Need Help with Finding Therapy for My Son

Have you tried the Tammy Lyn Development Center in Raleigh - they treat many different abilities and needs. My sons 0ne w/ autism, one w/ aspergers go to Let's Talk in Cary for speech & oT

Hi K.,
Good luck, seems as though you received many very good responses and have some research to do. As the ladies have said, be patient and be persistant, hang in there.
D.

Even though he does not have asperger's, the underlying biological problems are shared among many of these childhood disorders... so it still might help to check out www.autism.com and look for a DAN! doctor to help guide you.

For sensory issues you might try to find an "occpational therapist" (OT) For the Tourette's and OCD, you may want to look for a therapist/psychologist/LCSW who does "cognitive behavior therapy".

For acceptance of his conditions, and how to live better with them, and deal with the stresses that come with them, you might want to try almost any other kind of therapy appropriate for a child. My daughter (also with TS, OCD, depression as a symptom and other biological problems affecting brain function) went to Expressie Arts Therapy.

Here is a link which may provide more ideas, but not help finding the therapists needed: http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2008/03/important-links-...

-J.

I recommend Developmental Therapy Associates in Cary or Durham http://www.developmentaltherapy.com/

They will do a thorough analysis of your child and determine which therapies he or she needs. They also provide social skills groups.

I also highly recommend a yahoo group that I belong too called reversingautism. I know your child may not be autistic, but Andrea who hosts this group is amazing and comes up with inexpensive solutions that have helped many of us including kids with ADD symptoms and others.

If you are in Fayetteville, and want to stay local you can see Dr. Smith at Learning Links Educational Center ###-###-####. She specializes in this.

Good Luck and God Bless,

My daughter also has SID, there is a good, no, great, book that I would highly recommend. It is called "Raising a sensory smart child : the definitive handbook for helping your child with sensory integration issues" by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske. It is written by a mother whose child has/had SID and a therapist. I LOVE the way the book is written - so you and I can understand it! It's NOT full of doctor lingo. I hope this helps.

I would try to contact either of the med schools in Charlotte or WS. When my dd was dx, they did it at UNC dept of psychology. Good luck.

K., I was going to suggest that you contact University Hospital and see if they have anyone with experience in ADHD and Autism related disorders but I would have to say that Anna C.'s advice is top of the line. I would pursue that link - and quickly. Duke is very much ahead of the curve in their medical research in a lot of areas and, if they have expertise with ADHD and related disorders, by all means, talk to your pediatrician and arrange an appointment with the doctors at Duke.

Good luck.

my son had to have therapy too i found a specialist in goldsboro. email me if interested and i'll get the particulars for you. ____@____.com

Try calling Special Kids of Murfreesboro. They have solutions for you needs. I hope you can find the answer. I will be thinking of you

A great resource for finding therapists is www.psychologytoday.com

Good luck!

Try an occupational therapist.
I don't know how you will find one but if it were me I would start out in the yellow pages and then if I didn't have any luck I would look in the yellow pages under physical therapist and then call them and ask where you could find an occupational therapist. The next step that I would take is to call the hospital and doctors office and ask where you could find an occupational therapist.
My next step would be to call a college (that has occupational therapy of course) and get the occupational therapy department and tell the person what you need and they can help lead you in the right direction.... I would think.
Good luck.

There is an awesome group called Kraska and Associates in Lexington KY.

Kraska & Associates Inc
437 Lewis Hargett Cir
Lexington, KY 40503
###-###-####

They are comprised of occupational therapists and a language/speech therapist. I feel sure that if you called them, they could help find someone in your area to provide needed services and would give you information on where to have your son evaluated. We were unimpressed with the evaluation process at Weiscoff center in Louisville. I have since heard that there is a much stronger evaluation team in the Cincin area.
Hope this is helpful!
V.

I don't know of any therapist in the area, but I taught a student last year who had a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. I teach 7th grade language arts. My student's parents had him in occupational therapy also. He could not grasp a pencil correctly. They also had a life skills coach for him due to the difficulty with social skills that many kids with Asperger's face. I would be happy to email you offline, and possibly get the name of their therapist to you.

On another note, my student tested on a high school level in basic math computation, but below average in analysis and processing and below average in writing. He received EC services, but he was in the AIG program.

If your son's social skills are not where you think they should be, then your son will fair much better in a resource class. The classes are much smaller than a regular setting. A diagnosis of Aspergers will qualify him for a 504 plan which will still allow him to receive special services at school. Please email me directly if you want more information.

I can't tell you any places to try since we don't live in the same area but dealing w/ some of the same issues in my son...I'm 100% convinced he's on the spectrum and others agree...I just can't get the proper diagnosis. Follow your instinct and don't give up! Also, some of the waiting list are very long...be patient & persistent!

