I am at the end of my rope, and I'm THIS close to...

[mesa]

...having him tested for ADD Ever since my oldest was in the first grade, we've had issues.
-He has a hard time sitting still and listening in class
-disrupts class
-interrupts his teacher
-talks to other students while his teacher is talking (once even shouting across the classroom!)
-turns around in his seat during instruction
-can't keep his hands to himself while in line
-routinely forgets his homework at school
-rushes through his work and is very very messy

On the other hand, he gets nearly straight A's (well, except for citizenship and homework), makes friends easily, is a good friend, is considerate and sweet, and learns EXTREMELY quickly (school is ridiculously easy for him). His first grade teacher suggested that he be tested for the G&T program because she thought he may be bored in class, but he tested average.

TBH, I feel like I have completely exhausted my options. I find myself hoping that there is something out there I haven't tried (besides medication) so I don't have to go that route. But then I realize, that if he does have ADD, then it's my job to help him with that. I need to make his path as easy for him as I can...and if he's fighting an uphill battle against ADD, then of course he's going to have a hard time.

Those of you who have ADD kids, how did you find out? How are you treating it, and what are the things your kids did to make you think they may have it? I realize that many people think that ADD is over diagnosed, but we've been fighting this problem for going on 3 years now, and we have not seen any changes with his maturity level. I don't want him to fall behind, and now that he's in the 3rd grade, school is only going to get more difficult from here on out. I also don't want him to develop a reputation amongst his teachers (which, unfortunately, has already begun ) I KNOW he's capable of incredible things. i want himt o reach his full potential, to learn, to be successful...I'm just having such a hard time. School's only been in session for 2 weeks, and he's forgotten his homework twice, been sent to the office once, and I've had a phone conference with his teacher already. He's missing recess every day because he can't control himself in class. It's just not working. does anybody have any input for me? Suggestions are very welcome. Thank you so much in advance.

[Satori]

We found the feingold diet helped majorly with dd's ADHD symptoms

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I think its important to remember that there is a difference between testing and medicating. You can have him evaluated, and then you have facts to base your next decisions on. Maybe diet, OT, and behavior mod would work. Maybe he really would benefit from medication. Maybe he just doesn't like cooperating at school. Thing is, you won't know until you have him evaluated. THEN you worry about the next step.

And truly, if medication would be the best answer, wouldn't you want that for him? I'm not saying it is -- I don't have facts. But I do know that I am (*& glad that I took medication when I was struggling with depression. While I would be careful to make sure it was the right diagnosis and I had checked out/tried other options, I would MUCH rather medically treat my child for a disorder than ignore it.

IMHO, there is no valor in not getting all of the facts that you can before making a decision.

[Belleweather]

If you think it's ADD/ADHD GET HIM TESTED. It doesn't mean it's the end of the world and it doesn't mean that you have to medicate him if it isn't right for your family. But early detection is so, so important for kids with Attention issues; it means that parents can be aware and can work on teaching them the coping skills that they'll need their entire lifetime so that they become a normal part of their lives.

My DH has terrible, terrible ADHD. He was considered brilliant as a little kid because even though he couldn't concentrate he got great grades and was very involved. It was still pretty obvious that he had something going on with his ability to pay attention, though, since he'd get hit crossing the street because he couldn't rememebr to look, and was very hyper, vocal and distractable. As he grew up, he fell way behind because his work required more and more execuitve processing and prioritizing and he just couldn't manage it as well. His parents just figured he was stupid, and he didn't get any help until he was 28 and he felt like he had to do it because of me and the kids. And getting diagnosis and treatment when you're an adult or even an older teenager is immsurably harder than it is when you're a kid (partly because doctors don't believe in ADHD in older children, and partly because they assume you're trying to get drugs.)

Get him tested. If it isn't ADHD, you've ruled it out. If it is a lot can be done with therapy and diet and developing good habits.

[journeymom]

I agree with all of the above.

13 y.o. dd was diagnosed with ADHD in April. I've suspected as much since 1st grade. Seventh grade was simply HELL. She's smart, go figure, and was placed in the High Achiever program. . Good lord.

