Dev. Ped. Results

[khaoskat]

Ok, I am confused, but the best I can get is Sensory Integration on top of his Speech issues.

Speech is basically articulation disorder, but wants to watch out for phonological problems.

OT wise, they feel he needs it because OT needs to focus on Oral Motor issues for the sensory seeking. But our local ot (dev. ped is in another town) says that his ST can work on it..our ST says she is not going to work on the Oral Motor even though the OT said it right in front of her face.

He has multiple areas where he shows Probable issues in sensory and one Definate. The Definate is prioproceptive...

Also, on the Peabody for Motor Skills his balance and coordination came back -1.33, or on part with about a 3 year old when he was a little over 5. According to the OT with the Dev. Ped's, he has no pincer grip.

Even more interesting and something I have been telling people is that one day he can do XYZ, and the next he cannot. The Dev. Ped's OT said he had correct pencil tri-pod grip, which raised his OT test scores. Whereas at the local OT, he did not exhibit the tri-pod, but it was either the one right before it or the one two before it.

So, basically the Dev. Ped recommends OT because he needs his ST to focus solely on ST to assist his articulation (he is on the level of a 3 yo at age 5); and wants OT to work on the sensory issues.

So, does anyone have any suggestions?

Also, how much of the OT report do I show the ST, when it comes to the sensory issues - could these affect his articulation?

[beachcomber]

You've described all the things that were concerning me about my DD. I started by doing some research into SPD, then branched into Anxiety. I sought assessments from the EIP with our local children's foundation, then ended up requesting an Autism assessment. Turns out she's high functioning Autism. Fine/Gross motor delays, SPD, balance issues, speech, etc., can all be characteristics of Autism. They were in our case.

It weirds me out and annoys me to no end that your two therapists are less than willing to work together for the benefit of your child. Are you paying them out of pocket? If so, you have the right to demand they provide the services that you need.

[khaoskat]

We have looked at Autism, etc, and are not wanting to go that route yet. I have read through some things, and it is so wishy washy about him falling on the spectrum or not, I am just hoping he out grows some of it and so I am giving it some time.

Oh, the OT has refused all services for DS2. When I mentioned his eating she chalked it all up to normal developmental for a 5 yo. Then, why do I give him the same food his 2 other siblings eat (mac n cheese and 1/2 a pork chop cut up and some veggie), and he only eats the mac n cheese, and about 2 pieces of the pork chop.

He very very very very rarely at any of the food served to him at school, until I started packing his lunch. Because he was not eating at school he would come home hide food around the house and chow down at home, then he wouldn't want dinner, and before bed he would find his food stash and eat it because he was hungry because he didn't have dinner.

It took about 4 months to get him to eat anything but Kraft Mac n Cheese - I started making him homemade, because at least it had some nutritional value. But you cannot add anything to it...if you add ground up hamburger he will refuse it...

I am going to have a friend of mine who is a 2nd year resident look over the results and explain some of the things to me..like graphomotor skills and other things I have no clue on.

[SpottedFoxx]

My son has the same exact issues. His ST works on both his speech and his oral strength (she has him grasp a stray between his teeth and she pulls or has his sip chocolate pudding through a straw). His OT works on his sensory issues.

[LynnS6]

Is there any other choice for an OT? I suspect this OT isn't comfortable treating oral-motor issues, but won't say so. Are they comfortable doing sensory stuff at all? Not all OTs are trained to do so.

I would show the entire report to the ST. It can't hurt, and it might help.

[mrsfru]

We have looked at Autism, etc, and are not wanting to go that route yet. I have read through some things, and it is so wishy washy about him falling on the spectrum or not, I am just hoping he out grows some of it and so I am giving it some time.

If you are resisting certain therapies b/c you don't want them to be associated w/autism, please try to put aside the word "autism" and focus on what your child *needs*. If a certain therapy or technique would help him overcome his difficulties better and would improve his quality of life right now, it will impact him positively for the rest of his life. That is well worth it. Who cares what "it" is called?

