Dare I ask...How do you KNOW if it's ADD?

[praisefor3]

DS10 is a typical, wonderful, strong willed, independent, fun loving kid. When it comes to ADD I am in the camp that believes too many kids are medicated when they are just normal, energetic kids and ps teachers want to calm and control them. But...I also do firmly believe that ADD is a real thing and NOT identifying it can result in years of frustration and feeling like a failure. We have soooo many moments of lost focus, highs and lows and distractions for which I find myself disciplining so often that I have to ask. How do I know????? Is there something that will tell me that we need help? Am I expecting focus that he is incapable of giving and just frustrating him more? Are there some real telltale signs that would divide the "typical" kid from the "ADD" kid? I'd sure appreciate any direction from your experience.

[Kalypso]

I could have written this about my 9yo ds. I will be interested in the responses. I just asked my dh yesterday if he thought there was a chance our ds has ADD.

[Melissa in NC]

Can he ever focus on anything? What is his favorite subject? If it is Pokemon, can he sit and play Pokemon imaginary play for a period of time? Can he build elaborate Lego structures?

 

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD. He will need extra help on learning to focus on things that do not fascinate him which will come with maturity.

[Stacey in MA]

But she CAN focus on some things. She loves reading, and will sit there for hours reading. She also enjoys writing, art, etc. I think must be normal maturing and delvelopment issues with her. I feel bad though, that my formerly sweet and happy girl is often frustrated and in trouble for not following through and focusing.

 

FWIW, sometimes these things can be related to physical things. My DS9 focused very differently (always frustrated and lacked focus) before he was treated for his allergies. I've noticed w/ DD6 that during her "growth spurts" that she is espcially exaggerated in her lack of focus. Maybe it is something other that is physical and normal, like growing or allergies?

 

GL! I will be interested to see more replies as well....

 

:-)

[H.S. Burrow]

I feel sure that parents who DO have ADD kids will chime in, but I will tell you what *our* doctor asked us when DS's teacher wanted him treated for ADD.

 

1. Does he like Legos? If he does, can he play for just a few minutes or longer?

 

2. Can he sit still through a movie? An hour and a half or longer?

 

When I answered the doctor with:

 

1. He can and does play with his Legos (the little tiny ones) for an hour or until mom says "enough" and

 

2. Yes, he has always been able to watch full length movies.

 

*OUR* doctor said, "He is just an active little boy who does not want to sit at a desk. This child is not ADD." He went on to give detailed reasons why these 2 questions were the first one asked - something like an inability to sit more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time doing something he *enjoyed* versus an inability to sit more than 10 or 15 minutes doing something he did *not* enjoy.

 

What I have learned is to give my son a 5 minute break between "subjects", a half-hour break around 10:15am, and a half-hour break after lunch. He uses the half-hour breaks to go outside and ride his bike. We use a timer and he knows when it goes off, he can get up and move around.

 

I have also read a *very little bit* about learning styles. SOME kids actually learn better when they are moving around. My mother-in-law (a retired teacher) gave me an article from one of her teacher magazines (she still gets them) about how some classrooms were using the large exercise balls for chairs and found that really helped the kids stay focused....and was good for their abs;).

 

Anyway, I hope this helps you.

[Laura K (NC)]

Sometimes ADD/ADHD kids can hyperfocus. (Google ADHD + hyperfocus -- the attention disorder can swing both ways. I'm surprised that even doctors aren't aware of this.)

 

When my son was 9 I took my son in to get tested for learning disabilities, dyslexia, oh, I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I was convinced that ADD was just a disciplinary or maturity issue. When the psychiatrist gave us the results of the test, that the issue (or the major issue) with my son was ADHD, I was frankly very, very surprised. He was my third son. He was playful, annoying to his brothers sometimes, flighty, but not ADD -- I was sure of it. He concentrated for hours on end on LEGOS and other building games, but he could not concentrate on his schoolwork. I thought it was a learning disability.

 

It was a learning disability, though -- one of two that my son has. I resisted the doctor's prescription of drugs, thinking we could change the atmosphere and his behavior. To some extent we could help, but it wasn't working, even after a year of diligent trying. My son was growing more and more irritated with himself. He got self-defeating, and developed a self-image that was altogether false. He was smart (the psychiatrist's tests "proved" that), but he was convinced he was dumb and his memory was terrible. He was difficult to be around, even though when he was a few years younger he was the most even-tempered, pleasant boy. I didn't like to be around him, and this was disturbing me the most. I've never felt that way before.

 

Finally we went back to our general practice doc and I asked to try him on the medication, and we agreed to give him the lowest dose of a Ritalin generic, and just in the morning, not in the afternoon. The change was striking. I got my son back. We've tweaked the medicine a few times since then, always trying to find the lowest effective dose. This is his second school year using the drug. It's not making him an academic superman. It hasn't affected his health. It just overcomes this defect he has.

 

How do you know if your kid has ADD? I don't know how to tell. My son's two older brothers were "diagnosed" by their teachers, but they don't have it. At 15 and 13 they function pretty highly without any drugs and they have no real behavioral problems. This son who actually does have it didn't even seem to me like he had it. That diagnosis was not one I would have guessed. All I knew was that something was wrong and he needed some kind of help, desperately. If you are having trouble with one of your children, if one of them seems like they are just beyond your ability to understand and reach, I'd recommend talking to a professional.

