new and just tested

My son - also 10 and in Grade 5 - has just undergone quite a bit of testing, as well. If fact, as I read your post, I was thinking - “Wow, that is what I was thinking just a few weeks ago!”

This website is full of information, and knowledgeable people. You will do well to bookmark this one.

It will be hard to get exact information until you know what you are dealing with, but please know that you are not alone. And, more importantly, you do not need to feel guilty for yelling at her. Now you know, and now you will cope. You can’t change the past, so now you just need to move forward. I have had MANY guilty feelings, and I’m sure I will again, but at least you have had some testing done! For that you should be given a big ole sticker!

Looking forward to going through this journey with you.

Be well,
Jori

Also see if the Psyche or the SLP can do the TAPS-3. That is a good test for auditory processing and attention. It sounds like she may be ADD-Inattentive but she can also hyper focus. Kids that are ADD-Inattentive are tuned out and into themselves when they get overwhelmed. They often have accompanying language processing issues. I am an SLP. I have seen this quite often.

Good luck and if you have anymore questions let me know.

i haven’t received the results yet but i have been told that she is high on the inattentive part.. it looks as if she may be add or adhd, with another learning disability.. i cried when i found out - i’ve been so harsh with her.. it would explain so much though.. i still can’t believe that after so many years of schooling not one teacher would of picked it up..

funny thing is that she has had speech therapy and seen an audiologist.. both said that there was nothing wrong - i found that rather odd too.. i spent a small fortune on speech therapy and no gains were made..

i will speak to the psyche about getting a taps-3

how well do kids improve with ‘proper’ therapy? she has so many ideas, so many thoughts but cannot express them - even on paper.. i’m hoping that once the diagnosis is official she can begin her new journey..

jori, thanks for your kind words.. we are in the same boat and i’m sure that all will go well..

Hi Brookelea,
Your mention of difficulties with organization, comprehension and expression, could also indicate NLD, ‘non verbal learning disorder’?
People with this, are often highly gifted in remembering facts. Though they have a difficulty with the mental association of these facts.
Which presents problems with organization, comprehension and expression.

geodub, that is so spot on.. what is NLD? is it common?
are there any ways that i can help her overcome this?

Hi Brookelea,
Here’s a link to a website with plenty of information on NLD.
It also has an excellent Forum as well, which is very helpful.
nldontheweb:

http://www.nldontheweb.org/NLD_forum.htm

I also noted your mention of an ‘attention’ problem. In NLDer’s this is usually a result of their learning difficulty not being recognised by Teachers. Which over time, often results in behaviour problems.
Unfortunately, down here in Australia, most schools prefer to ignore the learning difficulty, and simply wait for the behaviour problems to occur.
Then the problem is simply identified as ADD or ADHD, which is a problem to simply be treated with drugs, not remedial teaching.
Though I’m writing from WA, which is one of the world’s highest per capita prescriber of ADD drugs to students.
Geoff.
:)

thanks geoff, i’m logging into that site as i type:)
shall raise nld with psyche next visit - to be honest, i would prefer a nld diagnosis than a adhd one - the over-diagnosis and medication and stigma that go with it in australian schools is hard to tolerate.. but then again, i guess it the stigma would be the same for nld - very few people seem to have any understanding of what a ld is and i have witnessed first hand how poorly people respond towards kids that have one..

shall know more about daughter’s diagnosis in the next few weeks..

It sounds very similar to my daughters profile, who is now 11. She was diagnosed with an expressive language deficit at age 4 and age 5/6 an audtiory processing and then Central auditory processing deficit(CAPD). She has a large split(30pts) between her PIQ (gifted) and VIQ(average).

You should also do a search on web for CAPD. There is lots of information out there. I remember crying when I first read about it as it described my dd to a tee. There are different ‘models’ of CAPD that have been defined by various Universities. The Univ. of Buffalo model was the one I become most familar with as my neighbor studied under Jack Katz. In his book ‘Central Auditory Processing Disorders’, he defines every aspect you have described of your dd(including attention and disorganization), as a profile under CAPD.

how is everything with your daughter now??
thanks for the capd info, shall being reading up on it..

