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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by fortune on February 27, 2001, at 23:07:59
I am wondering if anyone has ever dealt of heard of this. My son who is 8 and in the 1st grade has really been struggling with reading and isn't catching up with the other slower learners in his grade. This of course was a concern for all of us, so the school special ed teacher and pychologist did some testing to see if it's possible that he had a learning disability, and to everyone surprise he doesn't show LD....we talked about alot of different things beginning with how Jordan is around other people...I had always thought of him as shy, but when I really thought long and hard about it it wasn't shyness it was more nervousness, and feeling intimidated by others causing him to 'hide' or freeze up when around others. Next, the teacher mentioned that just after Christmas vacation he started talking more and participating more in class great....but why did it take so long???? What was really strange is I had to fill out this questionaire about my son at home, and the teacher had to fill out one very similiar directed to school and the answers just blew us away. He scored very high at home (in a comfortable setting) but wow at school very very low. How can it be so different??? Anyways, that is when I came up with this social disorder thing and everyone had to agree, but now what? The school can't help him because he's not eligible for extra help because the scores didn't show LD. I took it upon myself to make an appointment to see a phycologist, but when I told my son he bursted into tears. He's scared to death of talking to a stranger. I explained to him that I'd be with him at first...but am I pushing it by forcing him into a VERY uncomfortable setting??? Honestly, I'm scared too. I don't want my son to be on drugs for this, but I want to find out what is causing this insercurity. He's got a good homelife. Two parents at home raising him, not much disipline he's a really good kid (-: So anyone who has dealt with anything like this please give me some advice. Thank you so much!
Posted by willow on February 28, 2001, at 13:01:03
In reply to Social Anxiety Disorder in Children????????, posted by fortune on February 27, 2001, at 23:07:59
I have three children and they all have some form of anxiety. When your child is suffering emotionally this is a great "punch in the gut" for a parent. The one child of mine that is shy in strange situations and with other people what I do is not tell her about appointments ahead of time. Check for a psychologist who has worked with children or if you're in a larger city through a hospital. If he is comfortable with the family doctor, approach the doctor about his ability to counsel and help you. My eldest who has the most noticeable anxiety has seen a psychologist two or three times and I find this has done wonders to help her out. Regarding the school, you have to be an advocate for your child. Regardless of wether he has a LD or not the school should still be able to give you help regarding his education.
http://www.harcourtschool.com/index.html
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/index.html
The above links can help with ideas for starting at home.
Keep in touch,
Willow
Posted by Noa on March 1, 2001, at 12:37:05
In reply to Anxiety Disorder in Children????????, posted by willow on February 28, 2001, at 13:01:03
It sounds like he needs a good therapist who has experience with very anxious kids. Nevermind his reaction, because he is going to react this way whenever you bring up the idea of doing something that involves meeting someone new.
BUT, what you should do is get some names of good therapists, and you and your husband should go talk with them first, and don't even mention it to your son yet. If you like the therapist you meet with, ask him or her how he or she would start working with such a bashful child, how you should bring it up with your son, what you should say about the appointment, etc. ONLY THEN, do you need to tell your child about meeting the person.
I think you will be able to find someone you like who has a gentle approach and will help you through the process. At this age, your son needs a therapist who will work with the parents and with him. It might be that the amount of time he spends alone with the therapist starts out small and gets longer. Chances are it will be a therapist who uses a lot of play to interact with him and has fun stuff in the office that your son would look forward to playing with. Do the research first, interview a couple of therapists, and based on the advice of the one you choose, then you can bring your son in on the process.
As for the LD evaluation: it may well be that there is no LD, but keep in mind that some school systems don't do the best testing and often don't look as carefully at more subtle learning disabilities than some private psychologists who do a more thorough job. Not all private ones do a thorough job--again, you need to ask around (often a Children's Hospital will have a good testing program, or can give you names of people to call, or a special education school in your area, or call the Learning Disabilities Association, ask your pediatrician, ask parents who have had their kids tested, etc.) and ask potential testers how throrough they are, what tests they give, what kinds of variables they look at, do they ever go to meet with the school to advocate for the child, etc. Actually, since the school already tested him, you can go for a consult with a private psychologist, to look over the testing and tell you if it really looked at all the variables and what they would recommend.
There are probably some good books out there for parents of anxious children, and it might be worth your while to do some reading, too. If I can stumble across some titles, I'll let you know.
This is the end of the thread.
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