So the big appointment with Neuropsychology was last Wednesday, April 6th. I was pretty nervous about the appointment, as I had no idea what to expect. I was afraid of what they were going to tell me, and what it would mean for Atticus. But as always, God sent me a sign to remind me that this too was all a part of His plan.
I really liked the doctor we met with, Dr M. He was very patient, asked a lot of questions, and genuinely tried to get to know Atticus and his unique history. While he and I spoke, his two students/assistants took Atticus to another room to begin the lengthy testing/assesment process. We joined them a little while later to have the doctor conduct some more testing.
Atticus was true to form. He was everywhere, into everything, and doing as he pleased, lol. Dr M and his assistants were patient, smiled and laughed a lot, and let Atticus be Atticus. He was his usual mischievous self for them too. While in the other room with the assistants, he decided to drop one of his hearing aids into a locked cabinet through a small opening, lol! We had to find someone with a key so we could retrieve it! Overall, he participated fairly well, and when he decided he'd had enough of "performing like a trained monkey", he refused to perform a single task asked of him (even though they were tasks he had done before and was capable of doing) and would only sign "all done".
I'm still waiting for the official report to be mailed to me, but the brief overview with Dr M was really encouraging. He said that Atticus has developmental delays (we already knew that bit), and that he would place Atticus at the level of a 4 yr old. Again, nothing really surprising. Then he told me the part that had been weighing on my mind since Atticus had the brain bleeds as a baby. He said that even though Atticus had developmental delays, he felt that Atticus was fully capable of learning and with the right therapy/intervention he could likely eventually "catch up". I was so happy I could have cried!! Thank you, Lord!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Even with roughly 1/4 of his brain being damaged by the bleeds, my son is capable of learning. He is capable of becoming self sufficient. He is capable of leading a "normal" life. It's news that I was afraid I would never hear. And it's more proof that I serve the mighty God. That NO thing is impossible for my God. And that He is the Great Healer. The feeling still overwhelms me with gratitude.
We'll revisit and reassess Atticus with Dr M next year to see how Atticus has developed and grown. In the meantime, Dr M gave me some contacts here locally to work with Atticus on learning to "slow down" and how to focus, so that he can learn and retain information better. That's the next step for Atticus.
Next up on Atticus' calendar is an appt with the Cardiology team at UAB to assess him for his upcoming Cath procedure to close his fenestration. That'll be next week, with a date for the Cath set for May 9, 2016. Thank you for continuing to keep up with Atticus, for praying with us, thinking of us, and cheering us onward. Please continue to pray for Atticus, his upcoming procedures, and for this new leg of his journey! We'll update as we get new developments!
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