So Malachai is almost regressing. I’ve noticed he’s been more defiant, more in his own world when we try to get his attention. His schoolwork is almost non-existent it seems. Every paper comes home with incomplete or did not follow directions written on it. He’s just been doing things that are not age-appropriate lately (mannerisms and impulses I would expect to see in Shiva).
We went out on Sunday to a RenFair type thing, and he spent basically the entire time playing in the dirt, digging holes, throwing rocks (we put a stop to that, but he kept trying to do it). I guess typical little boy behaviour, but coupled with the not listening, not noticing us even. I don’t know. It was unusual, more so than usual, if that makes any sense.
I can barely get him to sit down/sit still if he does sit down. He is cutting things he shouldn’t be (he cut a hole in his pants the other morning, as well as school supplies – I posted about that).
We have a meeting on Wednesday about the school work at least. I am just at my wits end. I do not know what to do with him. If I get down on his level, and hold his face in my hands, and make him look at me when I speak and make him repeat back to me what I said, then it processes. If I don’t do that, then it’s like he doesn’t hear me at all. I don’t have enough of me to do that with everything I need to tell him to do/not to do/just tell him. I can’t be getting down on my knees every five minutes to talk to him when I have four other children, two of whom need direct supervision often as well, to deal with.
His sensory problems seem to be getting worse too – I tried to brush his hair the other day and he was screaming that it hurt (now, I remember doing this when my mom brushed my hair when I was a kid, and my head is still very sensitive, but I was only touching his hair, not his scalp). He still freaks out about the toothbrush, most tastes, the list goes on and on.
Michael phones SSI this morning for a new appointment about benefits (um, yay, our income dropped?) but until we get that sorted out, I cannot afford to take him to a doctor. We are currently without insurance. If we don’t get it, I am probably going to have to cancel the neuro appt in Jan because almost 200$ for barely 15 minutes is outrageous. I can’t even take him into the pediatrician for a brief eval or advice because it is cost prohibitive.
I just feel like his only getting speech at school as far as therapy goes is counter-productive (he *needs* the speech – but he also needs PT and OT, which he did not qualify for according to their evaluations) and they don’t do anything about the SID at school. I just don’t know what to do.
