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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 149408" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Mary, I'm not sure where in Sydney you are, but I strongly recommend trying to get him assessed ASAP for more than just ODD. From what I understand, especially given his history, I suspect Cody has something else underlying which is now emerging as ODD (in terms of how it presents).</p><p></p><p>Grab a copy of "The Explosive Child" by Ross Greene, get it from the library first if you need to (the bookshops will order it in for you too). There is also some good discussion on this book on this forum. Definitely it helps with the ODD issues, although it's not a cure.</p><p></p><p>Depending on where you are, I think you need to try and get a referral to either Sydney Children's (Randwick) or Westmead. Both have some really good staff that can help with complex diagnoses, especially with the history of prematurity. But they can be hard to get into, you may find yourself referred back to your local Community Health Centre. And THEY can take ages. If you do get referred back to the Community Health Centre in your area, nag hard for urgent assessment. Be prepared to have to go through some tedious and apparently time-wasting courses (such as 'how to play with your child') because even if it's seemingly pointless, they are still observing you and you HAVE to show willing in order to get to the next stage of assessment, report and therapy. At the age of 5, I would hope they will prioritise him.</p><p></p><p>Alternatively you could choose to 'go private' which will permanently cut you off from access to the Community Health staff, but at least things are more likely to happen faster. Similar to what SRL suggested, you need to find a combination of a psychologist specialising in learning problems, a pediatrician who similarly specialises in this area and also a speech pathologist. In the interests of a fast diagnosis for educational support purposes, put the pediatrician at the top of the list.</p><p></p><p>If you've not been given a clear diagnosis before this, you may need to shop around. Check with various organisations such as Learning Difficulties Coalition, see who they recommend. </p><p></p><p>difficult child 3 was diagnosed at age 3, although we'd been trying to get help before this. His initial diagnosis was via a pediatric psychiatrist who specialises in learning problems. He's based in Strathfield area (roughly) and although he gave us an initial report (which opened some doors for us) he referred us on, and it was finally another pediatrician who put difficult child 3 on stims a few months later. The result, for difficult child 3, was almost miraculous. I know they're not for everybody and I applaud doctors who choose caution, but for us it was the right path to take.</p><p></p><p>Your son should not have started school without a diagnosis. It's not your fault, it's the doctors reluctant to take a chance. They should understand the need for the schools to have access to support. Frankly, a wrong diagnosis is far less damaging than no diagnosis, because ANY diagnosis can get you support. No diagnosis - no support. From my experience, the pediatricians who have a better understanding of the interconnection needed between a diagnosis and the education system tend to be the ones who can best steer you through those years of education of your child.</p><p></p><p>And for those in the US - in Australia, it tends to be pediatricians (including pediatric psychiatrists) who are the most appropriate ones to diagnose and treat this sort of problem. However, if you bear this in mind but use SRL's list of who to try and see, you can't go far wrong.</p><p></p><p>The annoying thing is the time it can take to get the vital help the child needs. Given the problems he's having, plus the school being on side, you might have enough leverage to speed things up.</p><p></p><p>Good luck with getting the behaviour school placement, I hope they can help and that it is a good fit for him. Let us know how you get on.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 149408, member: 1991"] Mary, I'm not sure where in Sydney you are, but I strongly recommend trying to get him assessed ASAP for more than just ODD. From what I understand, especially given his history, I suspect Cody has something else underlying which is now emerging as ODD (in terms of how it presents). Grab a copy of "The Explosive Child" by Ross Greene, get it from the library first if you need to (the bookshops will order it in for you too). There is also some good discussion on this book on this forum. Definitely it helps with the ODD issues, although it's not a cure. Depending on where you are, I think you need to try and get a referral to either Sydney Children's (Randwick) or Westmead. Both have some really good staff that can help with complex diagnoses, especially with the history of prematurity. But they can be hard to get into, you may find yourself referred back to your local Community Health Centre. And THEY can take ages. If you do get referred back to the Community Health Centre in your area, nag hard for urgent assessment. Be prepared to have to go through some tedious and apparently time-wasting courses (such as 'how to play with your child') because even if it's seemingly pointless, they are still observing you and you HAVE to show willing in order to get to the next stage of assessment, report and therapy. At the age of 5, I would hope they will prioritise him. Alternatively you could choose to 'go private' which will permanently cut you off from access to the Community Health staff, but at least things are more likely to happen faster. Similar to what SRL suggested, you need to find a combination of a psychologist specialising in learning problems, a pediatrician who similarly specialises in this area and also a speech pathologist. In the interests of a fast diagnosis for educational support purposes, put the pediatrician at the top of the list. If you've not been given a clear diagnosis before this, you may need to shop around. Check with various organisations such as Learning Difficulties Coalition, see who they recommend. difficult child 3 was diagnosed at age 3, although we'd been trying to get help before this. His initial diagnosis was via a pediatric psychiatrist who specialises in learning problems. He's based in Strathfield area (roughly) and although he gave us an initial report (which opened some doors for us) he referred us on, and it was finally another pediatrician who put difficult child 3 on stims a few months later. The result, for difficult child 3, was almost miraculous. I know they're not for everybody and I applaud doctors who choose caution, but for us it was the right path to take. Your son should not have started school without a diagnosis. It's not your fault, it's the doctors reluctant to take a chance. They should understand the need for the schools to have access to support. Frankly, a wrong diagnosis is far less damaging than no diagnosis, because ANY diagnosis can get you support. No diagnosis - no support. From my experience, the pediatricians who have a better understanding of the interconnection needed between a diagnosis and the education system tend to be the ones who can best steer you through those years of education of your child. And for those in the US - in Australia, it tends to be pediatricians (including pediatric psychiatrists) who are the most appropriate ones to diagnose and treat this sort of problem. However, if you bear this in mind but use SRL's list of who to try and see, you can't go far wrong. The annoying thing is the time it can take to get the vital help the child needs. Given the problems he's having, plus the school being on side, you might have enough leverage to speed things up. Good luck with getting the behaviour school placement, I hope they can help and that it is a good fit for him. Let us know how you get on. Marg [/QUOTE]
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