diagnosis disagreement

davey327

Karen S
We recently had our gaurdian twins diagnosed. He pretty much brushed off my Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) diag. saying they didn't have the features. Well, she only drank/drugs the first 6 - 8 wks. so the physical symptoms would have been minimal, and there are a few if you know what you're looking for. Boy was diag. with ODD and ADHD which went right along with what I thought, but girl he said pretty much the same thing, and I disagree. I think he went more by what her former teacher said, I homeschool her now, then what we said. She was only in school for 8 wks. so how much could her teacher possibly have known about her? He labeled her ODD because of her meltdowns, but they are different from his defiance. Hers is more like sensory overload, she can't handle a lot of noise, business, social situations, etc. So my question is? When we have our next session, in a few weeks, do I bring this up?
 

klmno

Active Member
I'd suggest getting neuropsychological testing done and getting a second opinion. Who gave these diagnosis's (what type of professional)?
 

house of cards

New Member
I have had the same trouble with dealing with the professionals, they do seem to value others opinions/descriptions more then mine so I give them the other's descriptions whenever I can. With home schooling that will be tougher but do your difficult child's have any outside activities? I've taken write ups about specific incidents from bus drivers and teachers but you could have a Scout leader or relative describe a meltdown.

I think part of my problem is I tend to be too direct and connect all the dots for the professional, I'm trying to just describe the situations and leave out my conclusions, and after repeated visits they do tend to see the pattern (I have also handed then written descriptions of meltdowns). Of course that is just my experience. I also have a difficult child who can be very ODD but it is from anxiety rather then defiance.
 

davey327

Karen S
We thought about videotaping a meltdown, if we could do it with-out her knowing. If she knew it would only make the melting worse.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
A neuropsychological evaluation would be the best tool for really understanding the finer points of whatever your kids are dealing with. You can share this with the psychiatrist, of course. But it involves several HOURS of testing, which obviously cannot be done in a 30 or 60 minute office visit.

If you check with your local Children's Hospital, you can probably get info on someone in the area who is qualified to conduct such and evaluation. My particular insurance plan covered the testing 100% for my difficult child 2 last year (we have Anthem/BC PPO).

Just wanted to say also that someone who struggles with anxiety can have it manifest in different ways. Defiance can be a response to anxiety over transitions, as can meltdowns or sensory overload. I get both kinds of behaviors from my difficult child 1 -- if he's unmedicated, we get defiance. When he was younger and unmedicated, we got meltdowns. I think both are sort of maladaptive attempts at protecting themselves from a perceived threat. The key is figuring out exactly what's going on so you know how best to treat (medications, therapy, or both).

Sometimes it's best not to hang your hat on any one particular label or diagnosis until you go through a thorough diagnostic battery. And even then, sometimes kids change and the diagnosis can change.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I'd see a neuropsychologist. There is something called Fetal Alcohol Effects. It's the same thing as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) without the features. A neuropsychologist should know about it, but, just to be safe, ask first if he or she is familiar with this. If she drank while pregnant, well, there is a good chance they do have it. Good luck :)
 
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