Austin finally had some genetics testing done. He did have a genetics test within a month of being born, but the current geneticist actually said that these types of tests he's doing now were not available when Austin was a child, so they likely would not have found anything wrong at that time anyway. Thus, there was no one his pediatrician could send him to earlier on. And the problems that the geneticist suspects usually don't come about as a concern until adulthood anyway. But now, even with the technology, we still have to wait up to 6 months for the results, which may still come back negative of the thousands of problems they genetically check for.
In the meantime, I asked the geneticist if we should get Austin psychological testing done for autism and ADHD. He said yes and that they would also perform an IQ test as well. But good luck finding a psychologist to do these assessments. His PCP recommended a place to us about 3 months ago, and when I called them, they said they don't do the assessments. That place gave me a name of another psychologist, but it turns out she no longer does those assessments. I called a psychiatrist, who is listed for ADHD, and she said she doesn't do the assessments - that that has to be done by a psychologist. She said she knew someone, but that psychologist was booked out for about a year. That's why I asked the geneticist, hoping he could give us a few names or groups. It turns out, he deals only with child psychologists, so he was unable to help.
So, now, I'm going solo trying to find a psychologist who does this. Even in the psychology groups that I've called so far, they don't have anyone in the group who does that. And one group that I called that's listed as psychologists in Austin's insurance in-network list are really psychiatrists, and - you guessed it - do not do the assessments. They did recommend one psychologist, but he has atrociously awful reviews, saying he isn't caring, makes fun of the patients, and test results take forever to be returned. I realize results won't be instant, but many said they were able to get IQ test results within 2 weeks when they went to a different location. However, they didn't give the name of the new location they visited. There are a few online that I may approach to find out if they do these assessments. But I don't think I'll call this particular office after reading those reviews. None of them have stellar reviews, if any, but his reviews scare me.
By the way, psychiatrists deal in medication treatments, where psychologists deal in talk therapy. But I'm having a difficult time understanding how anyone can help if no assessments are done. Prayers are needed to help us find someone who is both caring and able to perform these assessments. Maybe in the process, I'll discover the magic words to help you search if you're looking for a psychologist who will do these types of assessments and tests for you or a loved one.
On another note, Austin has had a strange cough that sounds like a seal. Some days, the cough is worse and occurs more frequently than other days. His PCP says his heart and lungs sound fine. But after months of hearing that, I requested allergy testing. She wanted to try a couple of other things first. So, I agreed. She asked if an air duct was near his bed. Yes. She said to cover up the air duct, add a humidifier to his room (which is already in use because of his eye problems), and to use Flonase every day. And that several weeks of waiting might be necessary to make sure these things would help his cough improve. Since it has not helped after nearly a month of these "prescribed actions", he asked me to call an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. So, I did. The soonest appointment we could get is a little over a month out. And that is just for a consultation, which means more waiting if he decides to order any of the tests. But that gives the other therapies/actions a little more time to be effective if they're going to be. But I also would like to see if there is scarring or something in his throat somewhere, causing him to have that high-pitched seal-like cough anyway. That started with a coughing virus we all had over 3 years ago, and the cough was just ongoing and forceful.
Before I go, I want everyone to know that Austin doesn't complain. He just wants to not be coughing and have the sore throat that comes along with that issue. And I'm the one who is trying to get these assessments and testing done so we can hopefully get some sort of therapy to help him find some confidence and help him cope with any results he gets. Writing and helping others is my therapy as I go through the processes. : ) And we truly hope you are finding these posts to be helpful.
With that, I will leave you with this verse from Romans 8:28:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Have a blessed day
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