Adhd - Springfield,IL

My son was a few months shy of 5. He was nearly kicked out of pre k, well he would have been if I hadn't pulled him out and placed him in a new one. I worked at the one he was almost kicked out of. The psychiatrist saw him for once a week for a month before she diagnosed him. He's 7 now and just started ADHD meds again and we are seeing huge improvements:) we haven't gave him ADHD meds because stimulants don't always work with people who are bipolar like my son.

By the time our son was two, the symptoms were cropping up. He was just far more of a handful than any other child we knew. Non-stop energy. He was constantly on the go, jumping off stairs, climbing the kitchen counter if I dared use the bathroom, jumping on the furniture. It was completely exhausting preventing all of the bad behaviors. He never did eat at the table. We did "run-by" feedings. He literally couldn't sit still.

We started getting the bad reports from daycare at that point. He couldn't sit for circle time, he had zero impulse control. Figured he was just an active boy.

By three, more serious reports (hurting kids and teachers) and things were getting ugly at home. He'd get into rages if he was corrected or was being put in time out and he'd beat me, claw into me, really hurt me. We asked the pediatrician for advice and were quickly referred to a child psychologist. We tried his tips and got nowhere. Filled out more forms, the teachers filled out forms and we were sent to a behavioral therapist then, with the same results. A lot of tips, nothing that worked.

At three, our son was kicked out of preschool. We got the golden ticket then with a child psychiatrist. This is when we were really taken seriously and a serious discussion happened about what was wrong with our son. Because he was extreme and a danger to others, we started him on medication. At this age, the mildest options only, so it was Clonidine and then Tenex. They're just blood pressure meds that never worked well for that goal, but were supposed to be calming. They did nothing for our son. In the meantime, we took a parenting class for families dealing with ADHD.

By four, we were willing to try Ritalin. Day one was a "Wow!" Amazing, life-changing day. Our spirited boy was still there with the same personality, but his behavior was normal. We got to see our real son. After this, the tips offered by the behavioral specialist worked. Our son had the focus and ability now to do what he was told.

At five, the psychiatrist made the official diagnosis of severe ADHD-combined type. A long road to get the diagnosis.

Our son is 10 now and is doing well on a combination of medication and behavioral therapy. We also tried alternatives like Omega 3 supplements and neurofeedback, but neither did anything. Medication, by far, has been what has helped him.

ETA: Getting out to play has nothing to do with ADHD. It's a brain disorder. Our son could run around 24/7 and not get tired. Nothing tires him out.

I could tell with my daughter something was a little "off" when she was in first grade. After a year or two with input from teachers, she was diagnosed as ADD. Then just last year at age 12 she was diagnosed Asperger's and ADD. She is VERY different from other kids so I knew something was going on with her. I can't remember how I heard of Asperger's, but I googled it and it fit her exactly, then I went to her primary doc who sent us to a psych to be evaluated.

My son is 10 and last year was diagnosed ADHD and is on meds. He just could not sit still in class and it was affecting his grades. Now he's A/B student.

Hope you find out what's going on. Good luck.

My son was dx'd at the age of 6 by both a neurologist and neuropsychologist. Neither one would even do an evaluation before age 6.

With the neurologist - we got a referral to see him, from our PCP. He had my son's teachers fill out a checklist and did a complete neuro examination. He also had my son do a computerized test where he sat with a sensor on his head at a terminal and was supposed to press the Space Bar each time he saw a certain shape. The test measured his attention and impulsivity (which were basically no attention, extreme impulsivity.) He was willing to give me a prescription that day, but I wanted a second opinion. (The neurologist was covered by our HMO's insurance).

The neuropsychologist had 2 meetings with my son. The first was very brief (about 10 minutes) where he basically just interviewed me while observing my son's actions at the same time. Then he gave me long forms to bring to my son's teachers and for my husband and I to complete at home. A few weeks later we went back for 4 hours of testing. They tested him by having him perform various tasks, gave him an IQ test, and a bunch of other things. Their assessment was also that he has ADHD, and that he would probably only need medication and not additional therapy that some ADHD children need. (This visit was not covered by our insurance, at all, and cost us over $1100--would have been well over $2k if I had not talked them down for not being clear with their billing practices when we booked the appt.)

ETA: For the love of God, if you do not have a child who has ADHD, or if you do not even believe in this disorder, DO NOT COMMENT! You don't know our kids, and as sure as heck are no expert. So please take your uneducated, ignorant, obstinate opinions and kindly leave the advice on ADHD to those of us who live with it every day.

we are not sure yet... but my son has always been very active. he talks from the moment he wakes up till the moment he goes to sleep.. he also moves constantly.. in fact he is often kicking till he goes to sleep.. he will be moving all around... then suddenly stop cause he is asleep.

in kinder.. he hated school.. but could do the work.. but got medium grades on behavior.. staying on task... completing work... keeping track of possessions.. ..

we had him IQ tested by a psychologist... he did well. we are now seeing a psychologist for therapy.. possible medicine..