[Laurie in VA]

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD.

 

FWIW, those with ADD often can focus intensely on specific tasks for great lengths of time - it's called "hyperfocus". Having ADD doesn't equal having a short attention span in everything. I used to think that myself until I was dx-ed! ;)

[Carrie12345]

Can he ever focus on anything? What is his favorite subject? If it is Pokemon, can he sit and play Pokemon imaginary play for a period of time? Can he build elaborate Lego structures?

 

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD. He will need extra help on learning to focus on things that do not fascinate him which will come with maturity.

 

This is not true. I can focus on all of my favorite things for long periods of time, yet I'm very ADD.

 

As far as my children go, I do struggle with wondering if they really have it. Honestly, I don't think I could ever truly know beyond a shadow of a doubt without living in their heads. I do my best to work with them from an ADD standpoint (b/c no ADD behavior modification is going to have a negative effect) and we get through.

[Tracey in TX]

You will know if it's ADD, worthy of intervention IME. Our triplets are ADHD. DH was opposed to even discussing the topic, but I began talking with our doctor, anyhow. The morning of the second meeting, DS was at school, fidgeting with a pencil on his shoe. He got the pencil lead jammed into his boy part instead. All due to fidgeting and not focussing. DH and dr both agreed meds were a good idea. It has changed his life. He is able to be "all boy", but during school hours can focus enough to accomplish his work.

 

If you have doubts discuss it with family dr. I'm not a fan of arbitrarily medicating children, but sometimes it's really best for the child. As they get older, most child can self regulate their behavior and don't require the medication. They're cognizant enough to focus without assistance.

[Plucky]

Well, I was in denial for a long, long time. My ds has always been very active/hyper, what I thought a typical energetic little boy was. I knew he had learning and communication issues. I used to always say that it was a good thing we homeschooled or the schools would want to medicate him for ADHD. I assumed it was overdiagnosed and overmedicated, too.

 

I did everything I could to try to help him. I spent intense one-one-one time with my son. He'd read aloud. I'd read aloud. I'd go over things and we'd talk. This worked some. By 9 1/2 he was unable to retain anything or comprehend much because focusing was so difficult for him. He'd always faked it. He's was very good at keeping eye contact and nodding like he totally got it, but then unable to show he understood or retained the information.

 

It was so bad he couldn't pay attention in Sunday School or in simple games with his friends. He was starting to feel rejected by his friends and unable to keep up and he knew he was looking foolish in SS. He's very sensitive and has high anxiety as well. About the time I was almost ready to look into his problems he started developing depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

 

I took my ds to a psychologist for help. We were in crisis. Almost immediately he was diagnosed as ADHD and he was near depression over it. We saw instant results from medication. Instant. Now he is a happy, busy boy who loves learning and succeeding. His SS teacher told me the other day how smart my son is and how he could teach the class (he loves history and Bible). I did hold him back a grade so we could catch up. For so long he'd been faking it and we needed to back up and retain some foundational skills.

 

I don't think it's possible to dx someone else, especially online. I'm of the opinion though that if you are seeing red flags then look into it. I really thought I knew better and my ds didn't have ADHD. I actually felt guilty for letting it go so long. A teacher would've pointed us in the right direction 1-2 years earlier for a dx. I also want to say that sometimes teachers get a bad rap for suggesting ADHD/ADD. I think they've seen so many kids struggle and a dx and sometimes meds. really helped.

 

I am also ashamed at how adamant I was about ADHD and how I thought too many kids were dxed with it. I really didn't know anything first hand and made the same assumptions most people who haven't experienced ADHD in their life do. It's very much like not understanding homeschooling until one researches it or actually does it.

 

Anyway, if you really have concerns I'd get your son checked out. Or you could wait. In time you will know if he has ADHD. Learning will probably get much harder and he'll hit a wall. My ds has a raging case of ADHD and I missed it. So it happens. Good luck finding an answer. It's hard not knowing.

[Michelle in AL]

I took a CEU on ADD/ADHD not long ago and a child can hyperfocus on a particular thing (video game, lego building etc). I think this misconception keeps a lot of kids from being dx'd. I've seen some pretty bad cases where the child can play video games for hours, but is unable to focus on anything else.

[emeraldjoy]

I noticed that your oldest two are girls. Knowing that gender may or may not play a role, I am wondering if his behavior is different than theirs, and that is what you are questioning? Sometimes, gender can make a difference and sometimes boys take a bit longer to to "settle" down...sometimes.....just wondering although I am sure you are a pretty savvy mom.

 

One thing to keep in mind is the duration of the behavior, as in weeks, months, years, etc. This will certainly be something that a therapist or MD asks.

 

If you and your health care providers decide that presciptive treatment is neccessary be sure to look into side effects of the drug from several differing viewpoints ( as I am sure you will).

 

Probably you have looked into everything so I feel sort of sheepish, but have you considered diet as a source? And I am not just talking high amounts of sugar, but other dietary factors as well?

