New Mom, same story

[Pumkinpie]

I guess I forgot to mention my son has been in Speech Therapy since before he started school. I took him to a private speech therapist until school age then the school took over on his speech therapy. He currently gets 90 min a week of therapy at school for language and articulation. To be honest there are so many things that I havent mentioned with his problems because it would take me days to get it all down.

Sad thing is I suspect Autism when he was 5 but being the mother my opinion holds no bearing. One big indicator is he cant read but he can do 6 grade math and he does the problems in his head rather than on paper. He could do multiplication problems in the second grade. He likes math and will sometimes make problems for himself to solve in his free time. I also told the school that as a reward for good behavior they should give him complex puzzles to solve. He enjoys getting different puzzles for gifts like interlocking 3D pieces where he has to get them apart and figure out how to get them back together. That will normally occupy him for about an hr till he figures it out or has a tantrum because he thinks it to hard.

I asked if ODD is a symptom of Autism. The Lady at the regional center wasnt positive. She believes that when he was at the hospital they were looking for Psychiatric problems. Does anyone know if ODD does coincide with Autism?

 

[SRL]

You won't find ODD sitting on the list of autistic traits but it's very common for the children to be rigid and inflexible and have sensory problems which lead to ODD behaviors. The longer they go without being correctly diagnosed, the worse the problems usually get because often they are in wrong settings and are wrongly medicated. With Autism it's interventions first, medications later if those don't work.

It would be helpful for you to get all of your information organized for any upcoming evaluation. This should help you.

http://www.conductdisorders.com/community/threads/parent-input-multi-disciplinary-evaluation.10/

 

[trinityroyal]

ODD often accompanies Autism Spectrum Disorders, in many cases because the child's frustration and other difficulties lead to lots of oppositional defiant behaviour.

A lot of the parents on the board have said that once the right interventions were in place for their children, the ODD symptoms decreased significantly.

In a lot of cases Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) resembles ADHD and ODD. Since those features are easy to spot, many doctors focus on them first, rather than getting to the root of what's causing the hyperactivity, defiance, or whatever other behaviour your child is exhibiting.

Getting a diagnosis and getting access to the right services can be incredibly hard. Hang in there, you're doing all the right things...and your persistence will pay off in the long run.

 

[busywend]

I am so glad you found someone to listen! Keep her # handy!

:whew:

 

[Pumkinpie]

Well called the #'s the Lady at Regional Center gave me one is disconnected the other is actually for a pediatrician psychiatric Dr who isnt taking new patients till April. Chase tail turn circle

Called St. Loius Children's Hospital - You are not on our region so we cannot offer any services to you sorry. . . She gave me 2 #'s. . Chase tail turn circle

1st # - Local # for an agency here in town called several times turned out to be residence who had no clue what I was looking for. . .Dead end chase tail turn circle getting a bit dizzy

2nd # - got voice mail now wait to see if I get a return call. . . I do the hookie pookie and I turn myself around

 

[SRL]

Do you have insurance?

 

[Pumkinpie]

Yes my husband is retired from the army so we have Champus. Can use it any where in the country that will accept it.

 

[busywend]

Call your local NAMI office and tell them you really need some help finding mental health medical care for your difficult child.

 

[Steely]

I'm assuming your child has an IEP in the USA. FYI, if the school district can not educate him without him hurting others, and obviously they can't, you may want to call an IEP meeting and attempt to get his placement changed to Residential Treatment Center (RTC).

The school district will not likely want to do Residential Treatment Center (RTC) because it is very expensive. However, they are mandated to educate your child in the least restrictive environment. If that's an Residential Treatment Center (RTC), that's the LRE. Further, if they do not have the ability to educate, they must contract with an entity that does.

I second what Shelia says. The SD is required to admit him to a Residential Treatment Center (RTC), their bankroll, if they cannot contain him in school. This is the avenue I think I would fight for right now. If you wait too long, the police will be involved. Start leaning on the SD to provide to you the things, by law, the have to. A FAPE, free and appropriate education.

What medications is he taking? And dosages?
And what is his verbal IQ vs his NonVerbal?
This will also help me know, possibly, how to direct you more.
You need a copy of his testing in front of you at all times, in order to get more services from the State.

Hang in there, we will help you through this.