ADDH Diagnosis

my son's dr says sometimes meds are needed..mine def has ADHD..is on adderal xr just calms him down..was told that if a child is medicated then they become zombie like but if the right meds just helps to focus my son feels so much better..Anyways its normal for little kids to be hyper to a point..good luck

Hi!
I have a 7 year old and I was where you are when my son was 6. I thought he had autism, add, adhd, etc. He could not focus on a specific activity without acting out, hitting, drooling, and body tic'ing. I couldn't get anywhere with medical doctors. They just kept sending Dean for medical tests...mri's, blood work, etc. I knew something wasn't right but I also knew (in my gut) that he didn't need med's. His body tics were getting so bad and he was getting worse with getting distracted, acting out, tiredness, etc. Then a miracle happened....
A stranger overheard a conversation I was having with a friend about my son and told me a name of a doctor to go to. She said, call Dr. Weiss in Middletown. He is amazing and has changed my childs life.
Me and Dean went in Dec. 2006 and thought we were in the wrong office...chiropractor??!! No, I wasn't. He tested Deans Rapid Eye Movement by having him follow a striped scarf. There was a head piece on his head with a camera and we watched his eye movements on the tv. Oh my god...What I saw with his eye movements...very slow...not the typical eye movements. Dr. Weiss explained his brain is "tired" and that is why he acts the way he does. His eye movements were slow because he was "tired" and that is why he couldn't focus on an activity and was over stimulated. He told us what to do at home with excercises to build his Cerabellum of his brain which would increase his rapid eye movement so he wouldn't get overstimulated. How did it work?....
It was a miracle! After 1 month Dean stopped body tic'ing! He also was able to sit still in class and focus on an activity!! He also stopped acting aggressive and stopped drooling and bed wetting!! It has been life changing for him (and me!).
I'm sorry to write so much! If you want more info about my son, email me at ____@____.com doctors name is William Weiss ###-###-####. Trust me I know what you are going through and you are not alone.

I hope this helps and if you ever want to talk more, just let me know.

Also, The Center for Pediatric Therapy is a great place to get an evaluation. Dean goes to them now for Occupational Therapy regarding his sensory issues.

Hi S.,
I am very sorry to hear this ADHD is a very difficult illness for children my son has the combined type, along with many other diagnoisis. To determine if what we were experimenting was ADHD I took him to the only child behavorial specialtist in the pawtucket providence area he has been treating my son for 4 years now and is really great.There are 3 types of ADHD
1)Hyperactive impulse type 2) inattentive type 3) combined type
symptoms of inattention

fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
has diffuculty maintaining attention in tasks or play activities
does not seem to listen when spoken directly to
fails to complete school work,chores,or on the job duties
has difficulty organizing tasks or activities
avoids or dislikes tasks that require sustained mental effort such as schoolwork or homework
looses things necessary for tasks or assignments toys, pencils, assignments,tools
is easily distracted
is often forgetful in daily activities

symptoms of hyperactivity

fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
leaves seat in classrom or in other situations in which remaing seated is expected
runs or climbs excessivly when inappropriate
has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly
is always on the go as if driven by a motor
often talks alot non stop
overwhelmed by feelings or restlessness

symptoms of impulsivity

blurts out answers before a question has been completed
has difficulty waiting his or her turn
interrupts or intrudes on others butts into conversations or games

I hope this info has helped if you want the # to that doctor please email me back at ____@____.com and I have sevreal books about adhd what causes it how it is treated etc.
I would have no problem giving you the blue print one it tells you everything in a short way it has really helped me understand more about this disorder because medication is not gonna help it alone. Any further questions or you need anything please email me and i will be happy to help.
Good Luck D.!

I think the previous response is a fantastic way to approach the situation. ADD and it's brothers are often used to diagnose a huge array of problems, and all they do is drug up the kids to settle them down instead of finding the sourse of the problem. You work, and I know not only do you need to work, but you are working for your daughters future. She might be at an age where she needs to find her identity, and as smart as kids are they work adults to get the responses they want. Good luck, sounds like you have done a fantastic job thus far. I am an avocate of Dr. Phil's book Family First, it is a fantastic no BS book about real life families and their situations. Good luck again!

both my boys are adhd. the first step is to talk to your dr. if they dont seem to want to help you can get in contact with a mental health place and set your son up with an appointment to determine if he is indeed adhd or not. they have you fill out a questionaire and teachers if there are any. then they talk to the kid observe them. it is usually apprent right away if a child is adhd or not hope that helps you out.

