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<blockquote data-quote="buddy" data-source="post: 511779" data-attributes="member: 12886"><p>Hi Jessica, sounds like you have some hard news. As I read your post I have to wonder about the bigger picture here... I think you hinted at this too. So, I am sure I am not going to be the last one here to ask you a ton of questions. Not to be nosy but it can help those of us who are walking your walk or have been there before, to share more with you.</p><p></p><p>So, first... who did the testing? Was this the schools or a neuropsychologist, a psychologist, a clinic or???? Have you had Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) or any other kinds of specialty testing???</p><p></p><p>Not sure if I said this yet, due to the complexity proposed here... If it was me, I would not use a pediatrician to prescribe medications. I would find a good child psychiatrist. THey specialize in the risks, side effects and types of medications that can be used and this can be good or bad I realize...since they may think medications are the be all end all ...but if you interview them (mine feels the less medications the better and is happy to Difficult Child a medication if not working well).... you can get a sense of their philosophy. Some medications make certain conditions worse. Some have side effects that can cause aggression and your son does not need that heightened. I use a neurologist and a psychiatrist to help manage medications. Our pediatrician is a rock star and backs up both of them if something happens in our pharmacy or someone is not available and we need medications...they all talk to each other and back each other up. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>What kind of learning disability are they referring to? verbal, reading, math, writing, etc....</p><p></p><p> You are SOOO right in that the traditional behavioral methods do not work well. Two books many of us like that may help will be The Explosive Child by Ross Greene and What Your Explosive Child is Trying to Tell You by Doug Riley (I always wonder if I am spelling his name right but you can google it and find it...also can search this site and will find lots of references to both of them)...there are a ton of other books but I will start you with those because they can offer immediate help.</p><p></p><p>what kinds of testing did they do? What behaviors did they think were tied to adhd? </p><p></p><p>How was his early development, language, speech, how does he communicate with kids his age. How does he play? Does he have imaginative play or more imitative play? </p><p></p><p>what kind of mood problems does he have? If they are suggesting bi-polar disorder then you really need to be careful about management of the adhd symptoms. adhd can actually be symptomatic (not primary adhd) and based on the fact that the child has a mood regulatory issue, or a developmental challenge such as autism that can then cause a child to not be able to attend. Autism can look like a mood disorder because kids have a hard time taking on perspectives of others, they can be very rigid and have a lot of anxiety. Often they can look like they have obsessive and compulsive issues. </p><p></p><p>Many of us have had to sort through diagnoses and still over time for many of us they shift and change to some degree (or completely for others).</p><p></p><p>Have you had an occupational therapy evaluation done? how are his fine motor skills? How is he with sensory things... does he have any sensitivities or preferences when it comes to taste, smell, sounds, touch? Does he only eat certain foods? Does he have any allergies? Does he cover his ears when things are too overwhelming? Does he avoid some touch or seek touching things??? </p><p></p><p>Any family members with mood issues? any with autism? </p><p></p><p>The degree of behavior you describe seems so over the top for a kid with primary adhd, but certainly there can be those situations and add to it whatever they are saying the mood disorder is... do they specify?</p><p></p><p>OK finally, if this was not a school evaluation, time to get them moving. If you are in the USA, you can request an evaluation for an IEP/special education. Does not matter if he is not behind in school, his issues are interfering with a huge part of his school experience socially. If you have not had this started it requires a written request sent by certified mail so you get a receipt. That starts a time clock to get the evaluation done. </p><p> </p><p>So, that is not much to ask right? LOL</p><p></p><p>Take your time and rest assured you have now met a group of people who get how hard this is. I wait for phone calls daily when my son is in school. We recently had a discussion about phone PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) because most of us have had to deal with negative phone calls (or texts or emails) due to our challenging kids! </p><p></p><p>Sounds like your son is a wonderful kid but with some pretty intense challenges. There is a ton of hope and it takes a systematic walking through things along with (sorry to say this) a certain amount of trial and error. </p><p></p><p>Once again, welcome to the CD family. I have found people here to be a life line. I hope you find the same.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="buddy, post: 511779, member: 12886"] Hi Jessica, sounds like you have some hard news. As I read your post I have to wonder about the bigger picture here... I think you hinted at this too. So, I am sure I am not going to be the last one here to ask you a ton of questions. Not to be nosy but it can help those of us who are walking your walk or have been there before, to share more with you. So, first... who did the testing? Was this the schools or a neuropsychologist, a psychologist, a clinic or???? Have you had Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) or any other kinds of specialty testing??? Not sure if I said this yet, due to the complexity proposed here... If it was me, I would not use a pediatrician to prescribe medications. I would find a good child psychiatrist. THey specialize in the risks, side effects and types of medications that can be used and this can be good or bad I realize...since they may think medications are the be all end all ...but if you interview them (mine feels the less medications the better and is happy to Difficult Child a medication if not working well).... you can get a sense of their philosophy. Some medications make certain conditions worse. Some have side effects that can cause aggression and your son does not need that heightened. I use a neurologist and a psychiatrist to help manage medications. Our pediatrician is a rock star and backs up both of them if something happens in our pharmacy or someone is not available and we need medications...they all talk to each other and back each other up. What kind of learning disability are they referring to? verbal, reading, math, writing, etc.... You are SOOO right in that the traditional behavioral methods do not work well. Two books many of us like that may help will be The Explosive Child by Ross Greene and What Your Explosive Child is Trying to Tell You by Doug Riley (I always wonder if I am spelling his name right but you can google it and find it...also can search this site and will find lots of references to both of them)...there are a ton of other books but I will start you with those because they can offer immediate help. what kinds of testing did they do? What behaviors did they think were tied to adhd? How was his early development, language, speech, how does he communicate with kids his age. How does he play? Does he have imaginative play or more imitative play? what kind of mood problems does he have? If they are suggesting bi-polar disorder then you really need to be careful about management of the adhd symptoms. adhd can actually be symptomatic (not primary adhd) and based on the fact that the child has a mood regulatory issue, or a developmental challenge such as autism that can then cause a child to not be able to attend. Autism can look like a mood disorder because kids have a hard time taking on perspectives of others, they can be very rigid and have a lot of anxiety. Often they can look like they have obsessive and compulsive issues. Many of us have had to sort through diagnoses and still over time for many of us they shift and change to some degree (or completely for others). Have you had an occupational therapy evaluation done? how are his fine motor skills? How is he with sensory things... does he have any sensitivities or preferences when it comes to taste, smell, sounds, touch? Does he only eat certain foods? Does he have any allergies? Does he cover his ears when things are too overwhelming? Does he avoid some touch or seek touching things??? Any family members with mood issues? any with autism? The degree of behavior you describe seems so over the top for a kid with primary adhd, but certainly there can be those situations and add to it whatever they are saying the mood disorder is... do they specify? OK finally, if this was not a school evaluation, time to get them moving. If you are in the USA, you can request an evaluation for an IEP/special education. Does not matter if he is not behind in school, his issues are interfering with a huge part of his school experience socially. If you have not had this started it requires a written request sent by certified mail so you get a receipt. That starts a time clock to get the evaluation done. So, that is not much to ask right? LOL Take your time and rest assured you have now met a group of people who get how hard this is. I wait for phone calls daily when my son is in school. We recently had a discussion about phone PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) because most of us have had to deal with negative phone calls (or texts or emails) due to our challenging kids! Sounds like your son is a wonderful kid but with some pretty intense challenges. There is a ton of hope and it takes a systematic walking through things along with (sorry to say this) a certain amount of trial and error. Once again, welcome to the CD family. I have found people here to be a life line. I hope you find the same. [/QUOTE]
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