Seeing STARS

I've spent the last five days trying to write this post.  I wrote it and erased it, wrote more and changed it and now finally I'm just going to write and click "Publish."

D and I have been processing what we learned at the STAR Center last Thursday evening.  Well, processing and thanking God for the relief and joy we have experienced.  The staff at the STAR Center have begun to change our lives.  We are so grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to work with them.  Over four months ago, Dr. Fasci, Blaine's developmental pediatrician in Austin looked at me in her office and said, "You are moving to the best place in the country, if not the world, to help your son.  Get into the STAR Center and I'm sure they can help you."  Here we are after so many hard years, unexplainable frustration, pain, and too many tears to count and she was exactly right. 

Thursday afternoon we got -

Answers.
Explanations.
Recommendations.
Reports.
Results.
Conclusions.
Plans.

And best of all -

HOPE!

And God came through in a big way this past week.  For the first time in a long time both David and I actually breathed a sigh of relief and felt that there was someone out there that actually knew what Blaine has been dealing with, what we as a family have been coping with, and not only that but they have a plan to help.  The OT, SLP, Psychologist and Pediatrician we're working with are amazing.  Just amazing.

From here I could go into great detail but I think I'll just hit the most important things we learned.

- Blaine does have Sensory Processing Disorder.  Research shows that a very intensive Occupational Therapy and Listening Therapy program can re-train Blaine's brain and help him immensely.  He will begin with the proposed 30 sessions (3 times per week) in a few weeks.

- The pediatrician diagnosed Blaine with ADHD, Combined Type (Both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms) and recommended medication given the severity of his behavior.  After much prayer and discussion with the doctor we are going to move forward with this recommendation.

- Testing shows that Blaine has a very high IQ - in the High/Gifted range in fact.  I started crying when she told us this not because I was surprised but because it was such a relief to hear that what we've sensed for a long time is actually true.  They told us that much of his frustration and problems come from knowing that he should be functioning at higher level, cognitively, but not being able to access the information. 

There.  I did it.  Not really how I wanted to present this very important information but these are the facts. 

Finally, I just started attending BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and it just so happens that we're going to be studying Genesis for the next 8 months.  Genesis is a Greek word that means "beginning."  The timing of this study and the new beginnings we're experiencing give me goose bumps.  Since July our family has been experiencing a new beginning here in Colorado and in just one meeting at the STAR center we can see a new beginning for Blaine too.  We're so excited for what's to come.

Thank you for all your prayers!