She is doing great. She still has quirky issues, but she is not handicapped anymore. Her teachers are usually very surprised that she has an IEP and consider her in top 1/3rd of class. But she works very hard to be in that % of class. Her IEP focuses on spelling and articulation only.

I think she has now progressed to a point where she can function, learn and be tutored as a normal kid. We are looking into some tutoring this summer just for writing. I do fear what is going to happen in the middle school years.

But it was a hard road to get where we are. She has been through alot of intense therapies over the years.

Your DD sounds a lot like my 11yo DS. Except where your DD is mathematically advanced my DS has severe dyscalculia on top of the NLD. I’m just sorting out the possible treatments and am trying to figure out where to start. IN DS’s case I’ve decided to homeschool because he’s not incapable of learning he just has to learn at his own speed and in his own way. He’s been in special ed since Kindergarten and no one in all the years figured out his issues. The school labeled him ADD, end of story, that’s how he’ll be treated. I knew that wasn’t the issue or at least not the only one but it took me literally years to finally work our way to a diagnosis.

Part of the problem is that some of tests aren’t all that good with younger children and the other part was that I was relying on the school to do the testing. Finally, I had DS privately tested at considerable expense to get some answers. The school didn’t disagree with the results but they have no clue about what to do with a NLD child. His spec ed teacher with over 20 years experience has never had a child like my DS.

BTW, DS is not ADD at all. It’s all processing speed and disorganization.

Good luck and I won’t tell not to beat yourself up because I still do it when I ponder the “What ifs” and the “If onlys”.

advanced with maths?? there are times when she can’t even add 2 + 2!! mind you she knows it so i just don’t get it..
or like tonight- she swims four nights a week, 1.5 hour sessions, but tonight, like other nights, swam as if she just stepped into a pool.. i literally had to stare her down and raise my hand to my throat for her to pull her act together.. the other parents around me were horrified that i would do such a thing but i guess its easier to judge than to listen and understand..
dd is erratic and if left to her own devices i’m afraid of what might happen - she is a huge risk taker .. after staring her down, she pulled her act together.. at the completion of the session dd came out of the water and burst out in tears and started to tell all around what a horrible mother i am and that she is in ‘fear’ of me.. all the parents felt so sorry for her and were consolling her.. when i got her in the car, i asked her why she said that - her response was “next time you will know better and stay away from the pool”.. when we arrived home she hugged me and told me how much she loved me and how sorry she was.. that she doesn’t want to act like that but she can’t help herself - hmmmmmm!!
seriously, she is 10 years old.. i’m hoping that she is at her peak and as she gets older she won’t be so high maintainence or at least not so manipulative..

Well…the more you write I feel she is ADD-Inattentive with impulsivity. Have you done the AMEN checklist on the AMEN website? I have heard from several parents who have gone to the AMEN clinics that their kids who are ADD Inattentive with anxiety or impulsivity and who have the ring of fire subtype of ADD do well on a herbal supplement called Teen Link and a diet with lots of protein and vegetables and fruits but no junk food or sweet stuff…I haven’t tried it but I have heard that it helps…

When you DD gets help for her ADD you will see a remarkable improvement in her behavior and abilities. Also she could be starting puberty which would explain her outbursts…my daughter is a swimmer but she has never yelled at me in front of other kids or parents at the pool but on the other hand I haven’t yelled at her infront of her peers at the pool either. Nevertheless it sounds like it was a painful experience for both of you.

thanks so much!! i went to the amen site where we completed the online assessment..
my dd is only 10 so i’m predicting that her teenage years will be rather stressful for me.. she has had outbursts for years, unfortunately i can’t blame impending puberty..
australia unfortunately does not have much in regards to adhd treatments and alternative therapies.. have found efalex and have been using it for almost three weeks.. dd also takes flaxseed oil, magnesium tissue salts, multivitamins and cognis essence (aussie bush herbs).. her piano playing has improved tenfold since using these therapies and so has her chess game (she beat me 7-4)..