I don’t think it’s ADHD--at all..... | ADHD Information

My reason of concern about ADHD is the dumb school. First---they accuse me of having "Munchausen" and I'm making my child ill. I'm "drugging" him and he is "out of it". Wish he was like that at home!! So----my decidsion to take him off meds--to prove my point of my son has a disorder. Then---after meds stopped-----he looked like a severe ADHD'er. And occas aggressiveness.

This school has ZERO ASD kids in it. They have no clue what an ASD kid looks like, acts like, etc. I'm pretty sure they think it means--"Rainman". And he certainly isn't that!! They don't understand that it is a "spectrum" disorder. They probably don't even know what that means. The special ed "resource" person said that since he got ASD ruled out at 3y---he can't have it now. She said that you just can't "get it". She doesn't understand that it was very difficult to dx the kid at 3y---because of everything else going on with him.

I think they think he's ADHD. Once again--they don't understand that he can't take stim's because of bp. We tried them--while on mood stab. and it didn't work. They wanted to know when are we trying them again. Thank goodness our psych was there at that meeting and told them we don't try them again after a bad reaction.

They also don't understand that inattention is due to sensory and if they HAD an OT that did sensory issues---it would help alot.

Can you tell I'm not happy with our school situation?????

Holly,

For what it's worth, my 9 year old is Bipolar and PDD-NOS (high functioning) - in the process of neuropsych testing. He, too, has ADHD stuck on him for the moment, but we're in the process of outruling that. PDD children can also be very hyperactive, so the pdoc asks if he's hyper because of ADHD or is it due to the PDD? I don't think my son was every really ADHD either.

The Tegretol and Risperdal did not work for him- sent him into mania, however, he is on Lithium now, 900 mg a day, 300 AM, 600 PM with a theraputic level of .91, and alot of the odd/strange behaviors that accompanied his PDD-NOS have subsided (the sensory stuff, having to touch things that are not appropriate, things of that nature).  If he is having meltdowns and raging now, I would suggest taking a 2nd look at the Lithium. My son has not had one rage since the 2nd week of January (he started the Lithium 12-28-05). Not one, not even a mini meltdown. Nothing.

Although we added Abilify to the Lithium mix, and that really made the difference. The Lithium calmed the rages, but did not help with anything else. The Abilify took care of the rest  (it's even helping now with his anxiety - go figure).

I don't know that the BP meds mask the behaviors, per se, but I do believe with my own son, once the raging was squashed, we started to see a better (and sometimes different LOL) side of him.

Janna

 

janna38799.6308912037Interesting on bp meds masking the autistic symptoms. My son is actually better off the meds. He was on Lithium and Seroquel. Unfortunately, since all of the childhood disorders overlap in symptoms, it's hard for professionals to figure out what is what. We had to go to a NeuroPsych to figure out he didn't even have bipolar,b ut PDD-NOS. It is common for PDD kids to talk to themselves, which can make them seem mentally ill. However, they are NOT hearing or seeing things that aren't there, as in some bipolar kids. Rather, they tend to repeat what's on television or make obnoxious noises (which is a stim). The big red flag for talking to oneself is if the child sounds like he's conversing with a real person who isn't there. Then it could be hallucinations. Autistic kids shouldn't have hallucinations, unless they also have early onset bipolar. It's far from easy to nail these kids right. Very hard. My heart goes out to you. Sadly, the school's ignorance of ASD isn't unique. And it can be falsely ruled out at three and turn out that the diagnostitian was wrong. There is no blood test. If it were me, I'd pull the kid out of school, homeschool, or put him in a private school while I took him for more help. You may work, and not be able to do it. In that case, I'd call the State Dept. of Public Ed for help. That SD sounds nuts. And I'm sure they have had many ASD kids, but don't know what it looks like, as, unfortunately, many parents don't either and accept ADHD, even when there are obvious more severe problems. The first day I met my autistic son's Special Ed teacher, she asked, "What is PDD-NOS?" Yes, it was a SPECIAL ED teacher!!!! We were lucky. She read everything we gave her and sat and listened to us. But not all schools are that flexible. Schools have ADHD on the brain every time a child bounces around a little. Trust me, I've been there. The problem is, it could just be a bouncy kid or it could be bipolar disorder, high functioning autism, anexiety disorder, the list is endless. And often they "suggest" you give your kid a stimulant. Wonder if they'd be so quick to put their own kid on drugs that are abused by teens in droves. Oh, well. I hope you call your Dept. of Public Education. We got great results by doing that. (((Hugs))) OlderMom38800.23

Oldermom--

We actually took him off of meds about 8 weeks ago. He was on lithium, tegretol and risperdal.

He is med-free !!! I'm not sure if it's a good thing yet. He's been OK. The first 2 weeks off of meds were bad--but he has stabled out and autistic symptoms have really shown thru that weren't there before. Or at least not as bad.

The good things about no meds: His real personality is showing thru, no side effects from that lithium(peeing/drinking), more alert and talking more, more receptive to learning.

The bad things that have shown up: more irritable, can not do ANY transitions without a huge meltdown, Stimming all the time, more intense obsessions and will not remove self from them, talking to himself, just acting "weird".

I didn't think bp meds would "mask" autistic behaviors. But I guess if the meds were "dulling" him---then everything would be dulled.

I have one question for you. With all of the other things going on with him why are you so concerned about adhd? I don't know how anyone could tell the difference with all the he has going on. Is the school pressureing you or something? IMac38945.8694444444

Just when I question my son's bipolar--I was reminded tonight!!! I thought maybe he was just HFA and no bipolar.

