POLL pls answer- Do you have a kid with a diagnosis?

aricelli

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 9:58 am

Hey zehava- sorry
That was tongue in cheek
My son is in big time therapy and he’s awesome!
Read the other thread:
“Autism is a doctors way of saying my childs brain is @&$) up so you’ll get me better!
I’ll delete this one meanwhile

Chayalle

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 10:07 am

My child does not have a diagnosis. It's like she's just enough of something to make waves but not enough to earn her a diagnosis. Like, she didn't earn enough points on the sensory profile, though she exhibited tons of sensory behaviors, and won't wear certain styles (anything tight, or tags must come off, or some fabrics are itchy...) or eat certain foods. And similar in other areas. I sometimes think those who "earn" a diagnosis have it easier.

To White amother - exactly. I find her entire year at school is defined by the type of teacher she gets. Last year was miserable, with an old-school teacher who was determined to push her firmly into a box and get her to comply....this year Hashem answered my Tefillos, she has a darling Morah who just seems to "get" her, and lets her soar....

All I can say is, I guess that's how life is gonna be for her - there will be people who will not get her and will box her in, and there will be those who can relate to her needs. Hopefully the school system will teach her to cope and relate to the many different types of people out there in the world.

amother

Cobalt

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 10:21 am

Chayalle wrote:

I sometimes think those who "earn" a diagnosis have it easier.

Yes, I agree. I am so happy that my son qualifies for an ASD diagnosis. He is borderline and earned just enough points on the ADOS and other testing at the autism center for the diagnosis. Getting a diagnosis really opens doors to therapies and made the school willing to help us. I'm hoping that that in a few years he will make so much progress that he will no longer meet the criteria for ASD.

mommyla

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 10:49 am

Chayalle wrote:

I think we may have a shidduch in a few years LOL

amother

Blonde

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 11:28 am

Hi chayalle- would you try getting your child OT anyway?
My daughter with no official diagnosis , just some small sensory complaints recently went for OT and she feels it helped (sensory isnt really a stand alone diagnosis yet- its not recognized by dsm)

Last edited by amother on Tue, Feb 19 2019, 2:29 pm; edited 1 time in total

aricelli

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 11:45 am

There are centers that take insurance for different therapies
Also- while we were waiting to get our board of ed therapy for our son, we hired a private OT to come to our house... we called him just once or twicw to come and show us different things that we can do ourselves and these things really worked
(We ended up needing more long term help so we kept him on)
Edited to say: if you have it sporadic you can keep the cost down!)

amother

Khaki

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 1:44 pm

After reading through this thread I have some questions for you all. My son has been diagnosed with ADHD but it seems like he has something a little more than that that nobody is able to quite put their finger on and we haven't found any medication that truly helps with his ADHD meanwhile he's in and out of school and I'm not sure what to do with him. It seems like several of you have had OT and PT for children with ADHD, I have never heard of this, in what ways does that help? are there other forms of therapy that have helped your children with ADHD And perhaps just being a tad off or immature?

amother

Cobalt

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 1:48 pm

amother wrote:

Have you tried social skills groups? Individual counseling?

Zehava

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 1:52 pm

amother wrote:

Have you done a comprehensive full evaluation? Is it possible that he was misdiagnosed?

Chayalle

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 1:58 pm

aricelli wrote:

Hi chayalle- would you try getting your child OT anyway?
My adult daughter with no official diagnosis , just some small sensory complaints recently went for OT and she feels it helped (sensory isnt really a stand alone diagnosis yet- its not recognized by dsm)

I sent her to OT for 2 years. I paid a ton of money out-of-pocket (my insurance covered a small percentage of what they deemed to be "reasonable and customary"). I'll just say that before OT, I would come to PTA and I could tell from a distance, when seeing her whole class's writing samples hung on the wall, which was DD's - it stuck out by a mile for (lack of) handwriting skill, letters of all shapes and sizes, etc....B"H OT helped alot - at least her writing is mostly uniform and legible.

She's in 5th grade now and it's still a challenge for her to cut things out neatly. She's fully capable, but it doesn't come easily or naturally.

I try to get her whatever help she needs, but it's like paying another tuition, or more, some years.

amother

Rose

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 3:47 pm

amother wrote:

Sensory therapy sometimes helps if your child is very sensory. My child was all over the place before therapy - therapy really calmed him down.

But over the years I have found that us mothers can really make a difference as well. I do lots of deep hugs, lots of reassurance, and I dont push him to do anything that is overwhelming sensory-wise.

I have three sensory kids. I did lots of therapy for my first, but I only started when he was older. I got EI for my second and third, and by the time my second and third were in school they were able to function normally, no therapy. I just do whatever I can at home and give lots of encouragement. My second and third sensory children did absolutely amazing in school, so whatever I did and still do seemed to have worked.

mha3484

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 3:55 pm

My son was born low tone on top of the ADHD so we have done a mix of PT and OT for those issues. He also has really bad handwriting. The low tone in boys can have some social effects that are hard for them when a lot of kids in the class like to play sports and the kid is more clumsy.

For social skills deficits which these days are the bulk of my son's challenges, we have found that social thinking and the superflex materials helped tons. We worked on it with my sons talk therapist but speech therapists can also teach you the same information. We also reinforced the ideas at home frequently.

Also I find that the environment we create at home does a lot to make or break his issues. I love my sons therapist for teaching him skills but I dont like his parenting ideas and mostly follow the concepts of the book the explosive child instead.

Chayalle

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 4:04 pm

The interesting thing is that my daughter is not clumsy. She was actually one of the best in a group of gymnastics. She could learn dance steps easily, and is also great at sports. It's the fine motor skills, like writing and cutting, that have been a struggle - these don't always go along with the gross motor skills.

What do you mean by superflex materials, mha3484?

The Explosive Child was very, very helpful to me. It helped me get into her mindset and understand her better. I should re-read it, it's been a few years....