[leenab]

I've been fost/adopting a little 2yr 10 month old boy for a little more than 2 months. He's had behavioral problems, mostly defiance and tantrums last 1-2 hours, destruction of a camera & phone, kicking people and the cats, and eating NON-TOXIC paint (he's very well fed so it's not for lack of food) (he is anermic though). The behavoirs go away anytime there's a big change in the house (like Daddy taking a vacation, an emergency child coming in and his new fost/adopt brother) but there will be no more big changes. So everything has come back.

His caseworker finally agreed to have a neurological development done on him. What should I expect from this? My concern is for his emotional development. This is his 3rd home and he regressed in his 2nd home, but is taking baby steps in our home. We've just reached the point where we need help. He's turned into a big point of stress. I love him, but there are times where I don't like what he does, it drives me crazy. I find that I need a time out during his tantrums as does his f/a brother.

So what will come of the neuro development evaluation? I had to beg to have it done soon.

Thanks,
LeenaB

[vbandsf]

I'm not sure that the evaluation we had done on our FS was a neurological eval but I think so - we were concerned he had ADD, ADHD or something else and wanted to make sure we were addressing everything properly.

A psychiatrist at UCLA gave him tests over a three day period - four hours or so each. The emotional testing was especially hard and he had a very, very rough afternoon and day after that one. They delved into all kinds of things, I guess, and tested not only his emotional state but also intellect etc.

They then sat down with us and his therapist and explained the results - he's NOT ADD or anything else, but he has extremely high anxiety, which manifests itself like ADHD. Also, he has a hard time expressing himself because of a language deficiency - no one really talked with him for the first six years of his life, so he scored very low on verbal abilities (but he's intelligent).

They gave us advice about how to handle the situation (he's so anxious he wants us to stand next to the bathroom door every time he uses it - this'll take a while to resolve - and we just need to converse with him).

Overall, the results were very encouraging, and they think he'll be okay (his behavior's already improving).

Most important: ASK QUESTIONS. You're with him much more than his therapist and you need to know what to do.

Best of luck to you.

[lambeausam]

After the evaluation is complete, be sure to get all test results and recommendations in writing. Also, if you can, have another adult go with you and take notes when the specialists discuss the results with you.

[sues250]

When we went through the nuro exam for my daughter's behaviors first went through a battery of tests at the hospital- CAT scan, mri, bloodwork then she was tested in the office. It was time consuming but worth it even though the tests showed nothing wrong. I was concerned that the behaviors was a result of something medical through testing we ended up with an entirely different diagnosis that makes since for what she was doing. Did it change anything? no but it gave me and school a better understanding about why she is doing or responding the way she does to things. Good luck

[HappyMomAnna]

I will be interested in how things go along with your little fs.....we have a 24mo old and have adopted him he was placed at one year and in this time he has:

1) Ripped the dishwasher out of its mounting and broken the door.
2) pushed all the buttons in on the TV and distroyed it
3) Climed out of the crib at 14 mos.
4) Climbed on the counters at 15mos.
5) Put sharpie marker on daddies yellow Ferrarie
6) removed the pins in the door hinges
7) Eats ANYTHING that is small enough to eat.
8) Chews off paint on kitchen chairs and window ledges
9) Squeezed fish in the fish tank
10) Flushes anything he can down the toilet
11) Tosses everything into the trash--
12) Put toys and shoes in the vent of the gas fireplace
13) Systimatically removed all the books from book shelf and carried them up stairs in the middle of the night--after learning how to unzip the crib tent.
14) Can unlock all doors---will use a chair to unlock high locks--will stack books, toys on top of the chair to unlock doors.
15) Gets into dryer and shuts the door, or coffee table or larger drawers....
16) Has removed the cover off the floor and crawled into the crawl space below the house--requiring the fire department to remove him
17) gets on counter and turns on gas stove
18) Gets into pantry and eats flour
19) Has had SEVEN new pairs of shoes since Thanksgiving because he will toss one--sometimes under other cars parked in parking lots--or into dense landscaping--out windows--over railing and into trash cans.

Tanturms for long periods of time (1- hour lately)......picks nose and puts on sister, refuses to eat all day and eats too much for dinner--refuses to allow diaper changes and then runs after the kitty with poo....undresses completely unless clothes are pinned on....writes on walls with anything that writes.....goes after any knife.

Every single cabinet in our home now has magnetic locks.

and I have forgotten more then I have written here!

WE have had testing and evaluations....He is an ACTIVE BRIGHT Child with a strong will! We are told what we see in our little boy IS within the NORMAL range! Our son was drug positive at birth and is not talking--we are told that the only thing we should be concerned about right now is language delays and that this is the only treatment he will be provided at this time....

SO I am very interested in how things go for you.....Please keep us all posted. And good luck!

[HappyMomAnna]

leenab

How is it going for you today?

I am thinking about you!!!!! Just took my boomerang off the kitchen counter for the 10th time this morning! Little monster has had a hayday with the coffee--and tea and I have tile counters with white gout! Talk about a mess!

We have however gotten our next appointment for evaluation set for FEB 13---seems like a year away!

In the mean time toady I have had to change his jammies twice because once he turned on the bath water and got wet and then he covered himself in coffe before I even knew he was up on the counter--turn my back for one moment and it is over!

Taday the BIG attraction is the outlets and electric pencil sharpener! He has given me two tantrums over it--and I am trying to be consistant with diversion--works for 20 seconds then he is right back at it!

Yesterday it was the spray bottle! I gave up and let him have a little one with water--and showed him it was ok to spray mommies houseplants---the ari is so dry he actually did me a favor! But threw one heck of a tantrum when the water ran out and mommy said, "No the plants have enough water you can do it more tomorrow" Can't win for losing some days

Anyway--I wanted to check in and let you know you really are not alone! These two year olds are simply full of it. Last night my mom told me she thought two was great and much better then 3! Oh my goodness--I am not sure I will make it that far!