Although some special needs children have a very specific diagnosis of ADHD, autism, or Tourette syndrome, etc., many children have symptoms from a variety of disorders. For example, a child might have Tourette-like tics, with ADHD-like inattention, OCD-like anxiety, and bipolar-like mood swings. Add a dash of learning disabilities, and you’ve got syndrome soup. Many neurological disorders have cross-over symptoms, and many are commonly seen together, such as ADHD and Tourette syndrome.
Sometimes these mixed-diagnosis kids have a long list of disorders which seem to utilize every letter of the alphabet, or they might be in limbo with no specific diagnosis to exactly explain their behaviors. The disorders they do have will vary in severity, and each can make the other worse. For example, a child with both OCD and learning disabilities might have a hard time focusing on school work due to anxiety. The learning disability then becomes worse. Then, in turn, the learning disability causes the child further anxiety, making the OCD worse. This can be a very frustrating, complicated situation for parents and educators. These children in the mix of syndromes need patient and loving caregivers to help them find their way.
Here is some advice I would give to parents of children with mixed syndromes:
- Find a balance with labels. Educate yourself on the disorders in question, so that you understand them. Yet it’s important not to get overly consumed with the names of each disorder, trying to tag each one to your child in a way that makes sense. Your son or daughter is a unique individual with needs and concerns that other children don’t have. There may not be an adequate way to precisely “label” what is going on. Still, a diagnosis of some sort can act as a key, unlocking the door to special education services and other kinds of assistance. And labels can at least be a starting point to help teachers and therapists get a frame of reference. If your child has no diagnosis, pursue one steadily, seeking a psychological assessment as a starting point. Once services are in place, forget about the labels and see your child only as a special individual.
- Focus on symptoms. Make a list of the most troubling symptoms your child is dealing with. Put them in numerical order, with the ones that concern you most on top. For now, let go of the little irritations and see the bigger picture. What behaviors are causing your child the most difficulty at school? Home? With peers? Is she having repeated tantrums? Are his language skills well below his cognitive age? Does she have tics that interfere with her ability to make friends? Start with the number one symptom which is causing the most difficulty for your child, and start there. Do some research, and talk to your child’s teachers and therapists. Bring up the issue during your child’s IEP. How can this symptom be dealt with? Are there behavioral therapies that might help? Could medication be useful? Might sensory integration therapy have benefits? Breaking the problems down into parts makes them seem less overwhelming.
- Select accommodations, and frequently reevaluate. Your child’s IEP team, including teachers, counselors, therapists, evaluators, along with you as parents, should all sit down together and come up with a good educational strategy for your child. Classroom accommodations should be used to address any barriers to learning. This is a place to begin. Making this plan work will require frequent follow-ups with teachers, and additional IEP meetings to evaluate progress. Think of it as sipping the soup, determining what ingredient it still needs, adding it in, stirring, and sipping it again. This takes time and patience.
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