Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional New to forum, 2E son

ps Is your neuropsych doing the ADOS? I would recommend it.

This is an interesting link too regarding executive functioning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysexecutive_syndrome

The "sluggish cognitive tempo" thing is really interesting. Seems to fit in a lot of ways.

Meds: he is taking his second stimulant class, now. It seemed better and then worse. Ugh.

Neuropsych is doing ADOS, maybe WISC-5 (she is looking at old IQ scores first). I don't know what else.

Also, Dee Dee. He currently has his medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. We switched from a neurologist after that doctor was unwilling to try anything but methylphenidate. He is on an amphetamine now (Vyvanse).

The neuropsychologist made the same suggestion you are making, and is going to give me some names of developmental pediatricians. She recommended this after a long interview, and mostly because of her questions and my answers to a number of questions about constipation and other functional toileting issues. Who knew? Not me.

Eco, you sound like a very attentive parent who's moving in the right direction.

I kind of feel like the polar opposite of attentive right now, like I've missed some very important clues. But he held up pretty well (very well!) until this year. I have told a couple of close friends about the neuropsych appt and that she is evaluating for autism and nobody can even fathom that could be possible.

And I've asked twice for SPED to look at him, no dice. When I first asked family doc for neurologist referral, he told me the only thing wrong with my son is that he is too intelligent to fit in easily.

It is really upsetting that a child has to flounder and be miserable before anyone will help. Is this more of the 2E problem?

I'm not sure why the idea he might have autism is so much more painful than "just" ADHD. But it is.

We have had an incredibly difficult time getting anyone to understand what DD's issue is as well. She is hyperactive and impulsive at times (she actually BIT her brother the other day), so I'm pretty sure she has ADHD combined type, but the medication was not really speeding up her processing or fluency issues, or helping her to organize her thoughts to write, at least not to a normal level. I think that since she also has ADHD as well as EFD it improved her focus so that there looked like a slight improvement, but it was because she was focusing better on the task rather than having an actual improvement in processing. She had the WJ math fluency test on stimulants, and then a few months later, on guanfacine, which is a non-stimulant. Her score dropped from around the 50th percentile to the 25th percentile. So maybe she did process better on stimulants, but I feel that she was no where close to "normal" even on stimulants, and there were still large gaps between fluency and conceptual ability.

Thought this was interesting:
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/7051-2.html

It talks about the differences between ADHD, EFD, and LD

Our DS12 was misdiagnosed for years-- we knew something was unusual and tried to find answers. We were told he couldn't possibly have autism because [he speaks so well, he clearly attends to everything that's said, look how bright he is, he's just quirky and gifted, etc etc].

(That even though he adored spinning objects, lined up toys rather than playing with them, gave little scientific lectures to his friends, and freaked out at transitions. I mean *really*-- these would have been obvious cues, except that his gifts blinded the evaluators to these traits.)


Yep. That's the 2E problem. It's very hard for them to see. And kids like this are rare enough that most schools have no experience to bring to bear. (Based on level of giftedness and disability profile, I figure my child is at most a once-in-a-career type for any educator.)


You know, one very distasteful side effect of the "autism awareness" campaigns is that autism has had a lot of press as a "devastating illness." ("This family was happy-- until autism struck"--cue the ominous music.) It's not an illness, and may or may not be devastating according to circumstances. This stuff can leach into one's brain and make one think that an autism diagnosis is an ending.

A 2E autistic life is a quirky and challenging life, but can be a very good life. I persist in believing that there is nothing wrong with autistic people per se (they are part of natural human variation). What's hard is the interface between the person/family with autism and the rest of the world-- the world may be "aware," OK, but there is not yet enough acceptance and understanding to make it smooth sailing.

And yet. My DS just came back from a school sporting event very happy-- he had a lovely time, no parental supervision, found and enjoyed his friends, remembered to eat dinner, happy that his team won, feels good. That is: doing normal 12-year-old stuff. We had a heck of a strenuous journey to get here, but here we are, and things are looking pretty bright these days.

And you know, that is ALL I want for my son--to be happy and accepted. I am so disenchanted with his "gifted program" right now my impulse is to pull him out and tell them they are hideous (having received a really nasty email today, again, from a teacher who went on and on about how he is talking excessively in class, in a very unprofessional manner--knowing that he is on cancellation list with psychiatrist and we are taking him for eval).

But my son says that all of the ugly at his school is worth having friends who understand him and with whom he can use the words he uses and express the ideas he wants to express.

If there weren't this huge threat they might not allow him back next year (they haven't explicitly stated that, but if he doesn't get a C or better in each class, it's the policy), I would feel less stress. If my daughter weren't going there next year (with same core teachers), I'd also feel less stress. Thankfully, she is NOT 2E and does well with teachers, much more savvy.

Because I could not survive another year like this one. My eldest had his own issues (tics, ADHD, epilepsy--now I'm wondering if he is autistic), but he was very, very quick and stayed on top of academics, never any issues with his grades.

I hear you. Does the principal know about tha nastiness? My inclination would be to sit tight until you know from the neuropsych what you are dealing with, and then figure out what the best educational environment will be. But I would not wait on addressing the nastiness with the principal or supervisor. Every child should be treated with respect and care, even if they mess up. (Humans do mess up.)


That's important. Any prospect of a better teacher next year? Can you ask the principal to take care with the teacher placement and find someone who will be accepting of your DS's quirks while helping you work to solve problems as a team?


That's another reason to share the nasty email now-- if there is any prospect of this teacher grading him low to get rid of him, I'd want that paper trail established.


Try to wait and see a bit. Things will get less murky, I think, once the neuropsych weighs in. That person can also bring their expertise to bear on crafting a school situation that works better.


I know what that feels like. My sympathies.

You'll find solutions... it just takes longer than it should.