MWM, I am not in any way afraid of Tourettes....that is not it at all. I must not have been clear, sorry. I also did not say it was a mental health issue, just saying that in the past I have said that it is not important to me to add a bunch of diagnosis like other mental health diagnosis. to the mix. The mental health ones in particular have caused issues for us because if the SD focuses on those then he does not get appropriate placement. I was not implying that tourettes was in that. Yes, the seizures are from the brain injury. I was saying that some have asked if his autism symptoms fall under the brain injury too and while some symptoms overlap, many do not...so it is felt that even if he had never had the brain injury he would have still had autism (he has a bio brother with autism too so....). But I am not so sure if he didn't have the brain injury if he would have the Tourette's symptoms. I think those symptoms totally overlap, so my question is simply what difference does it make if the symptoms are accounted for under ABI instead of Tourettes. Will it offer him treatments that I do not know about? If so I would for sure ask more. Though as I said, seems like he would not be diagnosed with that since his medical condition over rides the diagnosis in the dsm.
So, not resisting it or denying it is tics... I believe it is the same, and I am just honestly asking how it will benefit him to have that diagnosis. The tics are evaluated and accounted for by the brain injury. He doesn't actually meet criteria when I have asked his pediatrician (and now looked it up myself) in the past because though he has the symptoms to meet it, he has the "general medical condition" which accounts for the symptoms....The DSM then says that he can't be diagnosed with it.
I can see that for some people it may be helpful if I could just say he has Tourette's and then they would be more familiar with what is going on. But, I have also worked with kids who have it and because there is no medical proof of it (like we have the mri showing the brain injury) I have worked with staff who just think the kid is manipulative etc. that already happens to us and he has the surgery reports and images to prove the injury and symptoms.
So, my question is simply what will it benefit him? I am truly honestly open to it if there is a benefit. We have chosen medications to specifically address tics/impulse control/moods/seizures/aggression/anxiety. Are there specific treatments that are used in tourette's that we could try, that would be wonderful. We are going back to more eeg/biofeedback etc.
Am I still being confusing? I am not not not against it, just think it is already covered.... but I sure could be wrong....
by the way, I can ask all of them...and am willing to...the pediatrician (specializes in conditions that affect behavior, adhd, autism, tourettes, etc...) psychiatrist, psychologist, neurologist. Our neurologist takes lead for us.