4 is very young to diagnose.. 4 year olds are supposed to be active and impulsive.. this is normal.. but when he goes to school and is expected to sit and listen.. that is when you will notice a difference.. and maybe not till 1st grade -- in kinder the kids still move around a lot ... in first grade.. they really stay in their chairs most of the day...

I would say unless your son has a severe case (or more than an average/mild case) he's too young to tell if he has adhd. My son was diagnosed in 3rd grade. He used to frequently get in trouble in kindergarten. When I asked his teacher if she thought he had adhd, she was VERY quick to give us information on it. I didn't do anything with it because I though he was too young to tell (boys don't mature as fast as girls either) and I didn't want him labeled.

By the time he was in 3rd grade I was noticing that other kids could sit still (he was my oldest so didn't have anything to compare him to) and had more developed social skills. So we went to the pediatrician, filled out a couple questionnaires, his teacher filled them out too and went to an adhd specialist at the children's hospital here. I felt it was worth the extra money to see a specialist.

The specialist gave us the diagnosis and we agreed. It took some time to get used the fact that he has adhd, I always thought it carried a bad sigma but it really doesn't. What gives it a bad rap is the behavior of the kids whose parents ignore/don't treat it. (Please don't think I'm including you in this generalization.) :-)

It took us a month or two to decide on medication. The meds are a controlled substance so they're a big deal. At first we didn't want to go the medication route we wanted to try to control it with diet but in the end decided to go with the medication. (I actually posted something about it, if you want to look back at my post and answers).

My son is thriving now (he'll be in 5th grade this coming school year). I'm proud that we're doing what we can so he can be the best that he can be.

This will be a long response but I hope you find it somewhat helpful. My oldest was dx'd at 7. I was surprised because we had seen a psychologist when he was three (he was a very intense baby and little boy and had some behavioral issues) who listed ADHD in all of the things she didn't think were issues for him. Of course I had no idea that you can't rule ADHD in or out that young but mentally, I had crossed that off the list.

Anyway...it was first suggested by a psychologist who I lined up for a second opinion on his educational evaluation. He was having trouble in first grade with reading, writing, spelling, and math (which would be everything LOL) so I had the school evaluate him and he came back with his lowest score at the 26th percentile, one percentile above the 25th percentile cut off for services. The psychologist reviewed his report and immediately dismissed it, saying that it was impossible for him to score X in this area but Y in that area, etc. Then he talked with my son, did some other testing, scratched his head a bit and revised his statement to "it's impossible...unless there is an attention problem." He felt that the inconsistencies were indicative of ADHD and in his report to my pediatrician, recommended stimulant medication, to which I said "no thank you."

So...because he wasn't hyperactive and never had behavior problems at school, we were still trying to figure out whether or not he had LDs. He seemed dyslexic and dysgraphic, so I had him tested at another place that specialized in separating ADHD and LDs. That visit was inconclusive, so he had further testing that ruled out dyslexia, so they stuck with ADHD and he had a 504 accommodation plan in 2nd grade. That year, I also hired a tutor who was able to teach him reading, writing, spelling, phonics, addition and subtraction in a very unconventional way that looked like a lot of work to me but made sense to my son.

In 3rd grade, he continued to struggle with school and organization. He never filled out his assignment book, was always missing his homework materials, would do the work but leave it at home, or bring it in but not hand it in...desk was a disaster, backpack stuffed full of papers, couldn't follow basic directions, etc. In 4th grade, his teacher gently suggested that she thought he was dyslexic. I brought her up to speed and she referred him for re-testing. Still not dyslexic, but was considered to have language processing deficits that qualified him for an IEP. So he's had special educational services for 6 years. In the early years, that included OT for handwriting but that ended in 4th or 5th grade so his writing is still illegible. We also saw an "alternative" practitioner who helped a lot with supplements and diet. We did see improvements in his mood, memory and concentration but she was so far away, it was very expensive, and hard to maintain so we didn't keep up with that like I wish we did. It helped with symptoms but was by no means a cure.

Anyway...he's in 9th grade now and this year, asked to try medication. We tried Concerta earlier in the year but he had headaches from it so we switched to Adderall, which seems to be working well for him. Despite saying that it helps him a lot with learning and that he understands things more easily now, his grades have actually gotten worse on it, so it's not a magic cure. This, to me, proves that the LDs were and still are legitimate and separate from he ADHD.

