Thank you! I'll call area SLPs then as I imagine that may be a little easier/more affordable than a psych. I emailed for those scores too. I just left feeling that she is "slow" and that a lot of her issues with say, writing, were because we hadn't done enough of it yet.

I just left my daughter's IEP meeting and I'm pretty frustrated that they did not do a CTOPP which I specifically asked for. She score below average on the WJ-IV in broad reading, basic skills, fluency and comprehension but since she did ok on the word attack, the psych felt it wasn't necessary to do more. I'm shocked, honestly, as nonsense words were super hard for her when I tasted at home, and her working memory then wasn't assessed at all? Can an SLP or any other reading specialist give this test (I've suspected dyslexia btw) or do you think that this pysch's gut is right? I have a kid that only barely passed the Barton pretest, on her second attempt, and who thinks apple is spelled "alpl"because she hears an l sound at the beginning. I knew, she would likely squeak by, not being severe enough to get an SLD label, but still, I just don't know where to go right now. TIA. She also did a WISC on her and I just realized they didn't give me those scores, but verbally they said there was a significant gap in her IQ and her other scores.

Bingo. The computerized tests were done after the covd did the initial battery, and those were done with an assistant. Then the actual therapy would be done with another gentleman entirely. We wouldn't have seen the covd again unti after her therapy was done. The computer work at home seemed neat? They could have exact measures to know that practice was done at home. But that's a huge part of the cost, nearly a thousand bucks. I know that we could get her practice in without it since we homeschool, yet that wasn't an option. Despite the third being brief, she has such a joyful personality and connected with my dd right away. And the fact that she wanted to see exactly where the breakdowns in processing were occurring? Fascinating. She does all the therapy so she builds the relationship with her VT families directly. I hope the cost overall is similar to the first one as that is much more doable for us.

I'll put a little of our story here, it's still a work in progress :) DD is 8 and complained of seeing double/blurred at age 6. We took her to a regular eye doc, who said that one eye is stronger than the other and this likely happens when she is tired. She has 20/20 vision and he just basically sent us on our way to deal. I heard about VT here so we took her back in Dec for a screening with a COVD doc. He said she definitely has convergence insufficiency and recommended 12 weeks of in office therapy. Unfortunately we had to move right before she was set to start. Once here, I took her to another COVD doc, and this one solely focuses on visual rehabilitation. She did a much more intense initial battery test, a Nova test, a Visagraph and something else I can't recall. We got a 3 page report, that took an hour phone consult to go over. In addition to convergence insufficiency she found Accomodative Spasm, Left Eye Saccadic Dysfunction Pursuit Dysfunction Visual Disturbance, Visual Midline Shift Ambient Dysfunction Her ocular motor system is weak (what makes the eyes move and track together), focusing at near and far distances is impaired, binocular system's ability to turn the eyes in and out when looking from near to far, mildly weak peripheral awareness and a few other things. They recommended 16 weeks, a computer system at home, and was close to $4000. This was 4x the cost of our initial consult :mellow: So after we picked our faces up off the ground, my husband and I thought it best to seek a third opinion. How odd, that both options were so drastically different? The therapist admitted that her case wasn't the worst they had seen, that 16 weeks is the minimum anyone goes there, and that over time, she may even outgrow this. I was a bit shocked to hear that, however, the fact is at this very moment she does not see well, reading is incredibly fatiguing so we have to do something. She may also have dyslexia on top of this. We went to our third doc last week. My DD loves her, she is super super nice. She did a very..I mean very..brief exam, she knew this was the third place we'd gone to, and agreed with convergence insufficiency. However she very much wants to do another test that will tease out just how much her vision is effecting her processing. She is very interested in the results of the school evals we had done, so I scheduled our follow up for after we hopefully have them back. She does not want to make up a treatment plan until she knows exactly what she needs. She mentioned using a metronome and such, so I'm kind of geeked out about that :laugh: Anywho, I'll update in a few weeks what her plan is, and how it is going. I just posted to say, do your due diligence if at all possible and shop around? I don't think our second opinion was wrong in any way, perhaps overblown a touch, but since most of these folks are outside of insurance coverage, at the end of the day we have to eat too :p

