Test for ADD or ADHD?

Patty, Nutrition is a huge factor for children with the tendency for ADD or ADHD. This is not something I teach you in a simple email but if you would like to know more, my office has some nutrition classes coming up that are free and open to the public. Call ###-###-#### and ask to talk to Wendy and let her know Dr.White told you to call. She'll make sure that we have a space for you in the class.

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I recommend reading The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook. It just might change your life; and his... It is a quick read.

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My 12 yr old was on ADD meds for a while but we researched a took her off. Make sure he gets PLENTY of protein, omega 3, magnesium and zinc. Strictly limit salt, sugar, additives, caffeine and transfats. This should eventually help at least some. We also got lucky enough that her 5th great teacher is a victim of ADD and knows how to deal with her. she does much better with hands on teaching than lectures. And any lesson has to very brief and broken into segments. she can only handle one instruction at a time. Do go ahead and get the evaluation ( it requires a pediatrician and a psycologist or psychiatrist and the school counselor - start there and they will guide you the rest of the way.) but once you have the diagnosis the child will then have an IEP from which the teachers can adjust their teaching strategies.

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I am under the impression that nationally your school is responsible for testing your child for learning problems, it may not be what you suspect. Speak to his teacher and or school guidance counselor about this. If you get nowhere, speak to your pediatrician. Look into why he will not do his work or why he is put in ISS. If you live close to a university, you can seek help there. He may just need some tutoring, has this gone on his entire school career or has it just materialized this year. There is a reason for this....change in family life, change in school, something that has happened you may not be aware of. Good luck, at his age this does need to be addressed now before it goes any further. Good luck to both of you.

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Congratulations on wanting to work with your son instead of medicate a problem away!

Life is so tough for kids, esp. in our hurry-up world. Try some family-style changes first. Whether he's ADD/ADHD or not, he'll benefit.

1. Turn off the TV. Cut out as much of it as you can. Model a learning-focused household by reading, too. Seeing you interested in reading and learning will make it less of an isolating chore for him. Not watching TV, himself, will also help him develop the skill of thinking in a more dedicated, involved way, and on more difficult things (TV is easy - it just washes over you; by comparison, everything else seems harder. This has had a huge impact on people's capacities and probably creates or exacerbates a lot of ADD/ADHD out there - check out Marie Winn's The Plug-in Drug).

2. Get involved in his homework. Maybe he has hit some bumps in the road and is fearing failure. This also shows him that you are not just some slave-driver; you're his ally, and schoolwork is not a punishment, it is an exploration and a way to develop great skills that he will need throughout life.

3. Be positive about it. Make learning its own reward. Let him follow some of his interests, where his schoolwork will allow it, so that he can see the enjoyment of learning. Take some weekend trips to places where he can learn about what he's interested in.

4. Most people could benefit from counseling. Try some family counseling, or counseling for him, to make sure he gets a chance to express and work through any issues he or the family is coming up against. It might be depression (which in boys is usually expressed as anger/defiance).

If he is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD (or depression, or a mood disorder), try neurofeedback. It's a non-invasive way to get the brain to work optimally.

Good luck!
L.

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Andrea,

You are smart to ask for advice about ADD/ADHD. Plese do not believe all of the lies that the media and random internet sources tells us about ADD. (90% of all internet sites that are negative about medication are produced by the Church of Scientology).

Unfortunately I believed all of what people told me without getting the true scientific data. I am ADD/ADHD. Thankfully someone got through to me, I started taking medication and I can't believe the difference. It is truly great to know how "real" people think.

The first thing that you will need to know is that people who don't have ADD can have no clue about how it feels to be ADD/ADDHD. They think that you can just eat better nutritionally, or discipline better, or "snap out of it", or some other home remedy.

What people don't understand and I didn't either, is that ADD is a chemical imbalance at the synaptic level in the brain and it is genetic. It is not caused by any outside sources.