 

The situation with our son who is almost 8 sounds similar. Many times I find myself so thankful he is home because of this. I can cater to his needs in more direct and consistent ways. We did get an excercize ball, as mentioned above, and it, at least, makes much less noise than a squeaky chair. Lots of breaks too and I have to remove any outside distraction, like a book sitting around, or a lego guy within reach. His work areas pretty much has to JUST have his work in it. Then, of course, I send him out for laps and enrolled him in gymnastics thinking my furnitature and walls needed a break.

 

The research that I have done into pharmacuticals and ADHD leaves that option far from my mind right now (This is just my opinion). I believe that his growing body and nueral develpement would not benefit from adding something unnatural too it right now. However, I do not know the journey of others and can only remark on mine.

 

If you find something that works, please let me know.....

 

emerald

[Plucky]

Yes, my ds could always focus on video games and a few other things. They certainly can hyper-focus.

[EKS]

My 12yo son has had all the symptoms of ADD since the dawn of time but since he was able to concentrate on things he was interested in sometimes for hours combined with the fact that sometimes he seemed to function normally (or more normally; the kid was my first so I don't really know what normal might be) sometimes for days and weeks at a time.

 

At first I assumed it was a discipline issue. And I have to say that the discipline helped quite a bit with the impulsive, hyperactive behaviors but it did nothing for the inattention. So then we embarked on a series of evaluations and he was diagnosed with many things: APD, SPD, dyslexia, vision problems, gifted. All of those things can mimic ADD symptoms. So we went along, did some therapies, remediated his dyslexia, and assumed that ADD wasn't a factor.

 

Then he turned 12 and started to take *forever* to do his math (the only subject we were doing at the time). A one hour assignment was taking 5 hours *every single day*. We had previously gotten an ADD diagnosis from the pediatrician based on the checklist thing, but I didn't believe the diagnosis and so after a short Ritalin trial the medication solution went on the back burner and I decided that he didn't have ADD anyway. But because his inattention was getting worse and worse and he really didn't seem to be able to control it I brought it up with the doctor at his check up and came home with a prescription for ADD meds.

 

He has been taking them since school started, a short acting drug once in the morning, just enough to get through the bulk of our lessons. It has made all the difference in the world. He does his work without constant redirection, he is able to concentrate with normal distractions in the room. It is amazing.

 

I still don't know if he actually has ADD, but I do know that he *acts* like he has ADD and medication helps. A lot. Besides helping him to concentrate better it is helping our relationship as I don't get so angry with him anymore.

 

So this has been our experience. I'm not sure if it will help you any though.

[Peela]

My step daughter was diagnosed ADHD about age 7. By the time she was 12 or so, her behavior was still difficult- always had been- her schoolwork was pretty bad- always had been- and her mother was studying psychology and put her on the drugs against my husbands very, very strong wishes- and knowledge. The drugs somewhat zombied her, so that the teachers were not always complaining about her behaviour, but in no way did they help her with her schoolwork- she did absolutely terribly at school all the way through. Basically she flunked badly, but with very little awareness of how badly she was doing. We didnt know she was on the drugs and only saw her 1-2 days a fortnight, if that (her mother would deny access for months over very small issues if dh disagreed with something).

Now stepdd is 20, yesterday. She cant hold down a job, has been fired about 5 times already, doesn't seem to have a very high IQ- you wouldnt have said that when she was younger, just that she was precocious, but very bright. No one likes her, and we all find her very difficult to be around- she seems unable to feel or empathise. Her mother is extremely sorry she went behind her father's strong wishes NOT to have her drugged, since it appears to have damaged her, literally. Step dd is also sorry she kept being on drugs secret from her dad all her teenage years.

Dh is classic undiagnosed ADHD, and felt it was very important his daughter not be "changed" in order to fit into the school sytem, no matter what. He values his uniqueness, he is entrepreneurial, doesnt think like others. He doesnt see it as a disadvantage to be different.

Anyway, just sharing a negative story to balance all the positive ones.

Who decides what a condition is? There is no blood test for ADD. It is not a disease, no bacteria or virus causes it. Psychologists/psychiatrists label a set of symptoms a condition with a name, and give out drugs for it, but there is no actual disease called ADD. They used to call women "hysterical" too- it was a condition once upon a time.

I know there are extreme cases which can be helped with drugs, but when people talk about all the undiagnosed cases of ADD out there, it makes my blood boil.

[cin]

Hyperfocus is very much a part of ADD. I would start cleaning up the kitchen and 2 hours later that particular part that I started in would be immaculate. But the rest of the kitchen....And where did the time go?!?!?

 

My Dr. told me something interesting. He said the only sure way to diagnose ADD is to see if the meds help. Because it's not black and white, and the testing is somewhat subjective. Test subject could be having a good day or bad day, etc. It's not like opening someone up and seeing a mass. Oh, yeah, that's cancer.

 

For example, one of the things I've done for years is drink a cup of coffee or tea every morning and chew gum..Constantly. The counselor who tested me gave me a computer test of some sort. I was chewing gum during it. My scores were borderline ADD. (And I am on a low dose of adderall). He was surprised by my score and asked me all sorts of questions. The gum and the caffeine probably affected my scores.

 

The counselor told me basically the same thing. He's been to conferences by the best and brightest on ADD and even they say LISTEN to the person. THEY will give you what you need to know regarding whether or not they have ADD. For me, incompleting projects, MASSIVE underacheivement, and CLUTTER were the three key elements. And those things told him that yeah, I probably have it. Then my MD said if the med works, then you do.