J.

My son just turned 6 in April....Children nowadays have many different stimuli that their brains react to. Everything is not ADHD rather just a child who is just unfocused at times which is quite natural for children at this age. Most times, change in diet ( less sweets and doritos,etc which have msg and chemicals which send children's minds into overload) and reduction of tv,video games,comp time..those types of thing, can help diminish the symptoms. They tried to say my son was ADHD and I sought a second AND third opinion and decided to go with the approach I mentioned earlier. My son is well-nbehaved and rarely has tantrums and the like anymore. Good luck to you hun.

as a nurse the best way to have an accurate diagnosis is through through a phsyciatrist and a neurologist..they should give you forms for any teachers day care providers and your self to fill out. I would also reccomend a second oppinion before starting any medicine!!!

Yes, my almost 9 year old daughter has been diagnosed with ADD. Here is a list of some symptoms: (My daughter displays just about ALL of the symptoms)

_ Often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated.

_ Having difficulty remaining seated.

_ Being easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.

_ Having difficulty awaiting turn in games or group activities.

_ Often blurting out answers before questions are completed.

_ Having difficulty in following instructions.

_ Having difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.

_Often shifting from one uncompleted task to another.

_ Having difficulty playing quietly.

_Often talking excessively.

_ Often interrupting or intruding on others.

_ Often not listening to what is being said.

_Often forgetting things necessary for tasks or activities.

_Often engaging in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences.

The ADD symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD are further broken into three specific categories, each with its specific clinical presentation that better describes a child�s behavior.

These ADD symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD categories are Inattentive Type (classic Attention Deficit Disorder), Hyperactive/Impulsive Type (classic Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and Combined Type (a combination of inattentive and hyperactive).

Inattention ADD symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder:

_ often fails to give close attention to details.

_ often makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.

_ often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.

_ often becomes easily distracted by irrelevant sights, sounds and extraneous stimuli.

_ often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.

_often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace.

_ often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities.

_ often avoids tasks, such as schoolwork or homework, that require sustained mental effort.

_ often loses things necessary for tasks or activities, like school assignments, pencils, books, or tools.

_ often is forgetful in daily activities.

_ rarely follows instructions carefully and completely.

People with ADD symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder who are inattentive display difficulty keeping their mind on any one thing. They may get bored easily with a task and bounce to the next task, and the next task after that. Organizing and completing a task proves troublesome, though they may give undivided and effortless attention to activities and topics they enjoy. People with ADD symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder often find that focusing deliberate, conscious attention to learning something new is extremely difficult.

As a result, homework may be agonizing for people with the symptoms of ADD. They might forget to write down assignments or bring home the right books to complete the assignments. When doing homework, people with the symptoms of ADD typically find their minds drifting every few minutes.

Hyperactivity/Impulsive ADHD symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder:

_often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.

_ often runs, climbs or leaves seat in settings where remaining seated is expected.

_ often runs about excessively in situations in where it is inappropriate.

_ often has difficulty playing quietly in leisure activities.

_ is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor."

_ often talks excessively.

_often blurts out answers before hearing the entire question.

_ often has difficulty awaiting turn or for a turn.

_ often interrupts or intrudes on others at school or work and at home.

- often feels and acts restless.

Ony a doctor and psychologist in my opinion can diagnose a child. My daughter has been on Adderral XR and Concserta. It showed results, but she had no appetite, and turned into a skeleton, and she was mean, bossy, and depressed on the medications. We are currently trying her on a medication that is used (in only Higher doses) for controlling blood pressure. It seems to be working, but we are thinking they need to up the dosage a bit. It is a never ending battle, and I wish you lots of luck!

Hi S.,

Did you ever get any responses to your inquiry? I live in Monmouth County, New Jersey. If you are in that area as well, you might want to contact Monmouth Medical Center and ask them if they still hold the C.H.A.D.D. group meetings.

I am 61 years old and have had A.D.D. my whole life, but back when I was growing up no one knew about A.D.D. they just thought you were 'ODD'. It was hard to deal with, especially on my own. I knew I wasn't part of the mainstream of kids, but not having any 'real symptoms' I was just labeled 'different' from the teachers and the other kids. I can tell you that I've learned to deal with my A.D.D. over the year but I was relieved to find out that it had a name. When my daughter was diagnosed with it that's when I knew what I had. Neither she nor I have a severe case of it (bouncing off walls, etc.) we have a milder form of it. In my case I have trouble reading..I CAN read, it just takes me several trys sometimes to get my brain to concentrate on the words on the page. I've developed my own technique to studying that works for me and I was able to get through college because of it!

