ADHD And All Boy

Hey, S., I know this is after Thursday and hope all went well with the appt. Don't settle with the first opinion that you get. I have 4 children and the schools advised that I have one of my children tested for ADD, I read about it and discovered that my child didn't have all the symptoms of ADD,he could sit and watch TV for hours, play video games for hours and not be distracted by anything. I kept researching until, I had my son tested for dyslexia, which took several years until I finally found someone who would listen to me at the school, he was tested and found that all along it was dyslexia, not ADD. So, in Jr. High he was finally put into the Scottish Rights Program to help with his dyslexia. Luckily, that led me to have a daughter tested, who also has dyslexia, she was able to complete the program in her first years of school, and now is doing great in school, she has all intentions of being an OB-GYN. Just make sure you have all aspects looked into, before putting any child on medication.

I wish I could help more, but I do not know much. I know my friend tried to get her boy some help..he obviously has ADHD, but the doctor said they couldnt do anything until he was at least 5 or in school. Maybe, You have a helpful doctor who really listens to you and you can get the help you need. Good Luck!

My son is 13 years old and has ADHD. He had to be held back in kindergarten because he couldn't sit still long enough to finish his work. We went to see a phycologist for his testing.
The first visit the doctor talked to us together then asked him to play in another room while she talked to me alone. He interupted several times. That is something she was watching for. Then she talked to him alone. The next visit was testing. They did an IQ test, and something that was on the computer in black and white. She said it was to see how long he could pay attention to something that was not colorful or intresting. The last visit she gave me the results. We went from there to his regular doctor and he gave him adderall.It worked well for us. Last year I started getting worried because he was not near as tall as the other kids he was still wearing shorts he wore two years ealier. I had our family doctor send him to an endocrineologist, they have been watching him for a year now and have done 2 bone age test on him and he is 4 years behind what he should be as for as his height and weight. He has the growth hormone but it is not enought to get him caught up to where he should be. He will have to start taking the growth hormone shots sometime in January. This shot is given everyday for a long time. I didn't tell you that to scare you just to let you know you have to keep a close eye on your childs growth rate weight and so on. If you notice he is not hungry more often than not there may be a problem. We will start seeing a specialist for add and adhd children when he starts taking the shots. I do believe in the drugs they give these children. I think it is our duty to make sure our children have what they need to succeed however i made the mistake of not asking the right questions. The endo doctor believes that the adderall is what slowed his growing down. The side effects are not the same for every child. Just be sure to find a doctor that specialized in this type of problem so that he gets the right medicine and has regular check ups. We have changed my sons medication to a non stimulant drug it doesnt work as well, but thats ok, we will get regulated soon I hope.

How's the medicine working? I have a son with ADHD.

HI S.- wow 4 is really early to determine if a child has ADD or ADHD my son has always been highly active, and has always been a handful for his teachers. I had him tested when he was six and the doctor said it was a little early to determine if he infact had ADD or ADHD and I had him tested again in the third grade, again the doctor felt he did not have ADD or ADHD that many times it is not until they are in the higher grades when they are relying on there own attention span to be productive that it can be determined. Be very weary of a doctor that is just going to medicate your child without a good reason. Anyway just because your son dose not conform to the standards of his teachers "the good kid" dose not mean he has ADD or ADHD- there are lots of reasons behind children and there actions.

good luck-

S., Please remember he is only 4. I taught 4 year old preschool and most 4 year olds have very short attention spans. Most doctors I know wont diagnose ADD or ADHD until the child is at least 6. Maybe you can do concentration excercises with him to try and build his attention span. Play memory match games (they have Scooby Doo and different fun ones) that don't last too long at first and then progress from there. See how that goes before putting him on meds. Hope this helps some.

Oh S., PLEASE dont put your child on ADD MEDICATION, see if there isnt something else that might be wrong before you deceide to place him on add med. I have an 11 year old daughter that has been on ADD med's for over 8 years and come to find out it wasn't add, she had a learning disability and had add,odd, bipolar and lead posion. But now the doctor told me that the med's she has been on so long for add has caused her to have problems with her brain. He told me it has fried some of her brain and she will never get better now. I wish I had had someone to talk to 8 years ago bfore she was placed on those med's. she has took all kinds of it and now she looks like a skelton from where the pills has messed up her insides. For God sakes try something else first.
good luck