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Jilly

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  1. He took the TOVA test again this morning. He was very anxious before the test and was crying, but by the time we got there he felt better. Someone sat with him while he took it and apparently everything went great. We won't have the results from his testing for two weeks, but he is so happy it is all over for now. 

     

    On a side note he complained about his eyes hurting again after the test. My next step is to look into a developmental optometrist. Thanks again for the advice.

  2. Some beaches in California are better suited for swimming while others have strong waves and are better suited for surfing. I would do a little research before you go and try to find a beach that is better for swimming and that has life guards. I would also suggest being near a life guard stand as they will always tell everyone if there are especially strong waves or rip currents that day. 

     

    Then I would get in the water with them and have fun. The water is colder out here, so they might not want to stay in very long anyway. After swimming for a while go exploring. To me that is the best part of the beaches out here.  :)

  3. Where it was notable that the doctor wasn't in the room with him?

    As it would make a great difference if the doctor stayed in the room.

     

     

    I do know that when my dc took the TOVA that there was someone in the room with them during testing. I wouldn't think it was reliable if your child was in there alone!

     

    I also thought it was strange that he was left alone especially with his anxiety issues. Hopefully at the re-test the doctor will stay with him. 

  4. You know what's weird about that is it MAY ACTUALLY make his eyes hurt!  They basically stare at a computer screen for like 20 minutes, tapping every time they see the blip.  My dd did it as part of her evals, and later it turned out she needed glasses.  We did VT prior to the psych evals, but even so her eyes tend to go weak because of her overall low muscle tone.  She now wears bifocal contacts (yes, my 15 yo wears bifocals!) to prevent eye strain with close-up work.  Without them, when she does close-up work like the computer she gets HORRIBLE inattention symptoms pretty quickly.  With the added support for up-close vision she can do the up-close work for HOURS without a problem.  It's like night and day in our house.

     

    It would be really interesting to get his eyes checked by a developmental optometrist and see if there's anything going on physically to explain this.  Have you had that done?

     

    It's really the psych's problem to work out.  It's supposed to make them bored out of their skulls.  Bored is ok, pain is not.  My boy is very self-determinant like that and a problem-solver.  I could totally see my boy getting up and walking out like that.  My dd didn't, but she has more drive to comply.  No matter what happens, the psych will learn more about him from his reaction.  Just let it play out.  

     

    :grouphug: 

     

    Thanks for the advice. He has not had his eyes checked yet, but I will look into that. He often complains about his eyes hurting (straining?), and we had them checked with a regular eye doctor who said they were fine. Maybe it is time to investigate this issue further. 

  5. My son went in for testing today and about ten minutes into his session he walked out to the waiting room with tears in his eyes. He was taking the TOVA, and apparently it was so boring to him that he started crying and felt like he had to leave. At that moment the doctor was in another room and didn't see him walk out.

     

    I was able to calm him down and get him back in the office at which point the doctor noticed he was gone. She talked to him for a while, and they decided together to skip that test and move on. He was fine with all the other tests, and he ended up working with her for an hour and a half.

     

    After the testing I talked with her, and she stressed that she would like him to come back and try the TOVA test one more time. I agreed we could try, and he has a follow-up appointment on Thursday morning.

     

    He is stressing about the test now. He said he would try, but it hurt his eyes and made him so bored. He only made it through a minute of the first test, and I am worried the second try won't go much better.

     

    I am wondering how essential this test is? Do you think it will make a huge difference either way? Also I am thinking that his inability to even take the test would tell the doctor a good deal about him. Would you agree with that?

     

    A little more background - This is follow up testing to testing he did a year ago. He is gifted, has a very low processing speed (7%), and has a great deal of anxiety. I am mostly thinking out loud and wondering how necessary the TOVA test is to getting a complete picture of my son. Thanks for any help.

  6. The kids and I live in a very small apartment. Our living room is the biggest space in the house, but I divided it up into a bedroom for my youngest and a smaller living room. I lined the walls with bookcases and got an L-shaped couch. I am surprised by how much the space is working out for us. All the kids can spread out on the couch and watch tv, and all our books have a dedicated space. It's small but cozy.

     

    It took me a while to figure out how to work the space. I rearranged the furniture numerous times because I had such trouble visualizing it beforehand. Maybe you should try a few different setups before you decide.  :)

     

    ETA: You can see pictures of our space on my blog. 

  7. I would give him time with the psychologist for a while and see what they have to see. If he does have anxiety it could be causing him to physically feel bad. In addition I would follow up with OT for the sensory issues. I think you might be surprised by how much OT can help kids who are highly sensitive. In the meantime hang in there. Your sweet boy is not lost, he just needs some help.

  8. Interesting article from 2008 about UK baby names going out of style.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1044047/Why-Fred-Annie-old-style-names-fallen-fashion.html

     

     

    My oldest brother's name is on this list. He was named Harold after our grandfather. I always liked the name, but I have only met one other person with it. I don't see the name ever making a comeback, but you never know. 

     

    ETA - When my brother was little his favorite book was Harold and the Purple Crayon

  9. Gifted writers sometimes find it hard to reign themselves in and follow the structure required of particular professional settings. 

     

    I have to agree with this. My daughter is a gifted writer, and one of her biggest problems is that she can't reign it in. WWS has helped her immensely with this. 

  10. My mom goes to Starbucks every morning for her cup of coffee. She literally cannot start her day without it. She also has a very small cup of red wine every night. Are these addictions? Maybe, but I choose to see them as life's little pleasures. She is almost 70, and I figure she deserves these pleasures. 

     

    As for you I would not call your one cup of coffee a day from Starbucks an addiction, and I certainly wouldn't feel bad about it.

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