HELP!!!!!!

What real evidence does the teacher have that he’s “doing this on purpose?” … And even *if* he is, *that’s* not ADD either!!!!! Could be avoidance of a frustrating task (gee, how abnormal, NOT)…

You’ve got all kinds of evidence that there is a real auditory processing problem, and gee, that would lead to exactly the behaviors you and the teachers see. This s/l lady may have never seen a kiddo with that level of CAPD, so she is assuming he “could do it if he tried.” Gee, we’ve NEVER heard that before, have we?

The Doc I would want to know more from (some docs know their stuff…. others don’t really when it comes to this stuff). So the referrals are the next step. You need to find out why this kiddo is “in a different world.”

I don’t know your kid… but everything you describe matches a kiddo with severe auditory problems — “like a deaf child.” It sounds like the school is “helping” — but just from their standard menu of offerings, without really being concerned about whether it’s what he needs. Frankly it seems like the classroom setting isn’t working. Have you looked into an FM transmitter? Is he up sitting next to the teacher so he can look her in the eye? Again, I don’t know your kid so I don’t know that’s what happens, but it’s not exactly logical to say “okay, he’s been tested and it looks like he’s got this problem, and he’s showing these signs of that problem, but gosh, I don’t think it’s that problem, I’d rather it was ADD.”

Or it could be both… but you’ve got the referrals. Find out more. Does he do a lot better 1:1?

CAPD can do that to a child. My son has CAPD and he did Fast Forward between first and second grade. Suddenly he started following conversations. In first grade they too had thought him ADD. The speech and special ed teacher, who had him both years, saw a marked change in him.

We now are going through the process at school to try to get an Sound Field system (classroom FM system) installed for our son. Despite the clear progress we saw with FFW, his third grade teacher was sure he had a hearing problem (sound familiar!!). He zones out a lot and when I asked him about it, he told me gets tired.

We spoke to the audiologist he is seeing for private therapy and she recommended the sound field system. She told me that he doesn’t have enough redundancy in his auditory processing and a better noise to signal ratio would help him.

I think the school is clearly out of line and has no idea what your child is up against.

I still haven’t ruled out ADD for my child because there is a fairly high co-morbidity rate. His attention problems are primarily auditory tasks though which is why it makes sense to do the most we can for the CAPD.

I have a long (70 page) document on CAPD with recommendations for schools that I could e-mail you as an attachment, if you want. It was produced by Florida Dept. of Education.

Beth

Tammy,

I’m not qualified to diagnose, and more than likely, neither is the teacher. I know the proposed diagnosis is probably given in good faith based on observations made during a class. That simply isn’t good enough when it comes to understanding what is going on inside your child’s head. A highly qualified neuropsych is probably your best bet. How about through your insurance? Fully detailed and thorough evaluation is what is in order. Guessing and medicating based on guessing is not the route many of us would take.

I am the last guy here who could guess or suggest about some branch of autism, but has that even been considered? I am just addressing the concept based on your post about your son seeming like he is deaf or in his own world… I really don’t know what else to say, but hang in there and follow your gut instincts.

Good luck.

Andy

ps/ help is out there; keep seeking it, and don’t settle for any quick fixes.

Beth,
Thanks for your response. Yes I would like a copy of the document on
CAPD, Please forward to my E-mail.THANKS.

Tammy

Andy,

Thanks for the reply. I did have my son evaluated at a hospital near us this past july. He seen a Pschycologist, social worker and Pediatrician. It was apretty thorough evaluation. The doctor that I am working for right now has suggested a evaluation by a neurologist that would specialize in devolopmental disorders and also evaluation by audiologist. Is that kind of what you were talking about??? I did find a DR. that heads a clinic for communication disorders that would confirm CAPD or anything else for that matter. No one has ever mentioned autism but I would be game to rule it out. Thanks for your insight.

Tammy

I can relate to your dilemma I have CAPD and ADD, as does my daughter. ADD-Inattentive and CAPD do overlap quite a bit. Kids that are ADD-Inattentive are in their own little world, they can go anywhere in their mind and entertain themselves for hours. Kids that are CAPD can do the same, tune out sounds and daydream too.

Did your son have a work up in regards to his IQ? What was his processing speed if it is in the 80’s that can be a sign of ADD. I have seen many kids in my years of tutoring and now speech therapy who were misdiagnosed as speech delayed or auditory processing and the underlying component was ADD-Inattentive. The speech teacher thinks he is being inattentive on purpose but the reality is he can’t control when or where his mind goes. Once a kid gets tuned in and attentive you are able to work with them. Without the attention their therapy and progression is more or less at a standstill.

The Assisitive listening device would also help him focus in the classroom and develop his auditory memory. Good luck!

I would love to have them too! Thanks!

Andy I thought the same thing about a possible autism spectrum disorder. There is so much more to it then the average person knows. It is a wide spectrum disorder with varying degrees of impaiment. I have a 9 1/2 year old son who is PDD-NOS and he sounds very similar to this child. Just because a child has an autism spectrum disorder does not make them retarded or totally out of it. My son is able to function in school fairly well. His teachers note he can seem not to be there but can be bought back fairly easily. He has a very uneven developmental profile and seems to prefer to be alone. It would be worth checking out the web to get a feel for it.

I would much appreciate your e-mailing me the attachment you referred to here as a resource for my son.

Thank you.

Hi, I’ve got a 4 1/2 year old daughter9Alexis) that I suspect has capd. She has speech and language delays and also “lives in her own world ” often times. However, once you get her attention she responds. The audiologist said she’s too young to be tested for CAPD. She has been in speech therapy for two years and also occupational therapy and physical therapy for some fine motor and strength issues. She has a twin brother with some vision problems but otherwise normal. I am interested in getting a copy of the Florida reccomendations for CAPD to pass on to the elementary school she will be attending next year. It sounds like it would be helpful. Thanks and if you have any other advice for a mom just starting to figure it out, I would appreciate it.
-Carolyn

Beth,

Can please e-mail me the 70 page document for CAPD with recommendations. I would be very interested in seeing this document. It may help provide us with further information to ensure that our son gets the proper help from our school district.

Thanks,
Carlton