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Going insane in Florida!!!
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<blockquote data-quote="Malika" data-source="post: 413416" data-attributes="member: 11227"><p>One thing that occurs to me is that one kind of has to take a "view" on how one wants one's child (lot of "one"s there, sorry - sounds like Prince Charles...) treated BEFORE seeing the health professional or at least before deciding which health professional to see. They all have their own views and approaches; there is no one, standard diagnosis that one is going to receive, I feel. In my fairly limited experience, this is how it has gone with my son who is certainly physically hyperactive but is he/isn't he ADHD - no-one can agree! First we had his paediatrician in Morocco, who had followed him since he was a tiny baby. She told me, without any doubt or ambiguity that "he is hyperactive" and recommended we see a psychologist. We saw one, who saw J for several sessions and always maintained that his hyperactivity was due to anxiety and to the first three months of his life which he spent in a group creche - many other people who know about adoption have also suggested that his hyperactivity is due to this (but why then are not all adopted children hyperactive?) She was quite adamant that she could not see any signs of ADHD - no concentration problems, good interpersonal connectios, etc. We also saw another psychologist, though that was mainly me talking to her; she felt the troubled situation between my ex-husband and me, and all the travelling I had done with J were implicated in his intense tantrums, etc. The head of the little French nursery he went to in Marrakesh was very sure he was not hyperactive (just like his present teacher here in France). Because in situations where he is required to sit down and contain himself, he will do so... If left to his own devices or given the freedom, he will run, jump, climb continually and give every appearance of hyperactivity... And then, here in France, a routine medical examination leads to the doctor recommending we see a psychologist. Which we did - or to be more precise, a child psychiatrist. After half an hour with her, she stated that ADHD looked "likely" and was talking to me about Ritalin, from age six or seven.... Hmmm. We have another appointment with this doctor and I'm quite sure that if I wanted to go with it, she would duly give the diagnosis based on the Connors questionnaires and that, if I described some of his occasional defiant behaviour, she would also diagnose ODD. And that, come the time, in a couple of years, he could be started on Ritalin. </p><p>But... I am not happy with this. I am not saying she is wrong. She may turn out to be right. However, even though she is a medical doctor who then trained as a psychiatrist, I am not happy with a diagnosis based on half an hour and the answers to some questions. You really have to inform yourself. For example, a lot of things (it seems) look like ADHD/ODD but are apparently not... Meantime, my general practitioner here, who knows J quite well, does not "believe" in medicating for ADHD and has also told me he believes that it is not a neuro-biological condition but a set of behavioural symptoms that can be addressed through therapy and parent training... Hmmm. Another view. And I am sure it is like that in the States... you are going to get a whole variety of suggestions and approaches. </p><p>What I am personally going to do is leave the ODD diagnosis to one side and keep an open mind on the ADHD thing. SOMETHING is certainly going on with my son, and he seems to have various learning difficulties even though he is clearly bright, but I would prefer to take the scientific approach of not forming a diagnosis until the evidence has been examined... So... I would like him to be tested by a neuro-psychologist and I would like to keep an open mind on the ADHD diagnosis for the moment, see how things unfold. Since he does not have problems in school, no-one is suggesting I have to give him medications (technically they cannot diagnose medications for ADHD below age 6 or 7 here but they do in very extreme cases of aggression).</p><p>I don't know whether this helps... all I am saying is.... for your son's sake, get a variety of opinions and see which ones you trust most, what makes most sense to you. Sounds like these medications are not helping if they are creating ODD symptoms. Personally I would take him off them. It remains your decision, in tandem with the professionals... But I do feel one takes part in the diagnosis, helps inform it, and that is inevitable...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Malika, post: 413416, member: 11227"] One thing that occurs to me is that one kind of has to take a "view" on how one wants one's child (lot of "one"s there, sorry - sounds like Prince Charles...) treated BEFORE seeing the health professional or at least before deciding which health professional to see. They all have their own views and approaches; there is no one, standard diagnosis that one is going to receive, I feel. In my fairly limited experience, this is how it has gone with my son who is certainly physically hyperactive but is he/isn't he ADHD - no-one can agree! First we had his paediatrician in Morocco, who had followed him since he was a tiny baby. She told me, without any doubt or ambiguity that "he is hyperactive" and recommended we see a psychologist. We saw one, who saw J for several sessions and always maintained that his hyperactivity was due to anxiety and to the first three months of his life which he spent in a group creche - many other people who know about adoption have also suggested that his hyperactivity is due to this (but why then are not all adopted children hyperactive?) She was quite adamant that she could not see any signs of ADHD - no concentration problems, good interpersonal connectios, etc. We also saw another psychologist, though that was mainly me talking to her; she felt the troubled situation between my ex-husband and me, and all the travelling I had done with J were implicated in his intense tantrums, etc. The head of the little French nursery he went to in Marrakesh was very sure he was not hyperactive (just like his present teacher here in France). Because in situations where he is required to sit down and contain himself, he will do so... If left to his own devices or given the freedom, he will run, jump, climb continually and give every appearance of hyperactivity... And then, here in France, a routine medical examination leads to the doctor recommending we see a psychologist. Which we did - or to be more precise, a child psychiatrist. After half an hour with her, she stated that ADHD looked "likely" and was talking to me about Ritalin, from age six or seven.... Hmmm. We have another appointment with this doctor and I'm quite sure that if I wanted to go with it, she would duly give the diagnosis based on the Connors questionnaires and that, if I described some of his occasional defiant behaviour, she would also diagnose ODD. And that, come the time, in a couple of years, he could be started on Ritalin. But... I am not happy with this. I am not saying she is wrong. She may turn out to be right. However, even though she is a medical doctor who then trained as a psychiatrist, I am not happy with a diagnosis based on half an hour and the answers to some questions. You really have to inform yourself. For example, a lot of things (it seems) look like ADHD/ODD but are apparently not... Meantime, my general practitioner here, who knows J quite well, does not "believe" in medicating for ADHD and has also told me he believes that it is not a neuro-biological condition but a set of behavioural symptoms that can be addressed through therapy and parent training... Hmmm. Another view. And I am sure it is like that in the States... you are going to get a whole variety of suggestions and approaches. What I am personally going to do is leave the ODD diagnosis to one side and keep an open mind on the ADHD thing. SOMETHING is certainly going on with my son, and he seems to have various learning difficulties even though he is clearly bright, but I would prefer to take the scientific approach of not forming a diagnosis until the evidence has been examined... So... I would like him to be tested by a neuro-psychologist and I would like to keep an open mind on the ADHD diagnosis for the moment, see how things unfold. Since he does not have problems in school, no-one is suggesting I have to give him medications (technically they cannot diagnose medications for ADHD below age 6 or 7 here but they do in very extreme cases of aggression). I don't know whether this helps... all I am saying is.... for your son's sake, get a variety of opinions and see which ones you trust most, what makes most sense to you. Sounds like these medications are not helping if they are creating ODD symptoms. Personally I would take him off them. It remains your decision, in tandem with the professionals... But I do feel one takes part in the diagnosis, helps inform it, and that is inevitable... [/QUOTE]
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