We are just really worn out. And I don't know that I have the energy for a trip right now. I want someone to tell me it was beneficial to the kids, to know what their brain was doing. I just can't find any info on him. I like to be informed.

We don't go back to Dr J till Sept so I have time. I could always reschedule with the Neuro. It's just that I have to book 2 days.
And I don't want them to miss much school this coming year if possible.

My 12 year old..... well sometimes I wonder if he doesn't forget on purpose a little. Just because he knows I will let it slide. The Principal thought he was playing me.

The 10 year old he thinks he is just stupid. I feel for him and I am sad at how discouraged he has become.

I am just Ecstatic that school is out. This year was hell on the kids. I wish I had the brain to homeschool them. But when I can't do 4th grade math anymore how can I teach them.

These are kids that were straight A students. The 4th grader got C's in math this year. And the 6th grader got F's the last 2 quarters. Thank God the final grade ended up averaging to a C. They don't have the strength to do it over.

Thanks for listening/responding.

I can't speak for the Dr. you are asking about. But the neuro psych test could be a valuable tool. That said, I can tell you that when hubby had his he was having a particularly ordinary Lyme day so it was a good representation of his baseline at this time.

You also know that LD is dynamic and every day is different. Some good, others less so. Add travel and strange sleeping places and eating habits and it could be very unrepresentative of baseline if your kids are affected by all the stress of it. If you must do it, best to have time to regroup and recover before starting the test.

The question you really have to ask yourself is what will you do with the information that comes from the results? Will it change treatment in any way? We are now becoming much more quesitoning of all the tests since after almost 2 years the tests don't show much definitive except that he needs treatment for lyme & co. No surprise there, but lots of wasted time and money waiting for tests, appts, and results.

I'm thinking that perhaps having these tests done will give you some fuel for working with the school system. You will be able to point to some actual numbers and say, "See? this is way off from where it should be."

My son was psych-evaluated by his school in CT 2 years ago, when we thought he just had depression and some possible learning disabilities. The school psych noted that he had a high IQ and reading comprehension score, but was quite low on speed processing and auditory processing.

In spite of the fact that my son was highly motivated to ace all parts of the test (he didn't want a special ed label!), they tried to say that perhaps he was just getting bored by then. They also said he didn't qualify for special services! They did an about-face when his standardized test scores fell.

Dr. J took one look at the neuro-psych scores and said, "These are a red flag for Lyme." I was able to point that out to the school system (and they are in a highly endemic area), have his IEP changed to reflect the Lyme diagnosis, then transfer everything to his current school in Maine, where they have been extremely helpful.

I am going to a non-LL pediatric hspital this month to have the neuro-psych stuff redone, just to compare with 2 years ago, as I think my kid has improved a lot this year, but is not all the way better yet. I don't care about their diagnosis, I just want to see the numbers.

One suggestion: don't release the results to anyone except Dr. J until he's had a chance to go over them, and explain them to you. You don't want anything out there that can be used against your kids, but I'm thinking that some scores will come from it that will help you with the schools.

My son did the tests in 3 sessions (a week apart) of several hours. You probably don't have that option since you are travelling a distance to see him.

Academically, before lyme, my son was a student that only got A's and B's. When lyme hit, it was obvious that his cognitive abilites were effected. At one point he couldn't distinguish between the "greater than" and "less than" signs. His grades suffered and he was discouraged.

As he physically got better, he was still struggling a little in school. He wasn't happy with his grades which hadn't come up to where he previously was.

I think the tests were good to help determine whether his problems were still from lyme or from other sources, like hormone problems with puberty, or whatever.

In my sons case, it appearred that the lyme was still affecting him, and taking the test was just what he needed to give him that extra boost to try a little harder. He was really coming out of his rut at the same time as he was doing the tests. The tests were just what he needed because it showed how he really excelled in some areas (like spelling) (he's very competitive) and that gave him the energy to concentrate more.

The tests themselves could not have been more right on. I was amazed. They zeroed in on his strengths and weaknesses and they were all clearly stated in the report. One observation was how he had trouble with spacial imagery. Something my wife and I had noticed many years ago.

So, would I travel to have the tests done?
I depends. If money is not an issue, then why not. If it is, I believe that you should be able to find something similar local to you. My son said that the interaction between he and the Dr. was minimal. Virtually all of the time was spend taking the standardized test.

Maybe RT will allow you to have your kids take the tests at home, and you can have them evaluated in person the next time you see Dr. Jones. Their offices are about 35 minutes apart.

Hope this helps.