Recommend a neurologist for an older kid

[Anonymous]

Son is almost 13 yo. In general he seems fine. But as a mother I've always felt that there is something off with him. He's bright and I feel he can compensate very well. Ped never shared my concerns, but he's had some issues with reading, tracking, horrible hand-writing, etc. We've been to developmental optometrists, done therapies but no noticeable results. He has other issues too, but not very severe. Now he's getting headaches and stiff neck. There is nothing wrong physically. I feel we need to see a neurologist who can assess all the little but numerous issues and give us a diagnosis. What would be the best course of action to take for us? we don't really need a referral from ped to see a specialist for insurance purposes. I'm still going to talk to her though. Meanwhile I'm looking for recommendations for neurologist, especially who'd be good with teens/older kids.

[Anonymous]

Its possible that the developmental optometrist was a mistake not only because it didn't address the problem but because it kept you from seeing an ophthalmologist. Thats the biggest danger with developmental optometrists. Headaches may be the result of eye strain and he should see a medical doctor about his vision.

Frankly, developmental optometry is a bunch of hooey, but I din't want to start that debate.

If you have other concerns you should have him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. They are the experts at developmental issues. Or have a learning assessment by a psychologist since it sounds like he may have some learning issues.

Frankly it sounds like you've gone the OT route and gotten a lot of BS. I did years of OT with my DS and it helped with some things but they are expansive in their mission and a lot of it is BS. You need to get out of there and have actual experts assess if there is a problem.

[Anonymous]

What I'm saying is that a neurologist is a doctor for brain disorders like tumors and seizures and not for learning disorders or developmental disorders.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. I've taken him to ophthalmologist as well. His eyesight is fine and all the muscles in his eyes are exceptionally well developed and functioning thanks to all the therapies. I guess it was not all for nothing. Must agree that the dev. optometry was waste of time and money.

I was thinking neurologist because of this new symptom - neck pain and migraines sometimes. It started in June and isn't getting any better. The orthopedist prescribed physical therapy. I'm thinking physical therapy might help a bit but might also mask an actual problem.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Rajasingham in Rockville. Very successful in helping 13 yo Dc with Migraines,

[Anonymous]

For migraines, yes a neurologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Rajasingham in Rockville. Very successful in helping 13 yo Dc with Migraines,

+1. Wonderful doctor!!

[Anonymous]

OP,

Has he had a neuropscyh evaluation to assess possible learning disabilities?

My kid has low tone and dysgraphia. He often props himself in odd position b/c of tiredness and poor core strength. So we saw Dr. Kraskin (pediatric ophthalmologist), who was wonderful. His eyesight was fine and Dr. K didn't recommend any addition therapy.

If your son has tracking issues that might be more related to an LD than something physical. If he has low tone too he might be positioning himself in a way that results in the neck strain and headaches. (It's definitely a good idea to get this checked out as well.)