Second opinion apt. on Thursday
Find a Conversation
| Sat, 06-18-2005 - 10:21am |
Hi. I posted a week or so ago about my 15 y/o ds who was just diagnosed with Aspergers by his child psychiatrist. I'm going in to a different psychiatrist this Thursday for a second opinion. I'm also hoping to find a doctor that will be more helpful in guiding us in the right direction as to how we should proceed.
I'm currently trying to put together a list of when ds was diagnosed with the different disorders and what meds he has been on over the years, among other things. My question to you, are there specific questions I should be asking the doctor? What should I expect this meeting to involve? Will he be going down the list of questions to determine a dx of Aspergers? I just don't want this meeting to be a waste of my time. I want to be as prepared as possible and make the most out of this meeting. Any help or insite would be appreciated!
Laura

Laura,
The main thing a formal dx will accomplish for your ds is access to services. If the school system agrees with the dx, which sometimes they do not in high functioning cases, you can ask for accommodations, social skills training, etc. If your child would benefit from medication or cognitive/behavioral therapy, the dx is necessary for getting this paid for by insurance. That is the direction I would take with the next doc you visit. You need to be asking where to go from here in terms of treatment. If your child is doing great in school, has at least one friend, and is generally happy, I don't quite know what you would want out of a dx of Aspergers. Kids who are at such a high level of functioning that they can develop well without therapies and accommodations really get little out of a dx, except that they know they have a different way of processing social info that other people. If your child is this high functioning, I would also worry about making him feel stigmatized by the label of Aspergers (depending on the kind of person he is, of course).
That is my thinking on the matter. Good luck with your next appointment.
Suzi
Suzi ~ Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm beginning to ask myself that question. What do I want out of the dx. I think I was just so thrown back when our current doctor said Aspergers that I ran out of the office to seek a second opinion and to find one with a better approach!
After thinking about your post, if this new doctor says it's mild Aspergers, I will be happy to know that his behavior isn't a result of bad parenting on my and dh part. To know that there is a "real" reason for his behavior will be some what of a relief. On the other hand, I already feel bad for getting upset and punishing him for behavior in the past that he couldn't control. I'm already learning from doing some reading on how to handle different situations.
As of now, our insurance already covers the meds he is on as well as the therapy he has had in the past. We've gotten this far without special assistance from the school. For us, that wouldn't be necessary. Like you said, just having him know that his brain processes info differently will help him in social situations.
Thanks again for the feedback and I'll keep you posted on our meeting.
Laura