Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Just a little background for those who don’t “know” us. At 15 months I had DS evaluated on my own through EI because of a speech delay (after fighting and fighting with the pediatrician that there was something wrong). He qualified for speech due to his complete lack of words and low receptive. At his 18 month well visit, I told his pediatrician that he qualified and after discussing my concerns (again) she referred me to a dev. Pediatrician. I called nearly everyone on her sheet and there was at least a 6 month waiting period. I was advised from friends and here to get him evaluated through EI. I did. They gave him a preliminary diagnosis of “mild” PDD-NOS. He gets ABA at home five times a week. So Monday, I get a message from Dr. Scherzer’s office confirming my appointment for today. It was finally here!

So today I go. I don’t know what I expected but what I saw were two different things. I expected that since it was a developmental pediatrician that the waiting room would be “kid friendly.” I expected that when I was led by the doctor into his office that his first words wouldn’t be “I expect you to keep him under control on your lap.” After “controlling” DS for nearly 20 minutes on my lap (as he was not allowed on the floor) while he was kicking, screaming, twisting, squirming, tantruming, crying, sobbing and me being asked to give an intake, my DS was then asked to “perform.” Instead DS threw the blocks at the doctor. And then he threw the ducky puzzle pieces at the doctor. He did attempt to write on the pad that the doctor gave him but then was “scolded” for flipping through the pad and not writing. That was it. That was the end of the evaluation. I was told that he is a “classic case” of autism spectrum disorder and if EI said is PDD-NOS then he guesses that’s what it is. He then goes into that I must not “give in” to DS. That “these types of children” are very manipulative. That they are looking for attention and I should ignore. That I should not jump to their every whim. That I should encourage independent play. That EI is good, that a little before three, he will have to go through the school district and then he then asked me if I had any questions and that he’d like to see us back in six months to see what progress has been made. That was it…we were done…I begrudgingly paid my copay and when asked if I wanted to schedule my appointment now I said “no thanks, we wont be back.” What I felt like doing was going back into the office and smashing him in the face and telling him he was 50 years past his prime and should retire.

I really need to know if this is typical? I honestly don’t know how this doctor would have been equipped to handle a “classic case” of autism. Other than passing blocks and a puzzle across his desk, he had nearly no interaction or rapport with DS. I left the office beyond pizzed off. I called my mother and she pizzed me off even more. She told me that I need to get my head out of the sand and get DS (he’s 23months old btw) under control. That the doctor was absolutely right that DS SHOULD be sitting in a chair quietly. Really??? I know I didn’t handle it right but I hung up on her.

I know that I have another appointment with another developmental pediatrician coming up as I booked three of them when my ped. first referred me, but quite honestly I don’t want to go if I am going to have a repeat of this. What is the point of seeing a dev. Pediatrician to begin with? For a second opinion of what EI said? Are they the ones that would give DS a true diagnosis? Or should I really be taking him to a developmental psychologist? To be honest, I am questioning myself because I had an eerily similar office experience when I took DS to get his hearing evaluated and am wondering “if it’s me.”

Message edited 9/21/2011 7:03:42 PM.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

I have yet to hear of ANYONE who had a good experience with this doctor. I don't know how he stays in practice, other than he is one of the very few that take insurance. Sorry you had to deal with that.

Who is the next appt. with? I hope you don't say Silverman.

ETA, the point is typically to get a diagnosis

Message edited 9/21/2011 8:20:31 PM.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Is he in Riverhead? My son was dx years ago by a quack and the name looks so familar. (I never went back)

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Posted by Domino

Posted by BargainMama


Who is the next appt. with? I hope you don't say Silverman.

ETA, the point is typically to get a diagnosis

yes

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

DISGRACEFUL !

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

I'm so sorry you went through all of that.
I don't know this Dr., but, do know, I'm not a fan of Dr. Silverman either.
We were supposed to go back and never did.

Can you go to a Pediatric Neurologist?
If so, I highly recommend Dr. Greg Rosen in Plainview.

My DD sees a Dev. Ped in Nassau County and for the life of me can't think of her name. She's good too. I'll ask DH later and edit my post!


ETA: It was the school psych (through CPSE) that diagnosed DS.
We saw Dr. Rosen for other testing (thought DS was having seizures), but, I have family and friends that went to him and he did evals. on them.

Message edited 9/23/2011 4:40:39 PM.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

why is is so hard to find a good DEV. PED??

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

i have never gone to a Dev Ped.

i guess my question is, do we need to go to them? DS was DXed with Classic Autism at 15 months old (he is 4 now) though EI.

Hofstra did an informal evaluation and came to the same conclusion.

my reg Ped. works with ASD children too...

should i find one?

