Jordan E. - Quilt Finished in 2009
Born: March 29, 2002
Illness: Autism, ADHD
Jordan E.'s Story
Written by Jordan's mom in August 2008
This is about my son, Jordan. He was born March 29, 2002 at a whooping 8 lbs 9 oz. He was a very loving baby, snuggly and just lovable. At age 3 we noticed he was very active (we thought a normal 3 yr old so we didn't really think anything of it) from then on we should of had a clue. He did not potty train until age 5, he is still not 100% night time trained as of this moment. He went to kindergarten last year and his teacher started from day one mentioning that things were not "right" with Jordan, "he is a smart kid.. but... ", she has been a advocate for Jordan. She has worked hard to learn how to deal with Jordan and his issues which brought us to have him tested, also after talking with his regular doctor, he has no real friends due to his behaviors, and he really does not understand why ( it breaks my heart to see this).
He is in speech two times a week, through the school at the moment. At times it is hard to understand him at all unless you can get him to focus on your face when he talks and then sometimes it is still hard to understand him totally. He gets so frustrated at this. He was tested for ADHD in May 2008 by a doctor that our doctor recommended. After 3 weeks of testing he was diagnosed with ADHD and a bunch of underlying things (mentioned were Autism, Bipolar, behavioral issues... the list could go on). We contacted a local agency, they observed him and granted us to have him tested for Autism (meaning they paid for it) and he was diagnosed as having Autism.
We are putting him in the first grade, he will continue speech the schools, and an occupational therapist will be there to help him. In class they have an "attention cushion" for him to sit on to help him stay focused and not all over the place and we will follow what our doctors say in order to help Jordan be the best he can be with the Autism and ADHD. He is on medication for the ADHD, Adderall, which may have to be upped since it is no longer seeming to work at all. Adderall helps with the ADHD only and lately you would not know he's on medication, he cannot control his behaviors, he cannot focus or pay attention. As I think it is no longer effective at the present dose, we are going to talk to the doctor about changing it.
The Autism is a whole new ball game for us we are learning as we go... and boy are we learning! We are taking things as they come and helping Jordan and trying our hardest to be patient, caring parents (which at times can be hard!) but we want what is best for our son and want him to achieve whatever goals he sets for himself and to help him know what is socially acceptable behaviors. It is a long hard road ahead of him, but I think he can succeed :-)