You need to determine the severity of your daughter's A.D.D. and go from there. The first step is to find a support group and talk to others who have our problem. It will really help you and your daughter out. I found attending some of those meetings that I mentioned before helped me understand myself so much better. Good luck. Let me know how you make or made out. Here's my e-mail address if you'd like to contact me:
____@____.com

Our now 11 yr old had severe ADHD & Oppositional Defience Disorder aka ODD. His was diagnosed at the age of 2 yrs. We changed his diet, worked attitudinally with him, anything but prescriptions. We heard a lot about Neurofeedback but there was no one offering it at the time. Last summer we were blessed with someone that was administering NF in our area. We had an appointment to see her but first with a neurologist who while handing us a prescription said he did not want to push medication! I asked him about neurofeedback of which he replied he had no experience in biofeedback! I was floored as this man was highly recommended in helping children with ADHD and up to date on all treatments/therapies. We left his office knowing we needed to try neurofeedback as medication was not an option for us. Within 2 weeks of NF treatment our son was a different person. He seemed truly happy, no more frustration over not being great at something the first try, no more sleep deprived nights for him, he began to join in with group activities at school and now is known as a leader. If you go to Yahoo search and type in neurofeedback a ton of info comes up. Read up, it may help.
Good luck!

Nan

An ADHD diagnosis is done not by one but by a few. Your Peds. doc may recomend seeing a counselor first and then go from there. Also you can ask how she's behaving in school and so on, get as many ADHD experienced people involved as possible. Ie: Doctors, Teacher, School Guidance Counselor, School Social worker and seek counseling for your lil one. I hoped this helped some and good luck.

hi S... i currently going through the same situation with my 6 yr old boy ..today actually we are you going to a dooctor for a adhd evaluation... i think thats the first step but i refuse to put my child on aderal or or the other famous one there. Has anyone have an alternative to these to? i have found a website and i have thought about using it even though it is like 30$ for a 30 day supply.. here is the website www.nativeremedies.com please tell me what you think

Both of my older boys ages 13 and almost 11 now were both diagnosed with ADHD when they were younger. With both of them it was a year long process involving their teachers, doctors, myself and school counselors. They were both evaluated by everyone in all different situations before a diagnosis and treatment plan was developed. I would voice your concerns with your daughters teachers and doctor but don't allow them to bully you into medicating unless it is absolutely neccessary. My oldest doesn't take any meds he has counseling and we monitor his behavior regularly and take different approaches to learning and behavior control and he seems to be doing well. While my 11 yr old is on medication. Every child is different and any evaluation should be complete and extensive before making a diagnosis. The most important thing is to take a very active roll in the process and don't allow teachers to push you into medicating a child if it is not neccessary.

What symptoms? As parents I think that sometimes we tend to overanalyze. What about her makes you think she may have ADHD?
Does her school think that?

my daughter was diagnosed twice with add. after much worry and trying several different councelors I had her tested and found out she was gifted and just bored. her mind needs to be challenged. she is now in 8th grade gifted classes and making honor roll.

My daughter now 16 - is add - i am also adhd. We started w/my daughter when she was in kindergarten when i noticed her focus issues. There are different degree's - her's was mainly focus and not paying attention to task. I had to be involved w/the school - we created an IEP - Individual E ? Plan - the school tested her - there is availability at the schools to have to test her - i believe this is a federal law. She is now a Junior in high school and the IEP has followed her. This is not a quick fix - it still takes me time b/c the teachers do not always follow up w/me when they see she is not doing well. And she also doesn't tell me when she is struggling - so it is still very frustrating - but there is a point that she now 16 needs to start being more responsible in knowing how she learns and what she needs in order to learn. As for your daughter - you have to be totally involved because you know your daughter better than they do. Have her tested - have her class modified - example: Bri takes her tests in a quiet room - she is allowed to leave and spend that time w/her resource teacher. She is allowed more time to take her test because she would never finish them and just rush through them selecting any answer. Each teacher has to follow the modifications and if you put in there that you want an update every 2 weeks - then they have to comply.

Hope this helps.