Lets get this started.

[SophiaMaria]

Hi, i'm new, but greatful to find this place. Our adopted son was (finally ) after 7 years of begging for help diagnosed with ODD/ADHD. We finally feel like we have a chance to plan a strategy. We're not sure what it will entail yet as we have to see the pediatrician still. I can only pray the road will be a bit less bumpy as we start to proceed. I hope to read some sucess stories here, really hoping.

 

[DDD]

Welcome. I'm glad you have reason to feel optimistic. Who did the diagnosis. on your son? Most of us find that a pediatrician is not the best qualified to monitor progress with our difficult child's. Often a pediatric psychiatrist or a neuro psychologist who specializes in children has the better information on medication treatments etc.

The weekend are slow so I'm sure you'll hear from plenty of others soon. Just wanted to let you know that someone has read your post and welcomed you to the CD family. DDD

 

[SophiaMaria]

He was seen by a Psychologist thursday, he goes every second year for a neuropsychologist exam. When i mentioned that he was going to a different doctor who could hopefully provide either a diagnosis or some guidance he pipes up the he can do that. I was floored that after all these years he neglected to tell us this sooner so we could look into solutions. He is referring us to a pediatrician. who will hopefully be looking at setting up therapy and possibly medical intervention.

And thanks for the welcome!

 

[timer lady]

Hi & welcome, DDD is right, weekends tend to be slow around here.

Multidisciplary evaluations, usually include neuropsychologist testing. AND in the end at your difficult children age you may find many diagnosis's before the right fit for your son.

At what age was your child adopted? Many adopted children if adopted from foster care suffer from some type of PTSD &/or attachment/adoption issues. Just one of the many things to consider. In the case of attachment issues (which is a full spectrum) all else should be ruled out unless it's so very blatant it slaps your or your psychiatrist/therapist in the face.

I hope we can help you find your way about in GFGland. Again, welcome.

 

[SophiaMaria]

I was always leaning more towards Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), than ODD, so i have to agree, checking it out all the way around is a good thing, i figure i live with the child, i have a slightly better knowledge of his actions.
He was removed from his home at 3 1/2, and was in foster care until close to 7 yrs of age. We know this all impacts everything and are still stunned to this day that we just haven't been able to get help, he slipped through the cracks big time, and despite the fact we begged for help from nearly day one, it's only now all coming to light.

 

[timer lady]

Sweetie, it is a full spectrum disorder - from attachment issues to full blow reactive attachment disorder. Moves about the foster system haven't helped difficult children little psyche.

I knew before all the tests were complete what we were dealing with in kt & wm. Knew it in my heart. I did a great deal of reparenting; lots of nurturing things like rocking & giving my tweedles a bottle; allowing them to wear big kid diapers; playing with them in the bathtub & swaddling them at night.

Lots of sensory intervention since they were ignored a great deal - a big bin of rice mixed with all sorts of beans. kt spent hours sorting the beans from the rice; wm would build a road of rice & race his cars thru it. Mnay of our little ones missed the sensory experiences of being a baby so that helped in many ways.

Whatever the diagnosis, it can't hurt to spend a bit extra time to do nurturing routines & things. Our little foster turned adoptive babies many times need that extra "love" from mum & dad.

 

[BusynMember]

Have to agree with checking out significant attachment issues. I would think it would be almost impossible that by seven he didn't have these problems. I adopted a six year old and he's thirty-two now and still struggling with attachment. He was almost a formed person when you adopted him (as my son says to me about himself). It is harder to adopt a child whose basic personality has already been formed and who had much chaos and probably abuse for all those years.

There are a lot of books about attachment. Unfortunately, I can't think of any titles now. But I'd get him into therapy with somebody who understands that an adopted seven year old is not the same as just somebody's biological child who is having problems. These are deeper and different on top of the regular stuff!

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

 

[SophiaMaria]

Have to agree with checking out significant attachment issues. I would think it would be almost impossible that by seven he didn't have these problems. I adopted a six year old and he's thirty-two now and still struggling with attachment. He was almost a formed person when you adopted him (as my son says to me about himself). It is harder to adopt a child whose basic personality has already been formed and who had much chaos and probably abuse for all those years.

There are a lot of books about attachment. Unfortunately, I can't think of any titles now. But I'd get him into therapy with somebody who understands that an adopted seven year old is not the same as just somebody's biological child who is having problems. These are deeper and different on top of the regular stuff!

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Exactly, but for some reason the gov't adoptive processers couldn't seem to get that through their heads.

 

[Wiped Out]

Wanting to add in my welcome. Glad you found our little corner of the world (sorry you had to though). Hugs.

 

[SophiaMaria]

Wanting to add in my welcome. Glad you found our little corner of the world (sorry you had to though). Hugs.

Thanks. I'm thinking i'm going to learn alot here.