A Great Day for Mr. Benjamin

Some of you already know this story, but for those who don't, here's a recap...

It was a year ago this month that we took Benjamin to the doctor to address so many issues we were having with him. Not only was speech a major concern, but also his behavior was very odd. He would spin around in circles continuously, walk on his tip-toes, and have temper tantrums over the tags in his shirts, not giving him the same fork every single meal, and the list goes on and on.

I didn't understand it at all. I knew that Levi had never had any of these issues, so I figured I must be doing something wrong, even though I had no idea what that could be.

I also thought that maybe his tongue was what they call "attached" and maybe that was why he wasn't speaking. Actually, I was praying this would be the reason for his delays. As I am explaining his symptoms to her, Benjamin is running up and down the halls refusing to come into the exam room. When we did finally did get him in there, he wouldn't let anyone touch him and just sat in the floor making strange, random noises.

The doctor goes on to tell me that very little research has been done on kids with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), and she couldn't tell me for certain whether or not he would be able to live on his own as an adult. I just thought he was being a hard to handle two-year-old, and now she's telling me he might be dependent on me for the rest of his life? Poor Ken just sat there and didn't say a word the whole time we were there. The doctor never even looked at Benjamin's tongue, which was good in a way because I was seriously afraid he would bite her. We were referred to our Occupational Therapist to begin our initial evaluation and eventually therapy.

That was last year.

To be eligible for TEFRA, the state requires a new test every year to see how much progress has been made and to determine if therapy is still needed. Benjamin began his testing today. This test doesn't test for speech or sensory issues, but for things like copying and cutting circles, stacking and copying block patterns, unbuttoning buttons, washing hands...basically age appropriate life skills that can be really hard for some children to master. We began with a 14-month delay, and the last time he tested in February he had a 16 month delay. So, I was obviously nervous when I dropped him off this morning.

When she showed me the results, I could barely believe what I was seeing (and yes, I almost cried). He had advanced 3 entire categories (which is several months time) in just 3 months! This is big for us. The test isn't over yet, and he will probably still qualify, but we celebrate all of these accomplishments. She also reminded me that last summer we were excited that he was saying the first sound of words (mmm for markers and ssss for swing). For those of you that haven't seen him in a while, he is talking so much more now. I couldn't be more proud of him and all the hard work he's doing.

And for those of you that don't know about TEFRA, it is an amazing program offered in the state of Arkansas that allows special needs children to receive therapies, medications, basically all types of medical care. It is need based, not income based. We pay a monthly premium based on our taxable income. I can't say enough about it. Only about 20 states offer it, so we are SO fortunate to live in one that does. We can say thanks to Mike Huckabee for supporting and continuing funding for TEFRA in our state.

So, after a lot of crying and praying and more than 200 therapy sessions, we are well on our way. Again, thanks to everyone for all the encouraging words and prayers I know you are saying for our little guy.

What a difference a year makes. Can I hear an AMEN or what?