Morton and Murphy - Both Jerks

So because when it rains, it pours...

Last year, I started noticing that younger boy was struggling with his reading. We knew from our time in OT that there were some ocular motor issues and thinking maybe there was more at play, we took him for a vision therapy evaluation.

They came back with four different diagnoses and a plan for therapy.

We're about 1/4 of the way through the prescribed therapy and if I had to say one way or t'other, I'd say things are getting a little worse. Not better.

Now, of course, vision therapy only helps with physical issues. It won't help with dyslexia or anything like that.

We also had previous understanding that there was a sensory processing disorder (that OT really didn't do anything to help for all we spent 18 months there so they could) and some behavioral challenges, which maybe stem from SPD but then maybe not? And really mostly it boiled down to hubby and I occasionally remarking on the harder days that it was good we homeschool, because he'd likely be kicked out of public.

It was mostly a joke.

Regardless, things have been getting rougher, both with reading and with behavior, so I finally broke down and scheduled some psychoeducational testing. Because if he has dyslexia, I need to know -- there are specific tools I can find if I know for sure we need them (I've been hesitant to just try it because I dont want to make something worse if that's not what's going on.)

That testing started Friday.

After 2.5 hours of what should have been 3, the doctor called a halt, because he simply couldn't handle any more. And she also said, "You know those questions you had about him maybe being on the spectrum? Well, yes, I think we ought to go ahead and do the full eval, not just the learning oriented one."

Yippie.

So we went back again today for what should have been the final 3 hours of testing.

He lasted 2.

We'll go back Friday for 2 more hours and then I guess we'll see what we see about whether or not they've finished or if we have to go again and it's all just incredibly frustrating for all of us. Him, because it's hard and he doesn't like it and it's exhausting. Eldest because he has to sit and do his school in the waiting room which is boring (but really he's just as easily able to do it there as at home, so it's not actually that hard for him. But he's a tween so it's a disaster.) And me because I just feel completely unequipped to handle everything that's flying at me from every possible direction right now and...I spend a lot of time crying.

This afternoon, I got so angry that I slammed the dryer door shut and it popped back open. So I slammed it again...and the catch that's supposed to keep the door closed so it can run basically gave me the middle finger as it disappeared into the vast untouchable area of the dryer.

So right now we're holding our dryer shut with painter's tape. It works. But seriously. At this point I'm not asking what else can go wrong, but I'll admit the question hovers.