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[-]DD is in public PreK. His teacher thinks he needs to be evaluated for PT & OT. I was a little surprised. I think he has some behavioral probs. Picking up on last week's thread of teachers over-referring kids so they get a para., could that be what is going on here? It doesn't really make sense to me, but maybe the behavioral stuff combined could get him a SEIT? Dunno...
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[-]Is it true you can use caffeine as an alternative to ADHD meds? I am already giving my ds fish oil (which may help a little) and cutting out processed sugar-- anyone else make any dietary changes that have helped? Are there any types of therapy good for teaching them to curtail impulses? I will not medicate (those stimulants are SCARY)but want to take decisive steps. This situation is tearing up my home life... thanks for sharing your experience...
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So is ritalin. Stimulants often have an opposite effect in hyperactive individuals.
[ Reply | Options ]OR: my point was that OP is not avoiding giving a stimulant to her child by opting for caffeine over Ritalin. She is giving a different stimulant. One, I might add, where dosage is not controlled and where there is no research on efficacy, etc. (I'm not a big medicate the kid kind of thinker, but "self" medicating seems like the worst of two worlds here.
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I would give coffee. It's harmless, no downside...and I would change him schools while I was at it
[ Reply | Options ]so, how much should I give a 6-yr-old boy, about 57 pounds? Half a shot of espresso with lots of milk?
[ Reply | Options ]OR (I learned a lot today.) If I were going to do this I would use something like coffee soda. Cut it into milk. That way you can control for "dosage" much more reliably. (Oh wait, get coffee syrup. I have family in Rhode Island, Coffee Milk is their state drink. Your ds would love it.)
[ Reply | Options ]what is coffee syrup exactly? Who makes it? I was thinking that espresso (cut with milk obviously) was the healthiest form of coffee (lower acid and actually less caffeine, if more effective)... I don't want to undercut the other things I'm trying to do by having to load it up with sugar.
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but everything I read about the newest ADHD drugs is that they may permanently alter the growing brain, cause huge personality changes, create mood disorders that then require more medications, and sap boys of their motivation later in life. No thanks! I'd much rather suffer through a difficult childhood... but I am looking for other changes I can make, and came across this caffeine thing, which interested me. You have a point about caffeine being yet another drug. But a less scary one, I think.
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Why not? All the Israelis and South Europeans I know give their DCs coffee. In the US people are too uptight about it. My 8 year old loves it
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Maybe he's in the wrong school? "very active boys" (ADD is oved-dx'ed IMO) need small-class size and a traditional/structured environment
[ Reply | Options ]The environment in NYC makes it so hard to switch schools. What I wanted for my ds was an all-boys school with small classes and what I wound up with is pretty much the opposite. The all-boys school in NYC screen the kids so ruthlessly that the boys who really need that setting are never admitted.
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I am hesitating to medicate too. My son loves tea and the poster who said many europeans give their kids coffee/tea is correct. I spoke to a professor of psych. whose main thing is brain physiology. She said do not give the meds
[ Reply | Options ]Sorry hit enter too soon. The tea does calm him if only slightly. Others I have read about have had more marked effect. My theory is that there are different causes and that some can be helped by diet and some can't. There is a book which helps you figure out what type and then makes diet suggestions. It can't hurt to try. It's Healing ADD by Daniel G. Amen. You are in my thoughts because I know how hard it is.
[ Reply | Options ]P.S. About the meds, there is permanent brain alteration, liver damage, and there aren't enough studies to prove the efficacy. That said, there are some kids who are so ADHD that even with those negative drug aspects, their lives are improved significantly with meds.
[ Reply | Options ]Thank you so much. I will NOT give the meds. It is of course the "permanent brain alteration" that I find so shocking. It seems terrible to permanently change a child's brain to make your (or even his) life easier now. Seems a totally crazy trade-off that does not consider how these children will one day be ADULTS. Studies show that many kids OUTGROW ADHD. So while it is painful to see my child struggle in a learning environment that is stacked against him-- and while it is annoying to see him still impulsive while his playmates mature-- frankly, I just can't believe so many parents who are willing to medicate. And I say this as someone who is struggling with a very difficult child. Anyway thanks for your confirmation. I am very hopeful tha...
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I have a friend with a very hyper ADD boy, who put him on an incredibly strict diet (no sugar, no wheat, etc.) and she swears that he is better. Good luck.
