ADHD Re-Evaluation and New Surveys
DD had a re-evaluation for medication tweaking purposes at CHOP on 19th August.
She was really cooperative and extremely patient which, considering the fact that she was unmedicated, was exceptional. The clinician mentioned that, with her anxieties and sensitivities to certain odors & sounds/volume, she might be showing signs of being on the autism spectrum ... which I don't think is too far off. She's absolutely neurodivergent and if we're now seeing autistic traits because we're getting more support for her ADHD (which she absolutely has), I want to lean into getting supports for that.
The problem right now is ... DH. I said the clinician who met with us suggested that she'd like to get more info about DD's behaviors, sensitivities, etc., because DD is showing signs of autism spectrum in females ... and he's pushing back. ("I disagree with that assessment; she's just immature." ... I don't give a f^ck, really, if it means we can pursue additional supports at school because I'm tired of being told "wait and see" there, so if I have a diagnosis to back me up, I'll be able to get my kid the help she should have.)
Anyway, she hasn't been assessed, exactly, just ... the clinician has a research interest in autism in females, so she may be picking up a vibe or something and I think that's great. This isn't the first time that autism (or another neurodivergent something) has been suggested for DD, but I don't remember if I told DH when it came up during her last private speech-language eval in 2015.
So, if there's anybody on the BBB whose neurodiverse kids have anxiety, ADHD, and anything in the neighborhood of autism spectrum in girls, can I pick your brain a little about the types of services your kids get/need and what may have changed about your parenting style to support them?
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Liz
DD (3/2010)
"Make mistakes! Get messy!" - Miss Frizzle