Neuropsych - no diagnosis
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Anonymous
Look, for those of us with kids with behavioral and academic issues, what OP describes is our desired OUTCOME of therapy! I wish I had a kid doing well academically who “can be impulsive at times.” And my kid had pretty mild issues as the spectrums go. Get back to us when your bright kid is getting Fs and getting regularly suspended for bad behavior. Maybe there’s more OP hasn’t divulged. Maybe the frustration tolerance is really disruptive. But even so, the kid sounds fully within the range of normal and I doubt there’s any case for medication. |
Anonymous
You’re projecting. OP described very minimal concerns with her kid’s behaviors, and her kid has not even been diagnosed with anything. Who are you to say these behaviors warrant thousands and thousands of $$ in neorosypch exams and therapies? SMH at the armchair psychiatrists on this thread. |
Anonymous
What kind of “vetted professionals” are you talking about? Teachers? If the teachers are raising this the school should evaluate. If it’s a private school the school is probably the issue and OP should consider leaving unless she wants to medicate her kid into lethargy. And lol at the idea of “vetted professionals” not happily taking anyone’s money. Seriously, ha ha. |
Anonymous
This. You should be skeptical of professionals. Any type of professional for that matter. For example, the US has way more unnecessary surgeries than any other country because in the US surgeons are paid for each procedure they perform rather than a flat salary. Parents forget there is a wide range of normal. Some kids mature later than others. Some adults are better at executive functioning than others |
Anonymous
true. I would absolutely trust some professionals but not all professionals just because they are “professionals.” when your kid has actual problems, you know it. you don’t need a “vetted professional” to tell you unless you are in deep denial. |
Anonymous
| What made you think your child might have ADHD, OP? I saw what you said about sometimes impulsive and chatty but it’s not just that, correct? |
Anonymous
I'm sorry you've had bad experiences. All I can say is we've had really good experiences with the therapists and psychologists we've worked with and when they felt their work was done they were actually quite happy to stop taking our money because they have a lot of families on their waiting lists. Once you start working with someone really good, they can refer you to other really good people if you need something else. Going back to OP's question, are you recommending OP avoid getting her child evaluated because you had a bad experience where your child was needlessly diagnosed? It feels like people worry about this a lot but I haven't heard of this happening much. If someone gives a diagnosis that doesn't ring true, (1) you don't have to tell anyone about it and (2) you should ask lots of questions and get a justification. |
Anonymous
DP. No, the point is unless there’s a lot more OP hasn’t told us, a neuropsych is overkill and a waste of money. There are free evaluations available. Or just start with some therapy. |
Anonymous
So you are declining to answer OPs specific question and instead offering unsolicited advice you are not qualified or situated to give. |
Anonymous
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Yes, a neuropsych assessment does not always lead to an ADHD diagnosis. It could lead to other diagnoses or no diagnosis.
That being said, based on your description of your child, a neuropsych exam seems unwarranted. Have you raised your concerns with your pediatrician? Or a child psychologist? A neuropsych exam is not even necessary for the vast majority of children and adults with ADHD - let alone a child who you say is doing well, has friends, and is not hyperactive or inattentive. |
Anonymous
OP here. DS is currently in 3rd grade in public school. 1st grade teacher suggested we “talk to our doctor” because of DS having emotional outburst and low frustration tolerance. This was also first year back after pandemic. We spoke to ped who said to have school therapist evaluate as a first step. She observed in the classroom and didn’t think further evaluation was necessary and said the teacher was overreacting. Nonetheless, we started a positive behavior plan and by the end of the year the teacher was glowing about our sons progress. Fast forward to third grade - we still hear the same concerns from teachers at conferences but no, there are not regular phone calls home. Teachers report low frustration tolerance particularly in social settings. He is easily baited by other children. He is a “big feelings” kind of kid. We are doing a social skills group but I wonder if I’m in denial and we need to do more. The other part of me says that just because he has social challenges, I don’t need to drop thousands to get a doctor to tell me what I want to hear and medicate him. We could totally wait and see if he matures but will I be doing some kind of permanent damage to his self esteem if it does turn out he has a legitimate issue that needs to be medicated? Sorry for the rant here. |
Anonymous
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My 11yo is now in 6th grade private and struggling. No behavioral or peer issues but definitely learning issues that weren’t evident until now. She is adopted and bio mom has adhd so it’s been on my mind. Just did the testing through mcps and they have to meet 6 out of 9 areas to get a diagnosis. She had all 9. I’m so glad we did it. Now we can work on supports at home and at school.
If you really think it OP talk to teachers and see what they think. If they feel the same way you do it’s worth going thru the school system. |
Anonymous
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Is he in individual therapy? If not, I would suggest getting a child therapist who can work with your child on emotion regulation and social skills (e.g., conflict, problem solving, etc.). Most therapists will use a diagnostic code such as "adjustment disorder" so that insurance covers therapy for people who do not have a formal diagnosis. This would allow your child to build skills, and the therapist/psychologist would also develop a diagnostic impression. You don't need a neuropsych eval to get access to intervention. In fact, a neuropsych eval would probably recommend this anyway regardless of diagnosis, so you might as well start now IMO.
Also - it seems like main challenges are emotional and social. Sure, children with ADHD often have these problems but the core aspect of ADHD is hyperactivity and/or inattention, which you specifically said your child does not have. Your child may meet criteria for something else (e.g., anxiety, ASD) but ADHD doesnt seem to fit. |
Anonymous
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Didn’t read all the other responses.
Our DD only met 4 criteria for ADHD with the neuropsych, but the levels of those criteria were extremely high. The psychologist told us that while they were not giving DD a diagnosis, the results didn’t mean things were ok - in fact, the result showed that things were not ok, and told us what areas to focus on. The recommendations focused on those areas of concern. |
Anonymous
I dunno, OP--I don't think you're in denial. I think the social skills group is good. Third grade is a big year for development. I'd be tempted to keep an eye on it and see how things go next year. With that said, you could also try occupational therapy for emotional regulation (maybe in a summer day camp setting), but that might be hard without a diagnosis of some kind. |