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Hi,I am old to the Guate adoption forums, but have never posted here before. However I need some help with my son. J was adopted at age 3 1/2 from Haiti. He has been home with us 5 years now. When he first came home, he would have raging fits for hours (spitting, screaming, stripping, running outside naked in freezing cold, biting, etc). Because he was so "unstable", we didn't notice other things. However, as he's become more stable with his rages, we've noticed some things that we are very concerned with. Here's some of what we are seeing:*Cannnot follow a chain of directions-is only able to follow one direction at a time and even then requires the direction to be repeated multiple times*Is highly distracted by everything going on around him*Has to be reminded of basic tasks even after doing them over and over for years*Loud and aggressive "in-your-face" behavior with other children*Cannot "read" social cues*No concept of personal space-if asked to back away from a person, becomes loud and angry*Attention seeking when with other children*Learns slowly*Walks right into other people's family things and acts as though he belongs, this is better than before*Difficulty learning*Moody-glass "half-empty" type person*If not accepted into a peer group immediately, sulks*Will play games like tag, but cannot tolerate being "it", thinks people are "against" himIs this all sensory? The attachment stuff we are working on every single day, but what else is going on? We worry that he has no friends. I hate to sound negative, but he truly is annoying to other kids and he can't understand why no one wants to be near him. His social skills are just so severely lacking. Where do we start to get help for him? Thanks for any thoughts!!
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Dawn, I'm not an expert by any means, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. I have a child with a variety of special needs, and I work with kids with special needs. The first thing that popped into my head was...do you have any idea if he could have been exposed to alcohol? The reason I ask is that he sounds a lot like my son, except my son was extremely neglected for 5.5 years after adoption. So, we have an ASD and mild cognitive impairment label. However, my kiddo fits the FASD criteria exactly. FASD combined with neglect/institutionalization/attachment stuff seems to often look like high functioning autism. Has he ever had a comprehensive neuro-psych evaluation? Or at least a full evaluation by his school district? If not, that is where I would start. More information never hurt anyone and if nothing else, it gives you a baseline.
We've wondered about ADHD. Do the social skills fall under that? Interestingly he fits the social aspect of FASD but has none of the physical features of it. I will check with his school district. I think we can have him tested even though he doesn't attend public school (he attends the Christian school).
My son can't be diagnosed FASD due to facial features either. The public school district has to provide a full evaluation at your request even if he attends private school. Put a request in writing (stating the concerns that relate to his ability to function in an educational environment) and submit it to your district's special education director. If it's in writing, they have to respond in writing.
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He sounds a lot like my son and he is ADHD and SPD. ADHD is very complex and entails so much more than not being able to focus, concentrate or sit still.
I would definitely request an evaluation through the school and perhaps speak with you pediatrician.
PM me if you want more info on what ADHD "looks" like for my son.
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billysmommy
I am certainly not knocking anyone's suggestion of FASD, but my DD had NO ALCOHOL exposure, not even a drop...but was exposed to prescription drugs..... and as I said, she fits every single thing mentioned!
I am pretty much exhausted at this point. I am about to have a nervous breakdown. I told my hubby tonight that if he went and watched TV alone I was leaving for the night. Bless his heart he is here hanging out with the kids. ;)Where do I go to start for an evaluation? We are in a private school. Do we start there? Or through our Area Education Agency that deals with this sort of thing? Help.....:(
I would request a full psycho-educational assessment and an FASD assessment through your pediatrician. They can get costly (often covered through some medical plans though) and TOTALLY work it. Get a complete assessment so that you have a good idea what you are facing -- neurological, psychiatric, emotional, physical. You are going to have to advocate, make phone calls and find out what is available to you locally.
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