ADD, IS disordered, language delays, dyslexia, sleep disorders, tactile disfuction, vestibular disfuctions, OT, PT, speech therapy.................

MY HEAD HURTS!!!!!!!!!!

Before I start this post I will say I'm not out to offend anyone, if you're offended I apologize, I don't know much about this stuff, and extreamly confused, and not an expert. This is just my own conclusions I'm starting to come to, and I need to write it all down to sort it out in my mind. However I will very much accept any constructive critisim, and discussion.

A little background. #1 has always been an odd and fairly difficult child. I assumed it was mainly due to his personality, and his known language delays and would improve with school and working with a speech therapist. I also felt he may have some issues dyslexia in the future since his cousin's do, and he has many of the same personality traits as them.

So last week I had a DUH moment. I've been walking around saying I suspect my child will have learning disability's when it dawns on me, DUH he DOES. His language issues are classified as a learning disability which is why he's in the public school system for preschool, and already has an IEP. This realization set me in to mass reading mode, I've made several trips to the library and have read 4 or 5 books on various learning disabilities, oddly enough I still have to find one on Language. I realized that my saying I have to read up on learning disabilities someday, had come and gone. Unfortunately most of them have basically said get ready for the next 12 years of your life and you're child's life to be hell, and a constant battle. I'm now seriously preparing to homeschool if I find it necessary in the future. I refuse to accept this and force my child to learn to hate learning.

The confusion comes because everything has the same dang symptoms and overlaps, so you never really get a clear answer as to what something is. So here's what I think it all means.

ADD/ADHD. I read a book called the ADD solution by Frank Lawles. What I took from the book is a label that for the most part describes a list of behaviors, mainly an inability to focus attention when needed and easy distractability. Many times it has a root cause or causes other then a brain disfunction, such as parenting, sleep patterns, or emotional problems ( I know there were more in the book, just can't think what they were right now) . There are many ways of dealing with the symptoms other then medication, some of which I've had a small amount of experience with growing up with a "crunchy" aunt who rubbed off on my mom. Some of the ones I found most interesting include exercise, biofeedback(relaxation techniques that are medically measured), changes in parenting styles, behavior modification therapy, proper nutrition, and allergies. After reading 2 of the books there would have to be some MAJOR contradicting research to ever make me put my child on an ADHD medication. It seems to me they can cause more problems, including depression, then they solve. Not to mention most are either methanphetamines or a close cousin to methanphetamines, and they will usually stop working as the child becomes a teenager (anyone want to guess why Ex is such a problem in our country??????). I really don't think #1 is ADD, but think it's only time if we don't figure something else before a teacher wants to label him as this. We are working on some of the relaxation techniques in the book.

Sensory Integration Disorders. Basically anything is off kilter with you're kid and they'll fit into the symptoms of this, but may not have it. Like easily distracted (sounds like ADD to me), craving touch, not liking touch, craving some, but disliking others, being a daredevil, being a scared child etc, etc, etc. There are 3 basic area's and #1 shows a lot of the symptoms for 2 of them. Many he would have a year ago but has outgrown recently. The therapy for this is occupational Therapy, most of the things the book (The Out of synch Child) said to do with #1 are things he does already, and activities he has at school. This can be closely related to Language (not speech) disorders. It also says it's perfectly in line for a child to act one way at school or home and be the complete opposite the other place, and #1's teacher thinks he's a joy to have in class, and an angle so we know that's #1.

Speaking of Speech and Language problems. Speech is the way a child says words, Language is understanding (not hearing) correctly and replying correctly when communicating. We know #1 has a Language problem, but not speech. I don't know why, or how come. After reading a few generic L.D. books I came across Auditory Processing Disorder, Hm. Sounds like it could cause Language problems but the book didn't say this.....Coud he have that as a problem? If so there's been a lot of promise shown with various computer games.

Dyslexia. My oldest nephew is dyslexic, and has gone through a program come up with by a guy who was diagnosed as both Austistic and dyslexic as a child and thought himself how to learn. My nephew had huge success with it. His reading level jumped 2 grades, and his report cards have gone from C's, and D's with a few F's to B's and C's with a few A's. I read the book by this guy Davis a few years ago it's "The Gift of Dyslexia". He also has a preschool home kit I will get from my other sister who's son is showing early signs (they can't test till 2nd grade), or order it this summer. Basically what he says is that people with dyslexia have a "third eye" that is not in a fixed position and can move, go around corners, letters in the book etc. His method is learning how to make it stay put. He also talks about things like seeing an energy dial, which my nephew does, and he can dial it up or down depending on the situation. Before learning to move his dial it would make concentration hard (Sounds like add again) if it was up at school, or sports difficult if it was down while on the hockey rink. After reading the Sensory book, I see a lot of that stuff in my nephew, like not being able to eat food with different textures

So, I think I have a plan. I have #1's IEP meeting in a couple weeks. I need to go get a book on Language disabilities so I can have half a clue of what I'm talking about on the one issue I know he has. I will also need to re-read parts of the SI book and take notes on what I'm comparing #1 too. At the meeting I need to bring this up and ask for an O.T. evaluation to see if it's on the radar screen. I was told that if they won't do it I shouldn't sign the paper work. I will not mention or muddy the waters with ADD since I don't' think it's the problem and I don't want to put it in their heads, or the dyslexia since hopefully working with him this summer will prevent any future reading difficulties, which is the basic definition of dyslexia. And I need to ask them about his writing. They've sent home paper for him to practice on with a note which makes me think they don't think we do practice his name almost every day, and if he's not improving on that,

that may be an issue to address as well, or add to my thought of SI disorder.

Things I need to do, but not bring up at the meeting are work with #1 on relaxation techniques and make sure he's getting plenty of exercise. I already signed him up for sports this summer. I also need to talk to my sister and see if I will need to buy the kit and if so order it.