Ethan's Austism Evaluation..

Last Friday Ethan had his autism evaluation. Basically, although he scored low (which is a good thing), and he didn't have any of the social issues common with autism (another good thing), there were a few markers that raised some flags, so he'll go through a full panel of doctors for diagnosis. The doctor is really stressing that we need a comprehensive evaluation before we try to diagnosis him with anything. So he'll see a pyschitrist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, herself (pediatric neurologist) and someone else, I forget who. The first step is an intake appointment that she is going to try to wave, since that's basically what she did at the evaulation. The next step after that is seeing the panel of doctors. She confirmed what I already knew though.. that he had some definite markers for both ADHD and autism, but that he didn't fully fit the bill. My fear this whole time is that they'll label him with both, under mild and non-specific. I don't know if I'm okay with it. This is trying, and difficult for me. I'm aware of his differences, but I'm just not positive it's anything more than a strong personality combined with a bright child. I asked about intelligence testing, she said that needs to come from the school district. I don't know if the school will work better with him if he's labeled gifted. If he is labeled gifted and still labeled mild, non-specific PDD and ADHD, what in the world does a school do with that? In my perfect world, teachers would be less human and more angels.. seeing all the positives in the kids, and working to make a difference in their lives by teaching kids through example instead of seeing all the negatives in a kid and getting frustrated by those faults that all people have. But, teachers are nothing more than human after all and Ethan is frustrating to deal with. I suppose I'm just going to have to accept this as a fact and do my best to uplift my child and get the teachers to look past all the negative junk on the surface to the depths of goodness beneath.