After noticing several things on my own, the pre-K teacher at my girls school mentioned that one of my daughters may have ADHD. I don't know if that is it but I want to make sure that all the basis are covered. We have set up testing for the 4th of June. Insurance wont cover it until she is 5 years old (Bday on the 3rd)
When asked what tests I wanted run I didn't know what to say.
I said that my councilor had mentioned that it sounded like it was impulse control issues and maybe sensory issues. She also cant sit or stand still. She is constantly moving. The teaching assistant has even put her at the end of the line where she is so that she can hold her hand and help keep her focused. In an assembly yesterday I noticed that the assistant put my daughter on her lap. I'm sure it was to help her sit still and keep her feet from hitting the bleachers repeatedly, causing disruption.
She is loving and impulsive. She loves to hug people, but does it repeatedly and often hugs their neck to the point of choking them. She is tender hearted and gets her feelings hurt easily.
Do any of you have any experience with having your child tested for any problems like these (impulse control, sensory, adhd, any thing else...)and know the names of the tests I should ask for? I feel very ignorant even after 19 years in the teaching profession. I deal with kids in my art room that have IEPs and 504s all the time, but have never been on this end of the problem (for lack of a better term). I am not upset at all. I just want to make sure that I know what to do to help her get the correct diagnosis and the proper help so that she can be and feel succesful.
My brother, sister and I all have an auditory/memory perception disability and I will want to test them for that too when they are both a little older. It's a genetic thing but doesn't help to test it before certain milestones are hit. I have already alerted the speech thereapist at their school and she said that she would give them a simple version of the test next year. That and the test from an audioloist will get that process started.
Thanks Ladies! I feel more informed already! I hate not knowing what to expect or what is needed!
I am seeing a councilor because of depression and my divorce. The majority or patients he sees are children and his practice has a specific person that handles the testing if needed. She will be doing the testing but it was the receptionist who set the appointment up.Neither have ever seen or heard anything about my Bren. I will be seeing my councilor next Tuesday and at that time can make sure everything is headed in the right direction.
We are in the middle of changing pediatritians so I won't ask that group. I am fed up with the group we have used from the girls birth. I went in for over a year asking questions about Tori vomiting every2-3 days. They continued to say it was reflux, but meds didn't help. I asked about allergies and was 'poo-pooed'. I took it upon myself to take her to a gastroenterologist who diagnosed milk allergy. She also has diagnosed my other daughter with lactose intolerance. No more vomit or tummy aches for either!
B.B.- I'm guessing that you didn't intend your help to come off the way it did :) I know it is not my 'job' to know what tests to have run, but I am a proactive, involved parent who sees children every day at work that have a wide variety of problems, some diagnosed, some not and I see the damage that can be done when kids are labeled as "bad kids" when I may feel like they just have a different perspective or an issue that can be worked on so they are not "bad". I like knowing what is going on and see it as continuing my life education. In my world, I need to know. That and I don't want to have to keep bringing her back in for more and more tests. I would like the bases covered in one or two appointment so I can help her more quickly (and not have to pay extra co-pays).
I'm wondering who you talked to, and who the appointment is with. A developmental pediatrician should examine her, and that person should determien the tests. If the place is asking YOU what tests to run, I'm wondering if that place knows what they are doing, and maybe you should find somewhere else.
Who is going to be doing these evaluations? Most general pediatricians are not capable of diagnosing ADHD. You should take her to a Neurologist, Neuropsychologist, Developmental Pediatrician or a Psychiatrist. My son was diagnosed independently by both a Neurologist and a Neuropsychologist. The neuropsychologist's exam was very comprehensive--4 hours of hands-on testing, which really helped me get some insight into how my son's brain is working and where some of his deficiencies are. He was also able to confirm some of my suspicions about sensory issues, but didn't believe that they were causing most of his troubles.
Good luck to you, and bravo to you for being willing to help your daughter through this!
We just did our testing for our 5-year-old through the local children's hospital and got an ADHD diagnosis yesterday (he already has SPD). We used the Behavior and Development Clinic there.
A pediatric psych (or someone like that) determines the tests to use, not you. They should set up an initial visit that includes parents and kiddo to talk about the concerns and monitor the behaviors. That helps give them direction on what to test, and then it is just the kid for the next appt. After that, the parents go back to talk about the results and next steps.
Oddly enough, our testing was NOT covered by insurance because he turned 5! They only pay for up to 5, and that includes his OT. What a crock.
Good luck!
OK. I am a school psychologist and a Special Education administrator and there are a few issues here...
1. You don't need to go through your insurance. Call your school district and request a preschool evaluation. You will need to submit your request in writing, but they will walk you through the process.
2. You don't (as a parent) request specific tests, you request an evaluation and let the psychologist or case manager know your concerns. The evaluation specialists will determine which instruments are to be used. If a provider asks YOU what you want given... find another provider.
3. Don't jump the gun on the auditory processing evaluations. They are young and those assessments are not completely valid until 8 or 9.
My son had testing through the school district. They welcomed him into thier program, provided him with OT and other coping measures. The testing was to see where he was academically, while they said that he was pretty age apprpriate there were signs that were not. We started him in school then, we also took him to a psychologist who did diagnoose my son with ADHD & Sensory.
He was 3 when this all started, and he is not 5 yet. We are still working with him.