[ Reply | Options ]My ADHD ds is doing well at a public because he needs daily recess and gym and ways to run off steam. Also at a public they HAVE to deal with the children. My ds used to be at a SN private and they were surprisingly negative and judgmental on his issues. I would go public until he outgrows the ADHD a little and learns to modulate himself, and then go privates. The NYC privates are such high pressure hothouses.
[ Reply | Options ]thanks, mine is in a public but it's a g&t. by the way mine can't "run off steam"-- he just gets more and more wound up-- he'd be better off with no recess at all, strangely. gym is ok.-- he needs lots of rules all the time. I am letting him do this weird karate thing where he gets to spar with other kids and, while I am horrified, it seems to be helping.
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I took my child to www.melaniekatin.com she does pediatric acupuncture and herbs. Acupuncture did not hurt my dd and she didn't complain at all. Said she didn't feel it. She uses organic herbs (unsulfured) and works with kids. She got my dd off western meds.
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When I was young, my brother was super hyper and could turn mean at the drop of a hat when wound up. My mom put him on a special diet and for him the sugar was not good, but the artificial food coloring and preservatives was even worse. Especially anything with red food coloring, all coloring was bad, but for him red was the worse. So he couldn't have any type of lollypops or hard candy, mostly because of the food coloring and not as much for the sugars. I think the name of the diet was The Fiengold Diet and I just found the website: www.feingold.org. It was pretty intense - my mom had to take all sweets and artificial things out of his diet, and even fresh fruits for about a week. Then she would introduce one type of fruit at a time f...
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[-]I have two girls one is 3 1/2 and the other is 19 months - My 3 1/2 year old started preschool in September and everything was going really good until about 3 weeks ago and now she cries everyday when I drop her off - It was so bad today that the school called and asked if I could come and pick her up early - I tried talking to her and asking her why she did not want to go now but she does not say - Any suggestions on how to get her over this?
3 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]She may perceived that she is not treated nicely at school. Have you talk to any of the teachers? It is also very unprofessional of the teachers to call you to come and pick her up instead of working through it.
[ Reply | Options ]np: They certainly should try, but if a child is crying for an hour I would think calling parents may be the better choice. I think OP's DD just realized the school is permanent thing and is not happy about it. Quite possibly also a bit of jealousy that her younger sister gets to hang out with mom at home.
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The teacher keeps me posted on a regular basis on how she is doing with the other kids in her class and she gets along with all of them and has some really close friends - She does have sensory integration disorder and we are working with an occupational therapist on those issues and I know that that adds to the problem
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[-]If you ask CPSE in Westchester or NYC to do perform an evaluation of your child, do they take it upon themselves to diagnose a condition e.g. ADHD or do they just perform the specific evaluations e.g. speech, occupational required? I am not looking for a diagnosis and want to know what I will be letting myself in for if I ask for an evaluation.
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[-]in nyc can anyone rec a psych for a pre-teen boy w reading disabilities who is now suffering fm very low self esteem?
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[-]If DC#2 doesn't get into DC#1's school, what do you tell them about why?
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[-]is there a new special needs board? i haven't been on here in ages and it seems so different?
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[-]Did anyone watch The TODAY Show yesterday morning with Sarah Jane Donohue? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27717674/
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[-]My 13 month twins both receive OT/PT, and were just eval for Speech Therapy. They go next month for a Developmental eval for Special Ed. Both are definitely behind, and my ped won't say it, but it looks like one may have autism. I'm feeling a little lost right now. I'm in NYC and would love someone to talk to about this.
26 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]both YAI and the JCC have support groups for special needs parents. You don't need to be jewish to access the one at the JCC. Also, that other board like the old UB has a very actice Special Needs board with really terrific people. My child was dx with autism at 2. Let me know if you have ?s. You should really see a DEVELOPMENTAL PED. They specialize in things like this, can evaluate and help develoop the right combo of therapies to address issues. Big names in NYC are Ceci McCarton, Marily Agin, Jennifer Cross, Maureen Packard, Lisa Schulman
[ Reply | Options ]It seems a little early to dx speech therapy....13 mos is still so young to determine anything-- what were your early warning signs?
[ Reply | Options ]FWIW, I am the poster above, I started noticing issues at 9 mos, had an eval at 15mos, started tx at 17 mos and autism dx at 24mos
[ Reply | Options ]what issues did you notice? I fear some mothers have a late talker and may immediately think "AUTISM!"
[ Reply | Options ]My child lost the ability to babble, did not immitate funny faces, etc., never played peek-a-boo or waived bye bye, did not discriminate between strangers and known people, had little interest in peers, craved sensory input, had obsessive interests, was unresponsive to name. Yet was very warm and loving and obviously VERY bright.