Oh no! I would cry too. You would think they could work you in sooner since it wasn't your fault the appointment was canceled. I'm so sorry! :grouphug:

Do not ask "Do they test for dyslexia?" It's actually termed "specific learning disability -reading" or something like that. You simply write a letter that states the issues you have seen and that you suspect learning disabilities. Could you share what state you are in? I'm sure someone here could help point you in the right direction. Here, we will likely not get services either as funding doesn't allow, but the testing is a federal mandate they cannot ignore.

Caedmyn, It is HARD. So hard. Everything was going fine until about 6 or so months ago. My 5 yr old couldn't pay attention long enough to finish *any* of the Barton. She maybe passed one section, a stretch. My 8.5yo totally stopped progressing in reading. She has really poor vision needing therapy AND didn't pass the Barton screening the first time (barely the second). The anxiety left over from kindergarten has resurfaced after we moved and it's hard to even get her to eat. My 3 yr old has sensory issues and a speech delay (maybe even autism) and I have an 8 month old cruising the house. It has been so so hard. I basically closed out our school year last month. We are taking 3 months off to just chill. They can do pretty much whatever they way. Play on some learning games, listen to audiobooks or what have you. We have had tons of appointments with referrals and such through the school system, so I just let everything school wise that needed me go. I was going to lose my mind. My husband, turns out, is likely dyslexic. He has never been made aware, but he's a poor speller, doesn't picture words at all, will do anything but read a book (unless it's a manual lol) and is incredible at building and fine tuning processes. The Dyslexic Advantage was so eye opening and I highly recommend it. Your children are indeed bright! It's just a different way of thinking. My mom was dx with ADHD as an adult and there is some mental illness on my dads side. There's some genetic things sprinkled in there, so here we are. I'm trying to focus on the good. There are so many really really good tests to sort things out. There are so many really good interventions to help whatever comes out of that. I am able to homeschool, so they don't have to stress about fitting in on top of their struggles right now. We can just have fun while I prepare myself for what they need. We might not be spending our days having tea and reciting poetry, thereabs some grieving going on honestly, but they are going to love learning and do a lot of it, it is just going to be much different than I expected. Hugs!

Right you have to make a username and then it will let you have access to the "about autism in toddlers" free online course. It goes piece by piece with lots of reference points, severity and ages.

I have looked at countless videos, but this site is amazing. They have really nice comparisons that show some of the more subtle things that I would not notice. Where I read the dsm and say oh no he doesn't do that, or he can definitely do this, but then see that criterion very briefly in a not so glaring way in a video is super helpful. It has given me a lot to think about. I see my son in quite a few of the situations.

Well his ears were clear for this assessment. I'm not sure what to do? He has only had 3 distinct ear infections last year and his hearing as of today and back in September is and was fine. I can't see a doc recommending tubes. It makes so much sense to me, but I don't have any tangible proof.

More than me, I'll take it!

He is not currently receiving services. We're waiting on an eval appt with the school system and I am waiting to hear back from the autism center and private Pysch we were referred to. The frequency of the physical behavior is new, in the past 3 months. He's been saying his little knock knock script since he was 18 months. Whenever he was upset or wanted to change the subject or just wanted to talk. His immediate echolalia could be chalked up to his language delay. We'll just have to see. Either way, he clearly needs a good speech therapist, and some OT maybe. I will be sure to fully investigate his ears and consider ENT after our audiology visit. He is just so totally different that any 3 yr old I've ever encountered. It's so hard to know what is within the range of normal.