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Message edited 9/22/2011 10:31:51 AM.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

We saw one, and she was okay though I really feel the team who assessed him for CPSE knew DS better and spent more time observing him. We only saw her for two sessions--she is a neurologist. I liked her, but I felt the time was so limited, how could she really understand DS? She also wasn't seeing him in a setting where his issues seem to pop up more (crowded classroom, his peers, etc.) But I wanted to rule out any neurological problems that his therapy could not address, so I am happy we went.

But my experience was more positive overall. No doctor who works with children should expect them to remain on a lap for a chunk of time--it's just no reasonable, and if they want good interaction with a child, they aren't going to have it.

We saw Dr. Tina Neuryan in and LIJ based practice located in New Hyde Park if you are interested. There was a VERY long wait for an appt. though, and as I said I do think the CPSE committee actually did a better job evaluating DS.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

That's pretty much what he did to us! I'm so sorry!!! BTW, his dx are bull$hit, totally.

ETA: sent you FM.

Message edited 9/22/2011 12:37:43 PM.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

I had a very similar experience with this doctor. Except my DD was much younger, only about 15 months old. We had just recently gotten her diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome. I had scheduled the appt. before we got her diagnosis. I was looking for advice from him as to how to treat/help her. I did have her strapped in a stroller while he was taking all the background info so it wasn't a problem. When he examined her, he was fine with her and I feel he did a pretty thorough exam of her. He however didn't really have much advice for me (although really nobody has to this point). My biggest problem with his was the way he treated my older DD. She had just turned 4, and is pretty well behaved. When we went into his office, he made her sit ALONE in the rear of the office in those wooden chairs while I sat at his desk. He tried to correct her any time she tried to come over to ask me something or to get involved in what he was playing with with the baby. When she wanted to go into the waiting room to play with the toys, he said she couldn't because there would be nobody watching her. Ok doc, so what should she do while I'm in here with you for an hour and a half??? She's 4!!! I didn't say anything because I felt I was wrong to have brought her in the first place. But, I'm sorry, I don't have anybody to watch her...that's why I am home during the day! So we also never went back.

I also saw another woman, not Silverman, but I forget her name. She used to work out of the Schnieder's practice in Commack. I really don't think she did much to test my DD or to help me with her. She asked me a bunch of questions and then did about 3 things with DD. The only credit I will give her is that she pretty much narrowed down DD's diagnosis. She said to me, in a very non-chalant way, "I think it is either Prader -Willi or Angelman Syndrome. The DNA test will say for sure". She told me nothing about them!! I went home and was devastated by what I found on the internet!!! I went the very next day for genetic testing. I kind of think she should have softened the blow a bit for me, and not have dropped a bombshell of a diagnosis and let me walk out of the office skipping because I finally had an answer.

I don't know who to recommend to you for a diagnosis of PDD. But I kind of think I'd want something more concrete than that of the psychologist from EI. I could be totally wrong in that opinion, but that is just me. Maybe a pediatric neurologist? I see Dr. Mirer out of the Good Sam Specialty office in Deer Park.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Reading through all these posts, I don't understand why there are so many poor developmental pediatricians out there, completely lacking in bedside manner or compassion. I've read similar accounts on blogs and other listservs, where the doctor drops some bombshell diagnosiss and then sends the parents on their way without much information. Why do these people choose to work with children?

I do have to say, a psychologist on the CPSE evaluation team told me what he thought was going on with DS, and I feel so fortunate that I had him deliver this news. He was very kind, and shared DSs strong points as well as his problem areas and kept going back to the positive. He also spent a good amount of time sharing what he knows about PDD-NOS with me.

Either way, it hurts and it's scary, but I kept going back to the positive things he shared about DS (and still do).

Many to everyone who had these bad experiences.

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Had the same experience with the same dr! No bedside manner and i wanted to cry when he gave me the dx, but was scared i would get scolded!

I never went back either...i got a second dx from a psychologist while he was in EI so he got his services then...

Whats funny is, i am an SLP, so i know that he needed to be encouraged to be independant with play and certain skills...he was 2 at the time...what typical 2 yr old is truley independant anyway...i was wearing a mommy hat that day...not a therapist hat...i was not ready for that dx and it hit me as hard as it hit anyone else. The old man needs to retire!

Re: Dev. Ped. Dr. Scherzer VENT with several follow up questions...

Hello to everyone, i am new to lifamilies.com. My name is danielle, i live in IT, i have three children, keith is 5 1/2, alexa 3 and my "little angel", kyla just turned 1. kyla was just diagnosed with angelmans syndrome and was looking for some people to reach out to. anyone have any dr that specialize in this syndrome.