Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 210 guests, and 14 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    streble, DeliciousPizza, prominentdigitiz, parentologyco, Smartlady60
    11,413 Registered Users
    March
    S M T W T F S
    1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Page 1 of 2 1 2
    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    L
    LRS Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    L
    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    Ok. I have some questions and I'm feeling a little lost.

    My son was diagnosed aspergers when he was 3. He is 7 now and I'm not sure that is a useful diagnosis anymore. He has tested quite gifted on some brief tests. He has problems with handwriting. I'm just not sure where we stand and I want to have him reevaluated. I suspect he won't qualify for an asd diagnosis anymore and I wonder how much of his differences are simply part of his giftedness. I also want to know where the handwriting issues are coming from, whether it is fine motor or something else. :P

    Does anyone have advice or anecdotes for me? Certain tests or assesments to request?

    Joined: Feb 2013
    Posts: 1,228
    2
    22B Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    2
    Joined: Feb 2013
    Posts: 1,228
    When DS was a toddler, we (against the persistent urging of pediatricians) would not let him get anywhere near anyone who would diagnose him with anything. We did not want to get stuck with a misdiagnosis that we may later regret.

    Joined: Nov 2013
    Posts: 249
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Nov 2013
    Posts: 249
    If you're mostly worried about the fine motor, why not just get an occupational therapy evaluation?

    It is hard to find psychologists or neuropsychs familiar with giftedness and with ASDs. There was a list posted here before that you may be able to find through search.

    Joined: May 2013
    Posts: 2,155
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: May 2013
    Posts: 2,155
    Does he have any issues with motor coordination or delayed motor skills? If so look into developmental dyspraxia/developmental coordination disorder.

    DS is the same age and started out with normal motor development (for instance he could crawl at 8 months and walk without help at 10-11 months) but plateaued around age 2-3. He had a brain injury that seemed to make things worse and has gotten a lot better, but still has problems with things like hopping, catching a ball, holding a pencil correctly, writing neatly, etc. If the only problem is writing and not other motor skills it could be dysgraphia.
    DD has ADHD and her handwriting is slow and she tests slightly low on fine motor coordination tests. But she does well with running, jumping, gymnastics, swimming, etc. It's just manual dexterity or bilateral coordination (in terms of fine motor) that's a bit of a problem, which is common with ADHD. She can write neatly but is really slow.
    In your shoes, I would probably ask for a referral to a pediatric OT for an assessment (and possibly PT if you have any concerns about other motor skills). For a diagnosis of DCD you'd probably have to see a neurologist or neuropsych.

    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    L
    LRS Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    L
    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    Thank you!
    I tried to get OT for him. His pedi referredhim and our insurance denied it because OT is specifically excluded in our policy when it relates to developmental disorders!!! Crazy. I know.
    Professionals working with him have always said he has fine motor problems, but I never saw much of it. He never did like coloring and his handwriting is very labored. His gross motor is good.
    He hasn't had any therapy or an IEP for a couple of years now amd we really don't see hardly any signs of social impairmennt anymore.



    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    L
    LRS Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    L
    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    I called and got an appointment for him with the doctor who diagnosed him and noted my questions about that dx, in July. I calledhis pedi for the referral. I am hoping to convincethem of the need for further neuropsych testing to see what we are actually dealing with here.
    My curren t theory is that he has some kind of dysgraphia or maybe more like an expressive language, processing problem, and he' s highly gifted. Which makes his communication with people odd, and the process of writing arduous.
    I'm not sure that I would call it aspergers anymore, although at the time, that diagnosis fit quite well. He doeshave sensory seeking behavior and always has.

    I probably should have posted this in the 2e forum!!

    The CTD program at Northwestern that he is attending now is reallygreat for him. AND, whenI told them about his handwriting problems they were completely unfazed, saying that many gifted kids have that kind of problem. They immediately used appropriate supports. Just because I asked!. It was such a relief to have them react that way i am so used to the public school beauracracy.

    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    P
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    Originally Posted by LRS
    I also want to know where the handwriting issues are coming from, whether it is fine motor or something else.

