New with ? about re-eval
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| Mon, 01-08-2007 - 9:44am |
Hi,
I'm technically not new, but it's likely been well over a year since I was an occasional poster. My DS is 6 and in 1st grade. He was dxed PDD-NOS 2 years ago. The initial eval was done in Maryland, and involved sessions with the psychiatrist, psychologist, SLP and neuropsychologist. We felt that it was a thorough and fair assessment. They recommended a re-eval two years later because he had so much development ahead of him.
However, a little over a year ago we moved to NJ, and we're seeing a new developmental pediatrician. She did a quick assessment for ADHD in September, and concluded that he has that. I don't disagree, but I thought that it should have taken more than two questionnaires(one for parents, one for teacher) to arrive at that dx. I asked about scheduling appointments for his re-evaluation for PDD-NOS, and she said she'd evaluate him at his spring appointment. I have a feeling that it's going to be another quickie thing.
Now, we don't want him to stay on the spectrum if he doesn't belong there, but we also don't want the "label" officially taken away with a quick worksheet, especially with the time and care that went into the initial diagnosis.
I've emailed one of the doctors who did the initial eval, asking what types of tests we should be having done, but I'm not entirely sure that I'll hear back (keeping fingers crossed). Has anyone else been through this sort of re-eval before, with advice on what I should be asking for?
Thanks,
Maribeth

Oh, I have SOOOO been there and fortunately had a very wise developmental pediatrician. *I* wanted my daughter undiagnosed when she was about 6 because I felt she had made such dramatic improvements and didn't belong on the spectrum anymore.
My doctor said she wouldn't take away the diagnosis until Cait went a full year with NO supports and was still successful. So we started to wean off all supports (IEP, meds, therapy, etc) and we didn't make it 6 months nor even off all the supports.
By the time she was 7 she was rediagnosed with Aspergers. My dd is very much on the spectrum and has a few other neuro type issues as well but it was hard to see at that age because of the progress she had made as well as many kids that age aren't great with social skills etc. So it is hard to see what is typical and what is autistic. She is now 12 and doing very very well but she is a definite Aspie. She will even tell you that.
Renee
Maribeth,
These are private evals, right?
It sounds like that ped did the Connors eval for ADHD and that was it. While this test has its place in the world. I do not trust it as a sole tool. The Connors test can produce a lot of "false positives" because it just asks about certain behaviors without examining any of the context or reasons behind them. Dr. Connors
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Liam was evaluated twice, once as a preschooler (4.11)
I don't know if this helps, but my 10 yr old is being tested for Dysgraphia and Aspergers right now by a NP. These are the tests he has done so far...
Achenback Child Behavior
Bender Gestalt
Childrens Profective Drawing Battery
Conner's Rating Scale (Parent version and Teacher version)
Gars Gilliam Autism Rating Scale
Reversal Frequency Test
Wechsler Individual Acheivement Test Second Edition (WIAT-II)
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Chidren Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
The one he still has left to do is the NEPSY Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment