Help with ADHD diagnosis?

[sbpuckett]

I realize this is off topic, but want as many responses as I can get here... I'm also posting this on the budget boards... DS5 has had a very rough beginning in school. He was put on half days sometime during the second week of school, and has now been suspended 4 times. His behavior started out slightly disruptive and became very aggressive and potentially dangerous. This type of behavior was quite a shock to us and we really felt very helpless as the school was not supportive or helpful in the least. It seems to me that a school would want to know what was causing a 5 year old to behave in such a way.... Anyway, after being assured by a pediatrician and his pre-school teacher that he did not have ADHD... he was diagnosed on Thursday afternoon. It seems that his behavior falls under the "Impulsivity" aspect of the disorder. Anyway, he has been prescribed Daytrona and we can definitely see a huge difference. However, I am not an advocate of medicating children unnecessarily. I do not want anyone to think I'm putting down anyone else's decisions... I just don't believe in it on a personal level... especially since we've had no chance to try anything else for treatment. Being a teacher I've done tons of research on the long - term effects of such drugs and so that is why I feel the way I do. So what I am looking for here is anyone who has children with ADHD and has found something else that works for them. With Thanksgiving break coming up soon, I would like to take him off the meds and see how something else works. That way it doesn't affect his behavior at school but gives us a chance to try something as an alternative. I hope I haven't upset anyone because that wasn't my intention. However, I'd also like to avoid the whole "you shouldn't medicate kids" issue either as in our circumstance we were looking at possible expulsion and we look at medicating him as a temporary solution...

TIA

 

[JennCa]

Do you see that he is better able to learn on the mediation? Have you consulted any alternative medicine experts on his situation? How about dieticians? I have no first hand experience as a parent, but did as a teacher a while ago and it seemed that some children really benefited from the meds and others seemed to be better with diet changes, etc. The main thing in my mind is he adjusting well to the situation and is it positive? Everyone wants him to be in a situation where he is safe and is able to learn.

Hope you find what works for your family. Every child is unique in their own way : )

Jenn

 

[zaztooe]

My son was diagnosised with ADHD at the age of 4 (he's now 17) and then later DX with ODD and a few years ago they changed his diagnosis to Aspergers Syndrome. So in other words it's been a long road.

If you are looking for diet programs I would strongly suggest that you check out the Fiengold diet. It is not an easy diet but is very very helpful to many children with ADD/ADHD. Look at eliminating things like High fructose corn syrup, food coloring esp., red 40, casien ( a dairy bi product- for lack of a better description) gluten. That's a decent start. You can start eliminating these things before you take him off the meds.

Deffinately keep a food diary, with what he eats when, and a behavior log. You should start to see behaviors that coincide with foods. Reactions can run form immediate to up to 48 hours later.

Diet management is not easy in the begining but can work.

Also do some reading on other disorders. Agressive behavior is not usually a result of just ADHD unless they are unhappily and agressive overall. I would consider that he may be lashing out more due to anxiety and sensory issues than just ADHD.

Fell free to PM if I can help in anyway. Good Luck

MeLinda

 

[Figment's Girl]

My son was diagnosed over 2 years ago. We did a couple of medications but the side effects weren't worth it to us. We then went with the behavioral therapy and that worked for a while then we ran into a rash of substitutes when his teacher didn't return after maternity leave so that went down the toilet.

We just took him to the doctor this past week for new options because his behavior and grades were slipping. Our doctor gave a combination of 3 things that although it's only been a couple of days, have already lead to an improvement.

1. Make sure he took a daily vitamin high in iron and zinc
2. Fish oil capsules (Adults are supposed to take 3 a day but only one for him)
3. Exercise (Your DS might be a little young for organized sports but my DS found a love for organized running)

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

OP, I am in Williamsburg, VA. My youngest DD has been informally diagnosed with ADD. We have been down a very long road and finally are seeing small improvements. When she was approx. 2 yr. old she began having gran mal seizures in her sleep and they were misdiagnosed as Night Terrors. It was a nightmare, and if she got sick and had a high fever, she would become delirious and have seizures in her bed and we never knew it was happening. This all came to the forefront in Kindergarden when she had a gran mal seizure during a fire drill with the flashing strob lights in her classroom. I took her to a Child Neurologist at CHKD and she was on Depakote for 2 years and boy did that mess her up. We noticed she was becoming increasingly angry, distracted in class, and just all around had learning issues.

Fast forward to now: after 2 years of Depakote we urged her neurologist to let us try taking her off meds, and we weaned her down. She has been off the drugs now for a year and thank god, she has not had any seizures. But we still had the problem of anger, distractiveness in class and trouble learning. We had a wonderful 2nd grade teacher who was willing to help us work with her issues, but it was becoming acutely evident that her issues were not going away and it wasn't a result of the Depakote (as we hoped it would be). So, we went to pediatrician and filled out all the paperwork (I'm also a teacher, so I saw 2 sides of this, 1 as a parent and 1 as a teacher who has had to deal with this issue). We decided to try some ADD medication. We currently have her on Strattera and what a change it has made in my DD. She is sweet, improving on staying focused in the classroom and for the first time ever, on grade level with her class, not struggling to keep up.

