My 10YO MIGHT Have ADD?

[polineedyan]

but I can say that most kids with this are diagnosed much earlier. Similarly, its not the teachers business to tell you her opinion. Shes not a doctor. Remember that learning patterns are a habit. Gifted children go fast. Even in accelerated classes. Its always best to explore all teaching styles to reach a child, before you put him on medication to get him to listen to an ineffective teaching style. (hypothetically, speaking of course.)
With that said, it probably is an attention "disorder" or delay or whatever. There are skills he can learn to focus his fast mind. I would take him to a child psychologist, not an MD..and go from there. There are very simple tests they can do to give you an idea of where his tolerances are and whatnot.

 

[SLDL]

This is an interesting conversation. My DS5's preschool teacher told me a couple months ago that she saw ADD characteristics in him & I have been paying close attention & trying to research it since then. But I have not read of many treatments that don't require medication. Some of you say diet changes can work...can you elaborate on that? And when would you say most kids are diagnosed? I did read one article that suggested some children who might have ADD characteristics actually have poor vision so I took DS to the eye dr. to eliminate that.
Whoever said childbirth is easy but parenting is hard was exactly right!

 

[barkley]

ADHD at 2 yr. old. I want to meet a 2 yr. old that doesn't have ADHD.

I am a former teacher and have a major problem with this diagnosis. Please, please, please don't let any one put her on drugs. There are other behavior modifications you can work on with her to help her focus better. I guarantee the drugs will help her focus better, they almost always do. However, drugging her will take away some of her personality that makes her unique. I have story after story of students whose personalities totally changed after being put on medication. Yes, they were easier to handle, but I missed THEM. I don't want a class filled with "perfect" little clones.
First, see if she is bored. See if she responds better to her teacher next year when school will be more challenging.
Maybe she is a tactual learner (hands on) and this teacher is teaching mainly for visual or auditory learners. I find most students who are diagnosed with ADD are not. They just learn differently. We need to work on our education system to take this into account. Until then, we need to help our children learn/succeed in whatever environment they are put in.

unless you have taught children on every conceivable medication available-and they were absolutly on the correct dosage do not assume that all medicated adhd kids have personality changes.

i began noticing adhd traits when my ds was less than 2 years of age. i have degrees in psychology, early childhood education and environmental education and i reccognized that my son's behaviours were not appropriate as compared to the many other children i had worked with for years. i suspected adhd but before we pursued a diagnosis we had allergy, hearing and vision tests done to rule out any other issues. while a minor milk alergy and extreemly sensitive hearing was detected, once these were addressed the underlying issues continued. by age 3 we were referred by our pediatrician to a child psychiatrist who provided questioneers for all adults who regularly interacted with our child in a variety of settings (ourselves, babysitters, preschool teachers)-without consulting with each other our answers were almost identical and pointed directly to adhd.

my ds before his diagnosis and appropriate perscribing of meds was expelled from 2 preschools (he could not sit down and focus-he would cry that he wanted to sit still but could'nt), he could'nt sleep at night (he would spend hours trying to sleep but kept fidgeting and would constantly wake himself just as he was drifting off). finaly he was put on meds at just shy of 4. his teachers were vocal in proclaiming their belief that his personality would be dulled, that what made him 'him' would disappear. nothing of the sort occured. he remained the person he was only he was a much happier person. he could now sit and do the things he wanted to do, he could master the skills that so long evaded him. he could sleep at night and be rested.

my son is now 11. he has the same personality on and off his meds. he is one of the lucky kids that is now able to use the new adhd meds that can be delivered via a patch-so he does'nt have the 'crashes' that many kids on oral meds experience after school. he gets 'medication vacations' as reccommended by his doctors-and he's the same kid personality wise both ways.

all this said-adhd kids are often of higher intellegence (my ds was doing diagrams of dna strands in kindergarten, noone could figure out who taught it to him). with some dietary changes help-with others they don't. often kids for who the adhd meds don't work (esp. if they seem to make the kids more distracted/more hyper) are in actuality not adhd. adhd drugs are stimulents-stimulents work in the opposite manner on adhd sufferers (give my kid caffeine and he wants to knod off), just as non stimulants can cause them to be even more hyper and unfocused (ds can't take benadryl-makes him bounce off the walls, can't take traditional anesthesia absent a certain mixture-because again, it does'nt make him sleepy-it makes him wide awake and anxious). give a non adhd kid adhd meds and they will bounce off the walls (this is why you hear of adults abusing ritalin and other adhd meds-the effect is like taking speed).

teachers should offer their observations to parents of what they observe-they have our children in their classrooms for as many as 8 hours a day in an enviroment where the child is called upon to concentrate and do tasks. a parent may observe their child trying to do a homework assignement that lasts a couple of hours, and we often dismiss their anxiety or lack of focus as being overly tired from their day. it is only with the observations of teachers, coaches, childcare providers and parents that a specialist in adhd can make an accurate diagnosis.

