I'll agree since I believe some here are missed dx altogether. Therapies/depakot er/vitamins are working for Daniel. In attention can be seizure related also. YES can be happening even if not showing on a EEG.
Food can be what's effect behavior also!Check into what food issues your child is haveing. See a allergist!
Ok. I'd still watch her. Often the PDD diagnosis is not seen by anybody until the child is older. We got "no, it's not PDD" until our son was 11. Then nobody could ignore it anymore. It's easier to dismiss it when they're young. Most higher functioning kids are not diagnosed until preteen. It is normally put down as ADHD. ADHD is an executive function disorder, and the kids usually struggle in school, even if bright. Aspergers is more a severe social deficit. If that's the main concern, never stop looking for your answer. ADHD kids have much milder social problems than ASD kids. Our first NeuroPsych also ruled out ASD because "too friendly" "eye contact too good." He was wrong. WE never did see a developmental ped. I'd never heard of one. Good luck and I hope it really is ADHD :) MomWI38887.5223611111We are having a follow-up appt. with dd's dev. ped. tomorrow. I am planning on asking for some med changes. Currently, she is on 27 mg Concerta, 25 mg Strattera in a.m., 18 mg Strattera in p.m., and 10 mg Ritalin in afternoons to help with the rebound effects of Concerta. I don't feel that Strattera is working at all anymore, and most times we don't bother giving to her anymore. And I am pretty sure I want to switch from Concerta to some other long-acting methylphenidate because I feel the 27 mg is not enough, but the 36 mg is too much. I was reading up on Concerta, and its initial dose after ingestion is 22% of the total. My calculations then she is getting 5.9 mg initial dose with the 27 mg Concerta pill. Based on her behavior (basically her intolerance of her sister), I just don't think it is enough. For example, yesterday afternoon, after a rather turbulent day(typical), we gave her 10 mg of Ritalin at 5 p.m. and then we all went out to dinner. By the time we got to the restaurant, it had kicked in and she was golden. Her 5 yo sister was doing things to bug her, but she was able to use her words and not "take the bait" so to speak. She even had an appetite, lol.
Her personality seems to have changed, also. I'm not sure if it is medication, ODD popping up, increased anxiety, just a phase, or just being a girl, lol. She doesn't show any interest in playing with a friend this summer. She has been interested in the birds and chipmunks in our yard, though not obsessively. I had the great idea as a little project, to try to catch some chipmunks and then relocate them. It has been fun for her to check the traps. Finally after about 5 days of no luck, we caught 2 yesterday. It was a very exciting day, lol.
dd, 7yo, ADHD, LD-NOS, possible ODD
I would ask the developmental ped. about high functioning autism. The meds sound like they are making her worse, not better. I'd ask about taking her to a NeuroPsych. That LD-NOS and other vague stuff are red flags for ASD. It's hard to get the diagnose if it's high functioning ASD, especially at a young age, but it's worth a try because the interventions are fantastic. ASD kids don't do well with other kids at all, whereas ADHD kids may annoy other kids, but aren't hostile to them unless more is going on than ADHD. So far ADHD meds are just making it worse. Consider that it's not the same disorder. Good luck :) MomWI38887.282650463Strattera is a med that has to be given every day. It is not like stimulants that can be given on school days only and not on weekends and vacations. With Strattera, you either give it or you don't. The on again-off again could actually be making your DD worse. I'd either make a decision it's not working and wean off or give it your all and try it wholeheartedly.
For a 7-year-old, she's on a lot of meds. More meds is not necessarily better. If you think plain old Ritalin works, you might just want to give her 3 doses of that a day and skip the Concerta. Fortunately, it's summer and you can try things out. If all the meds don't work, I'd take MomWI's advice and seek further evaluation. It may not be ADHD at all.
MomWI,
We have been down the high functioning autism path before. I have discussed this with her dev. ped. many times in the last 4 years. Also, we have already had a neuropsych. evaluate her recently and he has ruled out autism, and yes, we asked him to evaluate for autism. And no, the ADHD meds are not making it worse, BTW. They are wearing off too soon. But thanks for your concern. :)
SmallMom,
Yes, I agree Strattera has to be taken every day. Until recently, we were very good at giving it every day. It just isn't having an effect any more, IMO. And I'm aware she needs to be weaned off rather than just stopping it. My bad on that. That's why I'm telling the ped so we can do the weaning off properly. Maybe the plain old ritalin is what she needs. We'll see and I'll keep everybody updated.
p.s. Right now both dd's are playing the Disney Princess game very nicely by themselves. I'm having an encouraging moment right now, lol.