Got a call on August 31st from the National Institute of Health (NIH). I enrolled Jonathan on an Autism research study and he had a 4-hr evaluation last week. The Dr. that conducted the evaluation told me today that Jonathan does not qualify for their autism research study because he does not meet the Autism criteria based on the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)". Although he shows some challenges in the executive functioning and general day-to-day skills and has narrow interests (mainly video games and electronics), he is otherwise an average kid. He also told me that his verbal IQ went from 80 in 2008 to 97 as of last week. The normal range is 90 to 110. We were aiming to get him to 100 by the time he started college. So this is a huge milestone for us. He recommended a re-evaluation so we better focus on his current needs because as he grows up, things might get more challenging for him. I am going to schedule an evaluation with Children's Hospital tomorrow. If they drop the formal diagnosis on his chart, we will open the Johnny Walker Blue Label bottle. Until then, we will just celebrate that we are getting closer to that day. I want to thank all our friends and family for sticking around and being so supportive. The past 7 years have been very challenging and we would have never made it without your support. WAY TO GO JONATHAN!!!
