Neuro psychiatric evaluation scheduled - NEW TO ALL THIS!

sjomcg

New Member
New here. Feeling more alone and isolated all the time from difficult child's (almost 9 yrs) increasingly difficult behavior.
Just made appointment for neuro pshch evaluation today. We have NO social/medical history from B4 age 15 months for him. What kind of things will they be able to find/tell us? This is all so new.
So happy (like I can not express) to have found this site! Can't wait to dive in and learn more.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!
 

Chaosuncontained

New Member
Welcome!! There are others who can tell you that a neuro psychiatric can give you amazing help and answers. I have no experience with a neuro )sych. Carson is being evaluated by a clinical psychiatric next week.

You are in a good place. I was totally clueless when I got here (not too long ago)--but the ladies here have given me info and support that is inmeasurable.

Good luck to you!! (PS: Come here as often as you need to...I'm here daily LOL)
 

sjomcg

New Member
Thank you! Clueless is a good way to describe me for more than just forums but I will get the hang of it. LOL! We have been seeing a clinical psychiatric and he finally scratched his head and sent us to the neuro psychiatric. We'll see. I would just like some direction in how to handle and help our child while parenting our younger ones too. They seem to get the short end of the stick a lot of the time even though we try not to.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Hi. Glad you stopped by, but sorry you had to come. Multiple adoptive mom here.

I wondered if your child lived in an orphanage before he was adopted and if he has attachment problems. What sort of things do you see with your child? Older-adopted kids from foster care or orphanages often have a lot of problems. A neuropsychologist should be able to check for everything, even without a history. Of course, it is always easier when you do know about the child's genetics.

Welcome and keep posting. I check in pretty often too :)
 

sjomcg

New Member
Hi Midwest!
Yes, my difficult child was abandoned at birth (in the hospital) and lived in orphanage until we met him at 15 mo of age. We have no info on gestation, pre-natal exposure, birth process, degree of neglect (intentional or non-intentional), childhood diseases .... nothing. One week after arriving home we had our appointment with the pediatrician he weighed only 16 lbs. We were told he suffered institutional delay and malnutrition. We knew nothing when we traveled over to Ukraine. We had no children and he had no parents..... should be a perfect fit right? If I could do it all over again I would not change anything..... I would just be more prepared and have started learning to help him a lot earlier. He has had some testing done through school. Crazy thing is... sometimes he acts like a easy child!!!! It is then when he does his best to manipulate the situation and control everything. He rates very high in opposition and aggression. He has a very high IQ which doesn't make it easier. He does not qualify for an IEP because no learning problems.
I am anxious and nervous about what the Neuro psychiatric evaluation will show but at least we will know what we are dealing with. We have read all the books and spent countless hours on the internet. NOTHING seems to describe our boy. ?????? My husband thinks we should write a book. LOL!
Thanks again! I will check back often. This forum seems to give me peace like I have not experienced in a few years.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Have you read up on residual effects of lack of early nurturing? He could have attachment problems.

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]What happens if this window of opportunity is missed?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The impact of impaired bonding in early childhood varies. With severe emotional neglect in early childhood the impact can be devastating. Children without touch, stimulation, and nurturing can literally lose the capacity to form any meaningful relationships for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, most children do not suffer this degree of severe neglect. There are, however, many millions of children who have some degree of impaired bonding and attachment during early childhood. The problems that result from this can range from mild interpersonal discomfort to profound social and emotional problems. In general, the severity of problems is related to how early in life, how prolonged, and how severe the emotional neglect has been.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]This does not mean that children with these experiences have no hope to develop normal relationships. Very little is known about the ability of replacement experiences later in life to "replace" or repair the undeveloped or poorly organized bonding and attachment capabilities. Clinical experiences and a number of studies suggest that improvement can take place, but it is a long, difficult, and frustrating process for families and children. It may take many years of hard work to help repair the damage from only a few months of neglect in infancy.

ME AGAIN:

I would find a psychiatrist who is used to working with children who were adopted at older ages. Some of his issues, if not most, are likely related to that. Just a guess from experience. Most psychiatrists don't catch it because they aren't used to looking for it or they don't understand it.

Hugs and keep posting!
[/FONT]
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Glad you have the N/P testing scheduled. Don't worry about not having specific information from birth...the fact that the info is not available will speak volumes to the N/P. The assumptions will be that he likely had a normal birth (no physical signs to indicate otherwise) but that he lacked the nurturing that all babies need. What will be more important is the information you provide on your parenting experiences with him, his developmental patterns once with you, and your notes on how he progressed.
If you haven't already done so, put in writing relevant info in a nutshell. Sleep patterns, eating habits, reaction to affection, interaction with family and the later interaction with peers prior to school and since school. I found it valuable to list typical day timelines covering a week that indicated how the family interacted and his reactions. by the way, that week's records surprised me a bit because there actually were more stressfree times than I felt there were. Sometimes we get so involved in antiicpating problems that it's easy to overlook that there are ok times, too. Fingers crossed that your results are worthwhile. DDD
 
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