Got the feedback from clinical psychologist assessment...

[lovelyboy]

I thought I would share our feedback from clinical psychologist/ playtherapist regarding difficult child assessment....I know some other parents was wondering about bipolar/ ODD/ Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in their kids!
Ok.....she explained to us the indicators that came out during play, assessment exct....very interesting!
The conclusion she made was Mood dysregulatory disorder! She says he might have traids of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but he was able to build very good relationship and resiprosity with her....So there is more going on than possible Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)!
Dont know if its good or bad but she is absolutely sure he does NOT have ODD! Says he has to many mood issues going on!
She also wants to clarify the EEG, because the abnormalities was in the R temporal lobe....the area responsible for mood regulation ( Agh, silly neuro who said my child was just manipulative!) We are seing new neuro on Thursday!
She thinks he has definite consentration problems, but NOT ADD!
She says he most propobly would benifit alot by starting a anti convulsant to help stabilize mood and possible epilepsy....She says the line between therapeutic dosage and toxic is very thin with these type of medications....that we must keep a mood diary and monitor carefully the dosages and not just stop the medications if its not working, because maybe the dosage is just to high!
She recommended that after this is sorted out, THEN we look at whats left, if we need SSRI or something for concentration....
She will also see him every second week for guidance, not therapy....and work with us as parents.
She said that she will NEVER give up on a child! And that she will keep trying till we see results!

 

[TerryJ2]

Very interesting!
We haven't done any MRIs or CT scans and I've always wondered what they would show. I would think an fMRI would be the most useful.
At any rate, she sounds pretty good and I'm glad she doesn't believe in giving up!
She probably won't see any ODD with-her skill level, by the way. We have noticed that we can deliberately provoke difficult child if we need to for the therapist, but 80% of the time, difficult child is very good with-therapists. Of course, there's the other 20% where he can dig his own grave quite well with-o our help ...
Keep us posted. Thank you for the update!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Well... I'm going to agree with the "not ODD" statement... as soon as you have other good explanations, those trump ODD hands down.

And the concentration stuff? could be Auditory Processing Disorders (APD)-related. be other stuff that looks like ADD too, but I know for sure that APDs can be mistaken for ADD/ADHD.

Sounds like a really good therapist!

 

[buddy]

Finally someone who looks at the bigger picture and doesn't ignore solid evidence! Quin's anti seizure medication makes an enormous difference. Those temporal lobe "jolts " or extra impulses can absolute suddenly make them very crabby. Finding the right medications with low enough side effects to make it worth it is a trick. Even for full blown temporal lobe epilepsy, medication to control it is very challenging. Quin uses lyrica which is usually an add on/secondary seizure medication but people take it for anxiety and headaches too so they tried it and it has mostly stopped the "feeling fake " and headaches. I still see the sudden mood changes sometimes but so much better than before.
I hope the neuro appointment goes well. Let us know!

 

[lovelyboy]

Thanx.....Terry, the great thing is that she didnt dismiss the ODD because she couldnt see any oposition in the session....In fact...She said that "these kids " with mood dysregulatory disorder...almost always have terrible outbursts against any NO answer...that they cant handle hearing the word NO! She fully believes us! She even said that she is sure as time goes on and he starts trusting her more....he will start showing opposition and anger towards her! What I loved to hear was the presious words that his behaviour is NOT because of bad parenting but neurological!!She also explained to us that for some reason these kids have aggression and anxiety mixed together....that its always the extremes with them! Loving us one minute and hating us the next.....She also spoke about night terrors my son had as a toddler...that this is evedant in these kids and also their obsession with blood and gore! Insane...my son does have Auditory Processing Disorders (APD).....Thanx Buddy for the support...I even spoke about Q during our session! How they didnt believe you regarding the epilepsy exct!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Thanks for jogging my memory... it's back-to-school week... starting tomorrow, so you can guess what today is like!

I'd be assuming the "ADD/ADHD" stuff is likely more related to the Auditory Processing Disorders (APD)... although it can be both, the ADD/ADHD doesn't usually show up as much until they really get into school - K, grade 1, grade 2...

 

[TerryJ2]

Isn't validation great?

 

[Wiped Out]

So great when someone "gets" it!

 

[susiestar]

Sounds like an AWESOME therapist to work with! I truly hope that she will go with the outlined plan - mood stabilizers (most of which are anti convulsant medications) until you find the right cocktail and dosage. It sometimes takes 2 mood stabs to regulate mood, and often an atypical anti-psychotic like risperidone or seroquel or zyprexa is added to help with the rage and outbursts. I know the medications sound scary and have serious side effects, but they will allow your child to have a far more functional life.

I know you are not in the US, but I still think you should read "The Bipolar Child' for info on your difficult child's problems. It is a great book, has some very technical info but not all of it is overly technical. The latest edition of the book was published in 2007, so used copies are easy to find online. If you search on amazon, you will get a lot of books with bipolar and child/kid in the title, but the one you would greatly benefit from is "The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder" by Demitri Papalous .You can also explore the author's site - bipolarchild.com - if you would like. No www showed up before the name, for whatever that is worth.

There is also a group called the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation and they have helped a lot of people. They have changed their name since I last saw their site and now they are "The Balanced Mind Foundation. http://www.thebalancedmind.org/

I hope some of this helps!

 

[lovelyboy]

Thanx Susie! I will have a look!