Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Identifying which (if any) LD a child has?

LOL about the editing. BTDT...

That very article is one of the things that made me think APD, actually. I've been noticing weird--glitches? I guess?--in his vocab for a few months now. Several times a day, he's been asking me for definitions of words that I use a lot. Not the $2 words that he wouldn't know--those he doesn't ask about. He picks out the pretty common ones, the 3rd or 4th toughest word in the sentence, you know? And his speech seems simpler than it should. He has some mild trouble picking the right word. It's not outrageous, but it's weird enough that I noticed it and have been keeping an eye on it. Both vocab issues have been bothering me for a while.

Then I read this article this week, and a lot of things he's doing look like APD: he doesn't take oral instructions well AT ALL (gets confused, stressed, lost, etc.), when he's given multiple instructions in sequence he loses the last one(s), he mishears words a lot, etc. And, of course, he's not yet reading well, even though is a chatty, extroverted kid. Which may be his normal...or he may be struggling. His hearing tests--the ones that test with tones--are normal.

I worry that I'm just highly suggestible. But I also worry that I'm not.

That "something not quite right" feeling is really strong.

So comprehensive testing? That's the next step to try to ID LDs/2E issues? What constitutes comprehensive testing? Which tests should we be looking for? More than IQ and achievment testing?

Kriston,

There are auditory specialists who can specifically do auditory processing tests if you feel strongly that this may be a fit. If you can do this and get it covered by insurance it might be worth it to more quickly rule out or in APD.

And don't worry - I often either feel like I am making a mountain out of a molehill with these things or that I am failing my child by not being more agressive in figuring out what is "wrong". (don't like that word much)

Hi Kriston, as the rest have pointed out, you can have a host of issues. I have a feeling my son's IQ score on the WISC was so high because the tester split it into 2 sessions and while the test time taken at each session was 30-35mins, he took quite a few toilet and snack breaks! But he has issues with achievement. All tests are snapshots only (mine seems to have performed well on 1 achievement test and then bombed the second one 9mths later. Unfortunately the gifted board only wants to consider the latest one).

My son has visual issues, mild SID, weak gross and fine motor skills, and mild ADHD. Talk about a bowl of walking alphabet soup! He's been proclaimed "cured" of his convergence/vision issues although we still have some remanant exercises to do.

The full neuropsych evaluation that we started but never finished is called the NEPSY II. It can be customised to be shorter and more targetted. Not sure if this is the one used over on your end.

Good luck!

What's the reason for wanting a child to be 7? Do you know?

I have to admit, not knowing whether there's reason to be concerned or not is making me a little crazy. But I also want to take action if there is something wrong. An ounce of prevention being what it is and all...

So there's a specific test for APD. I'll look for an audiologist for that. Good. A specific task!

Is a neuropsych evaluation recommended for LDs? I don't suspect ADD/ADHD or motor skills problems. I think this is one problem that's all in his head (if not mine!). Maybe his eyes, too, but since they're in his head...it's all in his head!

Keeping her sense of humor even in her confusion,

K-

You mean about being 7 for the APD test, Kriston? Think it's because their nervous system are supposed to be more developed by then, and they can more accurately measure the discrepancies between what is and and the norm. Son went through that as well. He's fine.

The neuropsych eval - the psych thought he might have ADHD. She thought the eval would be a good springboard into looking at how he thinks. We never got past the 1st segment cos he couldn't sit still, lol. Still, our psych thinks it's at worst mild cos he has good focus when he's interested.

I used to not believe in labels but have found them to be so useful insofar as looking for treatment was concerned. And don't worry - trust your gut - just find out what you can first. The manifestation can be mild, which makes you feel like you're being ultra picky about maybe even nothing. But I'm all for clearing the road so that life/learning can carry on smoothly. The worry is that if these issues are not dealt with, it could become more serious later on as other habits become ingrained.

Cheers!

Re age:


http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/understand-apd-child.htm

Did you see the Rosie O'Donnell interview yesterday on MSN about her son? There is a new book on APD also referenced in that interview.