My seven year old has ADHD, Asperger's, and the sensory problems. We see Dr. Mary Christiannse at Amos Cottage which is on the same property as Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winston-Salem. She is a developmental pediatrician. She is the one who follows my son's medication for the ADHD. We also saw Dr. Gerald Taylor at Moses Cone Behavioral Health Center in Greensboro. He referred us to the Epilepsy Institute in Winston-Salem for a whole slew of testing!! Dr. Christiannse, and the folks at the Epilepsy Institute have a lot of contacts for specialists. Most of them are at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in W-S. These folks are also able to help you get an appropriate IEP in place at school for your son so that he gets the services that he needs. They school system has Behavioral Integration Specialists, and Occupational Therapists (for the sensory integration and fine motor skills). We have incorporated those into my son's IEP, as well as, Speech Therapy and Physical Therapy. My son has an incredible vocabulary, but needs help with appropriate, reciprical conversations, so that is why he sees a Speech and Language Pathologist at school. You will probably need a referral from your pediatrician to get an appointment with the specialists that I mentioned, so start there. There is also a pediatric developmental specialist at Moses Cone, Dr. Earls. We went to Duke too, and saw Dr. Gordon Worley for a second opinion. He was in agreement with Dr. Christiaanse's treatment plan, so we have stuck with her because she is closer and very knowledgable.

First of all, I will keep you in our prayers, I understand that you have a handful. The Tourette's syndrome may be a result from the ADHD meds that your son may be on. My children are ADHD and I know that some of the meds give them ticks like Tourette's. You could check into that and maybe his meds could be changed to help with the tourette's. The SID is a handicap and the school should not fight you on the issue. I have a friend that has a child with SID and she finally pulled her son out to home school him. She didn't want him in self contained classes where he wasn't learning anything so she decided that she could teach the basics herself, last year was the first year and everything went pretty well, that is an option that you can try. She too is looking into the autism part. As far as the psychologist, have you looked into any counseling centers in your area. My children go to a children's counseling center and they see the psychiatrist there. I would seek a children's psychiatrist to help with these issues, even if you have to go to a nearby town.
Good Luck

Dear K.,

Please take a long thorough look at www.feingold.org. Feingold is a 30yr old non-profit organization whose purpose is to inform the public about petroleum-based (that's right - gasoline!) artificial ingredients in our foods. These artificial colors, flavors and preservatives have been proven to cause numerous side effects including ADD, ADHD, OCD, Tourettes, allergies and can contribute to cancer. Our 15yr old daughter had ADHD and since starting the Feingold program 6 years ago, she is now a junior on the honor roll. It was truly a Godsend for our family. A natural, healthy diet works. Drugs are just a bandaid for this problem. Best of luck to your family.

L. B.

C hildren with chemical embalances are the rainows of the world, they have high iqs! Be sure and tell your doctor that. Its the truth. The triad area. You are in luck you have chapel hill and duke. Has your child ever had strep-throat? Have him checked for pandas. A blood disorder follows strep.you will have to fight for what you get? Nami national alliance for the mentally ill. Doesn't mean everyone is crazy just means some have a disorder and learn to live with it have normal lives families and function ut with medicine. So dont flip out. Ok? Ok! They are a great resource and the home office is in raleigh! They have families first traing will help you alot. Chapel has een great. They have wonderful studies, testing there. We have always had a shring and a psychologist to help us. Ieps at school been memers of nami and active in everything we could to help the kids. You need a shrink on your side! You need good evaluations. Do you have insurance , medicare, or medicade. We have stayed at the ronald mcdonald house while my grandson was evaluated at chapel hill for a week or two. This is done impatient. Moms and dads go ack and fourth while their children are tested. And grandmas. You get a good clean eval and diagnosis. Then start treatment. You can get help through headstart and therapy for children gov easleys office, really! E old call your politicians! I did they gave me phone numersbers i called them we got help. Wade byrd is someone to call, judy in his office is helpful if she is still there. Tony rand, gerald beaver tell your story say you need help for your child. Its politics they will want to help you honestly. Good luck

Hi K.,
I'm a nurse, not a therapist, but I'm accustomed to regarding Asperger's as a form of autism. If your son has been tested for autism and it was ruled out, then I think that Asperger's has probably also been ruled out.
I recommend taking your son to Duke for a complete psychological work-up. I know that Duke is big with ADHD research. Although I don't know what other psychological research they have, they still may be better equipped to help you find an accurate diagnosis than the resources that you've already employed.
Duke is not that close to the Triad, but it's not that far away, either. You might need a referral from your pediatrician, but push it.
And here's the catch: Push hard now! Maybe, just maybe, you'll get your first appointment before the new school year begins. After school starts, appointments and testing interfere with school schedules and IEPs have to be changed midyear which add to everyone's confusion, including the child's.
Good luck!!!

Have you tried a program at UNCG called Catch Them Being Good, or something like that. The person in charge is named Wanda Dodson Hoff and she can recommend all sorts of things and people to help you. I think it is under the psychology department. I do not have the specifics at home, they are at my school. But I can get that to you later, if you are interested.

Hi, keep pushing for his services that is what the school system is there for, as for a local therapist try Anne Waldon, she is local & very good. I work for a 5 star preschool in Chapel Hill & that is who we recommend to our parents. Keep advocating for your little guy. Kathy

There is a great place that I take my son to in Rock Hill, S.C. It is called Carolina Pediatric Therapy Cooperative the address is 129 Hampton Street the phone number is ###-###-####. The Lady that runs it is named Diane she is great. She is the best that I have ever found for children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, ADD, ADHD, Autism and any other thing related to what you child is going through. I used to live in Charlotte and it is well worth the drive to go to her because I couldn't find anyone in Charlotte that could help my son like she did. She even came to my sons school for the IEP meeting and gave them an evaluation and explained it to the school and helped my child get into a class that helped him to succeed. Hope you try her and Good Luck. S. Lanier