That gives me a great idea of what to expect. I have often wondered about just doing allergy meds all the time. I am in the camp of as little antibiotics as possible too. He has never told me his ears hurt aside from that day. He has never pulled at them or anything, I have zero way to tell anything is wrong other than the nagging congestion that occasionally ramps up to interfere with his sleep and his behavior gets worse. You said it was done at 23 months, is there a time when its "too late?" My niece had something like 10 ear infections in a year when she was 2-3 and went to a consult for tubes. Her parents decided against it and the next year she had zero. She still tends to catch illness a lot, but her language is fantastic and always has been. I don't know. Last night and today he has been spinning like crazy, biting and hitting, bouncing into things pinball style, reciting his little knock knock joke etc. He likely doesn't feel good, but it just solidifies getting the testing done ASAP.

This would have been a completely different thread if you omitted your entire OP as those issues aren't really difficulties according to you. I'm not sure what we are left with since you don't want to hear about OT for her grip either. I'm using pencil grips with my dd but I'm pretty sure that's not going to be enough. I think that since you asked, your gut tells you something is off, we are supporting your instincts, and I truly think that should be explored lest you waste time with this and that. TIME is precious and has value, too. I don't want to waste a minute or a dime on something that won't work. The testing you need is all free. I found that information helpful when I had concerns with mine. It is required to be done by federal law, no matter what anyone tells you otherwise. You are positing issues in a forum about learning challenges where the vast majority of folks are utilizing professionals to help their children, yet fundamentally opposed to hearing about it. I'm just not sure what you wanted us to say :/ You asked how to sort out the difference from struggling and not wanting to try. The answer is having tests done to show their abilities so that you can then place reasonable expectations on them and have tools available that enhance their strengths and support their struggles to help them maximize their potential. I have used an OG program with a now suspected dyslexic, and it has proved to not be incremental enough, otherwise she would be reading great now. I wish, everyday, I could get those two years back.

Crimson I'm going to take your word for it! Lol. He has an appointment with audiology here, as there was a delay in getting his records from last year. I just talked to them though and she said that they can look at the fluid. We go on Friday and thankfully he is congested now so we can really see if anything is going on. Thank you so much Lecka, I was going to cancel the appointment once they got the records.

Well that is simply fascinating! Thank you for sharing that, I will look into it ASAP.

We do have scholarships but there's a waitlist, first come first serve yada yada. I doubt we'll see a dime but I'll try. Yea the getting worse is the hardest part. He always did well in public and now he's a fairly loose canon. And yes he did that stimming/rocking thing once and I was so surprised and then hasn't since. So then I feel crazy again lol. It's madness, just give him the screen somebody >.< So funny you mention his ears. He seems constantly congested. I try allergy meds when it gets bad. The other day he said "Ear.Hurt self"and pointed to his ear. I thought yay! He's telling me his ear hurts, bet he has an infection. Same day at the doc..his ear are totally clear. So, not great, I have no reliable way of knowing if my child is hurting :( So I often wonder if he ever has ear stuff going on and doesn't say anything.

Yes, he had a full booth eval in September and passed. The audiologist said he did so well he was able to run a couple extra tests he doesn't normally give two year olds. Funny how things change, can't imagine him sitting on my lap now for that long and being compliant. And gracious really? If he's fine socially though, I think that is what would make the difference? I'm hoping to get forms mailed off tomorrow to one autism center ( TEACCH in NC if anyone knows about it and their process!) and I'll follow up with the private neurologist we were referred to that hasn't called yet. Im now thinking multiple opinions would be good at this point, or get on a couple lists and see who gets us in faster.

Absolutely, I do want good speech therapy indeed. I think that is a good plan, to get on a list and cancel if need be. He scared me the other day at the kids museum just totally zoning in to his play to the point that he never acknowledged me unless I physically touched him and put him in the stroller or if he was looking for a piece he needed to play with. I called his name, plenty close for him to hear, and he didn't even look up. I dunno, I guess he could just have a mix of speech delay/add/spd and not cross over into autism. We shall see, thanks again all for your thoughts!

I'd venture to say he's in the same room, playing with toys and 9 times out of 10 totally oblivious to others which as I understand it is still parallel, being near, but not interested in others. The next level is associative and starting to mimic others which I think he should be doing by 4. He does engage me, asking me to look at what he's doing and doing what I suggest etc. Clear as mud I tell ya.