 

The books that are available are WONDERFUL. I read one that described my brain to a 'T'. I look at the pile of laundry and say "Oh My God" and run away. NOW I take the laundry down (I actually REMEMBER to get it to the laundry room!) and I sort it. It seems so simple, doens't it? But in oour house, DH would take it down when the baskets were overflowing and it would be a big pile, which was SO intimidating.

 

High School was torture for me. I could NOT focus on the stuff. Reading the books was impossible. (We all know textbooks are boring, right?!?!) So I was tracked into the lower tracks where NONE of my friends were. It was a LONG lonely journey. I finally graduated on the mercy of my chemistry teacher (he added 2 pts to my grade so I could graduate). College was manageable because there was enough going on to keep me interested and I could pick adn choose the topics of my papers (after the first year of requirements). So there was a little more interest.

 

I guess that's all I have to say about ADD. I do wish they had known more when I was a kid. But at least I was diagnosed in time to be able to become a better mom to my children. Although I do still wonder where I would have gone if I had bene able to focus....

[cin]

cant hold down a job, has been fired about 5 times already, doesn't seem to have a very high IQ- you wouldnt have said that when she was younger, just that she was precocious, but very bright. No one likes her, and we all find her very difficult to be around- she seems unable to feel or empathise.

 

 

Peela, this sounds like me when I was her age, and undiagnosed. I lost about 4 part-time jobs, and flunked out of nursing school. But my IQ is VERY high. I was also not a real fun person to be around. I wonder what kind of drug they put her on?

 

I am on adderall which is a stimulant. It is not a sedative and does not knock me out. It calms my brain down enough so that I can focus. If I take too much, I get shaky and WAY. TO. HYPER. So my meds do not have that effect on me. I wonder if they prescribe something different for kids in PS so the teachers will shut up?!:glare: B

[threecsnme]

I have a 11 year old son with ADHD. I was one of those parents that was in denial also. I was against any medication, etc. I just thought he was a typical active boy.

 

I would recommend having him tested. It won't hurt anything. It has made a world of difference for my son. He was a frustrated little boy who thought he was stupid. He is now a happy, well adjusted boy. A night and day difference. He can even tell a difference in himself. He now has the tools needed to handle his ADHD. I do too. Our therapist has been a blessing on helping us to understand and give us advise on how to live with ADHD.

 

There are many websites that can give you more information. If you suspect though, I would seek out a professional's opinion. I wish I would have not waited to help my son.

 

Here is a link that you can read more about ADD/ADHD:

http://www.addcoachacademy.com/add-adhd-signs-symptoms.html

[74Heaven]

This is not true. I can focus on all of my favorite things for long periods of time, yet I'm very ADD.

 

As far as my children go, I do struggle with wondering if they really have it. Honestly, I don't think I could ever truly know beyond a shadow of a doubt without living in their heads. I do my best to work with them from an ADD standpoint (b/c no ADD behavior modification is going to have a negative effect) and we get through.

 

I saw that your oldest child was 10yo. My doc said that sometimes smart kids can "compensate" for ADD until the subject matter gets more intense and deep in high school level classes. Then the child's ADD kicks in and what takes a "normal" child an hour to do can take and ADD child 2-3 hours or more.

 

Also, ADD drivers have a much higher rate of accidents. More likely to engage in impulsive decisions, etc.

 

Lisaj, mom to 5

[Laurie4b]

How do you know? Getting an evaluation is a critical part of the knowing. ADHD is overdiagnosed and there is no absolute medical test for it, just as with most issues related to mental health or learning disabilities.

 

One of the typical ways that it is diagnosed is through behavioral checklists filled out by people in at least two environments. If it just shows up at school, or just shows up at home, then it is typically ruled out. This can make it trickier for a homeschooled child to be diagnosed.

 

On a WISC-IV IQ test, there are a few of the subtests that are affected by attention, distractibility, etc. This test is one of a battery usually given when diagnosing ADHD. There are a couple other tests, whose names I don't know, that are also adminsitered to make the diagnosis.

 

The symptoms of ADHD can be caused by multiple other conditions, which is why the evaluation is so important. A neuropsychologist is a good professional from whom to get a comprehensive evaluation. Other possible diagnoses to rule out are auditory processing disorder, sensory processing disorder, visual processing problems, allergies, sleep disorders, and nonverbal learning disability. Some of these can co-exist with ADHD.

 

A diagnosis of ADHD does not have to mean drug intervention. Sometimes families can manage without medications. If the other issues are either not present or are treated (such as sensory processing issues), then some other things that can help are:

 

Outdoor time

Short instructional sessions (10-15 minutes)

Breaks that incorporate heavy exercise

A setting that allows movement (for instance, being able to sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair--that bit of movement is sometimes enough to allow concentration)

Visual timers (look in occupational therapy catalogs)

Watches that vibrate throughout the day to remind of things to be done (OT catalogs)

Fish oil has some effect on ADHD behavior

Choline is another nutrient that really helps concentration (two eggs a day will do it)

Tea helps concentration (Watch the caffeine)

It's important that the child gets protein throughout the day

 

It's important to get the evaluation done as soon as possible. If there are sensory issues, etc. the younger the child is, the more effective and permanent is treatment likely to be.

