11 y/o with vague diagnosis

September 13, 2003

Hi,As a single parent, I have been battling for the past 6+ years

with my sons emotional behavior. It is most problematic at school

because of the stringent environment, at home, I have just learned to

live with it.

Seth is on medication for ADHD,Anxiety and OCD, but 2-3 years ago I

read an article about AS, and it could not have described my son

better. His psyciatrist however shot down the idea saying that he

was 'too high functioning'. (Well, isn't that the idea?) He is high

functioning academically, and up until this year when he began middle

school, we had been able to work around his behaviors and he still

thrived academically. However, this year with all of the stressors

associated with middle school, his grades are low, and this is just

the middle of the 1st nine weeks. He has an IEP for EH, and we are

trying to work with that, but I can not get his current psychiatrist

to consider AS. I even printed a lengthy description and highlighted

his behaviors. Then this summer I ran into the correlation between

the GF/CF diet and AS, and about fell over. At about 18mo's Seth was

under consideration for having Celiac Disease...he had been on the Gf

diet until he was about 4-5, and then we put him on the 'gluten

challenge' to see if he would still be symptomatic. He wasn't...at

least GI anyway. But now I am wondering if my Pizza loving boy is

having all of this difficulty because I put him back on gluten. We

now have a small bowel biopsy scheduled next Tue to be 100% sure that

he does not have CD, and I have made an appt with a pediatric

neurologist in town to get a 2nd opinion on his diagnosis...that is

not until Novemeber though. In the meantime, I am afraid I will be

facing placing Seth in part-time if not full-time ESE classes. They

have assured me that he would be taught at his academic level, but I

am still a bit concerned. Any suggestions on getting a speedier dx,

or comments on ESE classes would be appreciated. I am planning to

order the enzymes after we get the biopsy results back that he

doesn't have CD. His ped. GI knew about the enzymes and okayed us to

use them. He is already on so many meds for an 11 y/o.

(zoloft,dexedrine,zyrtec...for allergies, and weekly immunotherapy

injections for allergies) He is great about taking his meds

though...Thank goodness!

Sorry for the novel

Thanks

Annette

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