[ Reply | Options ]OP - what do you mean by craved sensory input? My little guy is so warm and loving too - my little sunshine.
[ Reply | Options ]Meaning well after kids stop mouthing things, my kid needed to put everything in his mouth, constant thumb sucker, would get close to people and REALLY press up against them because have the sensation of pressure on his body help "organize" him, figure out where he belonged in space. If you see the behavior you get it.
[ Reply | Options ]when did you begin to notice this. BTW OR - thank you so much for all your input. I'm at work today and finding it impossible to concentrate.
[ Reply | Options ]The need for sensory stuff when he was a toddler, but he started sucking his thumb at less than a month. He also drooled way past normal age because he did was not uncomfortable the way a more typical child would be, was late to toilet train b/c did not care about being wet/dirty, still as a 8yo not really aware of crumbs on his face. FWIW, my child is in a mainstream school and down to very few services, but it has been a REALLY long road.
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Do you mean early warning for speech? Basically they only say one or two consanents, neither of them points or guestures, one of them has eating issues.
[ Reply | Options ]OP Here - sometimes I have found you need to not get hung up on the the specific dx, you need to focus on the developmental delays. If social and speech are issues, you need to attack the deficit regardless if the underlying cause is CP, autism, general delays, appraxia, whatever.
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13 months is way too early to try to diagnose autism, don't get ahead of yourself here
[ Reply | Options ]OR here and if I had a dime for every well-meaning person who told me not to worry, boys talk late, we are differnet, Einstein did not talk until he was 3, and on and on my child would have not made the progress he did. You need to listen to your gut if something feels off.
[ Reply | Options ]I hear you, and I don't mean to correct you, really.... but is speech delay in and of itself a cause for concern for Autism? Some kids really do just talk late. I feel like every mother is walking on eggshells lately..
[ Reply | Options ]There were more issues with my son than just speech delay, but the speech delay was the most obvious to those who did not know him. A speech delay is a serious thing that can be indicative of many issues from autism, to apraxia, to hearing, processing, and should be investigated. Unless you have experience you really should not be spreading misinformation. This all said, I do recognize that there is a wide range of normal for speech development. But if you have a flag you should watch it.
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OP here - I'll try to respond to all the posts in this one place. What is YAI? We are seeing Dr. Cross for a second time (we went to her for our EI eval at 6 months - she is absolutely wonderful. It is not just the speech that concerns us. Baby A is awful at eye contact, will get almost violent if I try to force him to look me in the eye, and it has not gotten better in all these months. Again, no guesturing (waving, pointing, etc.) doesn't turn to his name. Baby B doesn't do very well with these milestones either but you can see a clear difference in how they respond.
[ Reply | Options ]Dr. Cross is great. She trained with Dr. McCarton. She is one of the approved dev peds for EI so if she recommends tx or gives a diagnosis that should go a long way to getting services. YAI is a social services agency they provide EI coordination (helping you get services approved from EI and managing that process and they are THE BEST at it). They also have speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, physcial therapists and special educators all of whom contract with EI to provide services. That agency helped save my child. Have you done an EI eval? When is your next apt with Dr. Cross. Also, FYI, if your child/ren are approved for services through EI you as a parent are eligible to be provided with a social worker ...
[ Reply | Options ]Thanks for all the info. We are in EI, and the therapists they have sent us have had amazing progress with the PT/OT. Waiting to hear how much speech therapy we will be approved for. I will definitely look into a social worker for me. What good will I be to the kids if I am a mess. Appt with Dr. Cross is next month. I truly hope my mothers-intuition is wrong on this one, but so far unfortunately, all my concerns with their developement have been pretty accurate.
[ Reply | Options ]My motto is err on the conservative, if it turns out to be nothing you can laugh at yourself later, but if it is something the earlier you intervene the better the outcome. I was so ANGRY at my mom when she first suggested autism, had she not prodded me to pursue I don't know where DS would be. The support groups I mentioned are both very good as well. FWIW, the JCC has a lot of special needs programming for the SN kids, their typical sibs, and parents. They are really dedicated to the cause. They also have lots of programming around advocacy and different therapeutic modalities. Gl You are amazing for doing this for your kids. I know how exhausting and scary it is.
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[-]My daughter has Down syndrome and I am having an impossible time getting information about where she might be able to attend kindergarten in the fall. The board of ed says it's too early to start looking but I'm concerned if I dont start soon I will miss out on the programs she might be eligible for, I know from experience they fill up quickly. I am even considering hiring some kind of consultant who can help me wade through the red tape/bureaucracy. Can anyone recommend someone like this or does anyone have any advice at all?
