Finally it was Reilly's turn

Patience is not a very good friend of mine. Anxiety seems to be a little closer to me, as does anticipation. Those are the words I'd use to to describe how I felt last week.

About a month ago, we received that call parents wait for from the Carmen B. Pingree Center. Reilly's number had finally come up. It was his turn to be evaluated for a possible slot starting in the fall.

Having Braedon going there the last year and a half, we've gotten to know the staff well and how wonderful all the people that work with these amazing children are. We had our appointment date set and the closer it got, the more nervous I became. I was pretty sure Reilly would qualify. He seemed to have enough traits of autism. His DDI Vantage provider seemed confident. My mother and friends seemed confident. As his mother I was more hopeful then anything else. That's funny to think about now. I was hopeful my child had autism? No, that didn't sound like the right thing to be hopeful for. How about this. I was hopeful my child could get the help I KNEW he needed. Yes, that sounded much better.

The day of the appointment arrived and we headed up to the school. Dean and I met with the doctor while Reilly played and was evaluated in a classroom setting. This "interview" takes about an hour and every question you can possibly think of is asked. We found out that Reilly scored 6 out of 12 on their testing scale, which meant the doctor was comfortable giving him a diagnosis of autism. You'd think that would hit a mother hard, and the first time it happened to me with Braedon it did. Over time autism becomes less of a "bad" word and more of a "normal" word.

When they brought Reilly back up to us they commented that he seemed like an active child. All I could do was laugh.

We then went to meet with the Program Director of the Preschool program while they took Reilly down to the cafeteria for lunch. We discussed how excited and nervous we were. It didn't take long because there is usually a tour of the facility, discussion of the class structure, and what to expect each day. Because Braedon goes to school there, we decided it wasn't really necessary.

When we caught up with Reilly, we was outside playing in the playground area. Braedon's class was also out there and he seemed happy we were all there. We took Reilly home and had to wait two days before we heard anything.

I admit I was nervous and hopeful. Anxious. A bunch of things. Seeing the success Braedon has had at the Pingree school really made me want to get Reilly in even more. Finally the day came and the call came. He was in!!! Now my emotions are happiness, joy, relaxation, and again anticipation and anxiety. I think the last two never go away when you are a parent.