Once again--he got kicked out of childcare at our sports club. I think he scared the worker. He told her he didn't have to listen to her and that he was going to kill her. Threw things, hitting things, etc.  All she did was turn the TV off after he became defiant. She had never taken care of him before. He was good---we brought the gameboy--he lasted 1 hour--not bad.

This was about 1.5 hours ago and still not completely calmed down. Luckily I was able to get him outside to burn off energy.

Neuropsychs are very good at diagnosing. That being said, not all are as sharp or thorough. You may want to call your closest autism society for a referral. That's how we got ours. He did twelve hours of testing and refused to diagnose anything until all the testing was over. He was the most honest professional I ever saw. At the end he said, "My BEST GUESS, based on all the test results and the forms you fill out is, PDD-NOS." He was right. My son fits it to a "T." It *is* easier to see it as they get older. The social differences become glaring. These kids are very much "odd ducks." But they usually improve a lot with the right interventions. My son went from a raging, crazed, furious kid to a couch potato who would NEVER be misdiagnosed with ADHD, yet that was his first diagnosis. He was so hyper back then. Very hard to get it right, but worth the fight.

Sounds like it is definitely time to get an advocate.  There is some info on the ADHD in Schools board on how to get one or you can google wrights law advocate.  If your DS has a formal disability, he should have formal accommodations, *especially* if they are readily available at another school in your district, and they should be enforced. 

OlderMom is totally right, you don't mess around with the school system when they accuse you of having Munchausen, or anything for that matter.  It sounds like the school has no respect for you (if this is the way they're treating your DS's case) so it will be really hard to get anything accomplished.  If it were me, I would have gone millitant mommy on them and lawyered up (well maybe I would fantasize about going millitant anyway).

For a second opinion, neuro psychiatrists come pretty highly recommended here.  If you suspect HFA and need a specific recommendation, check the AS boards, this one is good http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ for a child psychiatrist that has experience diagnosing HFA and AS.

**I don't mean to rant  but it really T*'s me off when schools pick on parents and don't listen.  You know your child best!

IMac38945.868900463IMac38945.8690972222

This school really has ZERO ASD kids. We have a school in our district that has an autism program--but we can't go to that because this is our neighbor school.

I just got back from conferences. I got the "feeling" they think all his problems with transitions is ME. Power struggle. He is OK for them with transitions. They suggested to use the stickers for good behavior, etc. They kept bringing it up about how he responds really well to positive--all the time. You'd think I'm mean to my kid or something---I just want him out of the house and into the van!!

They totally told me that the CD player is not allowed in class. I used it to help transition him. It worked. They said it was a distraction and he was using it to get out of doing his work. (he's pretty smart!!)  

I can't go to the other school without his neighborhood school approving it. That will never happen. We can't move to the other school area---we just moved 1 year ago and refinianced 2 weeks ago.

I could homeschool---I did with my older girls until my son got out of hand. I have no patience anymore to homeschool. Especially him. It would be too hard on me.

I feel helpless!

The reason I suggested anything except staying in this school district is because they threatened to turn you in for Manchusen's. Other parents on the bipolar board have had their kids removed for Manchusens when they have bipolar. The State insists that the parents are making it up or are the cause. One of the nicest ladies I ever chatted with lost her kids about three years ago with the state insisting she had Manchusen's by Proxy. Her son was sometimes psychotic. She was a caring mother. The minute a school district threatens you with something as serious as that, if it were me, I'd get the hey out of there. That's a serious charge that is hard to refute--they just keep making you look more and more crazy. I never ask for state services either (TSS etc.) because I was a foster mom and I know social services--for the most part they are clueless about neurological and mental health concerns and blame you. We  have needed to deal with them for certain kids and they scare me to death. I don't want them in our lives. If they say your kid is abused, even if it's false, you'll have a hard time winning in court. (((Hugs))) and I hope you can find somebody to properly diagnose this child. I believe that he's ASD. He sounds it. But you'll need a private NeuroPsych to test him. High Functioning autism has only been recognized for about ten years and many professionals don't exactly brush up their learning skills. Many go strictly with what they were taught at school. I strongly recommend a university hospital NeuroPsych. They are usually more updated and most take even Medicaid. Take care :)

He's been dx by our child psychiatrist--but I really want another opinion. Chances are---no one will officially dx him--because he is still such a "mutt" kind of kid. He seems to have sypmtoms of everything. I've been told the only way we will know is later---about middle school age.

I didn't know whether a neuropsych, neurodevelopmental, or what--is better at autism type things.

If he has "mania" then he has early onset bipolar, which would explain his uneven behavior (moodswings). It manifests more subtly in kids. ADHD and autism are chronic. Autistic kids can focus better sometimes than others, but not for six weeks. What meds is he on?

 

OlderMom38799.2352662037Just another comment on behavior being seen at school -- we see a definite increase in behavior at school b/c there is MUCH more stimulation than at home.  It is much easier for our son to focus at home and be still b/c there is not a lot of extra stuff going on like at school......

My son is 6y and dx with a few things. ADHD being one of them---kind of. It was never told to me outright. I found out by what the pdoc has sent to the school. I don't think he is ADHD at all. He has none of those behaviors at home. He fidgets alot--continual---but not hyper, and hyperfocuses 100% of the time. It's only at school he has attention problems and impulsive. He is impulsive at home sometimes.

I guess I believe that my son is mostly high fucntioning autism and all the inattention is sensory based. Give the kid a fidget toy and he is able to do his work----and it's done perfectly.

Is it possbily to have just "school" ADHD? I thought it had to be in 2 different settings to be dx?

He is only hyper when going into mania. So there are days were he is extremely ADHDish.

Do ADHD kids have days of being calm and normal? My son hasn't been hyper for about 6 weeks now.