Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Whats the right diagnosis and order of treatment?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="buddy" data-source="post: 570054" data-attributes="member: 12886"><p>Is he in the USA? If so he can't be expelled from a school if he is identified as a child with special needs. maybe you are using that term to mean they decided to move him which the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team can decide to do but unless he did something with drugs or had a weapon at school he could not be expelled. If that really happened I am not sure what is going on....</p><p></p><p>Is he in the public schools or private? In the public schools he would have had an evaluation and a plan designed tohelp him reach appropriate educational and behavioral and social goals would be developed. For children with behaviors, there is an additional behavioral evaluation that must be done to look at the specific behaviors in question (called an FBA, functional behavior analysis) and a plan called a positive behavior intervention plan (PBIP) or similar term must be developed. The plan must use positive methods (not punishment and restraint) to help him develop skills to do things that are an alternate to the negative behaviors. If he is being restrained it must be a specialized plan (unless done on an emergency basis and rarely) and even then if it has to be used frequently it must be documented well and it means the pbis is inadequate and must be redone to look at what is causing the upsets. This is federal and state law across the entire country (called IDEA). It is not optional for schools. Even if he is in private school he may go to the public school in his area for an evaluation to classify him as educationally disabled and he can receive services through the public schools while at the private school (he would have to be brought to the public site for that, sometimes half day during the week or after school hours). BY THE WAY...transportation is part of the IEP accommodations and if there is behavior on the bus it must also be addressed through a plan. My son has his own bus with specially a specially trained aide and driver. He has had zero incidents since that. They can not kick him off the bus as a method of behavior management just like they can't suspend more than ten times per year. Its the law.</p><p></p><p>In addition to the neuropsychologists evaluation (make sure you do not go to a neuropschiatrist, different professional both sometimes called neuropsychologist) I'd suggest from what you said that you encourage the mother to get him to a therapy clinic for children where they have occupational therapists and speech/language therapists. The Occupational Therapist (OT) (occupational therapist) looks at fine motor and sensory integration skills. (sensory integration issues cause a child to sometimes look very defensive or on the other end can seem very adhd because they either avoid sensory input or they seek it out excessively) and you already mentioned the fine motor issues. THe schools should have tested for these but therapy for these things in the schools will only address what DIRECTLY affects current work and sadly rarely even then....despite the fact that over and over in the courts it has been made clear that there is to be no difference between school and private therapies. (recently a mother here of a child who had an accidental brain injury won a big case for that). But knowing of these issues results in many accommodations in schools like sensory breaks, offering of items like weighted blankets to help kids calm etc. It is very very important to help figure this out. Therapy for fine motor skills is extremely helpful for most who use it. </p><p>The speech language therapist (Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) formally called a speech language pathologist) not only looks at how a child says sounds (what most people associate speech therapy as being) but also looks at how well a person can express themselves and understand communication and can investigate the root cause(s) of that. For example some kids may hear fine but their brains do not interpret sound, sometimes all sound sometimes only language sometimes a mix.....and it is important to see what is going on. Can you imagine if no one found that out...that would make a child look like they were delayed cognitively! They also work on non verbal social communication skills. THese skills are the biggest determiner of social communication success. For many kids with disabilities their ability to read faces and body language is off. So is their ability to use appropriate tone of voice, and use of body and facial expressions. If he has not had a complete evaluation for these issues, it could be very very informative and for him if they find something, could be life changing.