An ADD person's brain cycles dopamine and norepinephrine too fast at the synapse. This causes inattention, distractibility, unexplained out-bursts or impulsivity, which has outcomes, that are below average scholastically (but not always), socially shunned, and generally viewed as having a lower intelligence than their peers. However, the vast majority of ADD people have higher IQ's than their peers. By using proper medicine, they can attain their IQ quotient. Without medicine, they are often viewed as an inconvenience.

I hope that you decide to have him "tested" for ADD/ADHD. Your pediatrician can give you the forms for you, your spouse, and his teacher to fill out. You will also want to know that not every pediatrician really understands ADD, so not all of them will give you good advice or start your child out on the right medication.

This past fall, my daughter (who has tested with a 'gifted' IQ) went through the testing with Dr. Lillian Israel (great Dr.!). Dr. Israel did the right thing in starting my daughter on Concerta (she had to learn to swallow pills and I can help you with this too :-)).

Concerta is the medication that the Harvard Researchers on ADD always reccommend as the first medicine to try. It is basically time released Ritalin. Ritalin is a drug that has been used since the 1930's so we know that it is safe to use.

The only other drug that has been proven to work on ADD has an amphetamine base, which increases side effects and can be addictive.

We found that Concerta has little to no side effects and is totally non addictive.

For my daughter, we started her on a low dose and then increased it until we found the level that helped her the best. We even learned that her dosages would increase through the first year or 2 as her body adjusts to metabolizing it.

The results have been amazing for my daughter! She is SO proud of herself! She is making 100's on tests! She can spell when she had a hard time before. She now has the patience to sound words out. She isn't a zombie, if anything; she is a better daughter because she doesn't talk incessantly about nothing in particular just to be talking.

I hope this helps,
K. B.

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Hello,
My nephew is adhd. It took a long time for my sister to have him tested. Have you talked with your son's teachers? Alot of times they will see something we as parents don't. The next thing to do is see your child's doctor. The Doctor will have to refer you to the right person to do the testing if they think this is the issue. It is a long process but it would be worth it to find out if this is the problem. There are several support groups on line you might check out. I understand that you would not want to put you child on the meds for adhd/add, some people are able to manage their adhd with diet. I know this is upsetting and hard to deal with but, if it will help your child learn and be succesful in life then it is well worth the process to see what is going on. I hope this helps. Good luck.

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This is helpful just for you if that's his problem.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/ltr_to_Bobbie.html

The #1 thing you'll hear all of the time with ADD/ADHD is to never let it become an excuse. I lived with ADD my whole life without getting medicated and really struggled to get B's and C's in most stuff. Not because I wasn't intelligent or not learning anything, I just would only get 1/2 of my work finished or zone during tests and do terrible during tests. My mom just did her best to help me work my hiney off to overcome my problems while my brother sat back, played 24/7, never studied and made straight A's. ADHD kids are a little harder to deal with because they're "noticed" a lot more because of their behavior where us ADD kids would just wonder in our minds and get lost in the crowd. They have more discipline problems. My son's a classic case and gets it straight from his Daddy. If you don't want to medicate (which I don't want to do, either), than life is tough because you have to work VERY hard to break through them, and it's easy to just blame everything on their ADHD and let it be their excuse, which you just CAN'T do if you're not medicating because you HAVE to teach them to deal with life in a civil manner and to "take control" of their disorder. I don't know exactly how that's done or how my mother-in-law did it, but it's possible. I know a lot of great moms doing this, but I'm just now really dealing with it myself. I took my son out of public school and started homeschooling him because I felt that's all I could do with him at this point (He's 2 grade levels above his Kindergarten class...got that from his Daddy too, and it's NOT a very easy combination to deal with) since he was just bouncing off the walls and had become way too destructive. It's actually been helping my son a lot just because I can get back to the basics with discipline and obedience, help him learn in ways that he needs with ADHD and have the extra attention that they crave and need.

