ODD & SID

The verdict is in. The testing has been completed. My daughter saw no less than seven different doctors and therapists yesterday. It was a very hard day for her and I don't recommend the testing for anyone who isn't totally positive that something is wrong with their child. The people were very kind to her and tried to make it fun but Tink was exhausted. There were times during the testing, especially right before lunch, that Tink showed all her colors to the therapists. In that way it was a good thing that she got tired.

My readers have to be the smartest bunch of readers on the planet. We have so brainstormed this thing together that we pretty much had it nailed. I love you all. You have stuck with me through all my whinings and all my stressing and always been patient with me. We left the house at 7 am yesterday morning and got home at 5:45 pm. It was a very long day!

Tink had been undergoing testing for only two hours when the door at the end of the little dark hall that I was sitting in opened to reveal two of the doctors. I didn't think much of it because I was glued to the two way mirror with my headphones paying rapt attention to what was happening in the other room with my daughter.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and there were the doctors wanting to speak with me. Two of them set down and both were very concerned with how I was doing. I'm like..uh.. yeh.. I'm fine. This is actually a lot of fun. I'm just sitting here amazed at the testing and techniques you guys use.

I started to put the headphones back on not willing to miss a thing. The doctors looked at each other and said "we need to talk to you." My heart sank. What could they possibly know this early in the testing? Were they going to tell me my child was totally normal and I needed to see a therapist myself? Or were they going to tell me my child was beyond hope? I was all ears.

"Mrs.Darling," they said, "we already know part of you're daughters problem. She has a Sensory Integration Disorder. Her senses are so finely tuned that she is at the top across the board. We are going to complete the testing but we're just here to say that the behavior you're seeing in Tink is a direct result of her senses being overly stimulated."

The door at the end of the hall opened again and a slim lady with dark hair came rushing in. She reached around me and quickly positioned another set of headphones into place. The doctors and I turned our attention back to the window. The one said to the other one,"Where did she get the stacking tube?" The other one said," I didnt give it to her. Did you? " The doctor that was listening intently through he headphones pulled one ear free and said, "That's what I'm checking out. No one gave her that tube. She went in search for it herself and brought it to the table."

She slapped the ear phone back over her ear and continued to watch and listen. The other doctors explained the significance of this. She said that after only two hours of testing that Tinks senses are overloaded and at a unconscious level she knows it. Therefore she left the table in search of something to do to relieve her overloaded circuits. They said this was an excellent coping strategy and the fact that Tink did it on her own was a very good sign. They explained that often as parents we try to correct the behavior when in reality we need to listen to these kinds of kids because they instinctively know what they need. At the point that Tink got up and prowled the room if she had been told to sit down her learning would have shut down and depending on how loved and safe she felt at that point we would see a complete breakdown in her behavior.

The slim darkhaired lady interrupted at that point."Sssshhh," she said,"Tink hears us. She's telling the doctor that there's to much noise behind that window. Suddenly we all backed away as Tink got up and began running her hands over the two way mirror. She then pressed her face flat up against the glass and pronounced it "all dark in there". She sat back down and we resumed talking in whispers. Minutes later the slim lady turned to me and said, Mrs. Darling I want you to notice what's in your child's hand. I looked back through the mirror and there was Tink messing with the stacking circles but in her other hand she now held five pencils and was systematically banging them on the eraser end against the table as she proceeded to answer the questions.

The doctors laughed and said they had no idea there were that many pencils lying around. I found this as a great chance to get some answers. I said, " I know my daughter, and I see all the warning signs in whats happening in that room. If she was at home right now she would be screaming and refusing to continue. Should I just stop at this point?" All three agreed that that was exactly what needed to happen. They told me that if Tink wants to go to her room to let her go. It's her way of telling me she's overloaded and needs to get away from all the stimulation. I expressed concern that Tink was being pushed too far right now and maybe she needed a break.They then said that unfortunately for Tink they are not going to stop the testing process right now to give her a break because these are all the behaviors they need to see to help with a diagnosis. Well that made sense so I let them continue. This was amazing stuff!

Over the next hour I watched as Tink wiggled in her chair, banged pencils, and began refusing to answer questions. They would ask her something and she'd say, "skip"! Of course they didn't skip it. They continued to ask her questions no matter where she roamed around the room. She tipped her chair on it's back legs and began rocking. She explored every cupboard and every little dust particle in the corners of the room. And every time she returned to the two way mirror. It held an absolute fascination for her. I'd watch as she'd press her face against the glass her little blue eyes searching and searching in the darkness beyond. How I wanted to rush in there and gather her in my arms and tell her it was all going to be okay! ) I have to stop this now. I'm crying to hard to see the keys. I'll be back.

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I'm back. Anyway Tink finally managed to see me in the two way mirror. She jumped up and down and was just ecstatic about it!

Anway at the end of this grueling day the results were in. Tink not only has Sensory Integration Disorder but she also has Oppositional Defiance Disorder that is secondary to her Sensory problems and a result of them. She also has balance problems and the coordination of a 6 year old. They said her behaviours across the scale are young for nine years old. They noted that she makes inappropriate sounds and demands attention at all times. Her ability for recall and memory is far below normal. She scored below the below average line! They said that is really the crux of her learning problems.

The diagnosis is therapy. She will be taking nuerotherapy, behavorial therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. They want me to attend classes on how to manage and work with a child with sensory and behavorial problems.

I was actually very amazed at how concerned they were for me as a parent. I thought this was all about Tink. I was wrong. Within five minutes of me telling another parent in the waiting room that I had a migraine it had spread to the doctors. I couldnt figure out how they knew until someone informed me that the pediatrician had actually been in the waiting room at the time. He immediately told the pshychiatrist.

In my routine interview with the pshychiatrist she mentioned my migraines and wondered if I had recieved a medical diagnosis for them. I told her no and she informed me that they were most likely caused from stress and they're often seen in parents of children with these kinds of disorders. I began to tell her that I didn't think I was under a lot of stress but she was quick to point out that I had one as I sat before her and this was a very stressful day in regards to my child. I couldn't argue.

She then told me that the chores and cooking that Tink does is something they dont usually see in these kids and she was very thrilled to note it. I privately wondered how much they see it in "normal" kids for that matter. She was amazed that I had Tink frying hamburger, eggs, and tortillas and such. She also said that it's very obvious that Tinks home life is not contributing to her problems. It made me feel good when she said they seldom see children in there with such stability on their lives. She said this after questioning about our families heritage on both sides.

Finding out that I was one of nine kids raised in a Mennonite community, skilled in homemaking, schooled to the 8th grade only to go on and obtain a college degree and that my husband was raised in a tight ethnic community surrounded daily with cousins and aunts and attended a Catholic boys school all resulted in her stability. She said that a huge contributor to children with sensory issues is knowing what to expect and keeping their lives as stable as possible. She asked me how long we lived at our current address. When I told her my husband has lived here for 23 years and I've lived here for 17 years she chuckled and said,"Hmmm, I guess I needn't prod any further down this trail. That is stability." And she began writing.

So that is the latest on Tink. What the psychiatrist told me about my needs I will save for another time. At least I have a direction to go in now. I'm tired and have a very full day ahead.