what type of dr do we need?

[Supertechmom]

Dr Hive!!!

 

What type do we need for the following problems? Or therapy, specialist Whatever the title may be. Our well check is fast approaching and I am going to push for SOMEONE ANYONE to help.

 

I have a soon to be 10 year old that doesn't "hear" He's always been this way. we've put it off for years as he doesn't pay attention, etc. We've tried the Look into his eyes, get his attention, touch etc. the problem is still there. Look him straight in the eye and say slowly and carefully anything and he may or may not have a clue what you just said. I've relied on the ped to tell me that his hearing is fine. And I do believe that. He hears. HE just doesn't "hear". He has problems with distinguishing vowel sounds. Phonics is a nightmare ( I have the same problem too)

 

I've lost faith with the ped's decision that he is just fine since I've complained about him seeing for about the same length of time (Eternity and beyond!) We are now slated for vision therapy exam because the eye dr said the type of eye problems (skipping words, switching words, replacing words, tired eyes, head pressure, can't sit still to read a page) isn't a 20/20 vision problem but a vision therapy issue. All those years I thought he either was addled in the head, dyslexic or determined to drive me insane. :lol: NOw it may because his eyes don't interpret what they see correctly.

 

now I'm wondering if the "hearing" problem might be along the same lines. But who do I take him to? I swear he can hear sounds. He just doesn't seem to understand what he heard.

 

:bigear::bigear:

[Wyndie]

It sounds like he may have auditory processing disorder?? OT really helped my daughter with that along with brain exercises (Learning RX). We got the referral for OT from the ped. Learning RX we did on our own. (well not on our own b/c there was a therapist... I mean we found them on our own not by referral)

 

I don't know if you're interested in dietary changes but I know for a fact that removing gluten helps this problem in many children. Gluten tends to "fog the brain" and can cause these types of problems.

[ChristusG]

Yep, sounds like an auditory processing disorder to me. Usually the processing disorder and the auditory processing disorder go hand in hand. DD6 just got "diagnosed" with both disorders and we just began therapy last week.

 

ETA: We were blessed because we have a family member whose children have the same issue and we are seeing the same specialist for my daughter's issues. So we didn't have to search for one. This therapist uses a computer program for a lot of the auditory therapy. It's called Fast ForWord. It is EXPENSIVE. But I've heard great things about it. You have to go through a licensed specialist to use it though so that they can keep tabs on the progress. Here's the website if you want to check it out....and you can also see if there are any licensed specialists in your area (just click on parents at the top right, scroll down till you see Fast ForWord, click on Find Providers): http://www.scilearn.com/products/fast-forword-language-series/

Edited December 2, 2010 by ChristusG

[Sun]

I'd wonder about getting a neuropsych evaluation. They can do a wide range of tests to help pinpoint what exactly is going "wrong." Their specialty (as I understand it) is looking at how the brain functions and can be helpful in figuring out what types of processing disorders might be occurring.

[Alessandra]

I'd try to get an appointment with a developmental pediatrician, because dev peds are trained to look at a wide spectrum of characteristics. Some of what you describe could be AS, ADHD (without the hyperactivity part), and so on and so on, as well as the auditory processing already suggested. Bottom line: you want someone who can look at the whole child, IMO. And also, a child with any diagnosis (or no diagnosis) could also have various learning disabilities. A developmental pediatrician can look at neurological, physical, social, psychological, learning areas -- that's why that type of MD would be my choice.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Alessandra

[Supertechmom]

My response was eaten so forgive if this turns out to be a double post.

 

 

So hear ya on the gluten issues. Through the ordeal with our girl child, we removed gluten and dairy nearly 2.5 years ago. THe brain fog was like the Red Sea parting. He went from stumbling through Cat in the Hat (yes He could not reliably read CAT from one page to the next) to reading chapter books in a month or so. It was mind boggling!!! Gluten doesn't seem to bother him but dairy will absolutely "fog" him. We never have gluten and dairy is a rarity for the kids.

 

Our two areas of issues since the diet change

1- the inability to read a book ( regular book like Farmer Boy, how science works, Pathway 4 grade reader) in a reasonable amount of time AND to understand what was read. He gets the main gist but loses the details. I hope this vision therapy appointment will shed light on that and fix it.

