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New here and a little lost, could use some advice
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<blockquote data-quote="soapbox" data-source="post: 495241" data-attributes="member: 13003"><p>Hi, Zora,</p><p>Welcome - glad you found us, sorry you need to.</p><p></p><p>First, my own bias: like many on this board, I don't put much stock in a diagnosis of ODD. It does describe a set of problem behaviors... but that is about ALL that the diagnosis of ODD does. There are no medications, therapies, interventions or advice that I can find. What ODD does work as, is as a "placeholder" diagnosis... formal recognition that something is wrong, but we haven't quite figured it out yet.</p><p></p><p>You noted in your post that he has sleep issues - this has improved somewhat, but... I'd be taking this very seriously. Sleep isn't just about quantity - its about quality. Everybody, but doubly especially kids, need BOTH quantity and quality. The steps you've taken seem to have added a bit to quantity, at least, but that might not be enough. Sleep issues definitely trigger all sorts of behavior issues even when there were none before, and definitely make any existing issues worse. Any chance of getting a sleep study?</p><p></p><p>What kind of evaluation(s) were done? Was his diagnosis just based on a few observational appointments and some questionaires? or was it intensive, all-day or multi-appointment detailed testing? If he hasn't had a <em>comprehensive</em> evaluation, I'd recommend looking into it. This should include Occupational Therapist (OT) and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), because there are specific issues that are often overlooked.</p><p></p><p>Occupational Therapist (OT) - sensory and motor skills evaluation - some kids have obvious motor skills problems, but others are less obvious. Fine motor skills problems make school either a major challenge, or almost impossible. Gross motor issues quickly lead to being bullied. If he has trouble writing, tieing shoes, dressing... or thowing a ball, riding a bike... it could be Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and although you may not be able to actually get that diagnosis, the Occupational Therapist (OT) has therapies that help, and can recommend interventions and accommodations at school. Sensory issues I'm not as familiar with, but worth testing at the same time, and again the Occupational Therapist (OT) has therapies etc.</p><p></p><p>Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) - he's 7 - old enough to actually be tested for APDs. Might have to fight to get it, especially if language development is relatively normal. But... subtle auditory problems like "auditory figure ground" are HUGE... this one is where hearing is normal, and comprehension is normal, but filtering is not... so, the kid works well one-on-one in a quiet space, but can't follow the teacher in a (noisy) classroom setting. APDs often look like ADHD. And yes, APDs can co-exist with ADHD, too. But, just think about it - if you can't follow the teacher's instructions or the information being given, how on earth can you do the work? And if you can't do the work, then what is the kid supposed to do with his time?</p><p></p><p>These are just "normal" issues - not pervasive developmental disorders... the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) range (from Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified through to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)) is also something that would be looked at in a comprehensive evaluation. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Its not so much about a "new psychologist", really, but about getting a comprehensive evaluation - and this psychologist hasn't taken that approach, so you will need to go elsewhere for the evaluation. Either a neuropsychologist, or a child development/behavioural team, or other such detailed evaluators.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="soapbox, post: 495241, member: 13003"] Hi, Zora, Welcome - glad you found us, sorry you need to. First, my own bias: like many on this board, I don't put much stock in a diagnosis of ODD. It does describe a set of problem behaviors... but that is about ALL that the diagnosis of ODD does. There are no medications, therapies, interventions or advice that I can find. What ODD does work as, is as a "placeholder" diagnosis... formal recognition that something is wrong, but we haven't quite figured it out yet. You noted in your post that he has sleep issues - this has improved somewhat, but... I'd be taking this very seriously. Sleep isn't just about quantity - its about quality. Everybody, but doubly especially kids, need BOTH quantity and quality. The steps you've taken seem to have added a bit to quantity, at least, but that might not be enough. Sleep issues definitely trigger all sorts of behavior issues even when there were none before, and definitely make any existing issues worse. Any chance of getting a sleep study? What kind of evaluation(s) were done? Was his diagnosis just based on a few observational appointments and some questionaires? or was it intensive, all-day or multi-appointment detailed testing? If he hasn't had a [I]comprehensive[/I] evaluation, I'd recommend looking into it. This should include Occupational Therapist (OT) and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), because there are specific issues that are often overlooked. Occupational Therapist (OT) - sensory and motor skills evaluation - some kids have obvious motor skills problems, but others are less obvious. Fine motor skills problems make school either a major challenge, or almost impossible. Gross motor issues quickly lead to being bullied. If he has trouble writing, tieing shoes, dressing... or thowing a ball, riding a bike... it could be Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and although you may not be able to actually get that diagnosis, the Occupational Therapist (OT) has therapies that help, and can recommend interventions and accommodations at school. Sensory issues I'm not as familiar with, but worth testing at the same time, and again the Occupational Therapist (OT) has therapies etc. Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) - he's 7 - old enough to actually be tested for APDs. Might have to fight to get it, especially if language development is relatively normal. But... subtle auditory problems like "auditory figure ground" are HUGE... this one is where hearing is normal, and comprehension is normal, but filtering is not... so, the kid works well one-on-one in a quiet space, but can't follow the teacher in a (noisy) classroom setting. APDs often look like ADHD. And yes, APDs can co-exist with ADHD, too. But, just think about it - if you can't follow the teacher's instructions or the information being given, how on earth can you do the work? And if you can't do the work, then what is the kid supposed to do with his time? These are just "normal" issues - not pervasive developmental disorders... the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) range (from Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified through to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)) is also something that would be looked at in a comprehensive evaluation. Its not so much about a "new psychologist", really, but about getting a comprehensive evaluation - and this psychologist hasn't taken that approach, so you will need to go elsewhere for the evaluation. Either a neuropsychologist, or a child development/behavioural team, or other such detailed evaluators. [/QUOTE]
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