Alphabet Soup

When I found myself knee deep in the Special Needs world, I quickly realized I am QMonster’s biggest advocate. I am the one that will have to fight the hard fights, ask the tough questions, and dig the deepest to find the answers. I spend hours on the internet searching through blog posts, Facebook support groups, and medical websites to hear about the latest medications, therapies, and products that are targeted towards kids like QMonster. One night, I was reading a FB post in a support group and a fellow momma was describing her son and she said “He basically has the alphabet soup of diagnosis.”

Alphabet soup is full of noodle shaped letters. 26 DIFFERENT shapes can be found in the soup. As we steadily move along on the Special Needs journey, I find myself waist deep in Alphabet Soup when talking about QMonster’s special needs.

From diagnosis to therapy to special education to general symptoms. It seems that everything has an acronym. I thought that before I went too deep beyond the highlight reel, I better take a quick minute to explain some of the acronyms you will encounter in my future posts. Don’t worry, I will link back here quite often, in future posts, because I know that unless you are in the thick of it with me, you’ll have no clue what RAD or PCIT is referring to! 

• RAD — Reactive Attachment Disorder
• ASD — Autism Spectrum Disorder
• ODD — Oppositional Defiance Disorder
• PCIT — Parent Child Interaction Therapy
• ADHD — Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• PTSD — Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• SPD — Sensory Processing Disorder
• IEP — Individualized Education Program
• BIP — Behavior Intervention Plan
• HF — High Functioning
• GAD — Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• SPED — Special Education

Overwhelmed? Welcome to my world! This list doesn’t even include medications & doctors. It is a lot.

These acronyms are a HUGE part of our life. These acronyms keep me up at night. These acronyms are some of my biggest tears & fears. These acronyms are some of my biggest reliefs. These acronyms are just letters. These acronyms do NOT define QMonster. These acronyms are pieces of a bigger puzzle that makes QMonster one amazing, unique, and perfect little boy. These acronyms are our Alphabet Soup.