    Originally Posted by apm221
    If you're mostly worried about the fine motor, why not just get an occupational therapy evaluation?

    An OT eval can show the presence of motor challenges or weakness, but won't diagnose or show the root cause of what's behind the motor issue, and understanding the why is important in determining how to remediate/accommodate.

    Given LRS' concerns with understanding where the handwriting issues are coming from, along with wondering what things she sees are due to giftedness or other, I'd recommend a neuropsych eval. LRS, I'd suspect you should be able to get a referral from your ped given your ds' history and your current concerns. blackcat mentioned dyspraxia - our ds has dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder), and has handwriting issues that stem from it. When our ds was younger, there was a professional who felt he was on the autism spectrum based on his behaviors in a few interactions with him. We too that question back to our neuropsych who showed us a chart that shows how symptoms overlap between ASD, DCD and ADHD and was also able to show us in ds' testing the areas that showed strongly that he did not qualify for an ASD diagnosis. So I suspect a neuropsych could help you with clarity on your ds' current situation and challenges. We've also found neuropsych evals to be extremely helpful in understanding how to move forward with addressing whatever challenges exist.

    Best wishes,

    polarbear


    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    P
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    Originally Posted by polarbear
    Originally Posted by LRS
    I also want to know where the handwriting issues are coming from, whether it is fine motor or something else.

    Originally Posted by apm221
    If you're mostly worried about the fine motor, why not just get an occupational therapy evaluation?

    An OT eval can show the presence of motor challenges or weakness, but won't diagnose or show the root cause of what's behind the motor issue, and understanding the why is important in determining how to remediate/accommodate.

    Given LRS' concerns with understanding where the handwriting issues are coming from, along with wondering what things she sees are due to giftedness or other, I'd recommend a neuropsych eval. LRS, I'd suspect you should be able to get a referral from your ped given your ds' history and your current concerns. blackcat mentioned dyspraxia - our ds has dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder), and has handwriting issues that stem from it. When our ds was younger, there was a professional who felt he was on the autism spectrum based on his behaviors in a few interactions with him. We too that question back to our neuropsych who showed us a chart that shows how symptoms overlap between ASD, DCD and ADHD and was also able to show us in ds' testing the areas that showed strongly that he did not qualify for an ASD diagnosis. So I suspect a neuropsych could help you with clarity on your ds' current situation and challenges. We've also found neuropsych evals to be extremely helpful in understanding how to move forward with addressing whatever challenges exist.

    Best wishes,

    polarbear

    ps - LRS, we also had the same issue with our insurance not covering OT, and our ds did not qualify for OT through our school district. When we had him in private OT, the therapist offered to put together a program for him that we could do at home in order to make OT affordable. We would pay for the OT eval and a few initial visits, the OT would put together a program of home exercises, and we'd check back in with very infrequent appointments to check progress and tweak/update the program. We didn't actually pursue this, we paid for a regular weekly program - but it was an option we considered.

    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    L
    LRS Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    L
    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 67
    That is a great option. We could definitely do this. I know of an OT clinic that I would like to take him to. I will call tosee about cost and appointments. We can definitely implement strategies for him at home if someone there can help us figure out WHAT to do!

    I like that idea. I am going to talk to them. Thank you.

    Joined: Nov 2013
    Posts: 249
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Nov 2013
    Posts: 249
    I agree that an OT wouldn't give you the same view of the overall picture as a neuropsych. If you want some things to try quickly, though, you may find that they offer a discounted price if your insurance doesn't cover it. We also just have occasional appointments to get advice on things to work on; I think that is common.

    Page 1 of 2 1 2

    Moderated by  M-Moderator 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Testing with accommodations
    by aeh - 03/27/24 01:58 PM
    Quotations that resonate with gifted people
    by indigo - 03/27/24 12:38 PM
    New, and you'd think I'd have a clue...
    by astronomama - 03/24/24 06:01 AM
    For those interested in astronomy, eclipses...
    by indigo - 03/23/24 06:11 PM
    Son 2e, wide discrepancy between CogAT-Terranova
    by astronomama - 03/23/24 07:21 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5