 

I would suggest :

1) Read the book the Out of Sync Child. It has an excellent checklist of symptoms of sensory processing disorder. (It was called sensory integration back then.) If your child has several of the symptoms, get an appointment with an occupational therapist with experience in evaluation and treatment of the sensory processing issues. Even if ADHD is also present, this will help tremendously.

2) Get an appointment with a neuropsychologist or possibly a developmental pediatrician for the testing.

3) Do not accept a diagnosis or a rule out without testing.

4) Once you get the diagnosis, you can decide to try to treat without meds at first, or to try meds. The diagnosis does NOT equal meds. Don't let fear of meds keep you from getting an evaluation. It may not even be ADHD, but something else that needs treating and the sooner the better.

 

I agree with the mutiple posters who mentioned hyperfocus as a possibility with ADHD. Additionally, ALL of us focus better when the subject is intrinsically interesting to us. The hallmark of ADHD is the inability to focus on uninteresting material. We ALL have to do that a lot of times a day to function well.

[Plucky]

My child is not a zombie. I don't know all the particulars about your step dd but it sounds like there was far more going on than just ADHD. Bad medicine and maybe bad parenting or more psychological issues, she might even benefit like cin said below by being on medication for ADHD now. Things have changed a lot.

 

I am very happy with the medication. By day 2 my son said, "Mommy, I feel like myself for the first time." My son is thriving.

 

I am perplexed by your post. I think it's overly negative and not really very informative. I also find a lot of it offensive, especially the "hysterical" reference. I think you experienced most of this as an outsider and not a true advocate. I had similar opinions though before I had my own experience treating my son.

[emeraldjoy]

Although I too feel it may have been a bit negative, I do appreciate that she was trying to put in a plug for the other side of the issue. So far many of the responses have been pro-medication and pro-ADHD diagnoses and this could potentially be misguiding for some.

E

[74Heaven]

One other item of interest is that my 16yo dtr's "listening" test scores were very low in 1st/2nd grade ITBS tests. Those were the ITBS tests where the parent "read" the test to the child. Then in subsequent years, her reading comprehension skills were always *low* compared to her other scores. She is an excellent, fluent reader - who reads and spells far above grade level. I was told that the early "listening" scoers were directly tied to the same skills in "reading comprehension".

 

Thus, I wonder if reading comprehension (since it requires focus and attention) could be a direct factor in determining ADD tendencies.

 

Btw, I consider "ADD" just a variation of normal. Some would benefit from meds of course, but I've never had any and overall, have compensated in other ways. But... maybe I would have been better off - in some ways - if I had been medicated. Maybe I would ahve been a better driver in my younger days, less argumentative or assertive - maybe made fewer impulsive decisions I regretted.

 

I've never been diagnosed but I know I have it. I struggle with attention and clutter and focus - but I also can get lots done with "hyper" energy spurts. Most of my friends consider me one of those high-energy moms who is often interacting with the kids.

 

I'm not against meds if they help the child. But I certainly would want meds to be a much-studied, second or third or fourth choice, and not a first choice.

 

Lisaj

[Laurie4b]

I used to work in a residential treatment center where there were tons of ADHD kids. Never, never, never had one who couldn't sit through a movie.

 

Playing with Legos might be more diagnositic if you watched the play carefully: was the creation ever finished? Was it suddenly broken apart? Were there systematic attempts to solve problems or random attempts?

 

Suffice it to say that those two questions are not sufficient to rule in or rule out ADHD.

 

Kids with ADHD can concentrate on things that interest them. All of us concentrate better when we are interested than when we are not. The hallmark of ADHD is an inability to concentrate when the stimulus is NOT interesting: the sequence of going to your room, getting changed, brushing teeth is not particularly interesting, there are parts of school that are not interesting (such as drill work) or who have long sequences of steps where attention can wander, balancing a checkbook (as an adult) is not interesting, etc. Huge parts of our day are made up of uninteresting tasks that we need to concentrate on to function. This is what folks with ADHD have such a hard time with; the rest of humanity can get through it without too much angst, even if they don't enjoy it.

 

Few pediatricians will diagnose ADHD themselves. At a minimum, they will ask for checklists from two different environments before ruling it in or out. Most, however, refer to someone who does the diagnostic tests. There are many other issues a child can have that look like ADHD and are not, or can co-exist with ADHD. Our son had several of those. His primary care physician for years assured me that he was just a normal boy and would grow out of it. I missed a lot of treatment time that way. Fortunately, I learned things on this board that made me suspect sensory processing problems, and the physician was very willing to write a script for occupational therapy when my son was 7. That was the beginning of some very positive things happening, but we are still finding out more that is there in terms of how his brain is wired. How I wish that way back when ds was two and I was describing what should have been red flags, I would have been sent to OT! The younger the child is, the more plastic the brain, the deeper and more lasting the change from treatments.

 

Primary care doctors are good for a wide range of stuff that is purely medical, but I've heard of very few who were actually well-informed about diagnosing things like ADHD, sensory processing, auditory processing, visual processing, or learning disabilities.

[Laurie4b]

No. Reading comprehension scores aren't correlated more directly with ADHD than other scores.

