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Before allowing the Dr to put your daughter on drugs, please have her evaluated by a qualified optometrist who specializes in Vision Therapy. My daughter was diagnosed ADHD and 4 years later--and after being drugged during that time--she proved to have a convergence problem preventing her from getting meaning from what she was seeing. She was hyper-kenetic, too. Had to touch everything!!! After Vision Therapy, she was a normal kid. The result of the drugs was that she has no memories during the time she was on them! There are also side effects to them. So do your best to avoid the drugs!

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Hi K.. I went through what you are going through right now. ADD is not the cause of her inattention sometimes. The problem is; she gets bored easily. Our children are more smarter now more than ever. One piece of advise; I would check her thyroid levels and maybe sit down with her (her time) and take sometime with her and her school work. As hard has it is, especially being a single parent, I commend you. I am not saying that the teacher is wrong or right; but sometimes those children who are inattentive in the earlier years become historical figures. Good luck and God bless

Hi K., I had some issues with my 5 yr old around Thanksgiving, and just took the bull by the horns. I contacted my peds office, remember if you have used the same one for the childs life there should be a comfort there. I explained to the nurse the issue and she quickly gave me 3 psychologist in the area they refer to. I chose one close to me and just LOVE her. She does the testing in 2 sessions then will send the results to my doc. What is your docs standing on meds? I know for mine it is a last resort. The psych is great, she has diagnosed tons and kids and told me after the 1st meeting she was not sure if it was that or just boy, and crazy as it sounds, in the next 3 weeks he turned around. He has to finish testing next week. So we will see. You also stated the teacher has been teaching for 10 yrs. keep in mind that does not make her a professional on diagnosing ADD. she is probably really exposed to it with different kids, and it is harder to pinpoint in girls. I would suggest going to your ped first and also check with your insurance! Your health coverage may require referrals to some of the other places people have suggested, and you may not have to go as serve as the specialist. Some times with our kids, less is more. No I had no interest in taking my kid the fanciest place for testing, but a few days ago I went to the same doc for a psych eval i need for a sugerical procedure, and as we were finishing up, she asked me about my son. That spoke volumes to me. But start at the pedi and go from there. If you want the psych name email me she is in west Arlington.

I did not have time to read all the responses and I am sure you have gotten some great advice. I just wanted to add that I would not be too quick to have her labeled and drugged. ADD is a lot less common in girls so I would look into other causes before medicating. For instance, my cousin's son was allergic to red dye in food... once eliminated he was a calm and pleasant child! I would strip her diet to basic foods and see what happens. Also, all kids learn differently. It could just be that her learning style (which is probably not fully identified yet since she is only 6) and the teachers teaching style just don't match up well. And some teachers are just not that flexible. It is easier for them to label and drug.

Good luck,
K.

The school should provide testing for this and their people are experts since that is mostly what they do. I would contact the principal's office and ask about testing through them.

Mine was definitely hyperactive (the term back then). We didn't medicate until he fell behind academically in the 2nd grade. One year of meds put him way ahead academically, so we took him off for the 3rd grade and never put him back on. Maybe we harmed his education by letting him get behind. We'll never know. Do put a hyperactive child in physical activities. It really helps control the activity level and most sports teach them concentration in a fun way (dance, too).

Good luck.

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

My daughter is 6 years old and in 1st grade. She was having similar problems in kindergarten and I wondered about ADD/ADHD but she's a very social little girl so I wanted to wait until she was in 1st and see if the issues continued. The issues did continue into 1st grade.

I went to her pedi and he said he is not qualified to make that diagnosis...it could also be depression, anxiety, etc. He gave me a list of trusted psychologists and I set up an appointment with one in our area. I had to fill out a ream of paper (at least that's how it seemed!), her teacher had to fill out a ton of paperwork and my daughter was tested. Through the testing, the Dr did say that my daughter is DEFINITELY ADHD...textbook case, as she put it. She discussed with me my options. I then went back to my pedi with the report and again discussed the options.

I know many people do not like meds for this situation, but for my daughter it has made all the difference in the world. She started her meds and within 1 month she went up 4 reading levels. She can focus and get her work done every day. She can participate in group discussions. She's a different girl.

One thing to know about the meds is that if they don't work or turn your child into a zombie, they are the wrong meds or the wrong dosage. OR your child has been misdiagnosed. Often times a child can be "co-morbid" (a term used by my pedi) where they have ADHD and another disorder. It's tricky to get the right meds. A diet change for my daughter did nothing...the meds were the answer.

How could I not get my daughter diagnosed and treated? How could I deny what she was going through? It would have never gotten better and her life would have been horrible! Because she has ADHD does NOT make me a bad parent! I think too many parents feel like it does.

I hope you can find the answer/treatment that works best for your family and daughter! Good luck!

