Pending Psych Eval

[Rosie232]

Today my son was evaluated by a psychologist for the first time. The only psychologist in our town requires children to be 5, and my son just had his birthday.

I started noticing my son's symptoms in January. I didnt know what they were symptoms of at first. ADHD was the only thing that matched. I've taken a class on ADHD and read several books on the topic. Everything lines up exactly.

It seems like doctors don't usually figure out what's wrong, or dont believe anything is wrong.

I am so nervous that he may have been on his best behaviour and more focused than normal.

It's not like I want my child to have a disorder, I'm just worried as I wait for the results.

[Redpanda5]

Hello! It’s all very anxiety producing for parents!

May I suggest formal testing? Perhaps that’s what your son had. You used the word “evaluation” though which makes me think it is more opinion based what he received today. Formal testing takes hours of rigorous testing that gives a picture of the whole child and includes parent and teacher surveys as well. There would be no way for them to “hide” adhd through all that because part of the testing mimics situations that would naturally bring out the adhd. I encourage you you to go this route if that isn’t what was done today. My daughter underwent 12 hours of formal testing performed over two days to determine her diagnosis. It costs anywhere from $1,500 - $3,000 depending where you live.

You ultimately are in charge. If you don’t like what the doctor comes back with then by all means see a different one. 👍🏻

Yes they are the experts on the conditions but you are the expert on your child.

Best!

[Rosie232 in reply to Redpanda5]

I've always heard it called a "psych eval." So that's what I called it. We only have one psychology office in our town. They said the testing would take 3-4 hours, but they finished it in 2.5 hrs.

I guess I have trouble trusting doctors. It didnt help that they didnt explain to me ehat they would even be doing. They just had me drop off my child with no explanation.

[Jalapenochips in reply to Rosie232]

That doesn’t sound like a Psychoeducational Evaluation to me either. We also had forms to fill out, two 3 hour testing days and teacher/parent rating scales. Our mental health department and behavioral specialist doctors at Kaiser diagnosed my daughter with the adhd. I don’t think you need a psycho educational evaluation yet. He’s too young for that.

[Rosie232 in reply to Redpanda5]

VENTING:

One thing that also got me worried is when I dropped my child off and the doctor said "so he has a lot of energy." As I'm just complaining that my child is energetic. ADHD is so much more than hyperactivity. Lots of people think a child can't ever be calm if they have ADHD, or that it's normal childhood behavior. I have lots of experience with children and know what's concerning and what's not.

I guess I'm just tired of my concerns being dismissed. I've dealt with many challenging behaviours and sometimes my child is too much for me.

Thanks forlistening l. I've just had a lot of feelings about all this.

[Jalapenochips in reply to Rosie232]

Disregard my post. I think I got the wrong idea. Prayers for getting the right diagnosis and you know your child best. Yes, go with your gut because doctors, teachers, etc don’t have all the real life minutes with your child AND they ALL miss quite a few important things.

[Redpanda5]

You poor thing! You’ve got yourself all worked up. You took your child to a psychologist. This is good. Their profession is to know these things that others do not. The testing will give concrete data which is what you need. When we received the report from the testing it had a whole host of information about learning and behaviors and also included specific things to help. Lastly they referred us to a psychiatrist for meds. Wait until you get the results and then go from there. It’s hard when you’re in the thick of trying to figure out what is going on and what the next step is in the process. The next step is waiting for that report which will guide you. Also, it’s okay to ask questions. You don’t have to wait for them to tell you things. You’re going to be okay!

[abryans]

I would just add that usually testing or evaluation includes form completed by teachers and parents. Most diagnoses rely in part on observations of behavior in different settings