As far as school goes, there's not a lot that will/can be done for you with the past. My mother's a 7th grade teacher (I used to work at the school where she taught and have a little history with this) and deals with that all of the time. At the most they'll work with you to decide what will be expected of him, but he'll still have work that will have to be completed just maybe not as much (but it won't help for past assignments and grades). Since they usually require students to do school work in ISS, they probably won't do much about that, either, but I'm not sure...it just really depends on the state, the school system and the individual administrators at the school.

You're school counselor should tell you where and how to get him tested and help you with their policies for everything. You're laws or rules might be better (hopefully not worse) than what we've had around here. I'd definitely talk to the counselors, though, that's what they're there for...exactly.

Good Luck,
K.

SAHM of 4 (6, 5, 3, & 9mths)

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P.,
My 10 year old was diagnosed when she was in the 2nd grade. The school requested that I take her to a child phychologist to have her tested. The school refered me to that Doctor.What the teacher wanted to happen was have my child on meds, (the easy fix), but it did not go that way. Yes, my little girl was diagnosed but she was so high functioning and was making A's in school that the Dr said meds were not necessary. The Dr wrote out a "plan" for the school to follow. I was very skeptical about my child having "a plan" and being labeled special needs. But the 504 plan really helped her. Its a legal plan that each teacher has to follow by law to help the student succeed. The school counselor helps write up the plan, then there is a meeting with counselor, teacher, and parent, papers are signed. Now sometimes teachers really dont like the plan. It means that they have to do some things a little different than they are use to....a little extra work. And the parent needs to take on the responsibility of educator also. We as parents have to follow up on this plan. Everyone working together to help the student to help him suceed.
You might also need family counseling to get you out of the rut of negative behavior. Children seek attention even if its negative attention. We get use to the behavior and expect it, therefor reenforcing the problem. It may take awhile to get out of that loop. We all have to change to expect change. Being a boy isnt easy. Being a child is tough. At his age I would think that you would involve him in each step of this planning process so that he feels in control. This is all about him and he needs to feel that he has a say so or he wont go along with it.

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Sounds like my 7 year old son. I think they are pushing the kids too hard in school. He's doing third grade work in FIRST grade.

Ask him if it's the school work or something is bothering him at school. School is alot of stress too.

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I have a son that was diagnosed at 16 with ADHD. Changing diet makes a tremendous difference. Take away sugar in any form. Add more vegetables. Eat lean meats, and berry fruits or green apples. They have less sugar. No caffeine or sodas. Drink plenty of filtered water. Supplement with Artic cod liver oil and whole food vitamins and valerian root.

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Write the school a letter, stating that you want him tested. If you don't write it, they don't have to test him. Put everything in writing, when it comes to the school. Then talk to his doctor about it and see if there is somewhere you can have him tested.
I have twins and They are both ADHD. I went through alot of what you are going through now. I didn't want to med mine either, but I did and it has helped them a great deal. They take concerta 18mg one a day. It is easy on their stomic and the eat very well. Their grade have gone from D and F, to A,B, And C's. They have even been on the Honor Roll. This from kids that has had to have summer school to make it to the next grade.
Hope this helps. Y. B

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At the school level, there should be a check list that identifies characteristics of students with ADHD (with or without hyperactivity). Schools can identify characteristics of ADHD, but legally cannot make a diagnoses. For a diagnoses, consult your child's doctor. He/she should be able to make recommendations to help your child succeed. Be open to all suggestions, sometimes medication is the appropriate solution for a child.

A little about me- I am a first grade teacher with 14 years experience. I am a trained screening specialist and work closely with special ed. teachers. I currently have a wide variety of students in my class with special needs, some identified and some in the process of being identified. And, also, several gifted and average achiving students.

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Dr. Susan Buttross at UMC in Jackson Mississippi will be your answer. She is great and Dr. Razzio will do the the testing. My child is 16 and ADHD since birth. She was tested at the age of 3 and is dong well now. We were in the Clinton public school system for many years and not we go to New Summit school over on Lakeland and they are great for children with learning difficultes. She is an honor student. I hope this finds you some help. Oh the number up at UMC child developememt center is ###-###-#### I think. You will get a recording and follow directions. thanks, Bbeck

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P.,

Appeal to the school for intervention with testing for add or adhd. They have the capability to do that and then put him on an IEP individual Education plan.