This is exactly where I am unsure! Parallel play is still totally normal for a 3 year old. He does not make any attempts to enter play by asking. He always just comes in and grabs whatever he wants and runs off or destroys his sisters' entire play structure for the heck of it and leaves. I would be more comforted if he came up and just starting copying what they were doing. If any of us are sitting on the couch, he'll be on top of us climbing, kicking, pushing his head into us (nudging?) for apparently no reason at all and if we say stop he will not. I often have to tell the girls to go their room, after I've picked him up a few times and said no, just so they'll not get hurt and then he runs to their door screaming to be let in :sad: Every now and then, very rarely, he will engage with his sister if she initiates at her little picnic or something for a couple minutes taking tea from her or what have you. So maybe it's in there? Just not come out fully yet?

Ugh! So far I've just limited him to sippies or straws which he does ok with. I only try if I can be right there watching, and he has success if I hold the cup myself, if he'll let me. I wonder at what point it's a bigger issue? I don't know if it's within the range of normal, just later end..? I think at 4 in prek they all had communal snack with regular cup, so certainly by then he needs to have this down.

No worries!! :grouphug: See, me too! I brought it up with the SLP we had and she just said use little dixie cups with water so he can practice. Well, ok :huh: He'll choke on a smaller amount then and the cup is way lighter so he goes even faster sloshing it down his shirt. Eta: I found someone thats right down the road and in our network that has completed intro & bridging courses in PROMPT, is that level 2?

Now that I'm at a pc, I can answer better. This is amazing advice. Wow. Thank you, he gets immediately defensive, yes. I even have to stop myself in a way from just literally staring at the boy all day long waiting for him to do something? I feel like there's so much pressure on me to be able to give a complete picture of him, and with my attention diverted to three other kids, one of them only 8 months, it's just an exercise in futility sometimes. I think the lists are around 3-6 months here, with some of the bigger university clinics 6+. Yes! I wrote that advice off pretty quickly. He threw something at her about 4 months in, and I was :blushing: thinking she just got her first taste of his usual self. She got him first thing in the morning, right out of bed, for only 30 minutes. Of course, he was great for you. She gave me a handout on time outs...bless her heart :laugh: I'm looking at apraxia symptoms and they don't seem to describe him. He articulates quite well the words he can say. He does choke when he drinks from a regular cup, we are still firmly in sippy cup land because he can't manage the flow, but not with food. Still, I hope this his next eval is much more thorough than just having him point at pictures, which is truly all he has done so far. Yes, we can't wait to get started with VT. I'm getting one more opinion for her as our first two were so drastically different in approach (and cost!) so we are just doing our due diligence. Perhaps this one we're seeing in a couple weeks does the reflex work too. As far as with others, I watched him at my oldest's dance class last night and he does great with older kids in a novel setting, for a short amount of time, with me there (that enough qualifiers? :lol: ). One boy, age 9, always plays with him, but he clearly knows to compensate for my son's lack of understanding. It's limited to just chasing back and forth or tossing a ball. He will only engage in pretend play with me (offering me play food or making sticks into a plane etc). His cousin is a little over 2 and together they do the whole parallel play deal, mostly fighting with each other over things. He doesn't talk to him at all other than "hey, mine!" I had hoped that the county would place him in a half day pre k to receive services and play experiences, but maybe he's not ready? I can't even imagine how he'll separate from me, he's never had to besides with family. His motor skills are quite good, I think. He is a daredevil and attempts things at playgrounds his 6 yr old sister won't! He manipulates toys well too.

Goodness how frustrating! I think that's part of my thinking too, that I want to avoid going from doc to doc getting little bits here and there. I hope for a truly thorough evaluation to just affirm or deny whatever it is or isn't. But from what everyone has said, waiting doesn't guarantee that at all. Thank you everyone for your posts! I value the input immensely, I have been reading lots of old threads and the wealth of information you share is incredible.