Those of you with kiddos with ADD, can you talk with me

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I just posted a post on the K-8 curriculum board about dd here. I got on the phone with my DMIL after posting that and I started telling her about yesterday and she asked if I got the website she sent. So I went to my email and she sent me this. There I found this check list- and what I put in red is dd.

 

 

 

 

• Doesn’t pay attention to details Yes, mostly with school work but in other areas as well
  
• Makes careless mistakes Yes, again, specifically with schoolwork
  
• Has trouble staying focused; is easily distracted Yes- with school work or when its time to clean
  
• Appears not to listen when spoken to This I am not sure. She appears to listen but then will out of the blue say something about something she saw a week ago or something else that makes no sense to what she is being told.
  
• Has difficulty remembering things and following instructions Not so much, she does pretty well with this
  
• Has trouble staying organized, planning ahead, and finishing projects This depends on her interest level, she does not organize well at all, finishing projects- I guess it depends. Schoolwork, no. Cleaning her room, no. Painting with her paint sets- NOT a problem
  
• Gets bored with a task before it’s completed Sometimes. Again, school work ofcourse, but I think that is normal
  
• Frequently loses or misplaces homework, books, toys, or other items YES!!!!!! We are FOREVER looking for things.
  

 

Any thoughts? Is this just a space cadet or could it be ADD?

[Geo]

Actually, I refrained from reponding to your other post because I wasn't sure you were looking for opinions of that nature. Yes, it sounds like ADD. I'm ADD and it's me to a "T". Do her a favor and pursue it with your Dr. I never reached anywhere near my potential academically because of it. My teen years were a textbook case as well.

Edited July 7, 2011 by Geo

[Geo]

BTW, my favorite book on the subject is "Delivered From Distraction", by Hallowell. I wanted to mention it in my previous post...but I got distracted.:)

[PeterPan]

Well I found that particular link confusing, because they jumbled ADD and ADHD together. ADD does not have hyperactivity. Intertwined with it are working memory and executive function (or rather dysfunction, haha) issues, which are some of what you're seeing in those symptom lists you marked.

 

We were told by an OT (who legally can't diagnose, snort), that dd would probably get labeled ADD by a neuropsych. We haven't done the eval yet. I'm not interested in meds, and she, at this point, usually gets her work done. It sounds like your dd's issues are affecting her ability to get her work done. You either need to do some reading and make some modifications to make things work better for her or get the eval and consider meds. You don't need the eval to make the changes, kwim? I've got a pile of books I keep slowly working through, and I'm not sure any of them are better than any others. I mean it's not rocket science. Break it up, accountability, you get what you inspect, distractability, impulsivity, observing/understanding/accommodating.

 

I'm being too curt because I'm resting from a cleaning jag, sorry. For us, I've basically just assumed she is and am trying to work with her more observantly. But I only have one plus the toddler. I understand your frustration. You're just going to have to find ways to make it work. Clear checklists, frequent check-ins, no marathon sessions (not if you expect productivity). My poor dd, she gets frustrated that she's always being told either to slow down or to speed up. She can't win. The impulsivity makes her go too fast or brashly into things sometimes, without understanding all the issues or instructions, but then with other tasks she's just a fuzz slow, needing her time. (math especially!)

 

I guess the hard part is the initial shock. You got some diagnoses with another of your dc recently, didn't you? This is one more for the list. Interestingly, there's a chart (on the davidson or hoagiesgifted?) that compares symptoms of ADD and giftedness. They overlap quite a bit. In fact, when our OT said her suspicion, I totally blew it off, saying to me those things were just signs of giftedness. I think in our case it's probably both, not just one or the other. So that's another way to approach it. I think the fact that they ARE so smart and capable exaccerbates it. Either way, you have to find ways to harness and deal with it. For us, we TALK about the issues more and try to work on them, rather than just making them a discipline issue, if that makes sense. Before, I just thought she was being BAD. Now I know there's a reason.

