Mini-me

Jack and I went to his evaluation with the therapist who specializes in children with anxiety issues yesterday.  Mainly, he built amazing creations with her legos while she and I talked since she needed a ton of background information.  She asked all kinds of questions, watched him play and observed one of his mini-fits when the air conditioner next door kicked on.  It wasn't much of a sound but Jack freaked out, yelling that we had to get out NOW because it was a fire alarm and fire alarms are scary.  It sounded nothing like a fire alarm.  Stephanie said that he is very intelligent and she seemed very impressed with his vocabulary and ability to articulate exactly what he is thinking, feeling or observing.  (I thought she was going to fall on the floor and die when she asked him the gender of the baby and he said, "It doesn't matter.  We are going to name the baby Sheemee Bonnie Anne if it's a boy or Bonnie Anne Shemee if it's a girl.  It's reversible.)  I guess I'm used to how he talks since he does it 24/7, bless his verbose heart, but she said that his verbal skills are advanced.  While we were there, he built a laser and proudly showed it off to her.  She asked why I rolled my eyes at it and I explained that it's his way of getting around the "NO GUNS" rule.  He does it all the time and I think it's borderline disobedience but she thought it was great how he could take a rule and skirt the borders of breaking it.  Great, he'll be a criminal mastermind someday.

I told her about his fine motor issues and how frustrated he gets when he can't hold the pen properly or form letters correctly.  He told her a bit about how the fire bell made him feel but kept saying he didn't want to talk about it b/c it scared him all over again and it was "un-get-over-able."  At the end of the session, she said he definitely has anxiety brought out by things he can't control and that he is a perfectionist which also ties into the control issues.  It was like she was describing me!  When I related Stephanie's analysis to my Mom, she said, "God, it's like she was talking about your father!"  Looks like the McGowan legacy carries to another generation.

Jack goes back again next Friday.  She said that with his interest in creating, they will make something together while they talk about his feelings.  He is resistant to discussing anything upsetting (typical male!) but will probably be swayed by another chance to pick a prize out of her surprise basket.  We can't "cure" him of his anxiety b/c there are always uncontrollables in one's environment but he can learn coping skills for when he is confronted with something that takes him by surprise.  I really hope this works.  Jack is such a smart, funny, happy kid when he isn't in the middle of one of these spells, for lack of a better word.  I'd hate to see his fears hold him back from reaching his maximum potential.  I know all about that and it sucks to live with that kind of regret.