Test results from neuropsych

[MomofC&A]

I just had my son, 9yo, tested by a neuropsych this week and the info they gave me at the follow-up meeting highlighted the following(written report to follow in about a month):
ADHD
NVLD
executive functioning difficulty
borderline IQ score
High verbal scores
immature behavior
and more..
The doctor came out and told me he didn't really like homeschooling but felt we were doing it for the right reasons. He suggested medication for ADHD (we are not wanting to try that yet) and if he does meds, come back in 3-4 months for follow-up. If not, ? So.. a few questions..
Can the visual processing problems found in nvld be helped with VT? He is doing a home program. An auditory processing eval was requested by his medical doctor and eye doctor. The NP did not say whether to do this or not. Would that be helpful?
To be honest I really did not like this guy. He had a strange personality and came across rather arrogantly, told me my son acted "goofy". He didn't even shake my hand when I met him and I was a bit put off by his manner in general. Aside from all of that does anyone have any suggestions? How do I know where the ADHD ends and the NVLD begins when teaching him? I am totally exhausted after all of this!
Thank you!
Marie

[Violet]

I just had my son, 9yo, tested by a neuropsych this week and the info they gave me at the follow-up meeting highlighted the following(written report to follow in about a month):
ADHD
NVLD
executive functioning difficulty
borderline IQ score
High verbal scores
immature behavior
and more..
The doctor came out and told me he didn't really like homeschooling but felt we were doing it for the right reasons. He suggested medication for ADHD (we are not wanting to try that yet) and if he does meds, come back in 3-4 months for follow-up. If not, ? So.. a few questions..
Can the visual processing problems found in nvld be helped with VT? He is doing a home program. An auditory processing eval was requested by his medical doctor and eye doctor. The NP did not say whether to do this or not. Would that be helpful?
To be honest I really did not like this guy. He had a strange personality and came across rather arrogantly, told me my son acted "goofy". He didn't even shake my hand when I met him and I was a bit put off by his manner in general. Aside from all of that does anyone have any suggestions? How do I know where the ADHD ends and the NVLD begins when teaching him? I am totally exhausted after all of this!
Thank you!
Marie

He referred to your son as goofy?! Oh my, I'm so sorry. That's awful IMO. My dd is 9 and has many of the diagnoses you list, actually I think all except my child's IQ scores were not in borderline range but I can't recall exactly what they were. We have not medicated. I have really seen progress as she's gotten older. She is a kid who likes to DO not read. ;) If she could work all day in a garden life would be just rosy for her. But she's coming along with book work, too. I just try to instill in her how important it is that we just approach school a bit at a time. Her confidence builds and I gradually increase time we spend on things.

Homeschooling has been such a blessing for her. She was in school for K and 1st, and it was such an ordeal for her. She has come light years. I'm sorry I don't have answers or suggestions with vision therapy. The things that have helped my dd are:

Swim team--hard core physical exercise has been one of the MOST effective things we have done to keep her manageable. She has a very short attention span and her behavior can get hard to deal with when she has too much energy stored up. Swimming, with its intense physical exercise is really, really important for her. Swimming is great because it's a team sport but is individual at the same time. When she swims, she only has to worry about doing what she needs to do. She doesn't get distracted by other players, etc. like in other sports.

Charlotte Mason--her writings are available on amblesideonline.org. Helped me immensely in figuring out how to approach education with my child. CM has helped her, too.

Music lessons--she has a terrible time with note reading but she's starting to very slowly progress with that. But she loves music and it has helped her learn how to focus and has helped her fine motor skills. It was tough at first but she absolutely loves it, and it has been a huge help for her. It gives her confidence. She used to not be able to play two black keys with her second and third finger, first one key then the other back and forth. Now, she plays with both hands, more than one note per hand, etc.

Diet--my child's issues become more pronounced when she gets dyes, preservatives and dairy. So, I have pretty much eliminated that. I tried GFCF but I honestly think that for her it's not wheat, but the other stuff like dyes and artificial additives. When she eats better, she behaves better. Last Halloween, after she downed a bunch of candy, her behavior was so out there, I could scarcely believe it was my kid. That's when I started experimenting with diet.

Where does ADHD end and NVLD begin? Good question. Again, CM has helped me approach education in a way that works for her. Lots of outdoor time and nature study, starting with only making her do a little bit but she must do her best and building slowly, etc.

Other resources we've had that have helped:

She enjoys ABeCeDarian, Apples and Pears Spelling, Handwriting without Tears, Developmental Math--this is a huge hit with her and it's the first math we've used she doesn't resist doing. She loves poetry, too, and has responded well to it.

Oh, and I would not take to heart the borderline IQ score just like that. I have heard that these are sometimes not always accurate, though I don't have a lot of knowledge on IQ tests. I just know I have heard lots of stories of kids who test borderline who surpass all expectations.

Well, I think this is one long convoluted post, but I hope something I say encourages. I am sure your little boy is a delightful child. I know my little girl is. Her biggest issue is that we are trying to work on how she can control herself when she gets frustrated. She is such a loving and delightful child, and I know how it can hurt when others don't always see that.

My best to you,
Anita

[cillakat]

unfortuantely.....i think it's critical to work with and educational pyschologist rather than a neuropsych for those reasons.

edpsy's often (but not always) have a better manner with kids and are better at getting a more optimal result from them during testing.

quite frankly, this neuropsych's warm engaging manner:lol: and his great social skills, I'm having a hard time imaginging how he got optimized interactions for accurate test results.:confused:



wishing you all the best,
Katherine

[MicheleB]

I just had my son, 9yo, tested by a neuropsych this week and the info they gave me at the follow-up meeting highlighted the following(written report to follow in about a month):
ADHD
NVLD
executive functioning difficulty
borderline IQ score
High verbal scores
immature behavior
and more..
The doctor came out and told me he didn't really like homeschooling but felt we were doing it for the right reasons. He suggested medication for ADHD (we are not wanting to try that yet) and if he does meds, come back in 3-4 months for follow-up. If not, ? So.. a few questions..
Can the visual processing problems found in nvld be helped with VT? He is doing a home program. An auditory processing eval was requested by his medical doctor and eye doctor. The NP did not say whether to do this or not. Would that be helpful?


Marie,
Just having had my boys (ages 8 and 9) tested recently, I don't have a whole lot to offer you. But I did want to say that if your insurance would cover the AP eval, I would do it. At the very least, it could rule out problems in that area and help you further define what is going on exactly.

I understand your feelings of almost disappointment with the testing process. You wait so long to go, you get 'answers', but then you don't really get answers. I guess it's all part of the journey. :)

[MomofC&A]

Thanks for the responses and ideas. I don't know if I would go back to this doctor again. We had had our dd there at the same large university earlier this year and had a totally different (great!) experience with another neuropsych. I had requested her but they said she was no longer taking new patients and was focusing only on kids with cancer. Maybe it will all be more clear when we get the written report. I think we will go ahead with the AP testing as the more I have read online, nonverbal communication is greatly affected with NVLD and I am sure they can offer him some help in that area.
Anita, I "researched" CM all summer and was trying to incorporate some of it but I am still having trouble making it work for him and his sister. I really believe it is great but for me, implementing it is the tricky part!
Thanks again!
Marie

[Laurie4b]

quite frankly, this neuropsych's warm engaging manner:lol: and his great social skills, I'm having a hard time imaginging how he got optimized interactions for accurate test results.:confused:



This is a very good point. If the test administrator did not establish rapport with your child, some of the test scores may well have been depressed. Neither children nor adults perform at their best if they don't feel liked, if they feel judged or criticized.