Yes, she's taking medication (Concerta). But that's not an easy out. We still help her in other ways. She's had a math tutor this summer. We've got an intensive organization - homework plan for this year. We insist she get more sleep. We've usually just let that go.

Held in from recess: I have never understood this. Well, I do, teachers do need something significant and immediate to motivate kids to behave. And it works for some kids. But recess is SOOOO important! Maybe you could talk to his teacher and see if there's an alternative consequence for him, something other than keeping him from recess.

[Mallori]

I agree with getting him tested. Take that step, evaluate what you're dealing with, then worry about treatment.

What was he like at home this summer, before school began?

[Thursday Girl]

I think you should have him tested, but for giftedness. So many kids get lumped with the bad kids, or the kids that have troubles b/c they are bored. My dd goes to a gifted school, and I hear about this all the time from parents who had kids in other schools. I can just imagine if my 5 year old had to go to kindergarten this year, it would be the same thing. She is a high energy kid anyways, and if she was just bored..well it would be the same thing. I mean even at her school when she starts to get bored the same type of things happen. Luckily at her school they have the ability to change just her curriculum, or move her up, whatever to meet her needs.

I would try to see what you can do regarding that before you start looking into the ADD thing. The school might have a program for him. Or look into both of them. Being more challenged might (or might not) take care of the problem. Either way being properly challenged is only a good thing)

Good Luck, I hope you find the right solution for your son.

(oh and I suspected giftedness before i got to the teachers suggestion)

[LauraLoo]

You may want to get this book:

"Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses Of Gifted Children And Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, And Other Disorders."

http://www.amazon.com/Misdiagnosis-D...8772579&sr=8-1

Read the reviews -- there are many behaviors that overlap with giftedness characteristics.

And I agree that he needs to be appropriately challenged. You may find out that by just being challenged he no longer is a problem in the classroom. In order to get a dx of ADHD, you have to exhibit characteristics in 2 or more settings (school, home, work, etc.) Is he like you describe at home as well?

[LauraLoo]

I also want to add that in 1st grade I got an "E" in conduct on my first report card. Apparently, I finished my work very quickly and had nothing to do, so I just talked to all my friends causing a big disruption in the classroom. I'm sure that I would have been labeled ADHD if this was happening today. I was tested, the school made changes (ability grouping,) and my "problem" went away.

Who tested your ds? Has he been tested since first grade? It might be time to test him again and you may want to consider private testing if you can swing it.

[straighthaircurly]

Originally Posted by journeymom

I agree with all of the above.



Held in from recess: I have never understood this. Well, I do, teachers do need something significant and immediate to motivate kids to behave. And it works for some kids. But recess is SOOOO important! Maybe you could talk to his teacher and see if there's an alternative consequence for him, something other than keeping him from recess.

I second that! Removing recess is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It will only make his symptoms and behavior worse and shows me how little they understand his needs. Kids need way more time outdoors running, jumping, and just experiencing the outdoor world. Studies are showing now that it does wonders for kids diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Also take a hard look at diet.

[eepster]

Originally Posted by mesa

He's missing recess every day because he can't control himself in class.

Who thought that one up? I would point out to his teachers how extremely counter productive it is to take away his only oportunity during the day to work off energy apropriately. I also think that you should have a full assesment done, one that test not just for ADD, but also fr giftedness and other issues that might not be as obvious.

[Rose-Roget]

Originally Posted by eepster

I would point out to his teachers how extremely counter productive it is to take away his only oportunity during the day to work off energy apropriately. I also think that you should have a full assesment done, one that test not just for ADD, but also for giftedness and other issues that might not be as obvious.

:

[elizam]

From what I understand, it is better to find out if they have ADHD or not, and if they do, it is better than having them labelled just plain old "BAD"

I have a ds with ADHD. The only negative of getting this diagnosis has been that, once they find out he has it, the teachers treat him worse and nag him, let me know every time he doesn't pay attention well in class, etc.

He didn't get the dx till 8th grade, because we avoided it by homeschooling elementary grades. K and first he was showing signs, and always lost recess.

I now know that you can have a 504 plan and specifically require taht they NOT be denied recess.