We have done diet changes, Accupuncture (no needles), as well as OT, and the school has really worked with him. People who have been around him for a while, are really noticing a positive differnece.
http://coveredincomfort.com/ on this site it has some info about sensory kids..
For yourselves.. The Out of Sync child- http://www.amazon.com/Out---Sync-Child-Carol-Kranowitz/dp...
This is an awesome book. It gives you a ton of info.
Good Luck..
It is not your job to know the tests. She needs to see a neurodevelopmental pediatrician who will (based on a lot of paperwork you complete before the assessment) know what to test.
I think you are doing everything right and sound very knowledgeable. They probably are asking you what you want run to get an idea of what you see, but they likely have a standard test they use. You can't get all the answers. We all change, but this will be a good basis for you. As long as you feel you have chosen a tester with a good reputation then you can probably relax and go with it. You can always test again in a couple of years.
You aren't expected to know the names of tests. What the testor wants to know is what behaviors you're concerned about; not what tests to give.
My grandchildren have been tested for similar issues as well as for a speech delay and sensory issues and received treatment during the past 8 years. My daughter started with the pediatrician. For my grandson who was 2 1/2 she started with the school district at the recommendation of the pediatrician. Federal law requires that they diagnose and treat.
Later she learned about starting with a developmental pediatrician and wished she had involved him from the beginning. At no point was she asked to name tests or even asked what to test for. Knowing that requires the expertise of the person testing. She was asked to describe his behavior and her concerns. The professionals also observed and added their own concerns.
I suggest that it's good to have one person managing testing and treatment. That person then refers to other specialists as needed. A developmental pediatrician is trained to do this. The school district has a special ed office that also does this but they are limited in resources. My grandchildren have received both school help and private help thru their insurance.
After your SWH: You won't know the extent of your daughter's situation in 1 or 2 visits. You may not even know where to start with providing help in that short period of time. We are still learning more about what my grandchildren need many years later.
There will not be an easy one step solves all sort of answer. Development is complex and continues for years and years.
I suggest that you need to know more about this specialist. What is her training and experience? Does she specialize in developmental issues or is she more about diagnosing ADHD issues? You've mentioned a broad spectrum of concerns and I urge you to have a specialist that deals with a broad spectrum of developmental issues.
Yes, you can start with determining or trying to determine if she has ADHD but know that she's too young in many experts opinion to even make that diagnosis. Also know that ADHD type behavior is rarely as simple as a simple diagnosis. Other developmental factors often go along with that issue, especially during the preschool years.
You mentioned that your counselor hasn't heard about your child. How does she know that her collegue is the most appropriate one to do the testing. I would question their ability to diagnose if they are in deed asking you what tests you want run. It sounds like this person administers tests and is not involved in diagnoses and treatment.
Sounds very similar to issues that my son had. He ended up being diagnosed with Asperger's, with sensory issues (Sensory Perception Disorder) He also has some food allergies that cause him to behave as if he has ADHD. Anything that is too chaotic, noisy, or affects too many of his 5 senses at once can cause him to be very impulsive, bang or kick things in a repetitive way, and general become 'unfocused'. I would check behavior issues before going with a ADD or ADHD diagnosis, they are often similar. Not sure where you are located, but there is a GREAT place called The Brain Balance Center that worked wonders. Good luck!
I am a certified parent educator and former teacher. I had to come to grips w/ myself that one of my kids needed to be tested. I had no problem doing assessments for other kids, but, when it came to my own...I stayed in denial for a bit...Then, I sought out the BEST neurologist I could find.
Because I have sensory and never had an OT evaluation as a kid, I found an OT (ASAP) w/ the extra training in sensory and started her w/ OT sessions on my own.
Do not wait. Get the preschool to test her. You might want to check out the Feingold diet on the web. In a FEW cases, some of the families I consulted took their kids off of all artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners, colors, etc...and the kids did a 360. This was not always the case--just a suggestion.
A pediatric occupational therapist would be a good person to consult about sensory issues. They evaluate and treat them all the time.
My son will turn 5 in early June too. He is in PreK and seemed a little behind but then I realized he is the youngest kiddo in the class and some of the kids are almost a whole year older. I have been working extra with him at home. He doesn't sit still either but then most kids this age don't!
You can have a preschool student tested through the school district. They start evaluating and working with kids before kindergarten, even if they are in private pre-schools. In fact, even if your kid is at a private elementary school (or higher) your home school district is still responsible to perform the evaluation if there are learning/behavioral/development concerns.
Sometimes, if your school district is small, it may be part of a larger "Special Education Local Plan Area" or something, where all the area School Districts fall under the same Special Education jurisdiction. Just a side note.
That said, the ADD/ADHD is a medical diagnosis and the a pediatrician would have to do the evaluation for that. I would still look into getting her evaluated through the school distric first, as they will look into that and be able to see signs for it, just not diagnose or treat it. Will she go to kindergarten at the local public elementary school? Another reason to go through the school district.
And there is another part of me that wants to tell you to hold off. She is only in pre-K. She has a lot of growing up to do. And there may be environmental factors influencing her if there is a recent divorce. But I am a big believer in mother's intuition, you know your child best so you do what feels right for you at this time.
*I am giving this advice based on my experience as a school counselor in CA, so hopefully it is the same in TN. And that last part was my advice "as a mom" ;)
