Pretty good week.  I had some fun days at school.  Everyone is getting really excited for Halloween and Nixi and I are no exception.  Mom's been hard at work on our superhero costumes and we're super excited to go trick or treating with our friends Logan, Zoey, and Josh.  On Saturday we went trick or treating as a warm up in the downtown business area where stores were handing out candy.  It was fantastic!  We are SOOOO ready for Halloween!

Mom took Nixi up to Children's Hospital for her EEG results.  The results came back normal so the neurologist said that mom needs to take Nix to a pediatric psychiatrist for evaluation of a psychotic disorder.  His specific concern was childhood onset paranoid schizophrenia.  That knocks the wind out of you, huh?  He paged the hospital's social worker to come talk to mom about a referral for the psychiatrist and to do a sort of bereavement counseling session.  Nixi was getting anxious and wanted to leave, and mom didn't much feel like talking about her feelings so she took the number and they got the heck out of there.  The neurologist is just that, a neurologist.  He's not a psychiatrist so we'll leave the diagnosing up to a psychiatrist.  However, general medical condition has been likely ruled (brain lesion could cause hallucinations but he didn't see any of the other symptoms that go along with that), so what we do know is that Nixi is experiencing symptoms of a psychotic disorder.  The most common misdiagnosis for childhood schizophrenia is autism.  Up until the mid 1970's autism was diagnosed under the schizophrenia umbrella, getting its own separate category as a pervasive developmental disability in 1973.  There is a great deal of overlap in the disorders.  Mom will be posting some information about schizophrenia and autism in the following weeks at the end of our posts so stay tuned for more info.  Mom and dad are also asking that all of our family think back through the family tree for any and all mental health issues, as this information will be crucial in getting an accurate and appropriate diagnosis for Nix.  Psychotic disorders in children are EXTREMELY rare, so family history can help narrow down which disorder it is as they all have slightly different origins and they all need to be treated in a very specific manner.  So an accurate diagnosis is absolutely imperative.  Its not the most pleasant stuff to dredge up but if it help my sister, I think we all need to do whatever wee can.  So, Seifert and Cummings clan...email, call, or send a letter with any information you have about any mental health issues...depression, anyone who took medications, anything.  We really need to rally behind Nix and mom and dad so we can get a handle on what this is and start dealing with it accordingly.  Time is of the essence.  While Autism is not a progressive disorder, the psychotic disorders when diagnosed in children are progressive.  Prognosis and severity are based on age of onset...the younger the onset of symptoms the worse the prognosis/severity.  Nixi is 3 and a half.  Her disorder will continue to worsen...we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg.  So, mom and dad really need to get a handle on things so they can prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and help my little sister.  More info to come in the following weeks.

Have a spooktacular Halloween!
xoxo
Safi