I look at meds like this: if my DD had cancer, I'd get her treatment. When she has seizures, I got her meds. The same idea holds for ADD or ADHD. It is my responsibility to help her become the best she can be, and if she needs meds, I'm going to do it. We tried everything we could leading up to this. We eliminated sugar, caffeine, red dye. You name it we tried it. But for us it didn't work. Do I know how long she will need them, NO. Will I try to take her off of them? Not for a while, she is doing great and the drug she is on, is non-stimulant based. She can't take the stimulant ones because of prior seizure activity. Don't judge me because I use them, it makes my DD the person I always knew she locked up inside of her, but her anger got in the way. She is so happy, not in trouble in school and actually enjoying school for the first time since pre-school. Good Luck, but make sure you are absolutely certain that you have tried to give the Daytrana a good try before you stop. Did you know you can leave the patch on only for school and take it off as soon as he gets home from school? We investigated this one for DD too. It is a great drug and 1 that my ped has had great success with since it came on the market, but it has stimulants.

I wish you luck, this is not an easy subject, I hope you get answers you are looking for. If I can help, PM me.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Some people find that eliminating gluten helps with ADHD. Try having him tested for allergies, sometimes food allergies can cause behavior issues. If he/you have not seen a therapist yet that would also be another route to try. Good luck to you and your family, this is a long road you are headed down and many people will tell you to do this or that, only you will know what is right for you son and your family.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

I have two 5 year old twin boys who were diagnosed after getting kicked out of two day cares for aggressive behavior and disruptive behavior. We have been playing with differnent medications. We tried all the stimulants and they worked for awhile but the aggressive behavior only maginified after a couple of weeks. We are now on a non stimulant strattra, and my little boys can sit and listen, the first report from school praising their behavior made me cry. I am also a teacher and seen many kids on drugs who had parents who didn't want to deal with the problem and just medicated, I also saw the kids who did amazing on their meds. And were off their rocker off them. My biggest reason for medicated was my son's self esteem. They were beginning to beleive they were bad boys, that made my heart break. They are so proud of themselves. I did try some natural alternatives and have taken all dyes out of their diets, and cut sugar. That seems to keep them even tempered. Good luck with your challenges.

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

My daughter was diagnosed before school even started b/c she had such extreme behavior and I was a single mom and just didn't know what to do anymore. She's 11 now and we are still taking Adderall even though as she progressively got older, the hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms are starting to subside. She was also diagnosed with dyslexia in 1st grade. However, she qualified for artistically and intellectually gifted programs. After tons of research, I found articles that linked oxygen deprivation during birth to both ADHD and dyslexia. We had a brow presentation birth and she was SMURF Blue when she arrived.

I found that ANY red dye exascerbated her hyperactivity so no Strawberry Kool Aid at our house. Actually, we don't do any color kool aid.

I found out that no matter what road I took with her, someone was going to give me grief. Family, friends, casual aquaintances. No one is ever going to agree with everything you do, so I do what is best for both me and her. Not what others think is best for her.

I have tried a few things diet wise along with the meds through out our days, but other than the red dye, I've never seen any difference with behavior due to diet. If I could blink my eyes and not have to deal with this problem, would I? Because then would I have the same unique girl that marches to the beat of a drum that no one else in the world even knows exists much less can hear?

 

[bellebud]

this doesn't sound like it would be your ds, but i just wanted to mention it. My ped has mentioned (and i've read several times) that sleep disturbances can make a child have the same symptoms as ADD and/or AHDH. Usually enlarged tonsils/adnoids, or sleep apnea. If the child isn't getting proper deep sleep, which these kids can't really get if they have these problems, they have very similar behavior issues as add/ahdh.

again, probably not you, but just wanted to give you another avenue to explore. Good luck, and your ds is lucky to have such caring parents. You'll do the right thing for him.

 

[Jacksmom99]

Has he had an OT evaluation? An OT evaluation can look at sensory issues which may be causing behaviors. They can try a sensory diet with him, things done in the classroom and out. The OT at my son's school did a program with him called, (I think) "How does your engine run?" or something to that effect. I also struggled with the meds issues, and decided to go that route when DS was 8. However, if he had behavior problems in school, we would have looked into things a lot earlier.

Good Luck!
Kim

 

[adoptionmomma4]

I am so sorry your son is having such a hard time. Did your son have any of these behaviors before starting school?

I can totally relate. My DS is 6.5 and I have been having a hard time with him for the last 3 years. I kept thinking he would out grow his behavior. I think I was in denial My son has not been diagnosed with anything, but he has an appointment with a behavioral psychologist at the end of this month. I am like you and do not like the idea of medication unless it is truly necessary, so I just asked the pedi for a referral not a diagnosis. It has taken six months for us to even get in. My son is not aggressive and he did well in kindergarten. He was actually extremely well behaved in school and continues to do well with everyone but me. I do not really know what to think. I thought it was stemming from his past (he is adopted placed at age 2), but I have a friend who has a bio son who has many of the same issues my boy has. He is extremely bonded to me, but acts out for the most part only around me For instance he will hold the door for 10 strangers at a store and let it go just as I start to walk through or will say things like "I love you even if you are a little fat"??? He also has terrible fits for me. So, I just continue to count the days until our appointment. I don’t really know what I want the Dr to say. I think I would even be happy if he said it was my parenting... Just something to point me in the right direction. I would do just about anything to have an appointment with Dr. Lawless (the expert on Dr. Phil).