My middle son, age 9, also has some issues but his are less clear cut. He's very smart and is above his grade level in all academic areas - always has been. He is intensely interested in music and will practice all the time without being prompted. His executive function couldn't be better in that he remembers everything, but he puts no effort at all into organizing himself and doesn't care at all about whether or not he does homework or studies. He has a tremendous memory and focus. However...he's super impulsive and literally can't stop himself from talking. He can't concede in an argument, can't let someone else have the last word, and is often physically aggressive towards his brothers and is relentlessly defiant - but can be incredibly, genuninely, heartbreakingly sweet, thoughtful and generous 30 seconds later. He's mercurial for sure. So for him, attention is great but impulse control is zero. Several people have danced around an ADHD diagnosis with him but he doesn't seem to fit that.

I should add in that my husband also has ADHD (ironic because he is not my oldest son's father) so you can imagine the fun I have trying to manage those three. Thankfully our daugther and youngest son seem to be neurotypical because trying to figure out what works and doesn't work for the other three can be exhausting, I can't imagine doing that for one more person.

Only a clinicl psychologist trained in testing for ADHD can really diagnose ADHD accurately. Of course a doc can say he has it BUT that won't really hole weight when it comes to getting special assistance.

A clinical psychologist or psychiatrist who is certified to evaluate for mental health issues will be able to legally diagnose him. They hold the status/credentials to hold up if challenged.

A psychiatrist should also be the one to prescribe his meds too. They are using these meds every day and are aware of interactions and side effects better than a regular doc.

If there is a regional Children's Hospital in your area call them and ask about ADHD evaluations. We took my grandson to the ABC (A Better Chance) clinic at OU Health Science Center in OKC. He spent the morning doing all sorts of evaluations which were done by psychologists, physical therapists, orthopedic docs, and speech therapists. They all had their time period to do their thing. Each one tested him for that area only, they had him do all sorts of things. The orthopedic doc came in specifically in this case because my grandson is very bow legged. He had a hard time walking without falling down until he was nearly 4.

We got a 4 page letter stating his scored in about 15 areas. He was low in several, normal in a few, and higher than average in a couple. He was more low-normal in his cognitive ability than we'd hoped. He does okay in classes but he will always have to struggle.

A comprehensive evaluation will answer so many questions, we had this done when he was 4 3/4. He goes back again this summer for another evaluation to see if there are any changes or improvement/declines. Having them repeat the test like this gives us the ability to see if he's the same or if he has significant change in any area. Some kids are "late bloomers" when it comes to school stuff too.

He takes Depakote to stabilize his moods, he often rages. Then he takes Ritalin twice per day. A whole pill in the morning then a half pill at noon or later. Ritalin is cheap and it often works well with kids. If it doesn't then it's a cheap trial. It's also been around a long long long time so it's side effects and expectations are well documented.

Good luck with your quest to find out what's going on with your little guy.

I often have to remind myself that my grandson's brain is doing this. He has little control over his spiral when he gets going. I have to wrap him up in my arms and hold him, while speaking quietly to him. He had to do breathing and work really hard to gain any control.

I'm not saying he's not able to control himself and that he should do what ever he wants and act however he wants. If you think about a child having a seizure, they have very little control over that happening. They can't just decide to not have a seizure.

They can however take time to sit down, breathe, do some calming things if they feel a seizure coming on. They do have a bit of control but in the end it "is" their brain that is misfiring. The same thing with ADHD. They do have some ability BUT their brain is firing off like crazy and that's really not something they have the ability to control.

Giving them environments that help them stay calmer is always good too. Not to say they can't have any stimulation but I am saying painting their rooms red and letting them watch martial arts movies all day might be too stimulating...lol.

After reading about all these ADHD. Kids, it has gotten me thinking. Years ago kids were outside all day, running, playing, using their imaginations. I am starting to thi k today's kids have all the same energy, but do not go out, therefore they are off the wall. I bet if kids today channeled their energy, it would be different.

He is four years old. Don't look for trouble. A developmental pediatrician once said a child is tru ADD IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WANT DESPERATELY TO SEE A MOVIE. WANT THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING. HOWEVER THEY GET THERE AND CHILD CANNOT SIT AND GETS UPSET.

Oops sorry about caps. My error. Give your son some time to grow, channel the energy.. Time is your friend.

My son was diagnosed at 4.

Things you can do.
Look at his diet. On a whim we put him gluten free, huge difference.
We have avoided the Dyes and HFCS as much as possible.
We also do acupuncture. ( no needles, magnetic)
All of these things work together.
My son was specifically put in a preschool program through our district and they have done wonders with OT etc.

My moms neighbor recently asked her if we medicated him, Big smile on my face because I am not imaging the changes in him.

Now, the reason most will not diagnose this early is because they go through a growth spurt 4-6 yrs called the school readiness spurt and a lot of those characteristics go away naturally and suddenly a child who was diagnosed , is no longer showing the sings.

While my son is diagnosed, and we are treating him like he has it, (not meds) the OT and other things that they do can only help any child so I feel it is okay.

Good luck.