[Dani n Monies Mom]

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm

 

I looked up the DSMV 4 initially to see if dd fell into any of the 'official' ADD categories for diagnosis. It turns out she is ADD-Inattentive, so we took her to the same developmental ped that diagnosed oldest dd with autism. After 3 hours of testing over several days, the dr. came back with a diagnosis of ADD-Inattentive with anxiety and Gerstmann's Syndrome.

 

That is an extremely brief summery of our dd's dx at age 9(end of 3rd gr. in the p.s.). Some may already know this, but children with autism have a higher incidence of siblings with ADD or autism. So when questions arose we were not unaware of that fact. However, dd had been displaying symptoms for a long time before anyone pointed it out to us. (A whole lot of back story there.)

 

BTW, Inattentive type is a tough one to diagnose as these kids tend to get overlooked, especially girls. I've seen more diagnosis of this just in the last few years.

Hth,

Ava

[Michelle T]

Can he ever focus on anything? What is his favorite subject? If it is Pokemon, can he sit and play Pokemon imaginary play for a period of time? Can he build elaborate Lego structures?

 

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD. He will need extra help on learning to focus on things that do not fascinate him which will come with maturity.

 

People with ADHD generally have no problem in focusing on things they are interested in. In fact, often they focus so intently on those things, they are unable to transition easily to anything else. Hyperfocus, it's a way of life around here with a DH and DS both ADHD.

Michelle T

[Michelle T]

in a variety of ways. In kids, they are not able to focus and learn, they cannot control their actions/responses, they do not think before acting and often get hurt doing crazy stunts, they do not pick up on social cues that typical kids understand. They are often immature, often well aware they have a problem, and easily can label themselves as "stupid" or "lazy".

 

There's way more to ADHD than just not paying attention to boring stuff.

 

In adults, lack of impulse control, addictive behavior, no thinking of consequence, difficulty in organizing behavior, poor social boundaries, difficulties in holding jobs.

 

So many people just do not understand that ADHD is a real, serious, and usually lifelong problem. And yes, there are many who are medicated who shouldn't be, but there are many others NOT medicated who would benefit.

Michelle T

[Michelle T]

I took a CEU on ADD/ADHD not long ago and a child can hyperfocus on a particular thing (video game, lego building etc). I think this misconception keeps a lot of kids from being dx'd. I've seen some pretty bad cases where the child can play video games for hours, but is unable to focus on anything else.

 

 

My ragingly ADHD son can definitely focus on video games for ever, but cannot remember to brush his teeth, or even eat breakfast without being reminded!

MIchelle T

[ChristineW]

 

I'm not against meds if they help the child. But I certainly would want meds to be a much-studied, second or third or fourth choice, and not a first choice.

 

Lisaj

 

ADHD runs in my family. Medicine is not for everyone. My little brother went on it when he was in fourth grade and it was not a good experience. He hated being on the medicine--said it made him feel slow and cloudy. He gained significant weight while on ritalin and it probably stunted his growth. He worked himself of the medicine by the time he was in 7th grade but he will tell you that the lack of motivation and lethargy never went away--he was the most active 9 year old boy before the ADHD diagnosis. He never got his energy back. It was a bad trade off. My brother's grades were fine; he was smart enough to compensate if his teachers let him move around.

 

I was a teen while my brother was on ritalin and so I never really understood what was going on with him until I browsed through "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax. My boy is only four but he definitely is exhibiting signs of ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder, but I will try everything else before meds and then only meds with constant monitoring of dosing and side effects.

[ondreeuh]

My son is an uber-classic ADHD kid - the one that pretty much anyone could identify. He has always been able to hyperfocus and I agree with the many PPs who mentioned that is normal for kids with ADHD. Because he was so severely affect at a very young age, we started with a developmental pediatrician who ordered an MRI and referred us to a ped neurologist. The neuro did an EEG, exam, surveys, etc. He described my son as having the symptoms of someone with frontal lobe brain damage. So yeah, there was no question that it was way beyond normal.

 

My daughter is much more subtle. She has been dx with ADD but it was a dx of last resort. She is not hyperactive, so her signs were just impulsiveness and distraction. Honestly she can get along OK without meds, but she is horribly disorganized, flighty, flaky, interrupting, SLOW at everything, etc. I can live with that. When her classes got more intense in middle school, that's when the inattention started to become a bigger deal. She couldn't keep up with her work and lost all opportunities for the extras that make her "her" (writing, drawing, reading, etc.) Because she never felt in control, it led to anxiety and depression. She was in counseling last year and her counselor and I decided to pursue the ADD diagnosis.

 

With her ped's involvement, we did a trial of meds for her last year and she is now able to get her work done and is much more organized. She is confident, and is back to pursuing her interests. She is still going to need a 504 plan to give her extra time on tests, but otherwise things are pretty normal.

[Renee in NC]

I took a CEU on ADD/ADHD not long ago and a child can hyperfocus on a particular thing (video game, lego building etc). I think this misconception keeps a lot of kids from being dx'd. I've seen some pretty bad cases where the child can play video games for hours, but is unable to focus on anything else.

 

:iagree:

 

Especially considering that video games require an attention span of about 3 seconds.