 

What I haven't done yet, and what someone else might be able to comment on, is whether there are non-med options. For instance our OT said there is some work showing oxygen levels and oxygen therapy can help. I don't know. It's on my laundry list of things to pursue.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

BTW, my favorite book on the subject is "Delivered From Distraction", by Hallowell. I wanted to mention it in my previous post...but I got distracted.:)

 

:D

 

I am going to see if our library has this.

 

Actually, I refrained from reponding to your other post because I wasn't sure you were looking for opinions of that nature. Yes, it sounds like ADD. I'm ADD and it's me to a "T". Do her a favor and pursue it with your Dr. I never reached anywhere near my potential academically because of it. My teen years were a textbook case as well.

 

 

:001_huh: Dh is. I should have seen it but I just went through and found out ds6 has HFA, SPD, SID, ADD and a whole lot of other issues so I guess my attention was somewhere else :001_huh: Even with finding his ADD (kind of a side issue for him) I didn't even think about dd having it because I am not sure how much of his issues are from his autism and the other issues ya know?

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Well I found that particular link confusing, because they jumbled ADD and ADHD together. ADD does not have hyperactivity. Intertwined with it are working memory and executive function (or rather dysfunction, haha) issues, which are some of what you're seeing in those symptom lists you marked.

 

Yes they did jumble to two together. Other than the fact that she does not walk anywhere (she will hop, skip, jump-- but not walk) I don't think the AHDH fits her. She can sit when needed.

 

We were told by an OT (who legally can't diagnose, snort), that dd would probably get labeled ADD by a neuropsych. We haven't done the eval yet. I'm not interested in meds, and she, at this point, usually gets her work done. It sounds like your dd's issues are affecting her ability to get her work done. You either need to do some reading and make some modifications to make things work better for her or get the eval and consider meds.

 

I am going to start off by seeing what naturally we can do. I have seen so many kids on ADD meds that turn into zombies after taking their meds. I don't know if their doses are to high or what, but I do NOT want that! I know diet and exercise can help alot. Do you know if you can just make an appointment with a nutritionist or do you have to have a referral generally?

 

You don't need the eval to make the changes, kwim? I've got a pile of books I keep slowly working through, and I'm not sure any of them are better than any others. I mean it's not rocket science. Break it up, accountability, you get what you inspect, distractability, impulsivity, observing/understanding/accommodating.

 

I'm being too curt because I'm resting from a cleaning jag, sorry. For us, I've basically just assumed she is and am trying to work with her more observantly. But I only have one plus the toddler. I understand your frustration. You're just going to have to find ways to make it work.

 

Yeah- another thing to start researching :001_huh:

 

Clear checklists, frequent check-ins, no marathon sessions (not if you expect productivity).

VERY good starting point!

My poor dd, she gets frustrated that she's always being told either to slow down or to speed up. She can't win. The impulsivity makes her go too fast or brashly into things sometimes, without understanding all the issues or instructions, but then with other tasks she's just a fuzz slow, needing her time. (math especially!)

 

I guess the hard part is the initial shock. You got some diagnoses with another of your dc recently, didn't you? This is one more for the list.

Yes ds was just diagnosed with HFA, SPD, SID, Tourettes (that we had a hunch, it was just "confirmed", low tone, eye tracking problems, severe visual/spatial delays-- am I forgetting something? :001_huh:)

 

Interestingly, there's a chart (on the davidson or hoagiesgifted?) that compares symptoms of ADD and giftedness. They overlap quite a bit. In fact, when our OT said her suspicion, I totally blew it off, saying to me those things were just signs of giftedness. I think in our case it's probably both, not just one or the other. So that's another way to approach it. I think the fact that they ARE so smart and capable exaccerbates it.

 

I didn't know that but I will certainly be looking into that. Dd is VERY smart, that is for sure!!