 

2- The hearing thing. He can't hear. Don't give him directions. Orders, anything oral. Feed the cat may result in go to bed. Set the table may become get schoolwork ( I don't know It's so crazy no one can make heads or tales out of it. It's just CRAZY. ) And it's getting worse. He can't carry a conversation because he can't "hear" it. He can't get jokes because he doesn't hear all the words. We're constantly saying it again. Slower, carefully, And you can forget about saying something from another room. I'm just about bonkers. We jump around in conversation as it and often have several "threads" running at any given time. But then throw in one of his lines and we're all scratching our heads trying to relate it one of the conversations. Only to discover that he misheard and was responding to what he thought he heard. :willy_nilly: ANd he has some great points to make. Once we figure out what he THOUGHT we said and we get on the same page, he's a rather smart little fellow with some great insight. But until somebody makes the connection, we're all just :confused:

 

So i should just walk in and demand a visit with an OT for auditory issues??? what should I say or do to get her attention that this is no longer normal and is hampering his ability to relate to others.

[Supertechmom]

neuropsych evaluation.

 

developmental pediatrician,

 

 

how do I go about getting something like this? By insisting that something is wrong and describing what I did here, where will that get me and what should I push for??? Are there better terms to use or phrases??? those catch words that take it from " mom is just not relating to normal boy" to " mom is describing abnormal issues that need attention"

 

I'm not trying to get him dx with something but I'm going bonkers over here trying to keep up between the reading issue and the random from out of the blue conversation. He's not improving and it's not a stage ( unless the last 7 years can be labeled a stage)

[Sun]

I would just straight out ask for a referral to whichever specialist you think would be most helpful. If your regular doc balks, then I'd just point out that these are issues which are adversely affecting both of your lives and have been for years. Then I'd ask point blank for that referral again.

[Supertechmom]

Cool ! We have a developmental ped in town connected to the med school along with "other specialists within, and occasionally outside of, our clinic setting" AND they take the kid's insurance. And we have the neuropsych as well.

 

DO you think a dev ped would be the best bet and they would send us to OT if needed??? I don''t know how that works. Would we need to see both? Do these specialties play nice with each other or do they tend to have a "we're better than that other guy and he's a dunce" attitude. Our gi had that issue with the allergist and vice versa. I don't want to get stuck between specialists again.

 

Bless the child's heart, he got his father's vision issues (his dad complains of the exact same issues with reading) and my hearing issues.

Edited December 2, 2010 by servin

[Terabith]

I'd look for an audiologist who specializes in auditory processing problems.

[Alessandra]

Cool ! We have a developmental ped in town connected to the med school along with "other specialists within, and occasionally outside of, our clinic setting" AND they take the kid's insurance. And we have the neuropsych as well.

 

DO you think a dev ped would be the best bet and they would send us to OT if needed??? I don''t know how that works. Would we need to see both? Do these specialties play nice with each other or do they tend to have a "we're better than that other guy and he's a dunce" attitude. Our gi had that issue with the allergist and vice versa. I don't want to get stuck between specialists again.

 

Bless the child's heart, he got his father's vision issues (his dad complains of the exact same issues with reading) and my hearing issues.

 

I believe that a developmental pediatrician is the way to go, since they will look at multiple issues. If you go to one speciality, that doctor may diagnose something connected to his/her particular speciality and miss other problems. For example, not hearing could be an ADHD issue (kid wants to do something else) or an AS issue (kid doesn't care) or an auditory processing issue, or a speech language issue or ..................... you need to know what is causing your ds's symptoms.

 

Dev peds, in my experience, work extremely well with other specialities. Dev peds will not "treat' a child on an ongoing basis, but they will diagnose, refer you to other specialists, and usually recommend a treatment plan. Many dev peds are in hospital settings, or closely connected to hospitals and work constantly with other MDs and with therapists.

 

What usually happens goes something like this:

-- you call the dev ped office and (eventually) reach them (the receptionist/screener/nurse -- not the dr). Most dev ped that I know are extremely busy.

-- you may be asked simple questions over the phone. Sometimes, it is more efficient for them to ask you than for you to describe things. They just want to make sure that issues are serious.

-- at this point (or after you have made your appointment) you may be sent a questionnaire to complete - developmental milestones, behaviors, etc.

-- you will get an appointment. It may be months away, but take what ever appointment you can get. If there are multiple serious issues, a team eval may be recommended -- that could include hearing tests, vision tests, psychologist, OT, PT, ST (Speech). Not suggesting your ds needs all these -- just that those can be part of a team evaluation.

-- most times, your appointment will be with the dr. Expect an eval to take about 45 min - 1 hour. At the end, you will meet with the doctor and get a verbal report. A written report will be sent to you later. The dr will recommend a course of action. It could be further testing -- you mentioned that you and dh have some similar characteristics to those of your son -- if dr thinks that is significant, genetic testing could be recommended. In your case, it sounds as though a full hearing test might be in order. Or dr could recommend specific types of therapist to work with your child.

 

Don't worry about your primary care doctor saying everything is OK. This happens a lot and most specialists are used to dealing with that.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Alessandra