deal he has gone tho many medication adjustments, but I wouldn't have made it this far with out the medicine. The thought of him not having his medicine is scary ! Then When he was 4 yrs old I got pregnant for the 4th time. I had planned tho the summer to get him into Pre-K I couldn't wait for him to go. Pre-School for him wasn't as easy as it was for Alex. I had to get him into Special ed, due to his medicine and the fact he wasn't potty trained in the least and he was over yrs old close to 4½ yrs old, but I knew this had to make things better. Then we were hit by hurricane Katrina and starting school was prolonged. He finally Started School Oct 3, 2005 Everything was crazy after Hurricane Katrina and being his first yr of school I didn't expect much as far as his skills other than get him use to going to school. He had to work hard with the tantrums. By the end of the year they were getting better. They were working on things like colors, which he wasn't doing well wit so he was tested to be color blind which he wasn't I would ask questions on what to do to help him the teacher would just tell me we are working on it mom. The following year the tantrums at school were better. I still asked how to help him we were STILL working on the colors which we finally got towards the 2nd of his 2nd year there. Homework was very hard some night I couldn't get him to do it he lay on the floor and shut down They finally had to cut down on his homework and towards the end of the year I had enough with this school and teacher. I was pregnant with Emmaleigh and the teacher was making rude comments about me not working with Cameron enough and what religion I was and having too many kids being part of the problem. I started to believe over time that what it was. A mixture between being ADHD, and him shutting down on us so we couldn't work with him and maybe all the excitement of all the new babies. It wasn't even righting his name by the end of his kindergarten year. We choose to repeat him in Kindergarten and he swich schools to the school Alex was in. They couldn't except him until this yr due to his special needs and his age combined. I have given him some time this school year he is almost 7 yr old he should be going into the 2nd grade this coming school yr due the the Kindergarten repeat, how ever he is going to the 1st grade and ONLY because they can only repeat him one time. He isn't even keeping up to the 5 yr Kindergarten peers. He doesn't know his Abc's. He can't even name them by sight except a few. I can't even consistently count to 3 ! He has trouble with his shapes doesn't know them often labels them either letters or numbers. He finally has his colors down after over 2 yrs. He has daily out burst with screaming, barking, or repeating phases. When we try to work with him or just ask him a questions that seem hard to him like how to u spell you name he shuts down and cover's his ears. He get very upset with Bella and thinks she has authority over him if she says he in trouble him run around screaming and crying. He easily get upset and retaliates but shoving and biting which will even be towards Zack. He has major issues with his memory something taught to him can not be retained for even a few hours. in the morning he wakes the whole house up run around acting up. We have to Cameron proof the house every night things that he will get into. Food is a main thing and anything that can make a mess. He has tried cutting his hair on many occasions hints why I keep his hair shaved. He has even put my perfume and make-up on. I saw his teacher right before Christmas break and I was told they were watching him and were going to try and work something out for him. I have felt for some time something isn't right isn't normal with him I just don't know what and just assumed it was a mixture of ADHD and what ever was crazy in our lives at the time. He tantrum have picked up some he bites. I have to guard the front door if he wants to go out. SO I called the school to talk to his teacher last week. She said they were going to do an evaluations soon sometime before April. I felt the need at this point to find out what is wrong on my own ! I had to get that form filled out by the doctor and I had an appointment with Emmaleigh and Cameron was home from school to get evaluated to get back into private speech I had dropped it at the time of the storm and at 7 yrs old his speech hadn't improved much in fact I thought it got worst. Stranger's still don't understand him and his school told me it was just because he was saying more words. 5 mins after talking to him she didn't even after to score him to know he get's it. So When I saw the pedi he told me he thought it was a form of Autism PDD. I did get a lump in my thraot, but I wasn't sad by this in the least. If this doctor it correct and my son does have this. It isn't something new it something he was born with and it doesn't change who he is or always has been. It is an answer at least his not just delayed at least ti not my fault for having Isabella, Zackariah, & Emmaleigh. For not being more stick on him. and at this point dealing with this for 7 yrs I need an answer something to work with. I need to know what to do to help it other than just giving him tot he school and expect them to fix him tell me what to do cause there aren't ! I just wish I would have just assumed it was due to age, adhd, and just delay ! SO today we took him to a doctor who specializes in autism he has 2 sons with it. I took him off his medicine, by the time I left the office I was frazzled ! Cameron was crawling around licking the biting the hair having out bursts of phases barking ect. The doctor said he not 100% but he does agree with our ped it is PDD-NOS, but he needs to do more of a work up to be sure. he wants to send us to a genetics and to OT and psychologist. He doesn't think he will find anything else but he want's to rule out other things. He asked all kinds of questions about our lives. debt, marriage, our education, ect, He said he pretty sure he does have autism he has not all but ALOT of markers for it. So it could change but he doubt is so right now we are on the road to rule out everything else and then we will go about how to deal with an austic child. My head is still spinning I'm going though lots of ups and downs. My mom has no idea what it is I don't know how to explain it to her with out freaking her out and she keeps asking what causes it. I just told her there is no known cause. It feel very werid now to know this is not how he suppose to act. I've just gotten so use to this is how Cameron is. We mask a lot and taken a lot of planning to taking him out with others and to know there a reason he we didn't just get a difficult child SO hopefully this is the read towards a better life to Cameron and us.
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