Storygirl, Thank you for your kind words! It is very isolating and difficult to get much of anything done. When I returned from the appt today, I called E's ped to see if there is anything else we can do. I am supposed to be preparing for fall semester with DD15 and DS15 along with getting lists together for DD18 whose heading off for her first year of college. With all of the emotional upheaval around here, it's hard to even think clearly some days. DH cares so much but is a busy consultant, so his emergencies usually consist of addressing client needs. I am really hoping the ped. can do something for E.

I am going to ask my ped for this because I think it might help them better understand what we are trying to live with here. Here little body is just worn out.

So we had an intake appointment today to get an idea of what is going on with E. They came up with PTSD, which we already knew due to her hypervigilance. We will see a psychiatrist in mid-late August and, until then, they said "hang in there." This little girl is a mess. Are we supposed to wait until she is dehydrated and crazy from sleep deprivation? No matter what we try she forces herself to stay awake, only nodding off for 5-7 minutes most of the time and will only drink about 8 oz each day. On the rare occasion, she will rest for about 45 minutes. We are motion capturing this, so we have confirmed it is going on. With lack of food and sleep, it's no surprise to us she acts so horrible. Her ped has had her on Tenex (3mg) and melatonin (5mg), neither of which seem to improve her sleep.

Thank you! It means a lot!

I have read and re-read Karyn Purvis' book and attended a seminar where she spoke prior to passing away. She was such an inspiring woman! We are trying to figure out how to handle E and to love her for all that she is. It's very difficult to cope with in such a busy home and with so little sleep.

Yes, we had a social worker here several months ago and she said the children were all clearly attached. Our daughter's problems seem to center on an obsessive need to be in control. I don't know whether it stems from her life in the other country or what. She is also very small, so she knows we want her eating. I think there is a lot of battling for control, but at the same time, she is very affectionate and loving toward us which doesn't fit RAD at all. It is really bizarre. It's like she can't help herself?.

I am not really sure what is going on with my daughter because she has been oppositional and compulsive for some time but only recently has taken her need for control to this level. Since she was adopted, we have no genetic history or medical records beside her birth date.

Jann is a great teacher and is truly devoted to helping each of her students succeed. Her information is available here.

So E's pediatrician was able to get her in for an initial evaluation tomorrow since she is now refusing to drink, eat or sleep. I am not sure what they are going to do or what we can even do in the short term, but I have no clue how to handle this behavior. She just sits and refuses everything. Has anyone ever encountered this? We're all at a loss here.

The thing with merit aid going to EA applicants may sometimes be conflated with early deadlines for scholarship consideration/opportunities. DD18 applied EA to all schools which offered it. She made a spreadsheet with all of the deadlines, and in many cases scholarship applications to be considered for merit aid had earlier deadlines than RD anyway. ETA: I don't know whether it is timing or desirability, but some OOS schools DD applied to EA offered substantial merit aid including UNC Chapel Hill and University of Michigan Ann Arbor. We were actually surprised since we are OOS, but she did apply EA, so maybe timing is the case with some schools.

For a point of comparison, at The Ohio State, many of the people invited to interview for the Eminence Fellows program were also admitted to Ivies. It is ultimately awarded to around 25 students (varies slightly year to year). From that pool, 4-5 become Stamps Scholars. This is from an average entering class of around 8000 students. So, like 8Fill said, the academic credentials of students admitted to these opportunities are typically at the top of the top and are admitted at just about everywhere they apply.

The main thing my older kids like about DO Physics class is the self-paced nature. DD18 and DS15 didn't do the note-taking thing and skim watched some of the videos to get the gist. DD15 likes the note-taking approach and completed most of them. They all followed along and did some of the practice problems before doing the assignments. That said, they completed the course in about 3 months, as they prefer to compact some of their studies. Because they can compact their studies this way, DO has worked really well for some of their course work.

Vanderbilt's top scholarship currently is the Cornelius Vanderbilt, which is highly selective within their selective applicant pool and covers full tuition plus stipends for summer abroad or research opportunities. Currently, there is nothing that covers full COA based strictly on merit. There are additional departmental scholarships once you are there, but I don't know that this would end up covering full cost of attendance.

Thank you for the book recommendation. I will look into it.

Yes, we are religious. It is really hard for my older kids, especially my daughters because they are so emotionally involved with E.

Please don't quote This is what my doctor said, especially with kiddos adopted from the Eastern bloc. When we went through the entire adoption process, we filled out all sorts of paperwork detailing numerous medical conditions etc..that we could manage as a family. We told the adoption service provider and the country staff that FAS was something we could not contend with. Our international adoption doctor told us what to look for and what to say no to because she has had clients who have had to commit their kids to permanent facilities, and the country went out of their way to misrepresent, cover up and lie about E. So we didn't see it. Now it is like a nightmare, and it is tearing apart our family. :crying:

No, she can't because her affect is so strange. DH finally set up monitoring for her sleep at night and recorded it. She doesn't sleep more than about 7 minutes before she has her eyes open and is looking around the room. I spoke to her doctor again today, and she said we need to get her into a psychiatrist asap.. any psychiatrist. With the symptom constellation, she is guessing FAS or significant mental illness. I am simply devastated and have no clue how we are going to be able to live with this little girl.

If she is going to take the SAT to verify PSAT score, I would just focus on that with essay if necessary. If you think her ACT score would be better for college applications, though, I would do that. If you take the SAT to qualify for NMF after college apps have been sent, you don't have to use that score for anything beside NMF. That is what my daughter did.

You can take it in the fall after being notified of semifinalist status. DD18 submitted SAT scores from middle school to colleges, so she had to take the SAT again to become National Merit Finalist. She took it in October I believe so that she'd have a recent score.

She is on Tenex, which is supposed to help with ODD and ADHD symptoms. She is calmer and more grounded on the medication.

Congratulations!

This mirrors my experience with DD18. Highly talented with math but absolutely did not like AOPS. We followed Foerster up to College Calc and College Stats. DS15 is similar. He did Calc in 8th grade but does not like math either. Derek Owens was a great fit for him with Precalc and DD15 will take that this fall prior to AP work. DO is great, and we love Foerster materials too. My DC also love econ and stats. Too funny!

I am going to look into some sports classes. Right now, I am thinking about gymnastics. Long term, I would like her to fence. The group thing right now causes significant distraction. It is hard for her to stay on task in the midst of a lot of stimulation. There has been some improvement with that with the meds, though. For vitamins, I have her taking a liquid multi along with Nordic Naturals DHA (liquid).

:iagree: I have so many friends IRL who chose "non-prestigious" schools for financial reasons, distinguished themselves at these institutions, and have been incredibly successful... no less so than our friends from "prestigious" schools. One of my daughter's good friends graduated first in her class at a large public school, was admitted to the "prestigious" schools and took a full ride to a state university. She is thrilled to be going there. I might add her family has the wealth to pay for any school, so she could have chosen any of the schools. She is already connected to fabulous opportunities for her pre-med goals. We actually know many people who have done / do this with great results. IMO, it comes down to making the most of wherever you are, seeking opportunities and distinguishing yourself wherever you go. :)

Thank you!