[tenoraddict]

My DS11 and DS7 present as classic ADHD kids. DS12 presents as ADD (he's distractable, but highly functioning). We had the younger 2 tested and they were diagnosed with ADHD, and it was suggested I put them on meds. I only wanted to do that as a last resort, and didn't have peace that ADHD was the right diagnosis (but I knew I needed help with them). Thanks to information I received on this forum, I put them on a modified diet (no artificial colors or flavors, no BHT or BHA, no high fructose corn syrup, no sodium nitrates or nitrites...and we have been eating organic and going to a chiropractor for several years), and followed the suggestions in Dianne Craft's Biology of Behavior . When I read the book The Out of Sync Child , I recognized my children. I took them to an occupational therapist, who diagnosed them with lots of sensory issues (which manifest as ADHD-type behavior). We are currently in our 2nd of 12 months of OT.

 

ADHD is definitely real, and definitely over/mis-diagnosed. If you hear of families who can't get the right dosage or who have to play with different types of meds, the chances are that the child has a sensory integration problem, not ADHD. The average pediatrician, or even a developmental pediatrician, is probably not going to point you anything that smacks of "alternative" medicine. Mine didn't give me a hard time when I told them what we're doing, but they didn't show much interest in it, either. You will need to be the researcher and advocate in determining an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan for your child.

[Carrie12345]

And here's an example of when it's interesting to have an old thread dug up! Two years ago, I posted that I didn't think I'd ever know for certain if my kids were ADD. Well, it's now 2010, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my 7.5 year old is! :lol:

[Renee in NC]

My ADD didn't become an issue until I was older. In elementary school, due to high IQ, I had no problems - I didn't *have* to pay attention to get all A's. For 7th grade, I tested into a school for gifted kids. It was all down hill from there. I couldn't keep up with the details of everything. I constantly forgot things, didn't finish things, focused on one part of a project so that it was perfect and never got to the rest.

 

This continued on through high school. I dropped out after a few weeks of 11th grade. I did go on to college, but I didn't graduate until more than 10 years later (stopping and starting, changing majors, getting bored and quitting, etc.) I could go on and on.

 

One thing I remember clearly was when I worked for a CPA firm 10+ years ago. The general consensus was that I was incompetent, though my direct CPA supervisor knew better than that. I had a tremendous understanding of accounting and business, but I couldn't stay organized enough to keep up with the details of preparing financial statements. My office was always a mess, my files out of order, appointments forgotten, etc. It was a disaster!

 

I always thought it was my fault. If I would have just tried harder, worked longer, studied more, etc. then I would have been successful. "Mama's ADD" was always the family joke (we call it squirrels.) I thought the reason I had such a hard time in college (compared to ability) was that I just didn't have the right study skills - never mind that I had read numerous books, watched videos, and taken classes about study skills. Obviously I just wasn't doing it right. Same goes for just about everything else - things were the way they were because I was a failure.:glare:

 

Medication has been the best thing that ever happened to me. I feel like I can finally be who and what I could've been years ago if not for the ADD. I can keep my house clean, I can study (and retain) the material for the CPA exam, and I have actually been able to follow a diet and exercise plan now (in the past impulsiveness got in my way.) My sensory issues (I have always been hypersensitive) are GONE!

 

My 9yo is an odd case. He can behave very, very well in school, even the 4 days he went that he was unmedicated. People tell me that he is such a great kid, a gem. I will say that those first four days he spent ALL of his mental energy trying to stay still and couldn't focus on anything else. His ADHD include severe rages involving broken furniture and threatened lives.:001_huh:

 

There was no discipline that could help him, especially with an ADD mom (can't you see it? the blind leading the blind!:tongue_smilie:) In his case, it was becoming a danger to him and his family. He is 5 feet tall now and 105 pounds - how was I going to physically restrain him next year or the year after?:001_huh:

 

Now that he is medicated, he can focus on his language issues - he might even learn to read!:D I was clear that if I thought he was "zombied" that he was done. We haven't seen that at all (the only side effect we have experienced is appetite suppression.)

 

I have seen kids like Peela's step-daughter as well. It is the reason I fought tooth and nail against medicating my oldest 10 years ago and why I waited so long for my 9yo. However, medications now are *much* better (both in quality and knowledge of how to prescribe them.) There were many "zombie" kids in the past, but now doctors know that you can't start a child on medication and follow some pre-determined schedule for increasing the dosage. My ds takes the second-lowest dose of his meds (at his large size) while other children much smaller than he may need twice as much - it is so individual!

 

Not only that, but medication is just one part of ADD/ADHD treatment. They have to be taught *how* to function in society. They have to be steered towards careers that they *can* do. There are lots of accomodations that can be made to help someone with ADD be successful, but they have to be able to focus long enough to learn the systems.

[Renee in NC]

And here's an example of when it's interesting to have an old thread dug up! Two years ago, I posted that I didn't think I'd ever know for certain if my kids were ADD. Well, it's now 2010, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my 7.5 year old is! :lol:

 

:lol:

 

Didn't even notice the date, but the info still seems relevent!:D

[katemary63]

Sometimes ADD/ADHD kids can hyperfocus.

 

 

:iagree:

There are some ridiculous generalities being thrown around here. My son has ADD. NOT ADHD. He has never been hyper. But he can NOT focus on things that do not interest him. He can hyperfocus on things that fascinate him. He never had any trouble watching a movie or playing with Knex or legos for hours. None of his teachers ever thought he had ADD/ ADHD. He didn’t fit the obvious profile.

