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Reply to "Need private school ASAP for ADHD 5yo — eloping, dysregulated, needs active learning"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=theflash1985][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Was preschool okay? What accommodations did he need there? [/quote]

OP doesn't want to answer this. Wonder why. [/quote]

[b]LOL. I was playing video games with my son and getting him ready for bed.  :D [/b]

We confirmed his ADHD in preschool after his private Christian school admitted he’d been covering his ears, hiding under desks, and not responding to questions and being mute. At home, he started showing anxiety and physical aggression on us from holding it all in all day. [b]We got him diagnosed that week with ADHD and severe anxiety, [/b]did PCIT therapy over the summer which helped tremendously, and had an IEP ready for fall. (Fun Fact: The first IEP they gave us was literally blank — we had to tell them every single accommodation and service a kid with ADHD and Anxiety needs. PGCPS is insane - won't be here too much longer.)

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Diagnosed within a week? Have you actually had a neuropsych evaluation?

It usually takes months to get a diagnosis. When you have a child like this a) you want the best and most experienced provider - a developmental pediatrician or a highly recommended psychologist to do a full neuropsych. You must have one.

Also, is your kid in therapy? He needs to be. If he spent any time in an orphanage or with bio parents, I would be concerned that there are other issues at play. (This is also why you need a neuropsych evaluation). I say this from experience with an adopted child with intense emotional dysregulation (only at home, great in school). They were later diagnosed with autism as a teen and have struggled with school refusal. You need to stop being so defensive while simultaneously being in denial. There isn’t a magic solution here - no magic school, no magic OT program. Just hard work.

Also, a FIVE YEAR OLD with ADHD should not be playing video games. And playing video games (or any screen time) before bed is absolutely moronic. You need to take a parenting class for kids with special needs pronto. [/quote]

It does not take a neuropsych to get an ADHD diagnosis.  And, if you have good relationships with your school and pediatrician, you can get diagnosed within a week.  A neuropsych is not always recommended as early as age 5.  [/quote]

Anyone doling out ADHD diagnoses to 5 year olds without extensive testing should have their licenses revoked.[/quote]

This. Especially with a kid with violent behaviors. When we were getting my kid diagnosed with ADHD and later autism, I was looking for “the best of the best” providers and obviously, neuropsych evaluations were recommended by all.[/quote]

I'm sure that you believe you made the very best decisions for your child.  But they are not the very best decisions for every child.  I see a lot of value in getting a quick diagnosis so that you can get immediate services and accommodations in school.  Those quick evaluations do not prevent you from getting additional evaluations.  But failure to get a diagnosis can prevent your child from getting school services.  [/quote]

When kids are that young they usually don’t need a diagnosis and can get services through a school assessment of developmental delay. But yes, if you need something quick to push that, do so. An expensive neuropsych in 6-18 months won’t help now. [/quote]

Hmm. Has the “quick diagnosis” and advice from that provider helped? It sure doesn't look like it. The kid absolutely needs a neuropsych and should get on a list ASAP. They should also be looking for a a whole new mental health team here. [/quote]

A “neuropsych” doesn’t even diagnose ADHD. I’m all in favor of consulting experts but in such a young kid it’s a lot less simple than shelling out $8k for a “neuropsych,” although I’m sure many providers would take OP’s money. What OP needs is whatever paperwork is necessary to get an IEP or update it (or BIP if they don’t have one), plus and advocate to get the school to implement it or find a new placement. [/quote]

Stop providing misinformation. A neuropsych diagnoses ADHD, using the TOVA, questionnaires, and other tests of attention. The evaluation lasts between 4-8 hours and will also help determine whether behaviors are due to learning disabilities, mental illness and other conditions. In the case of this adopted child, is important to figure out which behaviors are driven by anxiety, FASD/in útero drug exposure, reactive attachment disorder, learning disabilities, or neurodivergence. A pediatrician or school psychologist doesn’t have the expertise for this.

Not only that, everyone on this thread agrees that the school SPED departments are overworked and aren’t always 100% operating in the best interest in the child, and yet you are recommending that their evaluation and recommendations are all that’s needed? [/quote]

[b]You are not describing a “neuropsych.” You are describing a different type of evaluation. We had a “neuropsych” that included none of what you listed.[/b] Sounds like you feel like you got adequate testing which is great. But in general a “neuropsych” means a battery of cognitive testing not everything else you listed. [/quote]

Lady, I don't know what your deal is or why you are so intent on showing your ignorance. I don't even think your kid had a neuropsych, which is hilarious. You most likely had what is called a diagnostic evaluation. And on the off chance they did have a neuropsych, you do understand that neuropsych tests are tailored to each child's individual concerns? They will all be different.

Now, what are the differences between diagnostic evaluations and neuropsychological evaluations?
The biggest differences are the cost, time it takes, specificity of the tests and who assesses the tests.

Neuropsychological evaluations take anywhere from ten to twelve hours and is usually completed over two or three sessions, while diagnostic evaluations take between two and four hours and are usually completed in one or two sessions. Here is a link for you since you are struggling so much with understanding what a neuropsych is: https://www.thrivingwellnesscenter.com/blog/neuropsycheval

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Nothing that you wrote supports that a “neuropsych” (which as your source says is not actually a single test) is necessary or sufficient for everything. In particular it is not generally considered adequate for ADHD which requires clinical assessment and collateral, not standardized tests. A neuropsychologist might be able to administer instruments like the ADOS but you don’t need a “full neuropsych” for that (ie 12 hours of testing including all the cognitive tests).

My objection is that stressed parents are being marketed a very expensive nonspecific packages of tests labeled the “full neuropsych” that may not even include the diagnostic assessment needed on the one had, and may be overkill on the other hand.

This is a good discussion of the issue with respect to ADHD and younger kids: https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/17if67i/adhd_testing_referrals_for_preschool_age_children/

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