[textbookcase]

Definitely get him tested if you're concerned.

[cosmos]

I have heard Occupational Therapy for kids can be a very good solution for ADHD and the bordeline kids, and just in general to help kids deal with all the input they are receiving. Afriend of mine has a son who had a lot of similar symptoms, and one thing that made ALL the difference for him was to have his desk turned almost completely away from the teacher so he had to use his whole body in a very physical way to watch/listen to the teacher, for him it kept him focused and he was like a different kid with no further disruptions.

Getting your DS tested is a good place to start, but I would stronly push for some alternative ways to cope w/ behavior. Our school district employs a FT Occupationl Therapist and it is a very small district. Good Luck!

[mesa]

thank you for all the help! Is there any way to learn about the Feingold diet without paying a $90 subscription fee? We *really* can't afford that right now.

It's so hard to deal with these issues, and then deal with what appears to be overreactions on the part of the school, you know? We are in our 4th week of school right now, and Nicolas has already had 2 referrals to the office, one of which was for pouring his paint water into another kid's cup in art class.

How do you deal with a school administration that takes things like the cup incident so incredibly seriously? Part of me thinks they are coming down especially hard on Nicolas because of his reputation (and make no mistake, he definitely has one ) His teacher and I have had a couple of conferences already. She's a toughie. She's threatening suspension and exclusion from field trips at this point. On the other hand, I also don't want to be that parent who's always "making excuses", you know?

We're going out of town this weekend, and I've made the appointment to have him evaluated for ADHD when we get back next week. Will these same people evaluate him for giftedness, too? I don't know who to talk to about that. I'm having to go through the county for the ADHD testing because my pediatrician doesn't do it.

[eepster]

Originally Posted by mesa

I'm having to go through the county for the ADHD testing because my pediatrician doesn't do it.

That's actually a very good thing. Your pediatrician is a medical Dr not a phyciatrist or phycologist. I get very annoyed when I hear about pediatricians or general practitioners Px for psyciatric conditions. Be glad your Dr knows his/her limits and doesn't think he/she's god.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by mesa

We're going out of town this weekend, and I've made the appointment to have him evaluated for ADHD when we get back next week. Will these same people evaluate him for giftedness, too? I don't know who to talk to about that. I'm having to go through the county for the ADHD testing because my pediatrician doesn't do it.

Call back and ask them. This is very, very important to know. If the place that you are taking your ds only does ADHD testing, you could get a skewed picture.

http://www.sengifted.org/articles_co...ldForADD.shtml

There is a lot more information on www.hoagiesgifted.org --

[MCR]

I know my friends oldest many years back was in the gifted and talented school and getting straight A's but he was as you describe your son. The school was very competitive and other kids started to resent his interruptions this was in 6th grade.
Finally he did get evaluated and eventually ended up taking medication along with caffeine each morning, he was so much happier, and did extremely well the rest of his time at that school. It turned out both parents were also ADD, neither one could stay organized or find what they needed. It affected their careers pretty badly too.

[Miss Information]

When I had my daughter tested for selective mutism, we chose a pediatric neuropsychologist.

They have more extensive training than your typical pyschologist, and their function is to examine the child in the context of learning ability. They have specific tests to determine both normal and abnormal brain function, and it goes beyond brain--->behavior. They can also include neurological evaluations.

In addition, a pediatric neuropsych will often take the age of the child into account, building breaks in where necessary as the child needs it.

For dd, she had developmental assessments, one of which was indicative of her cognitive abilities. While not a true IQ test, had she not been mute, I'm sure they would have given her an IQ test. But since non-verbal response aren't allowed on IQ tests, she was given a test that measured cognitive ability yet allowed non-verbal responses.

She was also given tests to measure attention. While we found out she wasn't truly ADD, she has attention issues related to sensory issues and the mutism. When she is in her shut down mode, she tends to drift. She also gets hyper, when she has physical activity that breaks her out of her mutism.

A good pediatric neuropsychologist will help you flesh out what is up with your child. But, with any professional, you need to call and find out what you will get in the assessment.

Here is a website that describes what I mean in more detail.

http://www.pediatricneuropsychology.com/