Anyway- His behavior has gotten a lot better with a few things I have tried. I have taken him off of dairy and gluten as well as HFCS and processed sugar as a PP suggested. He eats mostly fresh veggies, lean meat and fruit. He also gets rice "milk" and rice "ice cream" as a treat. I also buy non-dairy cheese from Whole foods. It is very hard to follow this diet, but we are all eating better and he is taking it very well (he has never been a big eater). I also have him in gymnastics and basketball is starting soon. He is now being home schooled and that is also working well for us. I also got him to sleep in his own bed at night, so he is sleeping better and longer. I guess I am not really sure what it is that is working. Although I think a combination of all of these things is doing wonders for him I really think his diet change has been the most effective. Honestly since I have him home with me after his appointment I do not plan to medicate him. I will continue to work with the doctors on alternative treatment until we decided to put him back in school.

I am so sorry I wrote a small book here. It is just so hard. We all want the best for our children and it is hard to think we are not doing all we can. Everyday I feel I am failing him in some way. I hope it gets easier Good luck to you.

 

[Amy5000]

I would never judge you for showing concern regarding giving your child medication. I also wouldn't judge you for making the decision to do it. I may one day have to face this decision as well (my DS is still in preschool, so right now I'm not considering it).

Last year there was an article in the New York Times published Dec. 22, 2006 entitled "Parenting as Therapy for Child's Mental Disorders." It was about a family that refused to medicate and instead looked for what I think was a "behavioral treatment" for their child. I thought it was an interesting article and I believe there was something in there about families who used the behavioral treatment and medication found they could be successful with their children taking less medication.

I read the article last year so I may not be remembering it correctly, but I recall reading something about it requiring you to always be "on" in terms of parenting. You cannot let things slide. It's more intense and tiring than typical parenting (which, of course, many children with adhd need anyway).

I also recall that the mom in the article made some negative comment about parents who choose to use medication (like they were just giving their children pills and not parenting), but the article went on to say that behavioral treatments can be used in conjunction with medication. (Her comment definitely turned me off. I'm glad she found a way to do it without medication but I'm sure that many parents using medication are also working darn hard at parenting!).

Anyway, I think it's worth it to pull it for read if you have access to nytimes.com.

Good luck. Amy

 

[sbpuckett]

this doesn't sound like it would be your ds, but i just wanted to mention it. My ped has mentioned (and i've read several times) that sleep disturbances can make a child have the same symptoms as ADD and/or AHDH. Usually enlarged tonsils/adnoids, or sleep apnea. If the child isn't getting proper deep sleep, which these kids can't really get if they have these problems, they have very similar behavior issues as add/ahdh.

again, probably not you, but just wanted to give you another avenue to explore. Good luck, and your ds is lucky to have such caring parents. You'll do the right thing for him.

Thanks - actually he had his tonsils and adnoids removed at 3 to fix his sleep apnea. No more sleep apnea for us but the behavior had gotten much worse.

 

[sbpuckett]

Thanks to all of you who have shared. I do believe it may be in everyones best interest to stay on the meds until summer and then work with some alternatives. I do plan to go ahead and work with his diet and such... can't hurt. Thanks and keep em coming if anyone has anythiing else.

 

[Figment's Girl]

I replied higher up in this thread but I wanted to add something to mine. I had mentioned how our pediatrician had recommended our DS9 take Fish Oil gels as an alternative medicine because medication was not an option. My DS9 is extremely small for his age and the medicine we tried killed his appetite and one of the long term side effects was stunting growth so it was a no no.

Well it's been a month now and it's like night and day from before. He was getting reports home once a week regarding behavior and his grades had slipped but now he is grades have gone up 12% (Would have been higher too if Mom hadn't mixed up the day of one of his tests and helped him study more) and not one behavior report in 4 weeks!

You might not think it would make that much of a difference but when we were visiting the world, I forgot to give him his vitamin and his oil one day and he was downright nasty most of that day but then the next day once he had his daily gel, he was great.

 

[llmurphy17]

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD by some and just impulsivity by others. I tried behavorial therapy and play therapy, medicine and many after school activities. I believe the behavoral therapy and play therapy helped her the most. I now see that she remembers what she learned in therapy to help her calm down during different situations. It did take at least a year for us to get to this point. She still has behavoral issues but she has improved greatly from the last two years. Luckily my school district is very supportive. She was receiving one hour three times a week 2x individual, 1x play therapy

As for the medicine- we tried three types, which all had their pros and cons. Adderall worked the best but when I heard about the heart issues and growth issues I wanted to pursue the therapy again.

Getting her involved in different team events etc. daisys, swimming, cheerleading, has helped her also. She now feels that she is part of a team and is not so angry about other things.

Hope this helps