I think ADD is WAY too overdiagnosed. Although I'm a supporter of homeschooling, that may not be possible for you if you're a single mom. But I would just make sure she's eating healthy. Minimal sugar, processed foods. Feed her wholesome foods like organic beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, etc. Kool-aid just ain't cool! Try to be super-super involved in her learning- don't miss a thing. Work with her at home and be very PATIENT with her. Every child learns at their own pace and that's what stinks about public schools. She's not "slow or ADD", she just learns differently and they don't know how to deal with that when they have 30 kids.

i had the same problem with my daughter. every child is different and the doctors are eager to diagnose ADD so i never took my daughter in to be tested. it could be that its just the way she is, part of her personality. you might want to try giving her a cup of regular coffee with her breakfast. caffeine has an adverse reaction on children. any drug the doctor gives you with a diagnosis of ADD is going to be an upper just like caffeine also i was told to try a natural diet. no preservatives or additives just natural foods. it does work. now my problem is that 10yr old is bored in school. that might be your next problem, so you see she was never ADD.

Hi K.,
I would first get her eyes checked. My experience as a teacher with students who are not focused is simply because they can't see. Ask the teacher to bring her to the front, if possible. And then if she does need glasses give it time before asking about ADD.

I also know that a teacher should never suggest a child is ADD or anything else for that matter. She can suggest to the counselor but not to the parent. The teacher is not a doctor or probably experienced to that effect to be able to give a diagnosis like that. No matter how long she's been in the system. Some teachers that cannot handle a kid write it off as a medical problem instead of trying a different method.

I would checking on changing her diet and add exercise daily before I did anything. I would medicate as a last resort.

You could try diet changes to see if anything reduces it. I have heard specific dyes in food- red, blue, etc can cause focus problems. I am a teacher, and used to work at a private school for students with disabilities. Girls tend to internalize ADD symptoms. For example, a boy's ADD tendencies tend to be disruption, focusing, difficulty completing/staying on tasks, not following directions, etc. Girls, however, tend to day dream, loose focus, doesn't pay attention to details, difficutly competing tasks, etc. If you are in public school, they do testing for free. There is a place in Ft. Worth called Child Study center off of Lancaster.
Good luck and God bless!

Is she in kinder. or 1st? It could be developmental; meaning an adjustment to longer days & harder material. I would talk to the dr.; but I wouldn't jump into meds. Explore your options; read some books & google everything. She could be bored or struggling in an area.

We have had good results with people with ADD drinking Original Limu. It is a super food in a bottle and gives your body great nutrients.It is better than the other drinks out there because of the main ingrient Fucoidan which is only found in the ocean plant.
Go to my website and read about it.
www.discoverlimu.com/jcarden
It's great for the whole family!
J.

ADD IS a focus problem - a deficit in the ability to pay attention. So is hypersensory deficit disorder. A good OT may be able to help your daughter with coping skills, although for some kids medication is a gift that finally puts them in control of their mind. (As opposed to the kids who are spaced out robots on the same meds.)

Good Luck

S.

I am in the same situation with my son. The teacher keeps telling me to take him to the doctor, but I am not sure if I should. This is the first time this happens. He is in 3rd grade. He is not completing his work and is not focusing. Did you find any information about it. Let me know.

Thanks,
M. N

I'd like to encourage you to check out the below website. What is diagnosed as ADD is often mixed dominance in children. She should be right eyed, right eared, right handed and right footed (or left for all the above if she is a lefty). If she uses part right and part left, this is mixed dominance. I have a daughter who is mixed dominance.

http://www.littlegiantsteps.com/index.php

Have her eyes checked! A lot of focus problems happen because the child can't see the board but doesn't realize they can't see it - it has always been that way. When they do vision screens at school they only check to see that your child can see something close up (to read), they don't check far away vision, or nearsightedness. Take her to a doctor, its an easy and cheap exam.

The daycare when my youngest was 4 years old wanted me to get him tested for ADHD. I took him to his ped. and she said he could very well have it and was willing to get him tested. Since we really did not want to put him on meds since our nephews and neice that are on it are some what of zombies a lot of the time. She sugested that we work with his diet. We removed most sugar some his diet and red and blue dies as much as we could. Yellows are bad too. We tried to stay away from those as well. He is not in 1st grade and doing much better. We also had his eyes checked this year and he needed glasses. He still has some issues with focus but is so much better and he's still himself. I understand there are some cases that need meds but we felt that was not for us. But you have to do what's best for your family and child! Good luck and God bless!

ADD is a focus problem. It stands for Attention Deficit Disorder. It means that things around them distract them keeping them from being able to focus.

K., I am a mom of a 12 year old who has a severe case of ADHD and she was diagnosed at the age of 6. Like you, we first received feedback from teachers. Most importantly, you need a professional diagnosis and pediatricians are not the experts here. We took our daughter to Dr. Mattew Housson, an educational psychiatrist,located at Lovers Lane and Inwood. He did an extensive battery of tests that encompasses ADHD and other potential issues. He was extremely clear as to how he came to the diagnosis, what our options were, what challenges she will face, etc.

