Crimson Wife Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 My son is ASD but we are also dealing with very high impulsivity. Can this be part of ASD or could this be a sign that ADHD is in the mix? If we did decide to look into meds where is the best place to go for this? We have a neurologist and a developmental psychiatrist that we saw years ago, both of whom thought ds would grow out of his behaviors when they saw him at 3 years old. The pediatric psychiatrist is the one who handles any ADHD medication changes for my little one. The primary care pediatrician writes the refills (our HMO requires DD come in for a weight check before each refill). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 My DD has a diagnosis of ADHD-combination in addition to the diagnosis of HFA. Here's an example of the inattentiveness: during the neuropsych testing, the evaluator asked her to do some sort of alphabet task. DD skipped the entire middle third of the alphabet, jumping from K to T. The NP said it was like DD got bored with the task and her mind wandered off. But then she remembered, "Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be doing _____". She didn't know where she was supposed to be, so she just randomly picked a point towards the end and went from there. The stimulant (Metadate) helps with the focus and the non-stimulant (Clonidine) helps with the hyperactivity and the impulsivity. Having her take them both works better than either one did alone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoolC Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 My DD has a diagnosis of ADHD-combination in addition to the diagnosis of HFA. Here's an example of the inattentiveness: during the neuropsych testing, the evaluator asked her to do some sort of alphabet task. DD skipped the entire middle third of the alphabet, jumping from K to T. The NP said it was like DD got bored with the task and her mind wandered off. But then she remembered, "Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be doing _____". She didn't know where she was supposed to be, so she just randomly picked a point towards the end and went from there. The stimulant (Metadate) helps with the focus and the non-stimulant (Clonidine) helps with the hyperactivity and the impulsivity. Having her take them both works better than either one did alone. That example of inattentiveness does help me tease this out a bit, along with some reading I've been doing this afternoon. I think my son's impulsiveness is part of his autism. We don't have much hyperactivity, in fact most of the time he's under stimulated. I think his attention issues may be stemming from a processing disorder, which again, impossible to figure out for sure until he's comfortable working with an evaluator on these tests. There really is a lot of overlap between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 (edited) . Edited June 22, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 (edited) . Edited June 22, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) . Edited June 22, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Your description of Anna is very close to how I would describe my son, minus the hunger issues. He had no exposure to drugs or alcohol, but we have a strong family history of ADHD. I will say that the severe ADHD can definitely exacerbate emotional issues! We do give him meds for his ADHD and there is a huuuuuge difference in his ability to handle frustration and stay regulated when his meds are on board. We have to parent much differently in the mornings & evenings when he is so much touchier (being much more proactive and attuned to his moods and needs, avoiding stressful situations, etc.). Anna's conversation that isn't exactly on point could also definitely be caused by ADHD - her mind is probably going down a few rabbits trails while she is listening, so she is not just staying on track with the conversation. It will be interesting to see how much change you see in these side issues when you treat the ADHD. You have likely become so acclimated to her intensity that you don't really have a true perspective on how it affects everyone and everything. Only after a therapeutic dose of stimulant medication could I appreciate how wound up my son really was. I can now see how totally overwhelming it is for him and how frustrating it is for him to handle such an overload of input. He can't handle anything stressful - playing with kids, doing schoolwork, having lessons, etc. With meds, he is able to function relatively normally. Have hope! It really may not be as bad as it all seems. And as far as neurodevelopmental issues go, ADHD is a relatively easy one to treat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 What Is The Difference Between Aspergers and ADHD? http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2010/12/what-is-difference-between-aspergers.html The explanations that hit the "why" of why kids do something resonated the most with me. The why for my son on the spectrum is very different than the same behavior in an ADHD-only kid sometimes. I didn't feel like the whole list applies, but those items are very telling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 I'm someone who was anti-meds. (Well, great for other people but not for my kids.) I missed a window of opportunity for one of my kids, and I was really sorry later because she wouldn't cooperate and get help when it became more obvious she wasn't going to grow out of it like everyone told me she would. Anyway, later still, she ended up in a scary depression. I think her tendency to become depressed was there and she had gone through bad times before, but I think years of everyone being annoyed by her behavior without understanding the reasons for it ended up with her feeling very unloved, bad, and helpless to become better. She hit a point when she herself became scared by how she felt and ended up finally getting treatment for the depression, when, who knows, if she had got help earlier she may have just needed ADHD meds. Healing from the depression hasn't been easy, but it's been good. The meds are one thing, but there's emotional healing that has to happen, habits to break, and learning a new way to live and interact. She has become very loving and appreciative of me, she's forming better relationships with her sisters, and very healthy friendships. I am very thankful for meds. Now we just have to tackle the ADHD. YES - there can be a lot of shame when, despite your best efforts, you are not able to control yourself. You feel the frustration and disappointment from others when your BEST isn't good enough. It's horrible. Knowing how my boys benefit, I would feel neglectful if I withheld the meds that are working so well for them. It would be like taking away a kid's eyeglasses and expecting them to see clearly. Or taking away a kid's hearing aids and expecting them to hear everything perfectly well. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) . Edited June 22, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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