However, he was diagnosed ADD at age 9 by a pediatric neurologist. We took him in for other issues. There are often CLEAR neurological signs that can be detected by a specialist. In spite of our Dr's encouragement, we decided not to use medication. We thought that as long as he was passing his classes with C's and as long as we implemented some tools to help with organization, it would be better for him to remain drug free. It was the biggest mistake we ever made. Guess who told us that? He did.

My son is now age 24 and a senior in college. He is finally on the meds he should have been on his whole life. He says they are a miracle for him, enabling him to finally feel normal. He has struggled so hard for so long, lost self esteem and felt like a failure. It does not matter how positive you are, how encouraging you are. A child with ADD/ ADHD KNOWS there is something wrong. They KNOW they are different and that they cannot do what the other kids do or even what they want to do. They FEEL stupid and like a failure, no matter how much you try to tell them its okay because every time they turn around, over and over again, they are not doing the right thing, they are not living up to expectations (even their own). Over and over again, day after day for years, they look up from their desk and have no idea why all the other kids have taken out a certain book, or gotten up to leave the room. They are ALWAYS a step behind no matter how hard they try. They spend a lot of time being confused and wondering what’s wrong with them.

My son always felt like a failure. He is finally gaining back some of the confidence and belief in himself that he lost. He is determined to finish college no matter how far behind he was when he started. He would have learned so much more had he been medicated. My son never failed a class in high school; he never got in any big trouble. He was a good kid and he got by so we thought that we did the right thing for him. But we never knew how his ADD affected him psychologically until he grew up and could tell us. It just about broke my heart. Just think about this. My son grew up, became an adult man and then told me he wished we HAD put him on ADD meds when he was a kid. He thinks he would have been so much more successful academically and he thinks he would have been spared a lot of embarrassment and low self esteem.

My advice: if you have any reason to suspect that your child has ADD/ ADHD, see a pediatric neurologist. You can’t ask two little questions and then conclude your kid does not have it. Our son would have passed that quiz with flying colors. But there is no doubt what so ever that he had severe ADD. Our Dr. was spot on with her diagnosis of our son and we didn’t even really believe it until he grew up and could tell us himself what he went through. A pediatric neurologist can diagnose the kids who don’t fit the common profile. There are signs.

Then, if you get a diagnosis, don’t be afraid to try medication. Your child will tell you if they like it or not and if it works for them. You can always quit them. Obviously, not every kid with ADD/ ADHD must be on meds. But some need it. Some are helped by it. I am so glad that my son has finally found a medication that enables him to accomplish the things that he wants so badly. He is going to graduate college, late but none-the-less. He could not have done it without his meds.

[TechWife]

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD.

This is incorrect information. People with ADHD often hyperfocus because they are unable to regulate their attention. Here is a brief article from a reputable source that gives some information on it.

[Mimm]

Can he ever focus on anything? What is his favorite subject? If it is Pokemon, can he sit and play Pokemon imaginary play for a period of time? Can he build elaborate Lego structures?

 

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD. He will need extra help on learning to focus on things that do not fascinate him which will come with maturity.

 

This is a misconception. People with ADD are often able to focus almost obsessively on things that are of high interest to them.

 

http://add.about.com/od/adhdthebasics/a/myths-adhd.htm

 

One article about ADD myths. It says:

Myth #6: If You Can Keep Focused on Some Activities, You Do Not Have ADHD

 

It can be quite confusing to see someone with ADHD focus intently on an activity when ADHD seems to be an “attention deficit.” It is actually more appropriate to describe ADHD as a condition in which individuals have difficulty regulating their attention. Though they may have extreme problems focusing, organizing, and completing certain mundane tasks, they are often able to focus intently on other activities that interest and engage them. This tendency to become absorbed in tasks that are stimulating and rewarding is called hyperfocus. Click on Hyperfocus and ADHD to learn more.

 

Edit: Whoops, looks like people already addressed this. Sorry. :)

[cara]

Can he ever focus on anything? What is his favorite subject? If it is Pokemon, can he sit and play Pokemon imaginary play for a period of time? Can he build elaborate Lego structures?

 

If he can focus for a period of time on something that is his interest, then it is not ADD. He will need extra help on learning to focus on things that do not fascinate him which will come with maturity.

 

Actually ADHD children can hyper-focus on things, so that's not entirely true.

 

For us it was a combination of things.

 

I first noticed it when he was in 1st grade, his classwork was coming home incomplete. I brought it up to the teacher, she brushed it off and said he was just a busy body and into everyone's business.

 

When we brought him home, to homeschool. I started noticing it more and more. He hyper-focuses, he is beyond hyper, he can not stay on task, he jumps from activity to activity and subject to subject, he's constantly in motion, he just never stops. It's quite exhausting and goes beyond that of an active 8 year old boy.

 

We finally had him evaluated in April and got a diagnoses. I have seen such an improvement with medication. Last school year we were lucky if we got math and grammar done in a 4 hour time span. Today we got math, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading and geography done in 90 minutes. That's how much the difference is for us right now.

 

We also just had our OT evaluation for fine motor delays and sensory issues.

 

My hope is that medication for the ADHD along with therapy for the sensory issues, we can get DS on the right track behaviorally.