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February 4, 2003
Today was the day I was to go back to the Psychologist, Dr. U, and find out about the results of Chris’s testing. (More info in my previous entries about this if you haven’t already read.)
Chris was NOT present at this appointment and it made it much more comfortable for me to talk to Dr. U. He was wonderful, as always, and made me feel like I was the only person he had talked to all day. (It’s amazing when you find doctors like this, right???) Let me just stop right here and explain that Dr. U is one of those “think before you speak” types. It takes him a LONG time to think about what he’s saying.
He began by telling me that he was astounded by the results of the testing. At this point, I have NO idea what this could mean. I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, nodding while biting my tongue so that I don’t yell for him to just get right to it. (I’ve waited weeks to find out what’s going on. I have the right to know!!! NOW!!!) He continues by saying that Chris did exceptionally well (I still don’t know what this means) in the cognitive section of the testing. He proceeds to tell me HOW each child is evaluated and what type of point system they use, as well as how they also evaluate each child’s ability or inability to focus on each part of the test, and how many times the child becomes distracted WHILE testing. I am smirking at this point, thinking of how many points Chris must have acquired for distraction and being OFF task! LOL
Dr. U tells me that Chris has scored phenomenally high on the cognitive part of the test…..(It tests different skills such as repeating stories, copying pictures or shapes, etc.) He said that his scores in this area were on High Average to borderline Superior and that he is a brilliant child. (Did he say brilliant??) I was a little shocked. (Not that I didn’t think Chris was smart, but that was amazing!) He described his creative abilities and how Chris seemed to stay on task mainly when it was something that he REALLY enjoyed, which is typical for kids with that intelligence level, he went on to say. There were many other issues that we discussed regarding the testing, but being that I don’t have the report yet, I am not able to go into GREAT detail.
At last, Dr. U begins to talk about Chris’s ability to focus his attention, or lack thereof. He explains that Chris had tremendous difficulty retaining and relating instructions to different tasks, as well as staying on task, and staying focused in nearly every area that he was tested in. He said that every time he was given something specific to do, Dr. U would have to re-direct him to that task and re-state the rules for that task MANY times. Dr. U explained that Chris scored below the 2% percentile for his age in this area, some of which was visual, but mainly auditory.
Dr. U tells me that based on his findings during the testing and based on what I have told him about home life and his troubles at school, that the results are consistent with ADD/ADHD. (I am not sure what his final diagnosis is just yet.) He discussed treatment options with me and wanted some insight as to how Andrew feels about all of this. I talked with him about the fact that Andrew does not see medication as something we that should look at right now and that I am not sure that it’s something I even want to do as the first option. Dr. U was VERY informative about other treatments such as Behavior Management, in which he would help us with weekly or monthly meetings. (It is simply a reward/punishment type of program but being very consistent at home and school.) The other options are EEG Biofeedback, which he explained as helping the child to learn how to control their own brainwaves for better long term effects overall. I asked for more information on this as well as study reports for us to read. We would not be able to start that type of treatment until Chris turns 6. At that point, we then discussed non-stimulating medication in the future, if EEG Biofeedback is used. They are used in conjunction with each other. We also discussed changing his diet and adding supplements. (It’s funny that Dr. U brings this up because Andrew and I had been discussing reports of other parents with ADD/ADHD kids that use Advocare products, specially formulated for kids, to help better their focusing ability during school hours. (I talk about Advocare products in my Recipes Today Diary if you want more info on that.) Andrew agreed that this is a possibility that he would like to try in the near future.
As the appointment draws to a close, I tell Dr. U that I will be discussing all of this with Andrew but that we will most likely want to try the Behavior Management program along with diet control to see what kind of results we can get. (SUGAR IS OUT!) He said that he would LOVE to meet with myself and Andrew in the near future to get us started and to help us stay on the right track. I told him that his help is much appreciated and that I will be contacting him as soon as the reports come in the mail.
All in all, I was happy with the way the appointment went with Dr. U. He is a WONDERFUL doctor and listened intently to all of my concerns and desires for treatment. We are still in the early stages of this process. I am sure I will be talking a LOT more about this in the months ahead, so bear with me.
The next step is to set up a meeting with Chris’s teacher and discuss all that I have found out. I realize that a LOT more effort with Chris and the school on MY part is going to be required. I also realize that, up until this point, I have been extremely lazy about handling difficult situations, mainly because I didn’t know what to do. I was stressed, worried, and just plain tired!!! Now, I have more of a motivation to help my child get through this in ANY way that I can. Wish me luck!!
Until next time,
Heather, Ben, and Chris
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