Kriston, I am joining the party late but I am with you 100% on my DS7. We went the physical/occupational therapy evaluation route first. VERY helpful information. We also went to a behavioral optometrist who diagnosed DS7 with convergence insufficiency and tracking issues. Here's the catch-they very much look like dyslexia. So we went to a neurologist to confirm any of these diagnoses and he said DS7 has low muscle tone (contributes to all of the above). So we work on PT exercises at home but on an any given day one of the above 'symptoms' might rear their ugly head and DS looks ADHD. I guess around the age of 10 the nerves will be fully developed and some of this might get better but we have been working on coping strategies (IOW-treating the symptoms or heading them off). DS is highly VS but does not do achievement testing well at all!

So long story short, you could very well have several issues going on and several 'symptoms' mimic different diagnoses. I feel for you but several of us are in the trenches with you so you're not alone!!!

You're right on time, hkc. Thanks for joining the conversation.

I have wondered/worried about dyslexia for DS5, which is why we went to the developmental optometrist in the first place. But I worry about going to a specialist in one thing when he may have something else completely, or he may have an "alphabet soup" of stuff that we're not seeing, or he may just be a late-bloomer and not need treatment.

This is why I was hoping there was a one-stop shop where they would look at the whole kid and suggest the specialists required from there. This shop doesn't have to *treat* all the problems that a kid might have, but it would be nice if they could at least tentatively ID them, much as you'd see your family doctor if you had some general, vague, and varied symptoms. You wouldn't just go off and find a specialist for each individual symptom. I don't really want to see specialists for APD, dyslexia/vision issues, gifted testing, and maybe a neuropsych for good measure separately, when one or two or even *none* of those issues may really be DS5's issues.

Does that make sense?

Does this sort of place exist? Or is it all piecemeal?

I'm with you, Dottie, that I worry about getting the current "hot" diagnosis. I don't really like that approach. I feel like a place that sees the whole child is less likely to grab at what's popular in one field right then.

I just wanted to chime in with a comment on the idea that

"The worry is that if these issues are not dealt with, it could become more serious later on as other habits become ingrained. "

I live in NYC and face a different and opposite problem.

One of my kids is 8 and is a "late bloomer" on motor and related tasks (eye tracking, handwriting,...) just like older sibs, who grew out of those problems. Here in NYC we have to work like crazy to avoid having our children needlessly assigned certain LD labels (for things they will grow out of anyway).

My 8 yo was at a private, mainstream school last year where at least half of all boys were recommended for testing for purported attention problems and/or LDs, between grades 1 and 3. The kids had all been extensively screened before acceptance to K or pre-K there (kids with problems evident in preschool were never admitted). I found it remarkable the school thought so many kids could have attention or learning problems. I also found it interesting the school was not looking for neurological workups, but wanted us rather to take them to some nearby OT provider who endorses sensory based treatments. Several kids were referred for "upper body weakness" which basically means the teacher did not like the way these boys sat in the chair. Incidentally, there was no scheduled break for the kids other than a twenty minute lunch break at around noon (in chairs) and then a running-around recess at 1:30.

Quite a few gullible parents went in for these OT evals and then their kids were slapped with "special needs" designations which subsequently prevented the children from being accepted at other private schools later. One child was interviewed and allowed to spend THREE DAYS at a private Waldorf school in a new city where the family planned to move. The new school loved the kid (and the boy loved the school), and the school told the parents informally their child was accepted, but then upon receiving a school report describing "special needs" this child was then rejected by the Waldorf school. I also saw when kids applied out for high school, the consistent pattern was that the kids who had managed to navigate without getting labels attached, were accepted and had choices for high school. The labeled children were left with no options but to continue at the current school (not well respected for its high school) or to attend generally even less desirable public high schools. In NYC virtually everyone has to apply for middle and high school, EVEN if the intention is to attend public. The kids who "don't get in anywhere" can be stuck attending public high schools with graduation rates hovering around 50 percent. The special needs designations are not supposed to be a factor in public or private school placement, but it sure looks to observant parents that they are a very big factor.

Anyway, in NYC we parents of bright young boys (especially) worry about our children getting bogus "special needs" labels assigned to their school records, and subsequently being denied opportunities to attend appropriately challenging schools (in the future).

In this context especially, I personally am very, very uncomfortable with the culture of encouraging labels and seeking of new forms of LD, as I think despite good intentions on the part of parents these labels can so easily come back and haunt the children later. Maybe where the rest of you live it is not a problem, but in NYC I can tell you it certainly seems to be.