CRT Visit

Well it is official. We finally went to the Children's Research Triangle (CRT). The CRT is known for diagnosing and analyzing children with no medical history. They know what to look for such as trauma, bi polar, FAS, Autism etc. Usually International children get diagnosed incorrectly because kids without history and being internationally adopted fall into ADHD or mental illness that aren’t really there. You try to work on issued that aren’t there because they are masked by things the child does and you get nowhere and it is very frustrating. Attachment and RAD are things that gets missed along with so much. Basically they are told the child is ADHD without added help.

I took Brandon, and we did get the results I assumed it would be and I am fine/happy with it. He is VERY ADHD (big on the H) along with FAS. What does this mean? It means it will take many re directs to learn, many reminders, constant repetition to learn. Can he learn? Yes, he can. What does this really mean? He is socially and emotionally behind by 2-3 years. When he regresses further, it is just the “child” side of him nothing more. CRT did not see any hidden trauma, and felt he was very attached (YES) and that he is hyper and the FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) will/does affect how he learns.

The FAS explains why there are days my son cannot handle any large noises and will freak out at a toilet flushing and then a day where he is in the bathroom constantly flushing the toilet for extra/added stimuli. The brain is damaged and sends signals to his brain that he needs more (hence the flushing) but yet he can learn other ways to get the stimuli he is seeking. Another service we need to seek is OTSI, sensory integration so that he isn't doing one thing one day and then having affect him another day differently.

Another example of how his brain works is that many people can learn that 12-6 = 6… and that 12 =a dozen. So if you had a story like “you have a dozen eggs and you use 6, how many are left?" you would say 6, it just comes to you there is not much thinking in this. However, children like Brandon cannot conceptualized this,…. They can learn 12-6, and 12=dozen but the reality of it and using it doesn’t make sense in his brain. He will be taught each part differently and there will never be a connection. But he can learn it, re learn it and know each group and they will not be connected, but possibly over time (years) it might, but just that piece. He is very bright and of normal intelligents but you get amazed and how some simple concepts he can't get.

I know I have mention that Brandon is FAS, but I never had a true diagnose. The genectics testing done proved it but they wanted to do more genectic testing which I feel would be a waste of time. I got the diagnose so Brandon cannot lose his resource at school. Hopefully they will learn that Brandon does learn differently and that he will keep and add services as needed. My biggest fear is they take it away because he DOES appear to be typical with some quirks. Most of this diagnose is for when he is older..

But for now, it helps Don and I learn how to help Brandon and not make his world more frustrated. It also helps to know that what we see and feel is true about our child and that we can get plugging along the way we are and over time see results. We are not just paddling along and getting no where... there is lots of hope.