ADD-Inattentive

[goodstarr]

Ok, after wondering about this for over a year, DH and I think that DD-7 may have ADD. She isn't hyperactive, just inattentive. Numerous report cards have her teachers writing that she is not paying attention in school. She can't remember what she learned that day. She gets great grades, but I think that this is due to the fact that i almost "reteach" her schoolwork to her once she gets home-one-on-one. She goes to a private school with only 12 students in her class, so I think that has contributed to her doing so well so far. Next year, she will switch schools and have possibly 25 students in her 3rd grade class, so we need to intervene now. I am interested in finding a specialist to take her to in the SJ/Philly area. Also, with the ADD-inattentive, do the children take medications or is that just with the hyperactivity part. If so, what meds are working for some of you. Thanks.

 

[CEDmom]

Why don't you talk to her school about having her tested? They should have resources available. Once you know what's going on then you could always get a 2nd opinion. As far as medication goes I'd explore all other possibilities before going down that path. I think medication is necessary for some children many are helped with behavior modification techniques etc. Also, this may seem silly but have you had your DD's hearing and eyesight tested recently? Sometimes children are distracted/disruptive in class because they have trouble seeing and hearing all that's going on.

 

[Christine]

My DD-12 is ADD-inattentive. We've know officially since 4th grade; however, the signs were there since she was in 1st grade. We discussed this with our pediatrician who sent us to the Children's Hospital Hyperactivity and Learning Disabilities Clinic for evaluation. Basically, there is no official test for ADD; however, you really want to rule out that there are any learning disabilities, which will cause the same type of symptoms.

DD was diagnosed with mild ADD of the inattentive type. We were counseled by Children's Hosp. that we could either go to couseling and learn behavior modification techniques and to work with the school on placing her in the classroom where she would focus better (we tried THAT already), or we could try low doses of medication. The counselors at Children's told me that, while many parents really hesitate to use meds, they see the best response with that. So, we tried the meds and within one week she was like a new kid. Grades came up by the end of the year, self esteem came up etc.

We then tried to give her a *holiday* from the meds in the 6th grade. My DD felt that she was "over it" and could do fine without the meds. We did that most of 6th grade (where she got so-so grades) and then in 7th grade. Well, she fell apart in 7th grade. She was constantly misinterpreting assignments, getting them wrong, not getting them at all, not participating in class, the teacher said she didn't seem like she was there. She seemed stressed in class and unconfident. She was also forgetting books, assignments--really SIMPLE stuff. She got so many homework demerits that she had to serve 2 detentions. Not pretty. So, back on her medicine she went. One month later I had a teacher conference and the teacher was just amazed. She said to me: "If you ever had any doubts or fears about using the medication, please know you did the right thing. Your daughter has made such a turnaround and she is interacting in class extremely well, she looks and feels confident about her performance, and she is really a very focused, good student." The teacher was amazed herself and said she never saw such a good response. This, all for mild-inattentive ADD!!! So, yes, the meds help VERY much with this. My DD has NEVER been a behavior problem and off the medication she is still very well-behaved and most adults think she is wonderful to have around.

So, please do get an evaluation. If you suspect there is a problem you are probably right. And with each grade your DD goes up, it gets worse because the style of teaching gets less "entertaining" and the responsibilities and requirements for organization keep increasing.

 

[FTWFAN]

Our DS who is now in the second grade has finally been diagnosed as an ADD child. To make a long story short, after 2 years of trying to get the school to test him(hearing, eyesight, etc) I finally took action for myself. I had both his eyesight and his hearing checked. Both were fine. The ENT even went so far as to tell me that his hearing was excellent, and by his observation of him in the office with me and during the exam he just listened to only what he wanted to hear. Our regular pediatrician also was no help. She told me that DS only needed a more structured discipline plan. He has the same discipline plan as our 2 DDs and they are fine. I finally talked to pediatrician's partner. After she talked to DS for a few minutes, DS broke down and told her that he couldn't think sometimes. That was why he never finished his work at school and why he hated trying to do his homework at home(that was sometimes taking us up to 2 hours to write sentences with 15 spelling words). He would get so upset that he couldn't finish a thought he would rebel with anger. It was such a frustrating time. The pediatrician started him on 5mg of ritolin twice a day. I cold tell a difference the second day on the med. He is now up to 5mg three times a day, but he is a much happier child who is actually finishing his work at school and at home. He has only been on the med since October. He has done so well, in fact, that several of his teachers have expressed that he is actually far beyond his second grade math and science. He will be tested sometimes next month to see if he qualifies for the gifted class in those subjects. This has really given his self-esteem a huge boost! As a family, we are so glad we finally tried the meds. Things are much better at home and at school! It was the right decision for us to start the meds!