</p><p></p><p>Getting in to see these professionals can often happen sooner than a neuropsychologist and they do much more indepth testing in their areas than the neuropsychologist can do. So, if you get it done first and then bring those results to the neuropsychologist they can use that information to help you receive a more appropriate diagnosis. </p><p></p><p>His genetic background is important and mental health is a big risk for him. That does not explain the developmental issues you describe though. However, sadly many of our kids are hit with more than one thing. If you only see a mental health professional, they often just flat out deny other reasons for behavior. so, even if we love and trust a doctor, our loyalty is to our kids to look under every rock to make sure we are not missing some critical piece of info. And I am not talking about off the wall evaluations.....endless searches....etc. The things we discussed here are very mainstream things and very comprehensive. Unfortunately many people are not guided by their health professionals to get these things done. They often do not understand the true overwhelming nature of what is going on at home. Our kids can hold it together for short periods of time and can seem different out of their home environment, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better so when we discuss what is going on with professionals, it is not a time to brag on the strengths (which as parents we want to do to make our kids not sound so negative as well as it is natural to want to look for the good...but when looking for services and diagnosis, this is the time to really let them know how it is).....not saying to exaggerate but do not forgo the negative issues and negate them with buts......but he is good at ....nope, not the time to do that. The forms you fill out will give a chance to say what he can do and what he cant. If borderline go for the cant side of the options. Skills need to be solid before they are considered accomplished.</p><p></p><p>Neuropsychs are good at taking information from several sources and putting the big picture together. Their training is specifically to figure out how behavior is connected to how our brains work. </p><p></p><p>I hope for difficult child's sake if these things have not been done, that his family is open to it. I know it is not easy. Trust me, most of us know. He is getting older and as I have had to adjust to in the last year, when they hit that adolescent growth spurt, life takes a dramatic turn. People everywhere have fears and are less willing to be accommodating so it is important to know school laws and have a paper trail of evidence regarding his disability challenge areas. Therapy to help him regulate his behavior will likely need to be on several fronts because all of these pieces pile up on eachother and make our kids look just plain oppositional and defiant. This is why many here do not look at ODD as a stand alone diagnosis. It simply describes behavior and can allow insurance to pay for services, but it does not help with why this is going on which is the ticket. Sometimes that is not doable, but from what you are describing, seems like some things will be pretty clear on evaluations and can lead to some level of therapies both private and in schools. </p><p></p><p>I'm anxious to hear if you are in the USA and if he has a special education plan. </p><p></p><p>If he does not, many here can help his mom to get that ball rolling. I imagine he has one, but just curious when you said he had been expelled and that he is restrained. </p><p></p><p>You sound like a stand up guy, the family is lucky to have you.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="buddy, post: 570054, member: 12886"] Is he in the USA? If so he can't be expelled from a school if he is identified as a child with special needs. maybe you are using that term to mean they decided to move him which the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team can decide to do but unless he did something with drugs or had a weapon at school he could not be expelled. If that really happened I am not sure what is going on.... Is he in the public schools or private? In the public schools he would have had an evaluation and a plan designed tohelp him reach appropriate educational and behavioral and social goals would be developed. For children with behaviors, there is an additional behavioral evaluation that must be done to look at the specific behaviors in question (called an FBA, functional behavior analysis) and a plan called a positive behavior intervention plan (PBIP) or similar term must be developed. The plan must use positive methods (not punishment and restraint) to help him develop skills to do things that are an alternate to the negative behaviors. If he is being restrained it must be a specialized plan (unless done on an emergency basis and rarely) and even then if it has to be used frequently it must be documented well and it means the pbis is inadequate and must be redone to look at what is causing the upsets. This is federal and state law across the entire country (called IDEA). It is not optional for schools. Even if he is in private school he may go to the public school in his area for an evaluation to classify him as educationally disabled and he can receive services through the public schools while at the private school (he would have to be brought to the public site for that, sometimes half day during the week or after school hours). BY THE WAY...transportation is part of the IEP accommodations and if there is behavior on the bus it must also be addressed through a plan. My son has his own bus with specially a specially trained aide and driver. He has had zero incidents since that. They can not kick him off the bus as a method of behavior management just like they can't suspend more than ten times per year. Its the law. In addition to the neuropsychologists evaluation (make sure you do not go to a neuropschiatrist, different professional both sometimes called neuropsychologist) I'd suggest from what you said that you encourage the mother to get him to a therapy clinic for children where they have occupational therapists and speech/language therapists. The Occupational Therapist (OT) (occupational therapist) looks at fine motor and sensory integration skills. (sensory integration issues cause a child to sometimes look