References for Getting Daughter Tested for Adhd/spectrum Disorders.

You can also ask your daughter's school to do the testing. If you talk to her teacher about these issues, the school is required to do evaluate her. There are some down sides to going through the school- the process might take awhile and you may or may not get a good evaluator. Also, it may lead to the school wanting to give her services you may not want. On the other hand, if you get a private evaluation and then want the school to implement services, you may still have to get a school-based evaluation. (Though maybe you'll have a good school that will take your independent evaluation). One of the good things about getting an independent evaluation is that you can process what it all means before the school gets involved and you can decide what it is you want for your daughter. Just keep in mind that if she does need services, you can continue in the private realm, or you can go through the school and the school pays for most or all of the services.

Dear S.,
You didn't say if your daughter was in school or not. Most public schools will have a speech pathologist and a psychologist that can evaluate your daughter. I name a speech pathologist as you described some of her symptoms "gets frustrated when we can't understand what she is trying to say." "She has a hard time talking in complete sentences." "She has a hard time concentrating."

Also, if you talk to a physician make sure it is a physician that believes in multiple types of remediation for ADD/ADHD. Not all their patients just receive medication. Some children do well with diet, some cognitive therapies, others medication and most children a combination of the above.

There are multiple areas that need to be explored at this time so don't jump to a diagnosis. Write down on a calendar as many things about your daughter as you can (i.e. what her sleep was like, what she ate, the situation, her behavior). Keep the list with you when you talk to professionals.

When you have more information about your daughter start reading. The more you know about options the better advocate you will be for your daughter. Here are some references I feel are helpful:
Healing ADD the Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD by Daniel Amen

Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart In Your Child by Ken Gibson

There are also articles on my website below

V. Parker, Ph.D. CCC -SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Director, Learning Rx
www.learningrx.com/charlotte

There are a few places in Charlotte where you can have testing completed. Piedmont Performance Evaluations-- Roslyn Walker does a good job and has some special skills in autistic testing-- not that you need that but she may be able to answer questions about the repeating thing.

The Cyzner Institute-- Dr. Lisa Cyzner is another one that I took my son to for a comprehensive evaluation but it was mostly for OT, PT, and speech therapy-- he really did well there but it is very expensive.

Hope that helps.

M.

Hi S.,

Your daughter is lucky to have a mom who's on top of things. I know you must be worried.

I've found the ECAC to be really helpful. You can read about them here: http://www.ecac-parentcenter.org/

You might also want to talk to the folks at CHAD http://www.chadd.net/template.cfm?affid=620&p=about

Here's a link to a list of resources in Charlotte:
http://www.charlotteparent.com/Resources/SpecialNeeds/def...

Try not to jump to conclusions yet....there could be so many different explanations for what's going on with your daughter. It's difficult weeding through all the conflicting info out there about diagnoses and treatments. I hope you'll come across some professionals and other moms who can help you along the way. Seek out support like you are here....sometimes I think I've learned more from other parents than from anyone.

I trust she's had a complete physical to rule out medical and speech/hearing causes?

Best of luck to you in your search for answers.