 

Either way, you have to find ways to harness and deal with it. For us, we TALK about the issues more and try to work on them, rather than just making them a discipline issue, if that makes sense. Before, I just thought she was being BAD. Now I know there's a reason.

 

 

Absolutely. No sense in disciplining her for something that is beyond her control. I will have to figure out new ways to handle the air-headedness though. When she was younger we used to say (and still do say) that she is in Taryn-land because she would just stare into space and not be "with us" ya know?

 

What I haven't done yet, and what someone else might be able to comment on, is whether there are non-med options. For instance our OT said there is some work showing oxygen levels and oxygen therapy can help. I don't know. It's on my laundry list of things to pursue.

 

 

Thanks for all your advice!!!

[Geo]

I getcha. My ds has severe ADHD w/ anxiety, ODD...he also has lots of AS quirkiness, but was not given that dx. Time will tell, I guess. He's so all-encompassing, parenting-wise, that my milder (very likely ADD) daughter's struggles have tended to go unnoticed. This upcoming year will be a litmus test, of sorts. She's starting 7th grade and will need to step it up where time management and finishing assignments are concerned. If she can't seem to swing it, she'll need an evaluation. I'm no Dr., for sure...but personally, I think ADD/ADHD is on the very mild end of the spectrum. Try googling ADHD! The links are overwhelmingly a mix of the two. Alot of the behaviors are so similar in many ways. My oldest son most certainly has Asperger's, but wasn't ever diagnosed because Dr's had such narrow criteria for Autism in those days. He's 37. I wouldn't dare mention it to him now.

[Geo]

Oh, Omega 3s and other worthwhile dietary approaches are all over the web.Again, they are usually touted for Autism/ADHD. There goes that connection again..."the overlap of symptoms"

[Renee in NC]

Actually, I refrained from reponding to your other post because I wasn't sure you were looking for opinions of that nature. Yes, it sounds like ADD. I'm ADD and it's me to a "T". Do her a favor and pursue it with your Dr. I never reached anywhere near my potential academically because of it. My teen years were a textbook case as well.

 

:iagree: Me, too.

[jenL]

My 8yr old was officially diagnosed with ADHD-Inattentive with borderline hyperactive (he was 1 point off on the rating scale). It's been an interesting journey for us, and it began with my researching and being able to say 'yes' to every one of the questions you posted in your OP. From there, I approached his pediatrician, and we then went through the proper testing (she uses the Vanderbilt scale). I began noticing "issues" with ds the year he was 4, but I kept thinking it was typical childish behaviors, and we could work through them through consistent discipline, expectations, etc. While those helped (we use 1-2-3 Magic with our kids), these behaviors were starting to interfere with his ability to do schoolwork, clean his room, and just plain function through the completion of simple tasks. I began my research about a year ago, and he was diagnosed a couple months ago. I researched everything I possibly could, and ADHD kept arising.

 

His ped was excellent in that she actually prefers to not hit the ADHD with medications immediately. She suggests the Omega-3 chews from GNC and the "Focus" and "Calm" herbal suppliments from www.nativeremedies.com. So far, we are having great results with those.

 

I've also changed his diet (all of ours actually) to take out all food dyes, HFCS, BHT, MSG, anything unpronounceable. We eat mostly organic and all our snacks and cereals are either homemade or from stores like Trader Joe's. It's bumped up our grocery budget, but I can't go back now. I've seen it help my child, and I've learned SO much about the terrible, terrible things in our foods that I'm disgusted with the mainstream items available that supposedly constitute food.

 

I'm working on reading through Driven through Distraction right now, and I'm trying to sort out how to better improve ds's executive functioning before starting the school year, so we can both have a successful year. This past one was pretty rough.

