Doctor's Report from Vanderbilt

Dr. Kilroy just called from Vanderbilt with the results from Matthew's EEG. He said the "awake readings" showed nothing that would indicate any type of seizure activity. He said the bad news was that a lot of times activity would show up during "asleep readings" that would not normally show up while the child was awake. Since Matthew did not fall asleep during the test, there were no "asleep readings" to monitor. He said Matthew might not fall asleep no matter how much we deprived him, and some kids actually become more agitated. (Jacob falls into that catergory :o) He said we could try another EEG study, but he felt it was too much of a gamble to put him through. I agree. He said the findings of the studies done so far pointed to either a delay in the laying down of the white matter of the brain, or a mischance during birth or shortly after. He said, however, that there was a key piece of evidence that would point at the latter, that was not present in Matthew's case, so we are more than likely looking at a delay in the laying down of white matter. He said to keep a watch on Matthew and his behaviors (DUH!) and let him know if anything worsened or changed. We will go back to see him in the summer for a follow up visit.

He did not give me any indication that this will in any way impact Matthew's health, so for that I am grateful. Matthew is continuing to make strides, and his health and well-being is of first importance. Learning and all else is just a blessed bonus! Just knowing that he is healthy is worth more than I could say. I guess his diagnosis will continue to be autism and mental retardation...and I'm okay with that. Some people, and I used to be one of them, hate the words mental retardation. That diagnosis was actually harder for me to accept than the autism was. I have now come to terms with it, and if you look up the definition, it's not that bad in the terms it's supposed to be used. Now when people say "That's retarded" or "He's/She's so retarded"...that's when the mommy feathers tend to get a little ruffled! I have found that being able to use both 'labels', helps people who will be working with Matthew know that there is a more severe level to him than that of some people with autism. For those of you unfamiliar with autism, there are varying levels of the spectrum. Some with autism are very high functioning with attributes that may make it difficult to 'see' their diagnosis. Others are very low functioning, and it is easier to 'see' why they are diagnosed with autism. Then there are those who fall all in between the high and low end. Matthew is considered low functioning. I have accepted this and it just makes his successes that much sweeter! Having a child with this condition has made me much more aware of all those around me, and I find myself thinking, "I bet that child has autism", "I wonder if he/she has autism" etc. Where before I might have thought, "Well why can't that mom make that kid be quite?" So the next time you see an individual acting in what you might think a peculiar way, don't pass judgement too quickly. There may be much more going on than you could ever fathom. Now that I have given my autism lesson for the day, and I could go on FOREVER, I need to start cleaning house :o)