We took James to see Dr. Raggio (a Pediatric Psychologist) over in Jackson this afternoon. Since school started back in January, he has been having more and more trouble with focus and direction following, and his grades have been slipping a bit because of it (he's rushing through things once he realizes he's running out of time, and he's making careless mistakes) and we worry he could start falling behind if we don't intervene. He also had some difficulties with bullies in his class (yes, in FIRST GRADE) in January (well, in the fall too, but they became worse after winter break), which we have since resolved (we hope) after a meeting with his teacher, the guidance counselor, the physical education instructor, and the principal. James has always had an issue with lack of focus and difficulty following directions (especially multi-step directions, which are impossible for him to complete without MANY reminders because he gets distracted between tasks), and we have always attributed it to his age (and gender, honestly). We pushed aside suggestions from his K4/K5 teacher to have him tested because we wanted to give him time to mature, but with just 9 weeks left of First Grade and similar suggestions from his current teacher, we thought it was time to see what a professional had to say.
Dr. Raggio had us fill out a very lengthy questionnaire long before we showed up for the appointment. He received one from James' teacher as well. Once there, he spoke with us solo for about a half hour, then talked to and tested James solo for 50 minutes, then brought us all back together to discuss his findings. We didn't really learn anything new, because we (especially I) expected to hear that he has ADD (it's just such a common diagnosis these days). He tested well within range for that diagnosis based on 3 of the 4 exams (the teacher's questionnaire, and both the oral/written exam and computer test administered by Dr. Raggio), though our questionnaire did not place him in that category (likely because he has so much more freedom at home). He also has difficulty with sequences. But he is very intelligent and tested well above average on all other areas of the exams (especially the visual/spatial exam). We expected that as well, as we know how smart he is, and had it confirmed just before spring break with a note home about him progressing to the second stage of GATES testing (no idea when we'll find out the final results of that, but we're crossing our fingers he gets in next year - it starts in Second Grade, and we think the additional curriculum and change-up of his days will help him to not get bored at school and open up opportunities to learn in ways not restricted to the 2-hour seated "reading block").
At this point, we will not be trying any medication. We will give him the rest of this school year and the summer to mature a bit more. He is a young First Grader, having just turned 7, while many of his classmates have been 7-years-old since fall. We feel that the school system is more to blame for the plethora of ADD/ADHD diagnoses these days (not enough recess, etc.) than an actual medical condition, but at the same time, we don't want to see him struggle. Jay had similar issues when he was younger and he does not remember those school years fondly. James LOVES school, and we don't want that to change. We don't want his grades to truly fall. We don't want him to feel like he's behind simply because he misses out on something critical due to daydreaming. For now, he qualifies for 504B (which allows for special testing environments), and we think that's enough. If, come fall, there is no improvement in his ability to focus on his teacher and complete his seat work, we might consider a low dose of something, but for now, we will continue to help him in other ways (morning exercise, diet restrictions - mostly sugar and food dyes, and just doing what works for him - less distraction for testing, more time allowed to test, tasks assigned one at a time both at home and school, when possible). ADD is a diagnosis, but it doesn't define James.
Dr. Raggio had us fill out a very lengthy questionnaire long before we showed up for the appointment. He received one from James' teacher as well. Once there, he spoke with us solo for about a half hour, then talked to and tested James solo for 50 minutes, then brought us all back together to discuss his findings. We didn't really learn anything new, because we (especially I) expected to hear that he has ADD (it's just such a common diagnosis these days). He tested well within range for that diagnosis based on 3 of the 4 exams (the teacher's questionnaire, and both the oral/written exam and computer test administered by Dr. Raggio), though our questionnaire did not place him in that category (likely because he has so much more freedom at home). He also has difficulty with sequences. But he is very intelligent and tested well above average on all other areas of the exams (especially the visual/spatial exam). We expected that as well, as we know how smart he is, and had it confirmed just before spring break with a note home about him progressing to the second stage of GATES testing (no idea when we'll find out the final results of that, but we're crossing our fingers he gets in next year - it starts in Second Grade, and we think the additional curriculum and change-up of his days will help him to not get bored at school and open up opportunities to learn in ways not restricted to the 2-hour seated "reading block").
At this point, we will not be trying any medication. We will give him the rest of this school year and the summer to mature a bit more. He is a young First Grader, having just turned 7, while many of his classmates have been 7-years-old since fall. We feel that the school system is more to blame for the plethora of ADD/ADHD diagnoses these days (not enough recess, etc.) than an actual medical condition, but at the same time, we don't want to see him struggle. Jay had similar issues when he was younger and he does not remember those school years fondly. James LOVES school, and we don't want that to change. We don't want his grades to truly fall. We don't want him to feel like he's behind simply because he misses out on something critical due to daydreaming. For now, he qualifies for 504B (which allows for special testing environments), and we think that's enough. If, come fall, there is no improvement in his ability to focus on his teacher and complete his seat work, we might consider a low dose of something, but for now, we will continue to help him in other ways (morning exercise, diet restrictions - mostly sugar and food dyes, and just doing what works for him - less distraction for testing, more time allowed to test, tasks assigned one at a time both at home and school, when possible). ADD is a diagnosis, but it doesn't define James.
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| Post appointment ice cream. He looked forward to this appointment because we told him Dr. Raggio was just a "talking doctor" and that there would be no shots. And because we promised him ice cream afterward. Sweet boy deserved it. |
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