Can it really be ADHD | ADHD Information

All right. Take a deep breath. At just four years old it's unlikely anyone will be able to accurately diagnose him for sure.Dx. in young kids are fluid and tend to change as new stuff pops up when they get older. Almost everything is said to be ADHD, even if it's not (experience talking here). I would take this child to a NeuroPsycologist and no other type of professional. They do tons of testing (performance and otherwise) and will be able to come as close to an accurate workign diagnosis as possible. Touching kid's bottoms is not charactoristic of ADHD. It is not necessarily charactoristisc of any one disorder, but it's different. So is being figety, but it is not exclusive to ADHD nor writing on the walls at school. Don't let teachers insist he has ADHD and needs stimulants until you take him for a NeuroPsych evaluation. Teachers *always* think ADHD whenever anything is out of the ordinary. They seem unable to think outside the box (trust me, I've been there/done that). It's like they only heard of ADHD as a reason  for kids to have problems undertanding/listening. A NeuroPsych can test for ADHD and beyond--LD problems, auditory processing deficits, high functioning autism (althought this is a real fooler in a younger child and often is misdiagnosed until a child is 10 or older) and maybe even be able to see if the charactorstics are more consistent with early onset bipolar and more. A regular therapist, pediatrician, anyone from school etc. are not good at testing or diagnosing...they rarely take the hours a professional needs or administer the proper tests. And medicating a child without first being sure what he has can be dangerous. My son was on 9-11 meds that he didn't need, and I could kick myself for not being more cautious. Had I heard of neuropsychs, when my son was 3, we would have gone to one, but I'd never heard of them. I wish you luck. Your child is so young that it is likely you will only get half answers right now. I hope you go to the best professional around. Take care :)

OlderMom38803.4718634259Thanks for your quick response.  I am trying to stay calm and keep myself educated about this situation and my son happy!  He is truly the best.  Last night I actually started looking up some nuerologist, but I will take your advice and find a nueropsychologist.  Thanks again.  You've helped me to pull it together again and get re focused!Best advice is NOT TO PANIC or jump to any conclusions and YES educate yourself on all childhood disorders so you have some idea in your head of what may be going on. NeuroPsychs are the best. Most Neurologists work with them and refer parents to them to do this sort of testing. They focus on your child like no other professionals do and, imo, are the most accurate. I'd lay low on the medicating until you feel certain you have a correct dx. My son was on three stimulants for three years and he shouldn't have been on any. I really wish we'd been more careful and questioned more :)I sent a post last year around this time about how the teachers at my sons school thought my son Elijah (then 3 years old) had ADD .  This is the second year that my son Elijah who is now 4 has been attending this small private pre-school.  Some of the issues he had last year are gone and some are still existing.  The teachers haven't said anything to me about him having ADD this year but I know that's what they are still thinking.  For the most part he completes his school work about 98% of the time.  Once in a while there are days he is totally unfocused.  But the things that he is repeatedly doing is playing during naptime.  Playing with his blanket and cot, making noises and talking to his friends, playing with his clothing and one time he actually got up off of his cot and wrote on the walls with crayons!  During circle time he still is constantly moving around and playing with any little thing he can find from his shoe laces to lint on the carpet.  But, the funny thing is the teachers of course think he is not paying attention.  But when they ask the class a question about what they were just discussing 9 times out of 10 Elijah is the only one who knows the answer (how does he do that?).  He is so hard headed he clearly can recite the rules of the classroom, if he disobeys them he will automatically tell the rule he broke and the correct behavior.  Yet in still he will give you repeat display of that rule he broke one minute after the teachers have talked to him.  Now, he has been touching the behinds of the students.  Not outside of their pants either, he would slip his hand in the back of their pants.  I have repeatedly talk to him about the importance of privacy and no one should touch his body and he should touch others.  For about a month he did this off and on and then it stopped for the last several months.  But last week he did it again 4 times.  I am concerned because I do not know where he is getting this from.  He without a doubt does not see any behaviors like this between his father and myself.  He doesn't watch any racy things on tv and I also have open discussions with him about how it is not okay for anyone to touch him on his private areas.  We do not use the word secret in our house, so that no one will try to use that to take advantage of him. I love him dearly, and at home we are not experiencing any heightened or abnormal behaviors of a pre-school would do.  Why is there this constant struggle at school.  He is so sweet, sensitve, caring, funny and honest.  All of his teachers care about him and love him.  I am just afraid they are getting frustated and may have exhausted the roads of how to help him.  Does my child have ADHD?  What can I say to him or what changes can I make to help him be better in school?  This may sound selfish and superficial, but  I don't want him to have ADHD.  I don't want him to have to deal with this growing up.  Please HELP US, WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO!  THANK YOU!