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This is the last in our series dealing with accurate behavioral diagnosis for your child. As I mentioned in my last article, detailed observations at various times of the day for a 1 ½ to 2 month period will provide sufficient information to help you begin to see distinct patterns in your child’s behavior.For example, you may find that when your child has 8 hours or less of sleep, his mood the following day is much more erratic and unpredictable. Or perhaps after watching a few hours of television or playing on the computer, you find your child has difficulty focusing and being attentive. These are the types of patterns you would have noticed over time.With the observations now documented and sorted, you are now prepared to determine whether or not there are simple and obvious changes you, as a parent can make in your child’s immediate environment. This might include such things as ensuring your child gets enough sleep, eats healthy, non-processed foods, has minimal amount of exposure to television, video and computer games (or at least eliminate violent and aggressive shows and games), has plenty of exercise outdoors, and is not exposed to toxins within and outside of the home. There may also more subtle changes you can make such as eliminating trips to the grocery store with your hungry or tired child just before supper- or bedtime, or bringing healthy snacks and water on long car rides to eliminate low blood sugar levels and consequently, grumpy, moody children.You may also decide that the information you gathered about your child’s behavior merits seeing a health professional – and there are many to choose from. I would recommend your first visit to be to your family physician who generally knows your child’s history. They may be able to provide you with advice on how to change the behavior or they may recommend other health practitioners who specialize in a particular field. Aside from your family physician, there are other health professionals you might want to consider meeting with as well. There are a variety of paths you can take. My suggestion is to begin with the less invasive, more natural approaches. These might include:A food allergist who will determine if your child demonstrates food sensitivities.
A dietitian has an undergraduate degree in food and nutrition and will be able to provide sound advice on healthy and nutritious foods.
A nutritionist may not have as much academic education as a dietician however, they still focus on optimal nutritional matters.
A homeopath uses very diluted substances (natural sources) to create balance in the body. These substances are devoid of chemical toxicity.
A naturopath focuses on the body’s innate ability to heal itself. A naturopath might use different types of healing including herbalism, environmental medecine, acupuncture, aromatherapy, just to name a few.

Too often it’s the case where parents chalk up a child’s odd behavior to silliness or intentional mischief. The parent really believes the child is simply trying to annoy them.  But this situation can become very dangerous because it’s quite probable the child cannot stop his behavior. The badgering on the part of the parents may only increase the child’s stress level and anxiety and consequently, their strange behavior. The behavior may be linked to how the child is feeling. If the child is not feeling “right” (and this can mean many things), they may express themselves through unusual behavior. 

I know this because I lived it. For seven long and very difficult years, my husband and I didn’t know that our son’s odd behaviors were all linked to the fact he had Tourette Syndrome Plus.  Finding the right diagnosis can be very complicated and may take many years. In the meantime, the child and all family members are seriously affected.  The child may become the object of an (or many) educator’s wrath and the target of malicious peers. Parents may quickly lose their patience and unknowingly continuously punish their child for something that is totally beyond their control.Over the years I have listened and spoken to a number of parents about their children. Always eager to speak of our families, we share the joy of our children’s accomplishments and the daily challenges we face. As parents, we try our very best to provide our children with the widest range of opportunities to succeed.  It soon becomes apparent however, we spend a disproportionate amount of time expressing our frustrations with our children’s inappropriate behavior both at home and at school.In some cases, parents and educators aren’t sure if what they observe as unusual behavior is truly abnormal or behavior that is considered normal within the spectrum of child behaviors. Most adults including professionals involved with children share a common definition of appropriate childhood behavior.  Parents express their frustration with the lack of parental know-how and resources available to help our children.  Parents speak frankly of the daily hardships they face and hope someone can share advice which has proven successful. Let’s face it, the rigors of our life today can make anyone succumb to odd behavior. Environmental, cultural, and financial (to name just a few) factors outside and inside the home can adversely affect family members. As adults, we have the experience and hopefully, the emotional maturity to find the appropriate way to deal with the daily grind. And although children are fast learners, they are not given the same skill-set we, as adults possess. They express themselves in a variety of ways which can easily be misconstrued.  Many children with behavioral issues are left unidentified or misdiagnosed. A child left to their own devices and not given the support and help they require can be marked for life. In fact, my husband and I have read numerous stories of individuals who grew up with undiagnosed Tourette Syndrome who contemplated and in many cases, attempted suicide.  Some survived, a few didn’t.One of the main difficulties with diagnosing a specific problem is that many of our diagnoses are spectrums disorders which result in a gamut of behaviors or signs and symptoms that can also relate to many other problems. Isolating the proper behaviors for effective and appropriate diagnosis can be a hit and miss adventure. If a child exhibits different types of odd behaviors, who’s to say these are all related? And if one behavior is more intense and seen more frequently than another, perhaps the parent might feel they are overreacting to everything the child does. A perfect example of a difficult diagnosis is Tourette Syndrome Plus. Most people think of Tourette Syndrome as someone having a tic. However, the majority of people afflicted with Tourette Syndrome also have a number of what is referred to as co-morbidity behaviors. This might include obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, ADD, ADHD, depression, sleeping disorder and the list goes on. A parent might notice the hyperactivity and the anxiety but not connect the dots together. When speaking with the family physician, the parents may not speak of the moodiness and periods of depression so much as the hyperactivity and anxiety attacks – only because the latter is so intense and frequent. The other behaviors are just as crucial however in developing a proper diagnosis.And if parents do finally choose to approach their family physician, there are usually a number of issues surrounding a child’s health and behavior on the table for discussion. Proper diagnosis is fraught with problems. The family physician can only provide advice based on the details given by the parents’ observations or the educators’ feedback. And this isn’t always such an easy task for parents or educators. Because children are observed in different environments and the people observing them will focus on various aspects of the child’s behavior, consistency may be lacking for adequate and accurate evaluation.  In next month’s enewletter, I will outline steps parents can take to ensure a more accurate diagnosis of their child’s behavior. Don’t give up! There is definitely hope!!