Glad To Find This Board | ADHD Information

Thanks OlderMom...    I have written down "neuropsychologist" and will be looking for one this week to get my son set up with an appointment.  I felt like I had seen every specialist under the sun but I do believe that may be the one specialist that no doctor ever mentioned (which I find very strange).  I find it especially strange that the doctors so far aren't that interested in giving a diagnosis...his psychiatrist has said, "the treatments are the same..." .  How can that be?  How can you fix something if you don't know how it's broken?  I think my common sense alarm is going off big time. 

[QUOTE=NoTellin]For ADHD children, I think a rewards/points system works better than cleaning all of the toys out of the room (I've tried both). You might want to search under the word "marble" on this board for info on a reward system. Are the meds causing the aggressive behavior or was it present before the meds? How long has that been going on for?[/QUOTE]

I've tried a reward system that really worked for awhile but it has since fizzled off.  Now I've taken away television privileges, some toys, etc.  The aggressive behavior was there before the medication unfortunately.  Honestly I can't remember a time when he wasn't aggressive.  Even as a baby he'd fight you, arch his back, scream, etc.  I will check out the marble reward system.

Has your son ever seen a NeuroPsych? Of all professionals, NeuroPsychs are great at getting to all the roots and causes of problems. Often a dx. of ADHD is either incorrect or not the full picture and, if not completely correct, stims and Straterra can actually make things worse. You can find NeuroPsychs thru Neurologists (no, they aren't the same) and Univeristy or Children's hospitals. If there are mood disorders, substance abuse, or suicide in the family tree, you could be looking at a mimicker, like early onset bipolar. For Neurological problems, it could be high functioning autism. My son's first dx. was ADHD/ODD. He is actually PDD-NOS, quite different, but it presented the same when young. The NeuroPsych spent twelve hours testing him before diagnosing. He's done great since then.   Carla, Just wanted to say "Hi", I too am in Missouri, about an hour south of St. Louis. We are just beginning our trips to the different doctors with my 4yr son. I just found this board last week and it has heped me so much already, though it also made me realize how little I know. There seems to be alot of experience and wisdom in this group. I agree it is nice to find people who understand. Be strong. I have found lately when my son has stressed me out, that it helps to go back later when he is sleeping looking so peaceful. It reminds me that he is still just my little boy who wants to be loved. Carla, welcome!  You are not alone.  You certainly have made the rounds with diagnosticians.  With aggressive behavior on stimulants, you could be looking at bipolar.  But with developmental and speech delays and hyperactive behavior, you could also be looking at autism spectrum disorder.  I would recommend an evaluation by a neuropsychologist (generally found at children's or university hospitals), who can assess for many childhood neurological disorders.  Nailing the diagnosis down is the only way you'll be able to put the proper interventions into place.  Good luck! For ADHD children, I think a rewards/points system works better than cleaning all of the toys out of the room (I've tried both). You might want to search under the word "marble" on this board for info on a reward system. Are the meds causing the aggressive behavior or was it present before the meds? How long has that been going on for?Even the little things can be important.  You never know what information will help the doc get an idea that will turn out to be the diagnosis.  It may feel like you are grasping at straws but really this is a long hard process.  You never know what will happen.

Has any of the drs mentioned childhood bipolar? Most Drs deny that it exists. When a child with bipolar is put on ADHD meds--they can go into mania or raging.

Have the Drs said anything about any other diagnosis?

I have taken him to see everyone from his pediatrician to THE top Pediatric Neurologist at St. Louis Children's Hospital.  We have gotten really no concrete diagnosis of anything yet other than he has developmental delays, significant speech delays and ADHD.  As far as bipolar I had not even heard of that until looking at the message boards today.  I'm making a list of things to take to the psychiatrist for our appointment on Friday.  Going to bring up bipolar as well as essential fatty acid deficiency.  I feel like I'm just reaching around for straws at this point. 

Thank you both for your posts!

Carla
Oh Carla honey you are not alone at all.  I have felt the same way with my son Andrew.  Things are not easy I know and these are not easy kids at all.  I am in one of those days where I am gonna lose it.I'm really glad to have stumbled across this board today.  I'm a mother of 2 boys, ages 6 and 2.  My oldest is believed to have ADHD and probably a vast array of other problems.  No one seems to be able, or is interested in giving us a complete diagnosis for him.  I adopted him as a single mother when he was two years of age, but had him as his foster mother since he was three weeks old.  I feel like I've been through hell with him.  Seems like there's little relief provided by educators, therapists, or specialists.  We began the medication route (with much reluctancy) when he was 3 1/2 years old.  He responded VERY well to Clonidine for a few years.  Life before that was absolute hell for everyone in the family.  We started seeing a psychiatrist (among other doctors) about 6 months ago and have gone through Strattera and are now on Concerta.  The Concerta seemed to work very well for about a month but after that we started seeing aggressive behavior at school.  He's been hitting and kicking teachers, grabbing students, etc.  He has at least one or two incidents everyday for about 2 1/2 weeks now.  At home he seems to act ok.  We've taken his television privileges away and most of his toys.  His room is totally cleaned out.  He can be very destructive at times.  Anyway, there's a lot more to the story but I don't want to write a novel here.  Came to this board out of frustration with my son's behavior at school and it's SUCH a relief to find that I'm not alone in this world with these kinds of problems.  I wish none of us had to go through this but it feels a little better knowing that somebody out there understands.   (Tears of Joy)

Seems like my life has been consumed with my son so much so that I've lost touch with all my friends and have lost every bit of what I once called a "life".  My "life" has become trying to unravel the mysteries of my son. 

I'm looking forward to meeting lots of you!

Carla
Missourimommy,
I am from Illinois, only 70 miles from St.Louis.  My 12 year old son has add.  We have taken him to the most wonderful dr. in St.Louis.  I would not trade him for anything.  He is a child pediatrician and child psychiatrist both.  I can't say enough good things about him.  He told me that everyone in his family has adhd except for his dog.  He is brilliant and he has done wonders for my son Hunter.  I am a teacher, and he was recommended by someone in my school system.  His name is Jeffery Schulman.  He is located on ballas road.  I can give you more info. if needed.  Thought you might like to know since you seem closely located.
Shannon M.   Thank you SO much for the information.  My son just started seeing his psychiatrist about 6 months ago and I really don't know what to think of him as of yet.  I will definately write that doctor's name down and consider setting up an appointment if only to get a second opinion even.  Again, thank you for the advice.