I am going through the same terror at my house only it is a girl in the 6th grade. I am going to have the counselor work with her and take her for counseling. I am at my wits end.

Call the School Board and ask what your rights and your son's are and then have them help not punish. It makes me nuts the amount of time they waste and not let you know what you can do to help your son.

Good Luck,

Another Mother in Distress

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Before you start down a road that will be hard to get off of try rulling out allergies!!!!!
As a mother of seven I have one who is now in college who was much like your son and it turned out he was allergic to food colorings.
Simple elimiation of atificial colors from his diet for a month is not easy but may well prove the point. Most doctors today are so ready to dispence drugs that very little real testing is done. They prescribe the ritilan and see if that helps.
Also be sure to contact the Dore's web site. They offer a great deal of help including a real cure for the problem!

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Your doctor is the only one that can diagnose ADHD (it's all called ADHD now, there's type 1, 2 and 3 with 3 being combined attention deficit and hyperactive component). Please understand though that there are other things that can appear to the untrained eye like ADHD and are truly something different.
I met one Mom that discovered her child had severe and highly senstive allergies to dyes in food and medicines. Once she removed the dyes completely (and it has to be complete), her child's behavior changed drastically. (Food dyes are petroleum based and some people have high sensitivity to them. This child's behaviors went way way beyond hyperactive, and she was diagnosed with all sorts of mental health diagnoses and put on a lot of medicine. If you want to remove dyes just to see if there's a problem, remember, it needs to be total. No markers to draw with, only crayons, no medicines coated in colored coatings...).

Back to ADHD, IF your doctor gives you a diagnosis of ADHD, understand that many times kids with disabilities (and this is a legitimate disability with a medically researched basis) act out because they are frustrated because they are not getting the accommodations they need in school and no one understands their disability at home. The biggest misconception is that the child can control what he/she is doing or not doing. They can't "just focus" any more than a child with no legs can walk a set of stairs.

Once everyone working with the child (teachers, professionals and parents alike) get it, then you can begin to work on an effective plan for accommodations to meet your child's unique needs.

You can get assistance with this from your state's Parent Training and Information Center. Find them by going to www.nichcy.org . That website will also have some great info on ADHD that you might want to take a look at. You should also contact your state's Family to Family Health Information Center. Find them by going to http://www.familyvoices.org/. Ask both these organizations in your state to help you with understanding ADHD. Once you understand the disability and how it specifically effects or manifests itself in your child, then educate your school professionals on your child's needs.

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P., I understand what you are going through. When we decided that our youndest son might have ADHD we took him to the doctor and he sent hin to a psycologist. That doctor tested Sam on a computer that had to do with attention span and then he done a evaluation test on him. I was thankful that our family dr. sent him to a psycologist, the reason for that was to make sure that was what was wrong with him. WE have found out that if you take away the candy and snack food and don't let him have drinks that are red he does so much better. Our son is on medication, but not a strong dosage it is just strong enough to help him in school and to do his homework in the afternoons. Another thing that I have found out is try to stay calm when he acts up if you kind of lose you cool he may act out more. I have learnt the hard way with Sam and I still lose it at times. I also have learnt that if you touch them when you want him to listen to you he will listen . I hope that makes sense. Good luck!

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P.,
There are tests that can be done one of which is the MMPI it is a personality test and often helps the parents understand the childs disability

Keep in mind this is not just your childs mental health problem but the family suffers as well, as a mom of a child with a child with adhd, bipolar 1 mixed, recurrent, severe, with psychotic features. Personality change due to cerebal dysrithmia and complex partial seizure disorder of the limbic orgin (the feelings center of the brain) with static encethopathy (wont get better but wont get worse). Oppositional defiant disorder. Sensory integration disorder, developmental coordination disorder and specific learning disorder in math reading and spelling.

