My 15 yr old daughter, JME, ADD...

[MrTwoSticks]

Hi - this has to be a very short introduction as it is getting to the end of a hard day and I go to bed early... but my wife and I have a lovely 15 yr old girl. Diagnosed with Juvenile Myclonic Epilepsy maybe 1 1/2 yrs ago; controlled by Depakote. Last Spring we began to suspect ADD. Her freshman year grades had started out with As and Bs but she was lucky she didn't flunk out at the end. A psychologist gave her the ADD diagnosis in July. We made an appointment with her neurologist to ask about ADD meds and had to wait maybe two months to get in. Meanwhile her Doctor prescribed Zoloft for our daughter's depression. But she got insomnia. Off Zoloft (which really helped with her mood), onto Welbutrin. When we finally saw the neurologist he led out by saying that she didn't have ADD, because he has just glanced at the chart and the TOVA was inconclusive. I kind of lost control, a bit of frustration and anger in my voice and said the diagnosis was from the whole history, circumstances and the TOVA was invalid in the 4th qtr.

The upshot of the visit was that the neurologist said he wanted communication with everyone involved: psychologist, therapist, family doctor and "come back to see me in 10 to 12 weeks."

Meanwhile our girl is again depressed, off and on, and her doctor -thinking as we do that the depression may be a side effect of the Depakote- doesn't want to prescribe to treat a side effect. Meanwhile her grades are again tanking, she doesn't like school; I've just followed up on a previous meeting with the school counselor, this time asking to get the ball rolling on a 504; we will be meeting at some time with a second neurologist and we are seeking out a good psychiatrist.

And this is all going SO slow, agonizingly slow. My wife and I are suffering both from what our girl is going through and the glacial rate of getting the help our daughter needs.

So that's it for now, longer than I thought but -whew- it does build up.

Personally: I have worked for 10 yrs with special needs preschool children, mostly language/speech delayed but with a wide range of disabilities and have worked 5 or 6 years, one on one in autism clinic with preschool kiddoes. Rewarding. Challenging. My wife has worked in health care for some 25 years or so. She is also a very talented theater director and I happen to be a very good actor and been in a number of shows she has directed.

Must go.

[RobinN]

Hi Mr two sticks -
I have a lovely 16 yr old. Rebecca was speech delayed. I think now it was due to vaccinations, but of course I can't prove something that happened so long ago. At the age of 14 she began having Tonic Clonic seizures. The meds only made things worse for her. From vision loss, muscle pain, rash, to severe depression. I decided to go med free, work on diet, vitamin and mineral support, and we also have been using Neurofeedback to stabilize brain function.

I too remember the help coming extremely slow. At a point when TIAs were being suspected, we were told a two month wait. I came close to losing it. I understand your frustration.

Hang in there you will get some clarity too, and understand of what is happening.
Therapy has helped Rebecca hold it together from day one.
I have to say that I did not allow Psychiatric testing due to the fact that she was not stabilized on any med, and I did not want that to sway the results.

Teen Screen Lawsuit

[skillefer]

Hi Mr. Two Sticks! Welcome to CWE. We're a friendly bunch so feel free to vent, ask questions, or just add your 2 cents. Can't say that I understand as much from the parent perspective....but I am a high school special ed. teacher. And I end up with kids calling me mom every year. Hang in there. You'll get through this....just focus on the 504 plan for now. Also...it's not unusual for a child's grades to take a swan dive their freshman year. It's a new school, new peers, trying to find their niche, and a whole new load of expectations and courses.
Having taken Depakote in the past, I'm kinda surprised with the Depression. Generally, Depakote is prescribed as a mood stabilizer. Of course, if you would have asked my mom, she would have said I was a moody child.
As for the ADD, you could always try the old special ed. trick....a cup of coffee. See if it helps. Make sure she doesn't have any sugar in it. So either black or with cream and artificial sweetener. You should know after the first couple of times if it works for her or not....it doesn't with everyone...but I thought I'd suggest it. Also, try cutting her sugar intake..slowly. (I know...tough to do in a fast food society where a teens idea of a healthy breakfast is a poptart...but you might want to try.) Also, try having her keep a journal. Write down what she eats, how much, what she drinks, how much, how much sleep she gets, how she feels emotionally, any stress she's under, etc....and you'd be amazed how much stress a teenage girl can go through.....look through it and see if there's any patterns as to the depression and seizures. See if anything might be acting as a trigger. Between hormones, boys, schoolwork, having to make new friends, and then suddenly having to deal with a medical condition that can make you feel like a freak at times, I'd be surprised if she wasn't a little upset. She's probably also upset because she's thinking she won't get her driver's license when all her friends do. The thing is, she's not alone. I guarantee that there's other kids at her school that also have seizures. It's the learning how to deal with it that can be tough. You can always take the journal info in to the doctor. And, I don't know that I'd want to wait 10-12 weeks for my next neurologist appt. Is there anyway you can get her in to see another neurologist? You want a doc that's going to take the time to listen to your concerns and address them...not just flip through a file casually.....Anyway, I hope this helped. And welcome to CWE.

[tinasmom]

Welcome Mr. Two Sticks -
I am sure you will find the support you need here, as I have. This is a great group of people. I'm glad you are here.

[Bernard]

Hi MrTwoSticks, welcome to the forum.

I'd highly recommend you look into EEG neurofeedback (both for the seizures and the ADD/ADHD). Check out the links in my signature for more info.