 

[mapmakerj]

Thank you Barkley! Your experiences almost mirrored mine with my DS. It is good to hear from someone else who has an ADHD kid and has done their homework instead of judging. Many times I have felt I was alone in fighting this battle, because I don't know anyone else with an ADHD kid. Your post made my day.

 

[Troop o' Goofs]

I sit here as a parent of a 7-yr old with ADHD and as a child study team school psychologist.

First, medication is not for every child. For some it is the ONLY remedy that works, for others behavior modification systems and postitive behavioral supports can be used to help.

Second, numerous disabilities may appear as ADHD. Students with learning disabilites, central auditory processing disorders and others will have similar "symptoms". (On a side note... One post indicated that their child was very intelligent so they knew it wasn't a learning disability, however the definition of a learning disability is someone whose intelligence is signifcantly higher than their academic functioning).

Third, you can do a number of things to help.
1. Talk to your pediatrician.
2. Request a Child Study Team evaluation through the school.-- put it in writing and keep track of when you contact them etc... You do this to rule out a learning disability or some other disability.
3. Use postitive behavioral supports (i.e. behavior modificaiton system a good website for many tips is interventioncentral.org).
4. Ask the teacher what interventions he/she has tried. Keep an open conversation with the school. Many kids can be helped without being put in Special Education (I often fight to keep kids with ADHD out of Sp. Ed.)
5. IF medication is suggested, keep in contact with the teacher/school and the doctor. There are numerous medications that are used and it can take up to a year to find the right medication and dosage, though you will definitely see a difference quickly once the right one is found.

If you would like other suggestions please PM me. I can offer my opinion and provide you with resources if you need.

 

[jack hannah bananah]

My point should be clarified. Yes, ADD/ADHD is a real disorder. However, it is over diagnosed. Over the years, I have taught over 800 children. On average 20% of my class was on some type of ADD/ADHD medicine. Out of all those children, I can think of maybe 5 that truly had what I would consider ADD/ADHD. I have taken part in the evaluations for this diagnosis. I have seen how little some doctors use to make this diagnosis. I just want to encourage all parents to look at all the options before putting your child on meds.
Many times ADD/ADHD is diagnosed while other learning disabilities are over looked. Sometimes behavior modification works, sometimes it does not. Look at diet - sugar intake (processed foods may have more than you think) and caffeine intake. I had one student who was diagnosed with a red dye allergy that contributed to his hyperactivity. There are number of food allergies that should be looked at.
I am not suggesting this is anyone on this thread, but sometimes it is just a child that needs to be disciplined at home and at school. Try different methods of discipline (don't give up on one too quickly - this just confuses a child).

SLDL is absolutely right - parenting is hard, and answers are not easy!
Keep looking to make sure you have the right one.

 

[Troop o' Goofs]

My point should be clarified. Yes, ADD/ADHD is a real disorder. However, it is over diagnosed. Over the years, I have taught over 800 children. On average 20% of my class was on some type of ADD/ADHD medicine. Out of all those children, I can think of maybe 5 that truly had what I would consider ADD/ADHD. I have taken part in the evaluations for this diagnosis. I have seen how little some doctors use to make this diagnosis. I just want to encourage all parents to look at all the options before putting your child on meds.
Many times ADD/ADHD is diagnosed while other learning disabilities are over looked. Sometimes behavior modification works, sometimes it does not. Look at diet - sugar intake (processed foods may have more than you think) and caffeine intake. I had one student who was diagnosed with a red dye allergy that contributed to his hyperactivity. There are number of food allergies that should be looked at.
I am not suggesting this is anyone on this thread, but sometimes it is just a child that needs to be disciplined at home and at school. Try different methods of discipline (don't give up on one too quickly - this just confuses a child).

SLDL is absolutely right - parenting is hard, and answers are not easy!
Keep looking to make sure you have the right one.

Nothing is black and white. Research and knowledge are your best friends. Many kids can be "treated" by dietary changes, environmental controls etc...

What we have found with our own child is that consistency, routine, medication and a structured school setting (private school that didn't want us to put him on meds, but commented 2 days after being on meds that his behavior, attention and school work improved tremendously-- we didn't tell the school he was being medicated) have helped improve our son's behavior, attention, and academic functioning. Now if there were a pill for stubborness, let me know, lol.

ONLY you can determine what is best for your child.