Cognitive test done

[Tatty43]

Well dd (age 8) had her cognitve test today, we haven't got full feedback yet but had a brief discussion after the appointment, the test took over 2 hours, dd coped really well, the Dr feels she scored average for a lot of stuff, the biggest difference was the verbal comprehension versus processing speed and perceptual responses, verbal been the better. She also noted that dd presented like a 'pseudo adult' but emotionally much younger than her year, overall though she didn't feel that she had significant brain damage and a lot of the weaker areas could be overcome with support at school etc. she also queried autism may be in the mix!?

[WildPoppies]

Hi Tatty43

Well done for making this happen! The receptive language (comprehension) certainly sounds in line with FASD, doesn't it? Interesting about the 'pseudo adult' presentation of your daughter - ours appears like this a lot of the time too.

How do you feel about the feedback you had after the session? Do you feel it is in line with your own perception of your daughter?

Is the Doctor who did the testing, FASD Aware? And do you feel this has been taken into account?

Sorry for so many questions !

[dianakitten15]

Hi our adopted son (aged 10 yrs) has been diagnosed with ARND, he has since had a cognitive assessment which came out like you are describing. Whilst support in school is key to reducing pressures for FASD children, you will need a diagnosis in order for the school to gain funding for the additional support.

[Abney]

Glad to hear it all went well for you. Sounds like it must have been a tiring appointment for you all, albeit quite helpful.

Confusing to have autism thrown in the mix! Though am not surprised as it seems there are so many overlaps. I also would be interested in where you went for your assessment. I have to say that like the other replies you also describe my son (age 5) perfectly! But I know that it equally describes my nephew who has Aspergers.

I'm sure I read that Dr Mukerjee (the leading expert in Uk) has a lot of background experience in autism spectrum disorders so he would presumably a good person to help work out what's what.

How are you feeling about it all? And how is DD?

[Joygirl]

The areas of brain impacted by FASD is very wide ranging so it is common for children with FASD to also meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, Autism, dyspraxia, bi-polar, dyslexia, dyscalculia, RAD, dis-organised attachment, ambivalent attachment, anxiety, sensory processing disorder; the list is endless, but all it is describing is the symptoms of FASD. The big mistake people make is to think with support all will be fixed and they will catch up. This gives you a good baseline now to get support, especially in school, which once you have accessed you can then continue to review and refine over time as your child's needs alter. Well done for getting the assessment.