The Sparks Experience (Part 2)

We arrived for another 8:30 a.m. appointment at the UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinic thinking the day's Psychology portion of the test would be the final portion of my girl child's testing there. We were quite wrong.

The above picture was taken on a brief break from the morning's testing and describes perfectly how we both felt about the day's events.

Just as on our last visit, we only had minutes to wait before being taken back to the testing area, another small room with a table for Presley and her trainee-tester/intern and an observation window for me to watch through as the psychologist (couldn't have been older than mid-20's) asked me questions about myself, our family, Presley's birth, growth and development, etc. The graduate student who had followed us throughout our last visit was there again and it was nice to see a sweet, familiar face. 

The Psychology portion of the test was long (about 3.5 hours) and difficult for my girl-child. The testing including three things she hates: answering questions (a LOT of questions), handwriting, and mathematics (word problems). 

After I answered all of the paychologist's questions, she explained to me what would happen next. Apparently, the two days we have spent at UAB are NOT part of the actual autism testing. The stamp on our schedule last visit that said "On Autism Clinic Waiting List", was an indicator that we are still on the waiting list for the actual autism evaluation by a psychologist who specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorders. That evaluation consists of my girl spending the day mostly playing while being observed by the psychologist, from my understanding. We will be on the waiting list for that to occur for approximately another two years. (WTH??) The testing we have already done will be useful for that evaluation, but is not part of the evaluation itself. The results of the two days' worth of testing we have already done will be presented to me in the Parent Conference scheduled for Aug 4 (in one month). Along with the results of the tests, I will be given recommendations for other places we might look at going if we don't want to wait two years. The tests we have already done may be able to be used elsewhere. So do we put her through all this again just to possibly have to wait there, too? We've already started the processes for testing at Vanderbilt as well, only to start over at UAB, only to be told maybe we should start over again if we don't want to wait two years. My head knows that we are the lucky ones. She is not dying. She is verbal, extremely high functioning and we know what's going on with her even without the official UAB or Vandy (or wherever else) diagnosis. My heart wonders if I have done more damage than good by bringing her to UAB and putting her though all the tests, for what seems to me right now, nothing. 

By the end of the day's testing, my girl was in tears and, watching her through the observation window, seeing her frustration, so was I. Finally, I couldn't take it any more. I knew she had shut down and she wasn't going to be able to answer the last question. I went I to the room with her, helped her through by all but telling her what to write, and we made our exit.

What can you do after a day like that? For us, we decided it was best to chase down a castle we had seen on Pinterest that is located in Birmingham (I LOVE GPS being on my iPhone!)

Next, we hit The Summit for Johhny Rocket's (she is showing her tiredness and relief to be out of UAB in the pic), a Steel City Pop and a movie of her choice, How to Train Your Dragon 2. 

Hopefully, when she looks back on this Summer, she will remember the fun we had afterward and not just all the tests and therapies she endures.