princess1 Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 My daughter 9 has Pandas.Yesterday the psychiatrist noticed that her reply to questions was slow. I have noticed that conversation going in takes effort to process and she has to think hard to give a reply to questions.Has anyone else had cognitive delays like this with Pandas? She avoids reading because her ability to grasp what she is reading is tiresome for her.She loved to read before her onset of Pandas.Its sad . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomWithOCDSon Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Definitely. In fact, these sort of processing delays during exacerbation can become so prevalent, some kids wind up getting diagnosed with something along the lines of PDD (pervasive developmental delay) even though, when the PANDAS is otherwise under control, no such delays are evident! Our DS has been victim of this same sort of phenomenon and mis-diagnosis. Successful PANDAS intervention should return your DD's full functionality over time. When out of exacerbation, our DS's "processing speed" and capability return to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG10 Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Yes, this type of cognitive interference is not uncommon. I'm an SLP, so I tend to tune into the cognitive disruptions. My dd11 has increased word retrieval difficulties when symptomatic and conversation is laborious. Fluctuation is math computation is one of her biggies as well. It does completely resolve when she is healthy, but is one of the first signs something is wrong. Interestingly, when she did try SSRI's, these skills would improve and quickly (within 24 hours when they are suppose to take weeks to build up in the system.) It never lasted though and brought with it behavioral activation, so not the route to take. I guess that means it is some sort of serotonin/dopamine issue when the basal ganglia is inflamed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayanne Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Absolutely, my daughter didn't speak or when she did it was a real struggle for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momcap Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Yes! DS7 takes a long pause before answering a question. Add this to the ODD behaviour and it is perceived as defiance when he won't answer a direct question. But I know that he just needs an extra minute to process before he can answer and if he feels pressured or realizes the other person is irritated he goes mute (selective mutism). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJane Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 We have this too. My son (avid reader) stopped reading during his 2nd exacerbation last fall. Wouldn't let me read to him at bedtime either. After IVIg in Nov, he started up reading again. I can also tell sometimes how a day is going to be based on how long it takes for him to answer me or talk to me in the morning. We PANDAS Parents are better than covert spies in taking in the subtle cues of our kids. And we do it automatically without thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HT's Mom Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Amazing. This forum keeps making me realize symptoms I never knew were PANDAS. We always thought it was just his personality when he would stare off and think before answering a question. When he was 5 or 6, we had him tested for Auditory Processing Disorder (negative) because of the delays in answering things. He was notorious for having to start an entire train of thought or story over from the beginning if interrupted. Slow to pull vocabulary out in telling a story. ADD diagnosis. Now that he's 16 the idea that all of this and the accompanying school and social troubles could be explained by PANDAS for this otherwise highly intelligent normal child just pisses me off. So, that's my emotional response to your question - what you are seeing is our experience too, I guess. As an aside, I just got my first mycoplasma titer called to me by the ped. 5.0. They didn't break it down past or current, but still, very high considering 0.9 is normal. No wonder I've been feeling like crap. I thought it was just all this stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJane Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 I believe that PANDAS affects speech & its processing more than they know...or at least they're not talking about it. There might be another subset of kids susceptible to PANDAS if they'd ever come out with such a list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayanne Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 I believe that PANDAS affects speech & its processing more than they know...or at least they're not talking about it. There might be another subset of kids susceptible to PANDAS if they'd ever come out with such a list. It's not that they are not talking about it...they are only just now realizing that mild PANDAS is much more common than originally believed. Our PANDAS doctor just told us that she believes it is very common, but the symptoms are mild and manageable. I have 4 children. One has had 2 major PANDAS flares. My other 3 have all had a symptom here and there that I think I can attribute to immune flares, but it's just not enough to make me pull the trigger on getting cam K II or pursing antibiotics or prednisone. But I am watching carefully... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bws Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 I am sitting here and almost crying while reading this. THIS was the very first symptom we realized in our daughter. We went through so so much within the last 5(!) years trying to find a fitting diagnosis for our daughter. She has been suffering from mild OCD and anxiety for several years now! We've been through OT's Neuropsychological evaluation ($$$$) CBT, and the poor kid has such low self esteem, no friends and a massive buildup of negative emotions. When I realized that Pandas ties in all her symptoms so perfectly, I immediately started her on Fish oil and Vitamin D while awaiting a Dr. appointment. Her blood titers and antibodies did come back high, and I am now awaiting an appointment to a local Pandas specialist. Slow response time, her biggy symptom wasn't on any list, and now I feel that all of these problems are only STREP. Hopefully the abx will help her. Thanks for posting this!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJMom39 Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 So grateful for this thread! My ds8 sometimes has slow word retrieval when telling a story, and it can take him a little while to actually form the word. And, if he is telling a story he cannot stop if interrupted. Even if it is a necessary interruption, he will keep talking--it's like he can't stop and then start again at the same point. He has to finish the thought, story....This is another symptom for which I now have a context. We also have selective mutism and if he is upset he will use "signs" instead of speaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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