Neuropscyh appointment. and the medication taper is not going well for my kids

IT1967

Member
We had the parent meeting for difficult child 2 to go over all the test results with-the neuropsychologist today. She really didn't shed too much new light on anything. She added nothing to our diagnoses of ADHD and anxiety. She felt his learning, etc... is fine, which we knew already. She feels the biggest problems are with-his anxiety primarily, mixed in with-his ADHD (executive function skills). Her recommendation is to up his therapy sessions with-the psychologis to weekly, which is something I've been trying to do for a year. I'm pretty frustrated because I *knew* he needs more therapy (both kids do) and while I really love our therapist, we can barely see her she's so booked up. I left a msg for a new therapist my friend used and loved when her daughter was going through terrible anxiety. He was able to see her daughter far more often than our therapist sees us. I hate to leave my current one, but at this point, she's just doing triage when we see her. We're playing catchup with her all the time. And she gets to spend like 10 minutes with-difficult child 2 once a month. difficult child 1 hasn't been in to see her in months unfortunately and she desperately needs to see her or someone else more frequently as well.

As for my kids coming off the Risperdal, it's not going well at all. They've both been having a lot more issues in school the past week or two. Meltdowns for difficult child 2 and crying over tiny corrections by her teachers for difficult child 2. But due to negative side effects, they both have to come off the Risperdal. I'm hanging on by a thread until the second opinion with-the new psychiatrist next week and it's only for difficult child 2. difficult child 1's appointment. with-the second opinion isn't until January. And I don't even know that there's going to be options for other medications for them. I'm petrified of the thought of trying to up their SSRI, which is the direction I'm sure the doctors. will want to head due to both of their anxiety being so out of control at the moment. They're both currently on Celexa, 10mg. which is probably too low a dose. However, they both had previously tried Zoloft and it worked well at first, but as soon as the doses were upped, they went off the deep end and that's how we ended up on the Risperdal in the first place. I feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. I'm pretty down and upset about it all. There's been so much stress otherwise in our lives personally (death in the family, me stopping work). I'm having a hard time coping myself. I'm trying with-every ounce of strength I have to keep it together and be the picture of calm for the kids, but sometimes it's so hard.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
It's a hard row. None of us have "the answer" but at least you are working to find the answer. More power to you. DDD
 

IT1967

Member
Oh, and the neuropsychologist is the 3rd or 4th professional to say difficult child 2 does not have Asperger's, so I feel that diagnosis has been ruled out pretty conclusively. It's the anxiety symptoms that are causing so much difficulties. :(
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
difficult child 2 is a girl? unless you get an evaluator who is REALLY up to date on Asperger's and girls, you won't get a diagnosis. Doesn't mean she doesn't have it. Do your own research into things that work for Aspie girls in particular, and see what works, and use it. I've been known to tell teachers that my kid "needs to be handled as though X has Asperger's", even though we don't have a working diagnosis. SOME of them catch on and it helps.
 

IT1967

Member
I think I made a typo. difficult child 2 is a boy. difficult child 1 is a girl. But my kids' issue are so similar, I'm thinking neither is asperger's. The main issue I see that's Aspergers-like is that rigidity in the thinking/inflexible/black & white mentality. But they've never had lack of eye contact or delayed development, etc...
 

Malika

Well-Known Member
Don't worry, I understand - my son is also often inflexible in his thinking (on any matter, that is, that concerns his wants and preferences - for other things that don't touch him personally, his thinking is quite fluid and sophisticated) and he doesn't have Asperger's.

Have you tried or thought about trying Strattera? It is often diagnosed for ADHD where anxiety is also present. One of the real downsides is that it takes a long time to see results - up to two months. It can have a lot of side effects for some people. But it could be worth a try if you are running out of ideas.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
The main issue I see that's Aspergers-like is that rigidity in the thinking/inflexible/black & white mentality. But they've never had lack of eye contact or delayed development, etc...
The single biggest factor in Asperger's is social skills development. This is a lot more subtle than physical development, and doctors do not measure it... nobody does, really. But the kid who cannot form and maintain "normal peer relationships" (and the key word is PEER - same age, same grade, same gender), definitely has a social skills problem. And that problem has huge implications on day to day life. The social skills deficits of an Asperger's kid is different than, say, a kid with ADD/ADHD, in that the latter isn't so far behind socially, but other challenges get in the way (like impulsivity), while the kid with Asperger's really doesn't "get" the social scene. Not as obvious with girls, because they typically are more social than boys to start with... so their social skills are not labeled as behind, but compared to neurotypical GIRLS, they are way behind...
 
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