 

HTH! :grouphug:

[PeterPan]

My dd has taken flax oil capsules for years. I don't know if that means she'd be worse without them? And we do eat all organic, no junk. When she was little we used to carry (like it was some sort of lifeline and sanity saver) Calm Child, which is an herbal tincture made by various companies. Amazingly, I rarely have to use it on my ds. With my dd, it was pretty frequent. (Makes me tense now just remembering it!) I've never thought to use it on her as a regular thing. I did it to help her calm down when she couldn't self-regulate and nap, sleep, or wind down from something that had wound her up (a family gathering, etc.). That self-regulation is something that OT talked about. Dd was always very intense as a baby too. Ds is comparatively much easier and has the ability to self-regulate.

 

I'm not sure executive function is something they nail so much as an ongoing process, sigh.

 

I have this other product Brain Nourisher from Food Form that I take (me, myself). I've never tried it on her to see if it would help with school work, hmmm...

[Finnella]

I could pull at least four really good quotes from various respondents. But while I don't have ADD, I do have fibro fog and I just don't think I could handle that.

 

I prefer Hallowell's Answers to Distraction, though I think both can provide valuable insight.

 

One of the causes of the mix of ADHD and ADD information is that the DSM IV only recognizes ADHD as an official diagnosis. I continue to use the term "ADD" because that is what my husband and son have. However, the official diagnosis is ADHD - Inattentive Type. My thanks to the psychiatrists for that.

 

While it's often been used to try to discredit the diagnosis, kids with ADD are capable of hyperfocusing on special interests. So my son can create complex, custom Lego builds out of his head and have difficulty with basic math. He's not being lazy; it's how his brain works.

 

Other diagnoses seem to accompany ADD. My DS also has anxiety, LDs, and Aspergers. And he's gifted as well. Given that, I think it's helpful to get a thorough evaluation if at all possible. Not that you can't be working on behavior modification and dietary changes beforehand.

 

I do have my DS on Straterra. We found he had too much trouble with school work without it. We recently discovered that my DS is very sensitive to sugar. (I mention the sugar because many of the special diets don't focus on that particular food.) He does much better across the board without sugar, but he hasn't improved enough to discontinue the Straterra.

[Twilight Woods]

Those above describe my DD. :)

 

I would make an appointment with your Dr and bring that list with you and talk about your concerns.

[Twilight Woods]

I could pull at least four really good quotes from various respondents. But while I don't have ADD, I do have fibro fog and I just don't think I could handle that.

 

I prefer Hallowell's Answers to Distraction, though I think both can provide valuable insight.

 

One of the causes of the mix of ADHD and ADD information is that the DSM IV only recognizes ADHD as an official diagnosis. I continue to use the term "ADD" because that is what my husband and son have. However, the official diagnosis is ADHD - Inattentive Type. My thanks to the psychiatrists for that.

 

While it's often been used to try to discredit the diagnosis, kids with ADD are capable of hyperfocusing on special interests. So my son can create complex, custom Lego builds out of his head and have difficulty with basic math. He's not being lazy; it's how his brain works.

 

Other diagnoses seem to accompany ADD. My DS also has anxiety, LDs, and Aspergers. And he's gifted as well. Given that, I think it's helpful to get a thorough evaluation if at all possible. Not that you can't be working on behavior modification and dietary changes beforehand.

 

I do have my DS on Straterra. We found he had too much trouble with school work without it. We recently discovered that my DS is very sensitive to sugar. (I mention the sugar because many of the special diets don't focus on that particular food.) He does much better across the board without sugar, but he hasn't improved enough to discontinue the Straterra.

 

My oldest just finished tittering up to 40mg on Straterra. How long before you saw significant changes? I have seen a change in her anxiety levels already. We are going to be trying gluten free soon too [for both girls]

[Finnella]

My oldest just finished tittering up to 40mg on Straterra. How long before you saw significant changes? I have seen a change in her anxiety levels already. We are going to be trying gluten free soon too [for both girls]

 

It's been a while, so I'm not positive about the timing. I believe it took about four weeks to see a difference with Straterra. Unlike the ritalin type drugs, it has to build up in the child's system before you see a change.