My son has either Aspergers of high functioning autism, according to the dev. ped and her staff....I'm not always sure they are 100% right about what "it" is, BUT he does have the delays and issues they are working on. With the therapies he's receiving, his self esteem has improved, he can do many things he couldn't before, he's excited about learning and making friends, he's not hiding behind his sensory issues, and who he really is is not hidden from others. They can see what a fun, smart, kind, neat kid he is! That wasn't true a year and a half ago before we pursued serious extra help.

Waiting for kids to grow out of obvious difficulties also means that they are practicing those same mistakes or problematic behaviors and poor coping mechanisms over and over, instead of learning positive, more helpful skills. The longer they practice those, the more entrenched they become and the more difficult to replace them w/more suitable behaviors.

I hope my thoughts can be of some help to you right now. I know it's not easy....it's only been little more than a year on *this* path for us, and it still rocks my world every day and brings me to tears whenever I have to explain ds to someone.

Best wishes to you!!

mrsfru

[Julia Rose]

What mrsfru said.

I understand the OP's POV about outgrowing certain symptoms and behaviors, and I think there is an element of outgrowing with some characteristics. But if therapies that would help your DS outgrow the symptoms and behaviors are not provided, how likely is it that he will outgrow them?

The stigma of diagnostic labels aside, labels are what the school district uses to gauge the need for services, so sometimes an unpleasant-sounding label will get you just what your child needs.

[khaoskat]

It is not that I am not wanting him labeled...but there are other issues that might be causing some of the behaviors. He has sleep issues, possibly, and some of the behaviors can be directly linked to sleep deprivation....

We have added yet another piece to the puzzle two days ago. We had an appointment with the sleep clinic. They do blood work for serum iron and other tests for possible muscle/joint issues.

His iron came back at 27 and the Sleep Clinic doc does not like to see it below 50 for his patients at his age.

[khaoskat]

We have tried to get therapy, but we have been denied OT, because everything has been passed off as typical 5 yo behavior (see my post earlier today about At my wits end)

[beachcomber]

My DD has had sleep issues from birth. We recently tried sustained release melatonin on her ped's suggestion. It's made a HUGE difference to her behavior as she only has 1 night wake now instead of 3-5. She falls asleep easier and stays asleep longer. She's on 6mg.

[Julia Rose]

Is your DS in public school? Has he been eval'ed by the therapists that the school district contracts? In some places, even if you don't have a medical dx that warrants services, you can get an educational dx that does. HTH.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by Julia Rose

What mrsfru said.

I understand the OP's POV about outgrowing certain symptoms and behaviors, and I think there is an element of outgrowing with some characteristics. But if therapies that would help your DS outgrow the symptoms and behaviors are not provided, how likely is it that he will outgrow them?

The stigma of diagnostic labels aside, labels are what the school district uses to gauge the need for services, so sometimes an unpleasant-sounding label will get you just what your child needs.

We waited and we all suffered for it.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by khaoskat

It is not that I am not wanting him labeled...but there are other issues that might be causing some of the behaviors. He has sleep issues, possibly, and some of the behaviors can be directly linked to sleep deprivation....

We have added yet another piece to the puzzle two days ago. We had an appointment with the sleep clinic. They do blood work for serum iron and other tests for possible muscle/joint issues.

His iron came back at 27 and the Sleep Clinic doc does not like to see it below 50 for his patients at his age.

This is a good point; I've read several articles (and know a mom on another board) about sleep deprivation/interruption resulting in behavior misdiagnosed as ADHD.

Did the developmental ped do a brain scan? Brains of persons with ADHD and ASD are different in certain areas, so a scan is really helpful in an accurate diagnosis.

[Julia Rose]

At the same time, sleep disruption is often comorbid with ASD's -- don't know if the dev ped took that into account.