met with PhD -- help me think (ADD meds too)

[momma aimee]

I am only sharing this with a few people. I don’t need anything from you, I am just sharing data.

 

We met with the PhD yesterday to go over her assessments of Theo

 

She did a full new IQ with him since she last did that when he was 4.5 and he is 6.25 now.

 

In no certain order:

 

1. His verbal IQ aspect is still ‘significantly’ higher than his non-verbal. Both changed since the last testing, but the gap remained statically significant. That gap is significant enough to indicate the good possibility of a non-verbal learning disability. “That may come to light in the futureâ€. It is certainly going to be something to keep in mind with education and expect him to be doubly frustrated 1. That the activities (she suggested puzzles, geometry and so o—though he seems great at maps) are hard and 2. that they are so hard when some thing (literature, reading for understanding, writing) are so easy.

 

2. We may be looking at Asperger's Disorde DX at some point. A lot of his behaviors are pointing that way, but he is just too young. She had tossed that out at 4.5 but he was way too young them. She says he is still too young, but she really gets the feel, and looking at all the testing, we maybe trending that direction. I am not seeing it. I can not find a good list of diagnostic behaviors (rather than just general paragraphs about it) to really check the boxes. I do not see him as that “severeâ€. PDD-NOS was discussed at one point, for him, but again I can’t find good check list of criteria; and most the descriptions I read and the people I know, are less ‘nuro typical’ than Theo – he doesn’t seem “that bad†even living with all the challenges we face daily.

 

3. He has OCD tendencies, though he is not DX as ODC but by the time he is adult he may be – the OCD and the anxiety tie together. She is also not dx GAD but, again, someday that may be where it goes.

 

4. Regarding the “ADD†scales – testing and observation – remembering she has been seeing him ever 4 to 8 weeks since he was 4.5 – (there is age average, ‘at risk’ and ‘clinical’ – all are ranges – everything is a bell curve – so you can be low at risk or high at risk)

a. On the “hyper†he is only moderately in the at risk range

b. On the ‘impulse-it-tivity’ (how impulsive he is, and how much give s in to the being impulsive – he is high clinical (gee what a surprise)

 

I think that is the gist of the hour long meeting. We discussed a lot of the common behaviors we deal with; and she kept ‘applying them back’ to the discussion and the testing.

 

April 17 we have a med assessment with a Child Shrink; she will have the PhD's report.

 

I think we are going to try something to help him slow down to the point he CAN learn copeing skills.

 

but he is only 6 i worry about medication on his little brain.

 

but he has to function and being an unhappy out of control mad 2 -yo with multi meltdowns a day is not a happy functional 2 year olf

 

i just don't know

[Murmer]

We started our DD on ADHD meds at 3.5 years old. It was not the first thing I wanted to do but she needed them. They have changed her life...she is able to learn including how to behave.

One way to think about it is if your child had say epilepsy and needed medication you would do it. It is a brain problem that is medicated for and very few people would not medicate for epilepsy. So why do we (general, cause I totally did it) dither about over medication for ADHD which is also a neurological issue. The only advice I have is to research the meds and side effects and realize you may have to change the meds if they are not working or the side effects are worse than the problem they are helping. There are so many options out there for ADHD now there is no reason to deal with massive side effects when something else can be tried.

[rafiki]

.

[momma aimee]

thanks everyone

[MomatHWTK]

:grouphug:

 

There are no easy solutions or decisions. You have to do what you feel is best for your child.

[Guest]

:grouphug:

 

There are no easy solutions or decisions. You have to do what you feel is best for your child.

 

:iagree:

[funnygirl]

Just my two cents:

 

If your child had diabetes, you would not hesitate to give him insulin. If he had cancer, you would let him have chemo.

 

Mental illness is still illness, and those meds work for a reason. Please don't feel guilty about using medications to help your child.

 

hugs, wine, chocolate, and peace.

[momma aimee]

Just my two cents:

 

If your child had diabetes, you would not hesitate to give him insulin. If he had cancer, you would let him have chemo.

 

Mental illness is still illness, and those meds work for a reason. Please don't feel guilty about using medications to help your child.

 

hugs, wine, chocolate, and peace.

 

i agree. I am medicated and better for it

 

My concern is medication a child when the body and brain are still dev and growing. buttttt i think we are going to have to try it to keep him and the family functional. I am maxed out trying to get him though the day most days (not all but a lot of them)

[funnygirl]

Don't hesitate to share those concerns with your psychiatrist. Talk to him/her about the history of the meds he's considering, and research that has been done with children and these meds. He should be able to easily confer with you about this, and ease your mind. (If not, time for a new psych!)

 

:)

[MomatHWTK]

I worked around DS' issues for as long as possible and probably longer than I should have in retrospect. I think now, maybe if I had started medications a little earlier, we could have used that time to help him develop coping skills rather than trying to medicate our way out of a crisis and then work on coping skills. But honestly, at the time I thought we were just dealing with ADHD and had no idea there were other issues contributing to his frustration.

 

As you've probably read on other threads, many kids can make it through the lower grades without accomodations but when they hit 4th and 5th grade the LDs and other issues are more apparent. That was our experience. I too would be concerned about the medications, but I totally understand reaching the point where the benefits outweigh the costs. If your child cannot function, then he's not going to be a happy fulfilled child. KWIM?

[Tiramisu]

Since "functional" keeps coming up, and I know you are thinking along these lines already... One thing is your ds's ability to function, but there's also, your whole family's ability to function and live a normal--or at least somewhat close to normal--life, especially when you have another young one that you're also responsible for. I'm not pushing meds, and have never made that decision myself, so I'm a poor person to give advice, so I'm really just throwing this out to think about a little more as you face making these decisions.

 

When we had some hard times with one dc, I saw the effect it had on everyone else and how relationships turned really sour. I could see how the escalating negativity made everything so much worse with even siblings taking critical attitutes and blaming the child with the problem. This could have led to long-term emotional consequences, but fortunately, we found a way out before we had to deal with that.

 

If you think you are ever getting to that point, I would be open to a med trial, for the sake of the entire family and preserving loving relationships.

 

:grouphug:

[momma aimee]

Since "functional" keeps coming up, and I know you are thinking along these lines already... One thing is your ds's ability to function, but there's also, your whole family's ability to function and live a normal--or at least somewhat close to normal--life, especially when you have another young one that you're also responsible for. I'm not pushing meds, and have never made that decision myself, so I'm a poor person to give advice, so I'm really just throwing this out to think about a little more as you face making these decisions.

 

When we had some hard times with one dc, I saw the effect it had on everyone else and how relationships turned really sour. I could see how the escalating negativity made everything so much worse with even siblings taking critical attitutes and blaming the child with the problem. This could have led to long-term emotional consequences, but fortunately, we found a way out before we had to deal with that.

 

If you think you are ever getting to that point, I would be open to a med trial, for the sake of the entire family and preserving loving relationships.

 

:grouphug:

this is where i am. it takes so much to manage DS1 I worry about DS2. Also I know DS1` makes DH mad and that adds to my stress.

 

i love this community