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raising
joel
parenting a complex child
o n an average day, you can find joel serrano pedaling through his neighborhood, climbing a jungle gym and informing those around him everything there is to know about minecraft. just like any other seven-year-old boy, right? but at about two or three years old, his parents noticed there was something different about him. ?we first noticed that he would not come in contact with us, and that he was a very fussy eater. ?ere were things that he did love, though, like water,? jessica explains. ?whenever we would try and take him away from water, or anything he liked, he would always have a meltdown.? ?ese meltdowns included anything from screaming, kicking, resisting, and balling up his fists. concerned for their son?s well being, the serranos reached out to joel?s doctor looking for an answer to how they could help their son. ?before he started school, we talked to our doctors and asked them if there was anywhere we could bring him so he could be observed, and they suggested the emerge center.? jessica explains. ?we brought him to ?e emerge center in baton rouge where joel was tested for autism, but at the time, he did not show enough characteristics to be diagnosed.? ?e time was drawing near for joel to begin preschool, but unfortunately, the serranos were still unsure of what was going on with their son. would joel need extra help in the classroom? what resources would be available to him? once more, the serranos jumped into action to find answers. joel went on to attend preschool, but it wasn?t long after that his teacher began expressing concerns regarding joel?s behavior
. joel was also having temper tantrums at school. jessica recalls, ?she asked if he was on medication because she noticed that his reactions to certain things weren?t normal reactions.? with some of their concerns being confirmed through joel?s teacher, the serranos knew there was something unique about their son, and so they continued to push the issue and researched places they could bring joel for more testing. taylor gilbert, lcsw at goodwood counseling, notes how important it is that parents or caregivers trust their instincts. ?if you think your child may need help, there is no harm in reaching out. part of our job as mental health professionals is to help determine what may be appropriate and concerning behavior. when determining whether there may be a problem in a child?s behavior, it?s important to consider how the behavior matches the child?s developmental level, the intensity of the behavior, and the duration of the behavior. ?e key is to identify how significantly the issues are interfering with the child and family?s functioning.? eventually, the serranos were able to have joel tested once more through pupil appraisal in baton rouge where joel was diagnosed with developmental delay. once he was diagnosed, joel?s doctor recommended that he begin speech and occupational therapy where by megan herr 60 brparents.com | april 2017
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