The thing about our family and my son we have all learned to adjust as a family as the whole family is affected by this as siblings parent and even extended family

Do not give up YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME if you need to talk just message me and i will give you my phone number and you can ask more questions

S.

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The test they use is a whole bunch of questions they ask you the parent and then they decide from that.

Changing their diet helps sometimes. Watch what he eats and how reacts after he has eaten that food. Sometimes certain food will trigger certain types of actions.

S. jane

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I work with kids in the mental health field. A good diagnosis does not have a test but rather there are questionnaires that can be given to your son's teachers to fill out, ones for you to fill out and seeing a Dr. or licensed therapist for an evaluation. You can also look at diet and behavior modification if you don't want to use meds. There is a clinic in California that does brain scans and has 6 0r 7 categories for ADD along with treatment recommendations. It is called the Amen Clinic. You can google it. Good luck.

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There is a place where i live that tests for add/adhd and other psych problems(like anxiety)that could contribute to his behaviors. I checked into this with my son who is 7 and impulsive(the schools always want them put on meds)and possibly add/adhd.my son has some anxiety which makes him misbehave sometimes.the test is around $2,000 and it is a all day test and the psychologist will then go to the school if you request and have a meeting with the school with recommendations(other than meds)to help improve your sons learning abilities/performance.

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a friend of mine with 3 adhd boys said she swears bio feed back is the answere. since you work in a hospital check with collegues or a trusted dr. or nurse to recommend a program.
a granny

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Your Pediatrician will recommend a Psy. Dr. who will preform several tests including a Social Worker, Psychologist, etc. They will determine from the tests if they are in fact ADHD/ADD and to what degree (mild, mod. or severe). They can recommend treatment and/or medication then. I have a 10 yr. old that was diagnosed at 9 yrs. old. I had ignored the signs for a while, but when her grades started dropping, I decided to have her tested. I'm a nurse and definitely am against unnecessary medication. I have never regretted putting her on the medicine. Her grades improved along with her attention span. There are some really good books, Cd's and other materials you can get online. Good luck, Dee

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For both, tests are available in varied levels on the internet, just google ADD/ADHD and look for tests. It may take you a bit to locate the tests but they are there.

I also highly recommend going to a reputed dietician.
THERE is a VERY common connection between the behaviors of ADD/ADHAD and diets high in sugars, dyes and other by products. And be assured the word "sugars" doesn't mean singularly as in "sweets". Anything that is digested and converted by the body to sugars adds to this dilemma like pastas, breads, corn, potatos etc.
Many dyes in food create these same behaviors as well.
Not that the removal or change in diet will completely eliminate the presence of true ADD/ADHD, but if you start there, you will be at a better place to be diagnoised in a real manner rather than for him to be medicated because of the padded affects of the foods he eats, this results in over medications. Could be, a good diet may be the ground he needs to get a handle on things. I would certainly start there first. I have had great results with this and had I not raised my children in Italy may never have known about all of the choices I had in diet for this malady. But I bless this opportunity in life that allowed me to forego pumping my child up with unecssary meds.
A very important part of these conditions is a structured organized lifestyle and persistance to maintain that.
This along with diet gives them the perimeters to work in. After a fair effort of time at these big changes, then and only then would I consult about introducing low levels of a medication to see if there is any change. But what you are trying to do is give your child the ability to focus, NOT make him so lethargic him doesn't do anything else except sit and play on the computer. Thats not a success story. You are trying to acheive a balance of activity and attention timeline. Please be cognizant of that goal.
A great book for you to get is "Driven To Distraction", I can't remember the author but you should be able to find it with title only. Good Luck, JF

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I have homeschooled and taught in the public school setting. If you REALLY don't want to put him on meds I would recommend getting him, yourself, or both to an educational psychologist that knows something about cognitive discipline or a regular child psychologist to help you get a handle on things. I was completely against meds until I taught in public school. If you can get him regulated on the smallest dose possible that is still therapeutic it's better than the behavior you are seeing. If you don't get a handle on this SOON I'm concerned you will be in for a lot of heartache.

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