3 and adhd | ADHD Information

my son is 3 and has adhd,here in britain they do not like to officially diagnose adhd at this age so they do not want to give him retilin for another 2 years.it is driving me crazy.he is destructive,aggresive,has no attention span and no sense of danger to himself or others,the psychiatrist also said he was a determined,headstrong control freak!!!!! anybody  with advuce on how to cope with all this?I also recommend the alternative board.  You could try caffine in the morning as well, it seems to work for some, but the effects are not profound for my 6 yr old DS.  For some coping methods you can check out the book the Explosive Child.  It's not written specifically for parents of kids with ADHD but rather those with ODD and CD, but it is great for adjusting your view of you child's behaviors and has some really good behavior modification theories.  Best of luck.

I would start with alternative medicine ( supplements )  I would change his diet to exclude sugar and dyes.   I would give him caffiene to see if it that slows him down.  I would put together a very firm behaviour modification program to encourage him to change his behaviour. I would keep him outside as much as possible.

and I would fire the pyschiatrist for calling your son a freak and being so useless.

 

 

There's lots of info (by the way) on the Alternatives to Meds section of this board.would love to fire her but she's nhs.we are going to see a alternative medecine specialist when my husband comes back from offshore,they are talking about giving him passiflora comp?i would love to let him outside but we are in the north of scotland,it is bloody freezing!!!!!!also he is very impredictable  and accident prone.there is no activities for under 5 around here so it is frustrating.tried to take him swimming,jumped in the deep end naked while my husband was getting dressed.the only time he got so tired that he behaved is when we went to florida and were walking in the parks for 10 hours.we are waiting to take special classes to cope with adhd child

Stubbornness can be a hard trait to deal with, but if aimed properly- it can be great.  Maybe try making him use all that energy to win a treat or a surprise for something.

Try the alternative board.  There are lots of great ideas.  My ds has made great progress from the things I learned there.

just ordered the book you recommended,you seem to be more up to date on adhd in america, none of the alternative remedies exept fish oil are available here.it seems britain is in the darrk ages when it comes to adhd!!!!

As for activity and bad weather - I live in California it's been raining so much I think we may float away! - I bought my kids a small jogging trapoline (sp?) about a month ago.  I should have bought it at the beging of the winter.... thet love it! It dosn't tire them out - but it's a great activity and they are having a blast with it! Good Luck.

I can totally relate.  My son was diagnosed at 2 1/2.  He was kicked out of 2 daycares and that is when I realized there was a problem and sought treatment.  How sad that they won't prescribe medication over there.  CJ started on liquid Ritalin at 2 1/2.  He was exactly like your son, no stop and busy.  He used to wake up at 3AM and would be done sleeping.  He was put on Clonidine to suppress the hyperactiveness and at age 9, he still takes that at night so he can sleep...otherwise I am confident he would still awaken at that time to start his day.

I keep him very busy to burn the energy.  I live in Florida and am blessed with wonderful weather....it would be helpful to let him swim, run around at a park, etc.  Indoor activities we used to do were puzzles...we bought him these large puzzle p, ieces that were life size of Winnie the Pooh, Ariel (Little Mermaid), etc.  He loved doing that.  Your son just needs to stay busy.  Try puzzles.  My son also loved to be read to.  He never could sit still or have the attention span for a movie.  We played lots of board games as well. 

I truly feel your pain and I know EXACTLY what you are going through.  I felt like there were no other children in the world that were ADHD at 2 1/2.  I wished I had found this website then.

I can honestly say age helps...3 was the absolute worse age.  Although he is still hyper at 9, it is a different kind of hyper than the preschool days.

I am here if you need me!

[QUOTE=frenchmama] my son is 3 and has adhd,here in britain they do not like to officially diagnose adhd at this age so they do not want to give him retilin for another 2 years.it is driving me crazy.he is destructive,aggresive,has no attention span and no sense of danger to himself or others,the psychiatrist also said he was a determined,headstrong control freak!!!!! anybody  with advuce on how to cope with all this?[/QUOTE] omg, my heart goes out to you, so much, it really does, i was in your shoes once, i went out of my mind everyday, dreading each morning, my boy was finally diagnoised at 7years of age, but he'd only just turned 7. before meds, i found that fish oils helped him be more calmer than usual & also had longer attension span, which was great coz we got a little bit further than before!, if you know what i mean.i wish i was living in america,seems better for adhd children.well 3 more years and hubby can ask for a transfer.seripusly thinking about it if it is the best for jude.Hi fenchmama!
Best of Luck to you and your family

Northwestern US