Trent's Neuropsych Evaluation Results

I've been pretty open sharing about Trent's therapy over the past few years. I like being able to talk about it because it's cathartic for me, but at the same time, I want to respect Trent and not share too much {yes, it's our family, but ultimately, this is his story}, so I haven't talked much about his therapy in about 6 months. We've had good weeks, we've had bad...overall, we've had some forward momentum but not as much as I would like/hope. We've done some different group therapies {at first in addition to his time with Ms. Lauren and then in replacement of her} and just continued to power through with our little guy.

The next step that we've been working towards for awhile was a neuropsych evaluation. It took some time to find the group we wanted to work with, it took some waiting before the appointments, and it took some time for the results. Well, we got the results about 2 weeks ago!!! It was interesting because the doctor {who has been doing this for over 20 years} said she felt bad because she didn't have a conclusive answer for us and still no formal diagnosis. Honestly, I wasn't surprised. And almost everything we talked about it is what we've been talking about with every other therapist/specialist we've seen over the past 2 1/2 years.

So what were his results?

1. He's gifted. In some areas, his IQ is off the charts. While that might sound like a good thing {which it is}, gifted children {and especially boys} historically have more behavior problems.
2. He's hyperactive. This might be a duh thought for ANY mom of a 5 year old boy. They are NUTS. But Trent's hyperactive enough to be considered ADHD although he doesn't seem to have the 'attention deficit' piece of the puzzle. 
3. He's anxious. This one I didn't really expect but it makes so much sense with some of his fits.
4. He has some spectrum behaviors. Again nothing new here. No one has ever said he has autism, but his sensory issues are all consistent with being on the spectrum. The problems with transitions, things being too loud/hot/etc., his food aversions...

So what does all this mean? 

It means we're going to consider doing Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy {ABA} which is a little bit more of a formal/structured type of therapy. I don't know a ton about it, but his behavioral therapist, Ms. Lauren, has thought it might come to this, so again, I'm not surprised. We're also trying karate because Trent has been saying for at least 6 months that he wants to do it, and all the therapists he's seen have thought it would be great - it is apparently great for focus, concentration, self-esteem...all things that would be beneficial for Trent.

Our karate champ!

We're also going to have a blood test done on Trent because a lot of his behaviors are consistent with a blood disorder called MTHFR. I have a friend with this condition who has done a lot of research on it and suggested it to me. When I brought it up to the therapists who did the neuropsych testing they jumped all over it having seen kids with it that reminded them a lot of Trent. So that's scheduled for June.

Interestingly enough, the past 2 weeks {ever since we moved} Trent has been off the charts good. Brent and I find ourselves looking at each other multiple times a day in awe of him. His teacher has commented on how great he's being in class, too! We're definitely enjoying it {grin}!

So we'll see what the next round of everything brings about... To be continued as usual!