Once you know what you are dealing with you can take the best next steps for your daughter. While ADHD is very challenging, we have a very intelligent child who makes good grades in the talented and gifted program in the Highland Park school district. I don't think this would have happened if we had not taken this first step when she was 6.

Good luck and god bless.

Dear K.,

ADD IS a focus problem! That's what the definition of it is! I have a 24 year old that was diagnosed at age 5. After learning so much about it my husband realized he had grown up with ADD. It runs in families. Looking back over his life he wishes he had known he had ADD and had gotten help or medication early. It would have helped him so much, especially in college.

I read every book on the subject when my son was little and attended special parenting classes to help us learn how to deal with his inattentiveness. There IS life after ADD. My suggestion to you is get her evaluated by a doctor who KNOWS ADD. Ours passed away or I would recommend him. We decided to do medication - first Tofrinil (not sure if that is spelled right) and later Ritalin. It made a world of difference in how he focused. He was able to make very good grades in school because he could focus. After he turned about 13 he took himself off of it. He learned some coping strategies on his own. He's now in LAW school at Baylor and got back on it again. Law School is just too tough for an ADD person without medical help apparently. Just to let you know, that you CAN survive ADD and even prosper with it. It will teach you patience as a mom but you can do it. Talk to your doctor. Get your daughter evaluated. Go to parenting classes for parents of ADD children.

My 8 yr old son has ADHD. I noticed things a few years ago. He is really smart but was not doing well in school, could not focus, was getting into trouble all the time & could not (it was impossible) stay still for even seconds. He was bouncing off the walls & couldn't help himself. i had my suspiscions confirmed after having him evaluated by a wonderful psychologist (Dr. Angela Mitchell [817] ###-###-####). We then went to an MD for the medication. After much trial & error, he is doing outstanding on Aderall; he was student of the month at his school, is getting straight As, & his teacher loves him. He can now play team sports, has friends.... I was loathe to put him on meds, but as the psychologist said, his case of ADHD is so strong, it would be unfair to not give him the help he needs.
If you want to further discuss this, please feel free to message me. There is lot's of hope!!!
S.

I agree that you should check her diet and exercise first and make sure her sight and hearing have been checked and that she's getting PLENTY of sleep! I have a 6yr old and when she was in Kindergarden I thought she might be add, because her daily folder would always say she was talking to much and not following directions. She would even write her up for running down the hall. So after months of talking to my daughter, punishing her, not allowing her to do things becuz of this behavior, I made an appt. to see her Doct. They asked me to get a letter from the teacher explianing her behavior, and I was shocked...the letter was quite the opposite of what she writes on her folder everyday. So the Doctor told me that not until it interferes with her work and grades, that I just need to let her be kid. She is so far an only child, so she is extra social when she gets to school. Also we signed her up for soccer to give her another outlet for all her energy and also have worked on reducing sugar and all the food-colorings in her diet! She is much better already. So you really need to take your time and evalute all avenues first...I do believe Medication helps those who truely need it...but most kids at 5-6yrs old are very social and active and we shouldn't confuse that with a medical disorder! Those meds have a lot of side-effects that interfere with eating and sleeping! So you want to check all options first. Good Luck...and I would love to hear back what you did and what worked for you! God Bless!!

Many parents have discussed their experience with various Dr's and health professionals in this arena. However, many Dr's are quick to label ADD/ADHD and prescribe meds. If you don't want to put your daughter on meds there are many proven alternatives that can help improve focus. Diet can play a huge role.

I highly recommend an incredible book titled Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes. From the book "There is a category of herbs called adaptogens that help the human body adapt to stress, support normal metabolic processes, and restore balance. They increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental stressors and promote normal physiologic function".

To watch a video on the history of adaptogens go to VitalHealth.TunguskaMist.com to learn more.

Many parents have had wonderful results using the Tunguska Mist Adaptogen Sprays to help restore balance in their children and improve their focus. Teachers often comment that the student's grades go from C's/D's to A's/B's.

My husband and I have been taking adaptogens for a long time, and we're passionate about helping people reduce the damaging effects of stress and restore balance NATURALLY, without medications. Good luck and God Bless:)

K., my son which is now 16 also had the same issues. At his school the had some testin which the would come in and watch him. Actually what they where trying to do is see if he scored low enough for what they call cmc content mastery center, in which if you needed help in say math you went down to there class room and recieved one on one help. But he did not score low at all. So in third grade teacher use to teach special ed kids and saw smptoms. In which you mentioned simple task which is still his problemt today.long story short took the school papers they had tested him with to the doctor. Gave him some concerta and the world chaned. This child always had problems doing homework never interested at all. To the point it was major chaos!! From that point on he would come in go to his room and do his homework,no matter who came to the door and wanted to play. He told them he had to do his homework. Life was much better. Now that he is 16 it has become a hassle getting him to take the meds cause he says it makes him boring, in which the meds do calm you down. Yes take her to the doctor. Its worth it. All my sons teachers made comments on the huge change. Good luck and Goc bless.