 

[iamsorcerermickey]

You stated that she gets good grades. I would have her tested. She might just be bored at school and needs to be challenged more.

 

[rw2dodge]

My ds 8 is going through the same thing. He is failing miserably in school. He has all the syptoms of ADD. I got the child study team involved at his school. I would check to see if there is one at your school. If you send a note to them wanting a evaluation on your child they have to do this by law in a certain amount of days. They are going to do some testing on my son. Also I am on my own having him tested by a ENT specialist to check his hearing and also he is going to go for a neurologist evaluation. I also am in South Jersey so if you want to know the doctors please feel free to email me.
My other ds 12 was diagnosed with ADHD in the 3rd grade. He was put on ritalin and since then there is a new medication called Strattera that is not a controlled drug. And it works wonderful!!! My son is now on the honor roll every marking period.
Good Luck.

 

[MARRAR]

My Ds 9 was diagnosed last May as ADD-inattentive. He always scored well on standardized tests but in the classroom and at home was a "space cadet". He forgot assignments, had to be prodded to stay with things, kept getting up at school for bathroom and water drinks etc. He was described as stubborn, unfocused, distracted and his printing and cursive was horrible,but they kept telling us he was"extremely bright".
I took him to the Dr in 1st grade who said he was fine,just bored. He did a couple of gifted classes in 2nd grade to try and see if boredom was his problem. He could do the work but had to be really prodded to stay with the class and do the homework. So they said he couldn't do gifted in 3rd grade
His 3rd grade teacher "pushed" the issue as he was hitting all the descriptions for ADD-inattentive. We tried all of the "behavior modifications" moving desk to front, refocusing techniques etc.We went back to the pediatrician and then to a psycologist for evaluations. I was resisitant to medications but all the Dr's agreed he was a candidate. He went on 10mg of ADDERALL in late May of last year.
He is like a different child!!! His 4th grade teacher told me she often "forgets" he's ADD. His music , gym, etc teachers told us he "matured" over summer! now he's back in several of the gifted classes and doing fantastic...Get the testing, and do research,Good luck

 

[mamajoan]

Yes there is a difference in ADD and ADHD. My eldest son, was diagnosed ADD in 3rd grade, Took Ritalin and did behavior modification until HS... low dose and only for school. Did very well. Got beligerent in HS and refused the meds.. well he barely got thru Sr. year but fortunately he did graduate. He now say that he wishes he would have stayed on the meds.. he is 23 now and still has difficulty with written work, but is a soldier and the army does not allow Ritalin for soldiers.

Now second dtr was diagnosed with severe ADHD before she was 3. It is somewhat connected to birthmothers use of drugs.
She currently takes max doses of Ritalin with good success in school and at home. I am hoping she will continue to be good about her meds in HS.

From this experience I can tell you without a doubt their is a HUGE difference btwn ADD and ADHD. However some symptoms may cross over btwn the two.

Good luck. Have your child tested by and MD who KNOWS how to treat and diagnose these problems.

Best wishes!

 

[Christine]

Just wanted to add that, in the early elementary school, grades cannot be the indicator of whether one is ADD/ADHD. My son, who is ADHD, had all straight A's in the first grade. He did very well in reading and math. His teacher said that he was just so bright that he was able to do well in spite of his inability to focus and sit still. She said that the good grades wouldn't last very long. When we had him tested, his IQ was found to be at about 140. So, along with medication he was put in the gifted program. He does fine in both but I do not think he would have been able to continue if we had not treated him and we probably would have never known how smart he really is. And no, he was not *bored* in school--except for the fact that he is required to sit in his seat!

 

[goodstarr]

Thank you all sooo much for your advice. There is a teacher in her school that teaches some students with mild learning disabilities. I asked her to observe my DD a few months ago, informally, but I have not heard anything from her. I will speak with the principal so we can set up something more formal. Do any of you have recommendations on specific doctors in the SJ/Philly area that I can take her to for evaluation and treatment options? Is seems that it would be a waste of an office visit if I took her to her primary MD only for them to refer her to a specialist anyway. I understand the concerns with vision/hearing, but I really feel that she exhibits classic ADD-inattentive signs. (She hears my DH and I whisper from across the room and has no problem reading as well as has great penmanship). She "spaces out" at home as well as in school, when she is being talked to directly! Again, thanks for all the advice.