Do I wait 6 months for the experts or do I get busy and do something here for dd?

[CalicoKat]

she has an ADHD rx, been on medication for 3 years and now I'm wondering if there's possibly more.

Last month she started complaining of blury, double vision while we were doing school. I thought her medication was suspect and immediately scheduled her for a dr. appt. which led us to make an opthamologist appt. who says her eyes's are 20/20, nothing wrong. The dr. also helped me get on the the special education call list for testing at the PS in hopes of getting dd some occupational therapy. She was unable to get the tip of her finger to her nose with her eyes open or closed and she had difficulting matching her pinky to each finger on her hand in order. Dr. recommended holding off on her meds until we get her eye issue resolved. Honestly she's antsier in school, but able to do the work. Her oppositionl attitude is the same on & off meds, utterly nasty to everyone here at home.

The re-eval by the school district won't be until September with services starting in October -- best scenario. That's 6 months away. What can I do in the mean time?

I'm rather suspecting dyslexia and that she'll need some vision therapy to get her eyes to see together. She has another appointment with the opthamologist tomorrow for an additional dialation because she was difficult to "scope" and they're concerned about the blurry, double vision.

I've been thinking of getting Brain Safari to help boost her in the conceptual skill area. This was something we saw from her CAT test that needed attention. Is there anything else.

I'm reading up on this again. Funny how a 100th reading through the same book comes up with new thoughts and ideas.

Thanks!

[EKS]

Most ophthalmologists will not do the testing required to determine whether vision therapy is needed. And they will likely laugh you out of the office if you suggest it. What you need is a developmental optometrist. I would also look into a private occupational therapy evaluation.

My son has dyslexia and ADHD, but VT and OT were both very helpful to him.

[CalicoKat]

Most ophthalmologists will not do the testing required to determine whether vision therapy is needed. And they will likely laugh you out of the office if you suggest it. What you need is a developmental optometrist. I would also look into a private occupational therapy evaluation.

My son has dyslexia and ADHD, but VT and OT were both very helpful to him.
Do you think I need a prescription or referral from our pediatrician? Or do I just call and schedule and appointment.

I found one close to our place. Unfortunately their office is closed today or I'd called and asked them.

[CalicoKat]

Do you think I need a prescription or referral from our pediatrician? Or do I just call and schedule and appointment.

I found one close to our place. Unfortunately their office is closed today or I'd called and asked them.
one other question. The opthamologist scheduled dd to come back for another dialation tomorrow. The dilation drops will last for 12 hours, rather than the usual 4 hours. This is because she said she had difficulty "scoping" dd with the other dialation.

Should I skip that dialation and just scheduled an appointment with the DO?

[wapiti]

Most ophthalmologists will not do the testing required to determine whether vision therapy is needed.

Same here. Our pediatric opthamologist said dd's eyes were fine. The same month, we went for some testing (IQ, etc.) and the testers suggested that she had a possible vision problem, so we found an optometrist who does VT. When the optometrist showed me how hard it was for her to move her eyes, it was obvious.

See www.covd.org (http://www.covd.org) to find a provider to do an evaluation. Opthamologists who do this are very few and far between; most are optometrists. There's quite the controversy between these specialties on the issue of VT.

[wapiti]

Do you think I need a prescription or referral from our pediatrician? Or do I just call and schedule and appointment.

I found one close to our place. Unfortunately their office is closed today or I'd called and asked them.
Just call and schedule. ETA: be sure to ask not for a regular checkup but one to see if she needs VT. Explain the situation. It's a little different from a regular checkup - they may ask your child to write or draw, etc., among other things.

On the eye drops, I'd only do it if there were something particular that the opthamologist was looking for that you want to rule out.

Regarding OT, we found that it was very helpful in how much easier it was for dd to do the VT exercises. It was coincidental in that we hadn't planned it that way (the OT said it would help but I wasn't holding my breath and that's not why we were seeing the OT; we did a short, intensive program of OT just after we started VT, took a break from VT to get the OT done, and then re-started the VT).

[CalicoKat]

Just call and schedule. ETA: be sure to ask not for a regular checkup but one to see if she needs VT. Explain the situation. It's a little different from a regular checkup - they may ask your child to write or draw, etc., among other things.

On the eye drops, I'd only do it if there were something particular that the opthamologist was looking for that you want to rule out.

Regarding OT, we found that it was very helpful in how much easier it was for dd to do the VT exercises. It was coincidental in that we hadn't planned it that way (the OT said it would help but I wasn't holding my breath and that's not why we were seeing the OT; we did a short, intensive program of OT just after we started VT, took a break from VT to get the OT done, and then re-started the VT).
the opthamologist told me dd was lying about seeing not being able to see things and that dd's vision was 20/20. But because dd kept consistently saying things about double and blurry vision she wanted to do this extra, stronger, dialation test. She was perplexed by that.

[wapiti]

the opthamologist told me dd was lying about seeing not being able to see things and that dd's vision was 20/20. But because dd kept consistently saying things about double and blurry vision she wanted to do this extra, stronger, dialation test. She was perplexed by that.

This is just my opinion, but if there was nothing in particular, just fishing, then I would not bother - I'd cancel that appt and just see the optometrist. You can always change your mind and go back to the opthamologist for the extra strong drops another day.

[merry gardens]

the opthamologist told me dd was lying about seeing not being able to see things and that dd's vision was 20/20. But because dd kept consistently saying things about double and blurry vision she wanted to do this extra, stronger, dialation test. She was perplexed by that.
:ack2: Why would the opthamologist think your daughter is lying??? :001_huh:

[CalicoKat]

:ack2: Why would the opthamologist think your daughter is lying??? :001_huh:
Actually the word she used was "malingering."

Dd said she couldn't read the top line of the eye chart (the big E). But the eye exam revealed that dd can read just fine all the way to the bottom of the chart with just plain glass in in the lenses just fine.

DD has been less than truthful with me in so many ways that when the eye doc said that I just thought it was par for the course. The doc. doesn't know dd's history of lying and I didn't tell her either.

[Jan in SC]

Some of what you are describing seems like a neurological issue. I would ask the pediatrician to do a neurological check and then send her to one if needed.

[MicheleB]

Some of what you are describing seems like a neurological issue. I would ask the pediatrician to do a neurological check and then send her to one if needed.
:iagree: