adhd

[~queenie~]

my ds(10) teacher wants to have him ested. so we filled ou the paper work sent it back in and we ha a drs apt thursday.. can anyone tell me what to expect??

i don't know very much about it so any help would be great

 

[worm761]

bumping up because i would love to know too. the doctor wants us to come back for an eval in two weeks. have the paperwork all filled out and ready to turn in.

 

[wdwmom2]

Basically the questionaire will be scored and the doc will discuss the problems that your child is having. Are they having problems focusing and staying on task in school? Are they fidgety and can't sit still? How are their grades? Can you give them a list of things to do, and they barely complete one and totally forget about the rest? These are some of the things discussed in the practice that I work in. If they put a child on meds, they come back for a recheck appoximately 3 months later. That is to see how the meds are working and if the dosage needs adjusted or even switched to a different med if need be.

Good luck to the both of you. Hope everything works out!!!

 

[janette]

My DD is currently being evaluated, I've made appointments with a psychologist and they'll be doing 4 hours of testing plus the questionnaires and histories. Since she has other learning disabilities and has been given some of the academic evaluations at school they said they many not need to do all the testing and will use those results.

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with a diagnosis based only on questionnaire results.

 

[buzzlady]

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with a diagnosis based only on questionnaire results.

DS9 was just diagnosed. We went to a psychiatrist that the school sent us to. It was supposed to be aNeurological Eval - but in no way was. I'm not at all comfortable with this, as all he did was ask us and DS questions - didn't even do the check list. I have a meeting on Mon. w/school. What type of dr. would you suggest and what kind of testing?

I really feel that DS has visual perception problems, which can be mistakenly diagnosed as ADD.

 

[Christine]

DS9 was just diagnosed. We went to a psychiatrist that the school sent us to. It was supposed to be aNeurological Eval - but in no way was. I'm not at all comfortable with this, as all he did was ask us and DS questions - didn't even do the check list. I have a meeting on Mon. w/school. What type of dr. would you suggest and what kind of testing?

I really feel that DS has visual perception problems, which can be mistakenly diagnosed as ADD.

We got with Children's Hospital. They run a clinic for learning disorders. My son saw a neurologist and a psychiatrist on the same day. He had about 7 hours of testing.

 

[janette]

We are going to a psychologist, I don't think they would prescribe any medication but we'll discuss that with the pediatrician depending on the results.

I've just attended the first appointment, she asked lots of questions and took a history. The next 2 appointments are for testing, she did say they include an IQ test and some others used in academics and those are the ones they may just use the results from the testing we've already done. She sent questionnaires for myself and DH to complete and the teachers also do one.

We've had the school testing and evaluations at Scottish Rite for learning disabilities for my DD and if I hadn't already had the evaluations for learning disabilities I'd want to include those along with any evaluations for ADD/ADHD. Especially with kids that have multiple issues like my DD it's important also to have a complete picture. All of her testing has indicated some issues with attention but this is the first time her teachers have suggested that it needs to be looked at further.

There are just too many reasons that children can have the same clinical symptoms as ADD/ADHD and the only way they'll get help is if they are correctly identified.

 

[~queenie~]

my ds has always had a problen sitting still in school(put him in ront of gamecube he is fine though)

has very little self control(i think is the teacher main problem)

has a hard time followng directions in class..

forgets library books on wed... things like that(in the past I was on top of things like that now my job takes more of my ime..plus he is 10)


seems like th harder the grade the more these thigs are showing up

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

my ds has always had a problen sitting still in school(put him in ront of gamecube he is fine though)
has very little self control(i think is the teacher main problem)
has a hard time followng directions in class..
forgets library books on wed... things like that(in the past I was on top of things like that now my job takes more of my ime..plus he is 10)
seems like th harder the grade the more these thigs are showing up

That sounds SOOO familiar!
We just had DS (4th grade) tested in February. He has moderate range inattentive ADD.

His testing consisted of questionaires that were filled out by 3 of his teachers, an extensive history that DH and I supplied in a meeting without DS, and multiple tasks that DS had to complete during the actual "testing" phase. The tests covered memory and recall, visual/motor skills, impulse control, etc.

DS has a hard time paying attention in class, he has a hard time completing assignments in a reasonable amount of time, he has to be told over and over again to do things at home (Brush your teeth and get your shoes on. Have you brushed your teeth? Get your shoes on, we're going to be late. I am leaving RIGHT NOW. GET YOUR SHOES ON!) We had some problems in 3rd grade but they are far more pronounced this year.

We tried Strattera because I didn't want to put him on a stimulant based med. Well, that didn't work (it didn't do anything, might as well have been a sugar pill) so now we are trying Concerta. He took his first one this morning, so we'll see how it goes over the next week or so.

Best of luck to your and your DS!!

 

[~queenie~]

he has to be told over and over again to do things at home (Brush your teeth and get your shoes on. Have you brushed your teeth? Get your shoes on, we're going to be late. I am leaving RIGHT NOW. GET YOUR SHOES ON!) We had some problems in 3rd grade but they are far more pronounced this year.

boy did you look in my window this moring..

 

[geffric]

I really feel that DS has visual perception problems, which can be mistakenly diagnosed as ADD.

My oldest son was "thought to be ADHD 'cause he got out of his seat alot and had problems reading, well it turned out that his eyes didn't team well. So His eyes bothered him to look at things closely too long , so he went and sharpened his pencil. Also because his eyes did not team well , he constantly lost his place when reading and skipped a line or two. We went to an eye specialist and did therapy for over a year to help him train his eyes. Teachers only see a behavior and then it is up to the parents and the professioal to put the puzzel pieces together to determine what is really going on.

 

[janette]

my ds has always had a problen sitting still in school(put him in ront of gamecube he is fine though)

has very little self control(i think is the teacher main problem)

has a hard time followng directions in class..

forgets library books on wed... things like that(in the past I was on top of things like that now my job takes more of my ime..plus he is 10)


seems like th harder the grade the more these thigs are showing up

This can also be said of kids with learning difficulties, depression / bi-polar, sensory issues, anxiety and I'm sure the list could go on. The testing should be through enough to distinguish. There is no definitive test available right now so especially with something where the recommended treatment involves medication I'd like to know the bases are covered.

 

[HaleyB]

I agree with janette.

Lots of things could explain those problems. Teachers are way too quick to call things ADHD or ADD.

 

[~queenie~]

so how much teasting should be done??

he has no problem with his grades when the pressure is on(tests and stuff)

always gotten great report cards.


but now that problems are getting multi stepped he seems o forget steps in the middle!

 

[Christine]

so how much teasting should be done??

he has no problem with his grades when the pressure is on(tests and stuff)

always gotten great report cards.


but now that problems are getting multi stepped he seems o forget steps in the middle!

Queenie,

How old is your child. For most kids, little signs of ADHD *start* to show up in the first grade. That's when the teacher made some comments to me. However, my son was still pulling straight A's at that point because the work was fairly easy. The doctors told me that in kids who do have ADHD and they go untreated, they usually start to really fall apart in 4th grade. This is when classwork gets VERY "multi-step" and an emphasis is placed on organizational skills and self-study. At this point, that's usually where they can't keep up anymore.

 

[~queenie~]

Queenie,

How old is your child. For most kids, little signs of ADHD *start* to show up in the first grade. That's when the teacher made some comments to me. However, my son was still pulling straight A's at that point because the work was fairly easy. The doctors told me that in kids who do have ADHD and they go untreated, they usually start to really fall apart in 4th grade. This is when classwork gets VERY "multi-step" and an emphasis is placed on organizational skills and self-study. At this point, that's usually where they can't keep up anymore.

he is 10 in the 4th grade..

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

What Christine said is exactly true for my DS. He had a private math tutor for all of 3rd grade and managed to do OK. He scored high on his state tests, made good grades on his report cards. But 4th grade has been a different ballgame - he was holding it together for about the first 12 weeks, then his grades started to fall and it was blatantly obvious that he wasn't retaining concepts as they were introduced. Oh, and the 3 hours to complete homework every night was another clue. He can do the work if one of us sits beside him and CONSTANTLY brings his attention back to the work, but left to his own devices he can sit at the table all afternoon and never finish a single thing.

 

[janette]

When you talk to the Dr they'll give you more details on the type of testing. Ask them how they are going to distinguish between ADD/ADHD and other things that can cause the same results.

My DD does not have many of the more traditional ADD/ADHD markers. She does have enough symptoms to consider it but since she also has learning disabilities it makes for a more difficult diagnosis. I'm comfortable with the Dr after our first session and knowing that she'll be looking at more than just the questionnaires and history. I'm not familiar with the tests she'll be using but your Dr should also be able to tell you what they are and how they work.

 

[~queenie~]

thank you all you have been great!!!

 

[snowwite]

My DS was diagnosed severe ADHD when he was 4.He is 13 now. We tried Adderal but he developed seizures and pronounced facial tics from the m edicine. We had initial testing gy pediatrician then we went to Mass General Pediatric neurologist and pedi psychiatrist. When he got to school he had an IME including OT,Speech,neuropsyche and multiple standardized tests such as WISK. We have done play therapy,family counseling(because it does affect the whole family),behavior modification w/rewards program,dietary changes including removing anything with food dye additives and try to eliminate processed or treated foods.Ironically taking junk out of your food is pricey. We also tried a homeopathic remedy but I really didnt notice a difference.You will need to see what is best for your child if that is indeed what he has. The symptoms of ADD and ADHD can be other things so testing is important.Here is a link to a site you may find helpful :http://www.chadd.org/
We had to fight the school to get him help.Because he was passing we had to wait until he failed and qualified for help.His teacher actually had me stop helping with his homework until his IEP was set.It seems crazy not to be proactive but that is the system.
What works best for us is organization and consistency.Same bedtime,same awake time,same routine(we even try to hold to it as much as possible on vacation),provide him w/rewards for good behavior and try to avoid being negative.He keeps something in his pocket for when he feels fidgety.Like silly putty,a coin,a paper clip,keys etc. I try to adjust my expectations too. It used to make me mad if he was tapping or restless but now that I know those are symptoms and not behaviors I treat it differently.
Parenting with Love and Logic was a good book and so is driven to Distraction by E.Hallowell.
Good Luck!