It’s hard with a borderline kid. I have had a pediatrician say no need to put off a therapy eval because if they dont qualify fine now you know, or they do and you get services. But a psych eval is a bit more of a Thing, same concept though.
We’ve played the borderline game and he has needed services, but he seems a little less than borderline for the ADHD.
You might see his second grade goes and how his teacher is and what she thinks.
My neighbor waited until 4th and it was a disaster for her child waiting so long, so there is a bit of timing where you could wait too long.
How long have you been questioning it? If it several years, then I would say you’ll end up there anyway might as well get it done in your timeline/ schedule rather than having your hand forced by a situation.
Post by sandandsea on Mar 17, 2019 22:58:00 GMT -5
Yeah that’s where I am. He’s been borderline his entire life so I’m thinking why not because then we will at least know. Dh is really worried about him getting mislabeled. Dh was mislabeled as special needs through second grade. Truth of the matter was they spoke 90% Spanish at home and he was a small and very quiet kid. His second grade teacher figured it out and now he is a super smart engineer. So I know that factors into his feelings too. It also makes me wonder if he was slower to mature and maybe that explains more of ds’s behavior. Though ds is neither small nor quiet.
Yeah that’s where I am. He’s been borderline his entire life so I’m thinking why not because then we will at least know. Dh is really worried about him getting mislabeled. Dh was mislabeled as special needs through second grade. Truth of the matter was they spoke 90% Spanish at home and he was a small and very quiet kid. His second grade teacher figured it out and now he is a super smart engineer. So I know that factors into his feelings too. It also makes me wonder if he was slower to mature and maybe that explains more of ds’s behavior. Though ds is neither small nor quiet.
I bet if they had done IQ testing of him in Spanish they would have realized the truth. Obviously your child is smart, so it’s not like back then where special needs meant lower IQ. More people, definitely not all, are more educated and aware about it. DS has dropped speech, so all he has an IEP for is hearing loss.
You could talk to the tester about false negatives and maybe have a plan for re-evaluation. My friend I mentioned before got a severe ADHD diagnosis and high functioning autism diagnosis for her child. Then she restarted with another psych and they dropped the autism diagnosis and said it was just that his ADHD was so severe. So I think you could have a plan for a second opinion. Our school district retests for our IEP every 3 years. If you have a 504 they are not required to retest, but might be something to consider too. Like let’s do this now, but it’s not the final final answer. There is always second opinions and testing when he is older to account for growth/ maturity etc.
If you are doing private testing you don’t have to tell the school the results. Usually there is a questionnaire for the teacher. I think you’ll want to but you don’t have to (unless you are asking the school to do the testing).
sandandsea , I actually just had DD2's first eval for ADHD this morning and have been struggling with similar decisions. School basically blew me off because she's ahead for reading and math. But I decided to go for the testing because I see it just getting worse and becoming more of a challenge as she progresses through the grades and has teachers who are less understanding thank a K or 1 teacher. For me, it's about setting her up for success with a 504 in case she needs it, not forcing her to be on meds or demanding special services. I told the neuro doctor up front today that I don't intend to medicate her right now, but we just need help with strategies for success. I also see the same consistent issues at home as she has at school. Can't follow multi-step directions, cannot sit still, struggles with either complete hyperfocus to the exclusion of all else or not focusing at all and being a hot mess. So it's a pervasive thing for us.
The neuro eval involves a questionnaire that parents fill out, a questionnaire that the teacher fills out, and today's appointment, which include the questions done by the doctor and watching her behavior. Great example of the "testing" - doctor told her to run down to the end of the hall, then tip toe back. She just ran both ways, blew past us, and kept going down the hall because she likes running and wasn't listening to the instructions, she was too focused on showing off her fast running.
ETA - We've been really open with our kids about how therapists and doctors like this are "strategy doctors." They help you find good strategies that work for how your brain works. DD1 had some anxiety issues that she saw a therapist for and now this ADHD doctor for DD2, so it's been helpful to put it in perspective for them. Nothing is wrong, it's just that everyone's brain works differently and these doctors are good at "strategies" for different types of brains.