Third-Hand Report

My husband met with our Cognitive Behavioral Psychologist yesterday to get an update on our son. The doctor is leaving for vacation and we wanted to get a report before Thanksgiving. I am in my busy season at work so hubs went alone.

Although Colin has had another round of observations at his new school and at his new home, the report from this week is not yet filed. We are encouraged by last week's report. The observer is a CBT intern that is finishing up her PhD. She is young, petite and seems to have a good rapport with Colin. He seems to have opened up more than we had expected.

During the home visit, Colin gave The Observer a tour of his new home and was able to point out sounds that bother him. It seems that the trigger noises at home are minimal and Colin can cope by either avoidance or in the knowledge that they are only temporary and will be over in a moment.

He also appears to be coping well at school so far. Colin mentioned vending machine noises as an annoyance. When there are noises that bother him in the class, he asks for a hall pass and escapes to the bathroom. We are not sure how often that happens.

The biggest issue so far seems to be our son displaying "rigid thinking". This was observed in Geometry when the teacher was trying to help Colin solve a problem. He was resistant to the teacher's method and initially wanted to stick to his way. This is a minor blip and not a big deal at this point.

Where the "rigid thinking" appears to be problematic is pertaining to Mom and Dad. He holds us responsible for putting him in the hospital. Colin does not acknowledge any personal blame.

He seems relatively happy and well-adjusted with his new life. Reconciliation is not in the cards for now. My husband and I will stay home for Thanksgiving to avoid upsetting Colin. This is a small price to pay for stability. We have much to be thankful for.

We are a work-in-progress!