very defensive or on the other end can seem very adhd because they either avoid sensory input or they seek it out excessively) and you already mentioned the fine motor issues. THe schools should have tested for these but therapy for these things in the schools will only address what DIRECTLY affects current work and sadly rarely even then....despite the fact that over and over in the courts it has been made clear that there is to be no difference between school and private therapies. (recently a mother here of a child who had an accidental brain injury won a big case for that). But knowing of these issues results in many accommodations in schools like sensory breaks, offering of items like weighted blankets to help kids calm etc. It is very very important to help figure this out. Therapy for fine motor skills is extremely helpful for most who use it. The speech language therapist (Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) formally called a speech language pathologist) not only looks at how a child says sounds (what most people associate speech therapy as being) but also looks at how well a person can express themselves and understand communication and can investigate the root cause(s) of that. For example some kids may hear fine but their brains do not interpret sound, sometimes all sound sometimes only language sometimes a mix.....and it is important to see what is going on. Can you imagine if no one found that out...that would make a child look like they were delayed cognitively! They also work on non verbal social communication skills. THese skills are the biggest determiner of social communication success. For many kids with disabilities their ability to read faces and body language is off. So is their ability to use appropriate tone of voice, and use of body and facial expressions. If he has not had a complete evaluation for these issues, it could be very very informative and for him if they find something, could be life changing. Getting in to see these professionals can often happen sooner than a neuropsychologist and they do much more indepth testing in their areas than the neuropsychologist can do. So, if you get it done first and then bring those results to the neuropsychologist they can use that information to help you receive a more appropriate diagnosis. His genetic background is important and mental health is a big risk for him. That does not explain the developmental issues you describe though. However, sadly many of our kids are hit with more than one thing. If you only see a mental health professional, they often just flat out deny other reasons for behavior. so, even if we love and trust a doctor, our loyalty is to our kids to look under every rock to make sure we are not missing some critical piece of info. And I am not talking about off the wall evaluations.....endless searches....etc. The things we discussed here are very mainstream things and very comprehensive. Unfortunately many people are not guided by their health professionals to get these things done. They often do not understand the true overwhelming nature of what is going on at home. Our kids can hold it together for short periods of time and can seem different out of their home environment, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better so when we discuss what is going on with professionals, it is not a time to brag on the strengths (which as parents we want to do to make our kids not sound so negative as well as it is natural to want to look for the good...but when looking for services and diagnosis, this is the time to really let them know how it is).....not saying to exaggerate but do not forgo the negative issues and negate them with buts......but he is good at ....nope, not the time to do that. The forms you fill out will give a chance to say what he can do and what he cant. If borderline go for the cant side of the options. Skills need to be solid before they are considered accomplished. Neuropsychs are good at taking information from several sources and putting the big picture together. Their training is specifically to figure out how behavior is connected to how our brains work. I hope for difficult child's sake if these things have not been done, that his family is open to it. I know it is not easy. Trust me, most of us know. He is getting older and as I have had to adjust to in the last year, when they hit that adolescent growth spurt, life takes a dramatic turn. People everywhere have fears and are less willing to be accommodating so it is important to know school laws and have a paper trail of evidence regarding his disability challenge areas. Therapy to help him regulate his behavior will likely need to be on several fronts because all of these pieces pile up on eachother and make our kids look just plain oppositional and defiant. This is why many here do not look at ODD as a stand alone diagnosis. It simply describes behavior and can allow insurance to pay for services, but it does not help with why this is going on which is the ticket. Sometimes that is not doable, but from what you are describing, seems like some things will be pretty clear on evaluations and can lead to some level of therapies both private and in schools. I'm anxious to hear if you are in the USA and if he has a special education plan. If he does not, many here can help his mom to get that ball rolling. I imagine he has one, but just curious when you said he had been expelled and that he is restrained. You sound like a stand up guy, the family is lucky to have you. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Whats the right diagnosis and order of treatment?
Top