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Are you in NYC? If so, checkout the Ideal School. Also get the Parents Guide to Special Education in NYC - available on Amazon. You may want to tour CTT classes - inclusion classes in public schools. Is your daughter in preschool?
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The DOE is steering you wrong. You definitely should be touring schools. If you are considering private schools (including schools that accept funding from DOE) you need to be applying now (this assumes you live in NYC). I am not sure which schools accept kids with DOWNS but you should check out the book mentioned previously ASAP.
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[-]I think my 3.5 y/o dd may have sensory issues. She has had a very hard time in her 2nd year of preschool with tantrums, trouble engaging her peers, & trouble with transitions and new situations. She has always been good at speaking and understands and related emotions fine, so I don't think it's on the aspberger's path. Anyone have any experience with sensory issues? We are seeing a developmental pediatrician next month (earliest we could get in). But, would like to hear other's experiences. Thanks!
10 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]I have some experience. You may want to read/skim The Out of Synch Child and/or Raising a Sensory Smart Child.
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also, what sort of behavior changes have you seen with treatment. Has he been able to stay in standard preschool? My main goal os for her to be happier and less stressed out about things. Not sure if her school is equiped to help her through this.
[ Reply | Options ]My child was dx at 2. Had an intense home-based program with OT, speech, spec ed, etc when he was 2. When he was 3 attended a Spec Needs preschool and had PM therapy. He progressed so well, attended MS preschool with shadow when he was 4 and still had PM therapy. did so well is now in private mainstream school with a lot less PM therapy. The right treatment should really make a difference. All kids are different. It is worth reading those books, they have some really good suggestions. Also, do what is right for your child and do not get hung up on labels and diagnoses.
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I think you should try to get help but there's nothing there that screams sensory issues to me. A lot of those behaviors could be related to language issues. Also, some children just need a lot of structure and coaching for transitions and new situations. How is her preschool? Is the teacher working on strategies to help her through her day?
[ Reply | Options ]my 4 y/o ds has some sensory issues (we think) and OT has helped. It might be faster to schedule an OT evaluation and get started on therapy if there are issues. We also had a dev ped evaluation and she noticed a few sensory issues. The OT brushing protocol has also helped my ds a lot. I was so skeptical about it but it definitely helps him regulate himself. The other recommendation I have is to read the book 'Treating Explosive Kids..: by Ross Greene for recommendations on things you can do to miminize tantrums and help her with transitions and new situations. My ds has some of those issues along w/very low frustration tolerance.. GL. Let us know what happens. also, you can post on www.youbemom.com for more advise..
[ Reply | Options ]I don't know if you are still watching - i hope you are. PLEASE don't go to Dr. Bertin. It was the biggest waste of money I ever spent. His report and information was totally not helpful and missed a lot of details that we got from a good dev ped in NYC. This is something that you need to go to NYC for. I never check this board, just happened to be bored tonight and post. visit the other board that is mentioned on this post and
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[-]My son is 2.8. He has received through EI minimal therapy for low tone in his core (PT), some OT and speech all due to tonal issues. Now some sensory issues are coming up. We no longer qualify for PT. The OT and SPEECH therapists tell me how well he is doing, and yet he is not touching any sensory-related stuff in school and the sluping in the chair has come up. The speech person also tells me he is in the normal range now. But at school I do not see a speaker or sensory participator? Is it time for me to go to a developmental pediatrician or a neuropsychologist (David Salsberg)? Does David Salsberg even look at kids who may not need a special needs school? HELP parents. Not satisfied where my ds is, but do not know where to go next.
3 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]read up on sensory therapies, they are not scientifically supported, meaning they have been proven to be of no benefit. btdt mom, what IS of benefit is to sign your kid up for a gym class. If in NYC the one we tried when dc was slightly older was Columbus Gym at 89 and Columbus. Try to stay away from bogus therapies, they won't really help your child, even though they are VERY trendy and I will be flamed big time for posting this. People need to think it helps, it is big business in this city, but still BOGUS.
[ Reply | Options ]We are in NYC and he does take 2 gym classes / week. Right now more sporty, but soon I'll do a Jodi's Gym type of class. Today went for an OT eval from a private person who knows us well. She really thoght he was doing well and also thought the sensory piece will come into place soon enough. That said, sometimes when I talk to him or even have to punish him, I do not think he gets what I'm saying. After having a verbal girl this is a tough one to follow ... and I LOVE HIM like hot cakes! But am I frustrated!
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