Adhd?

Hi R.,

It sounds like he is perfectly normal. My son was very active around that age. Just wait till he starts walking and talking. Personally, I think, you cannot diagnose something like that until they are old enough to take direction, around 5-6. My brother was diagnosed at around 3 1/2. I think that it did him more damage than good. I also would not worry about your son watching t.v. I was a single mom until my son was 4 1/2 and believe me, if it wasn't for the t.v., I don't know what I would have done. My son is at the top of his class by the way in kindergarten and they have just rewarded him for being a possitive role model to other students. He is reading paragraphs and comprehending them.. He will not let me help him with his homework. I do not mean to brag, but I disagree completely with what someone said. T.v. did not seem to hurt him. In fact, I think it helped. I only let him watch PBS shows at that age. They are very child friendly.

This forum is here to help other moms that have questions about everyday motherhood and not to be critsized about what they are doing. There is not one perfect mom out there. All I say it please, if you have nothing helpful to say, then don't say anything.

Please do not let this discourage you here. I think that this place is very helpful.

Best of Luck!
B.

My son is 13 months and he sounds just like your son. He is a VERY active little boy (: Don't feel bad about letting him watch TV! I was a reading/ language arts teacher and I disagree that a little TV is not bad. We can't be perfect all the time! I am a SAHM and if I played with my son every second of the day I would be crazy (though we do play a lot). Sometimes, I turn on Mickey Mouse on On Demand for 22 minutes just so I can sit on the couch and eat lunch or fold a load of laundry. Don't worry about your son for now- most likely he is just a REALLY active kid.

Hi-

First of all, I apologize in advance if this offends you, but why is your 10 month old watching TV??? It really is not age-appropriate. Children and babies that young should be learning through interaction with people and the real world, rather than TV. I am a reading specialist, and most of the kids who see me for help in reading are those whose parents allow them to sit in front of the tv endlessly. Most of them also have attention issues that only worsen as they get older. Children can play by themselves if you are busy-just put them in a safe place and give them age-appropriate toys that they can play with and explore.

NOW, for the other part....if you're concerned, call Early Intervention. They will come out to your home or your child's daycare and do a free evaluation of your child. My son also did not look at me for an entire week when he was about 18 months old, and was not very attentive. I was worried about autism, but through EI and further evaluations, found that he has sensory processing disorder, and is a sensory-seeker (meaning he is extremely active as well). The number for a referral is ###-###-#### X 6400. When I called years ago, the referral line was statewide. I don't know if this has changed, or not, but if it has become localized, they can give you the correct number for your area. Kids with sensory processing disorder often get misdiagnosed with ADHD, but early intervention by a qualified occupational therapist can do wonders. My son is a totally different child now than he was when I referred him at 13 mos.

It is really too young to even think of ADHD. I am a 4th grade teacher and we do not encourage parents to really test their kids until about 1st grade b/c some kids develop at a different pace. Your 10 month old is more than likely just exploring and boys are so different from girls, I know when my nephew discovered something new, whether it be his foot, or the sound of his voice, he just went wild. I would not worry until he is about 6 or 7, then think about testing him, but until then, it is all part of the growing process and all kids are DIFFERENT, my two girls are night and day, so dont compare him to others and dont worry!
I hope this helped
M.

Sounds like my son.

Wait til he tries to do this on the changing table. It's scary.

He is finally getting to a point where he realizes there is this whole new world to discover and he wants to soak it in and experience as much as he possibly can. Think about it - everything we take for granted (like why grass feels rough, why the sky is blue, what a breeze feels like and why it moves our hair, etc.) is a brand new experience for him.

It's a little early to label him, especially when it sounds like normal behavior. Wait til he can walk...then the fun really begins!

I have twin boys. One of them has adhd and the other doesn't. Both at the age of 10 months old did the same thing you are talking about. Honestly, I think it is way to early to tell if he has adhd (my son that has it is almost 5 and was just diagnosed with adhd this last year, but has been diagnosed with sensory issues since he was 2). I honestly, think it is all normal behavior. At 10 months old they are learning to explore and they dont have a long attention span unless it is something that is in constant movement ie tv. but even that doesn't usually keep their attention to long. My daughter squirms and wiggles when she is cuddling with us.

If you are really concerned about it, I would bring it up to your pedi at his 1 yr visit and let your pedi be the judge.

Good luck.

ADHD cannot be diagnosed this early, but what you mentioned are some things to keep in mind while your little one grows. They should start to calm down more and be able to focus around 18 months.

Something that is part of ADD or ADHD is hyper-focus where they zone out and focus on one thing in particular. However, some of the things you mentioned might also be part of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Lack of eye contact and need for constant movement for instance can be either ADD/ADHD related or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Though there are speculation more recently that ADD/ADHD might actually be something that is on the Autism Spectrum.

It sounds like typical behavior, but do express your concerns to your son's doctor.

Good luck! I find this an excellent resource and I hope you don't give it up because we aren't all bad.

I think what you are describing is normal behavior for a 10 month old. My son is 4 1/2 and was just diagnosed with ADHD, he acted the way you are describing when he was that age, but so did my daughter, who is 2 1/2..who I don't think has adhd. If you think something is not right though definitely talk to his dr about your concerns.