Matthews appointment with an ADHD specialist raised a few surprises.
It was a general talk about how he found things. He was asked numerous questions on just aboput everything from family life to how he does in school, how he feels about certain situations and how he deals with things that are bothering him.
Hubby and I were asked what our main concerns were, what we had tried in terms of curbing his over-excited behaviour. How we deal with the odd temper he may have and how the family get on as a whole.
Matthew answered all his questions confidently and in depth. Matthew was more than happy to talk and he really made me proud that he is not embarrassed to talk about his feelings like some 8 year old boys would be. That he listened well, he stuck to the subject in hand most of the time - Football did creep in a fair bit - and was able to answer clearly.
I let him answer as much as possible in his own words and he seemed to relish that the attention was all on him. Liam played up so hubby took him outside for a while so the interview could continue and not have Liam and James arguing over toys causing a distraction.
So, our chat lasted a little over an hour and the specialist explained that ADHD is diagnosed through a spectrum of levels and Matthew scored high in both spontaneity and hyperactivity according to reports from both myself and the school. Our opinions on the questionnaire both myself and his teachers had to do were almost identical. The only real difference being that his school rated him higher with behavioural issues a little more than I did. I did say I realise that this could be that we TRY to keep him occupied when he is at home, we go out alot and at home he has more stimulation as in tv, toys, football cards and his 3DS. Whereas in school, there are more oppertunities for him to get distracted and lose concentration should he get a little bored with something.
This was all agreed with.
The specialist said we were doing right with what we had been doing. Changing his diet, working with him, talking things over with him. He gave me a lot of confidence in that I was doing the best job I could and that we could do well with this.
On the other end of the spectrum, this deals with low self esteem, being prone to depression and violent outbursts. Matthew scored VERY low on these levels. He is a generally happy boy with bundles of confidence and masses of love to share around. He does get a little sad that he doesn't have many friends but he prefers the company of adults and his little brothers. Academicly he is doing good, he is not behind in his classes and doesn't need one to one teaching although he will occassionally get a little more help than others with his writing and he does gym trail that helps him with his co-ordination and helps burn off a little energy.
So scoring very high in one half and very low in another Matthew was levelled out to around mid-table in the ADHD league.
This, according to the specialist means he DOES NOT have ADHD that they can diagnose unless things get progressively worse. Being mid table counts as "normal" another 5 marks or so and he'd be higher enough to be diagnosed with minor ADHD and another 15 medium ADHD. So it's good that he is not in higher levels.
At the moment, he is being seen as just a very active and fidgety child and it's not a concerning behavioural problem as things stand.
However, they have also agreed to send an undercover specialist into school to monitor his behaviour in the classroom. Matthew won't know they are there so it will purely be based purely on how he behaves in his normal environment. This will happen within the next 8 weeks and they will be back in touch with their findings.
It's a relief to know all is fine, he won't need medication but at the same time Matthew is very aware that there is no excuses for how he behaves so we are both working hard together to get through this and move forward.
It was a general talk about how he found things. He was asked numerous questions on just aboput everything from family life to how he does in school, how he feels about certain situations and how he deals with things that are bothering him.
Hubby and I were asked what our main concerns were, what we had tried in terms of curbing his over-excited behaviour. How we deal with the odd temper he may have and how the family get on as a whole.
Matthew answered all his questions confidently and in depth. Matthew was more than happy to talk and he really made me proud that he is not embarrassed to talk about his feelings like some 8 year old boys would be. That he listened well, he stuck to the subject in hand most of the time - Football did creep in a fair bit - and was able to answer clearly.
I let him answer as much as possible in his own words and he seemed to relish that the attention was all on him. Liam played up so hubby took him outside for a while so the interview could continue and not have Liam and James arguing over toys causing a distraction.
So, our chat lasted a little over an hour and the specialist explained that ADHD is diagnosed through a spectrum of levels and Matthew scored high in both spontaneity and hyperactivity according to reports from both myself and the school. Our opinions on the questionnaire both myself and his teachers had to do were almost identical. The only real difference being that his school rated him higher with behavioural issues a little more than I did. I did say I realise that this could be that we TRY to keep him occupied when he is at home, we go out alot and at home he has more stimulation as in tv, toys, football cards and his 3DS. Whereas in school, there are more oppertunities for him to get distracted and lose concentration should he get a little bored with something.
This was all agreed with.
The specialist said we were doing right with what we had been doing. Changing his diet, working with him, talking things over with him. He gave me a lot of confidence in that I was doing the best job I could and that we could do well with this.
On the other end of the spectrum, this deals with low self esteem, being prone to depression and violent outbursts. Matthew scored VERY low on these levels. He is a generally happy boy with bundles of confidence and masses of love to share around. He does get a little sad that he doesn't have many friends but he prefers the company of adults and his little brothers. Academicly he is doing good, he is not behind in his classes and doesn't need one to one teaching although he will occassionally get a little more help than others with his writing and he does gym trail that helps him with his co-ordination and helps burn off a little energy.
So scoring very high in one half and very low in another Matthew was levelled out to around mid-table in the ADHD league.
This, according to the specialist means he DOES NOT have ADHD that they can diagnose unless things get progressively worse. Being mid table counts as "normal" another 5 marks or so and he'd be higher enough to be diagnosed with minor ADHD and another 15 medium ADHD. So it's good that he is not in higher levels.
At the moment, he is being seen as just a very active and fidgety child and it's not a concerning behavioural problem as things stand.
However, they have also agreed to send an undercover specialist into school to monitor his behaviour in the classroom. Matthew won't know they are there so it will purely be based purely on how he behaves in his normal environment. This will happen within the next 8 weeks and they will be back in touch with their findings.
It's a relief to know all is fine, he won't need medication but at the same time Matthew is very aware that there is no excuses for how he behaves so we are both working hard together to get through this and move forward.
Glad you are getting some answers and support!
ReplyDeleteWow, very interesting indeed. It's reassuring to know you are doing all the right things and he doesn't need medication at this stage.
ReplyDeleteWell done and I hope it had reassured you that your doing a wonderful job with your family :)