I thank you very much for info. My son sees a child psychologist, but only once a month for a fifteen minute session. This last session she decided that we needed a case manager provided by his counsler. I'm not sure how that will help us but to see him in action at home in his own settings. My son will not talk to the doctors and very rarely will talk to the counsler. When asked why he is angry, he replys by shrugging his shoulders and I don't know. I do believe that he is also struggling to understand that for five years he was the only child and now here is another child, His sister, invading his space and he does not like it. I'm not really sure how do deal with it.
He gets along fine with other children outside of the home. The only problem that we have had, is him getting into trouble because he does stuff that I don't understand. Like in the bathroom at school. He does things that I don't think an eight year old or any child would ever do. Like lying down on the floor until the teacher came it to find him. Or swinging another child around in circles untill he was caught doing it. Is this normal? I don't understand it.
The only thing the meds seem to do is to calm his hyperness. He was always an extremely hyper child. He still has hyper moments, but not like they used to be. I also can not get him involved in any thing outside of home and school. We've tried just about everything. Football, basketball, baseball, boy scouts. I wanted to try more things, but when we ask him if he would like to anything like karate, he says no. No to anything we suggest. And, we have spent so much money as it is on wasted non-finished activities. I don't know. I guess I just am at my wits end. Not sure where to turn. Thank you all for the advise and the support. I know somehow I'll get through this.
I'd definitely have him evaluated by a NeuroPsych. He can diagnose ADHD and beyond, and it could well be beyond. He has symptoms of other things. The Psycologist and meds aren't doing the trick--I always like to dig deeper and see what's going on. IMO it's not just ADHD. Would you say he is "strange?" Does he converse well? Have a lot of interests? Good imagination? Any obsessions, like the computer for hours, trains, cars, weather, anyone one thing that he wants to do in exclusion of all else? Make any weird noises that are inappropriate? The counseling won't work if he won't talk, and he may have trouble expressing himself. There are disorders where kids have serious communication difficulties, even when they have good speech pragmatics. I'd get a more qualified professional opinion. MomWI38910.5129050926No I don't think he is strange. I just think some of the things he does is strange at times. He does have a hard time expressing his feelings....good or bad. He at times has a hard time even finnishing sentences. Like, he knows what he wants to say, but he just can't get it all together in a clear sentence. He is a very intellegent little boy. Straight A's. I've never had a problem with him learning. That he does very well. I've not had any complaints for teachers or anyone at school about his abbility to communicate. So, I'm not sure why he can't express is emotions. Thanks again for the supportHello. I am new here. I have an eight year old son with ADHD. I've also been told he has ODD and a mild anxiety problem along with some depression. He sees a psychologist once a month and a cousler twice a month if we're lucky. He has just now been put on his third kind of medication. Adderall XR didn't work. Concerta was working wonders until recently. The doctor just kept uping the dosage because it kept wearing off earlier and earlier in the day. So, now we on to Focalin XR. It doesn't seem to do anything for him. I also have a two year old daughter who does nothing but imitatie his every move and is begining to be a hand full. If not toddlers aren't a hand full anyway. I'm just afraid she will pick up too many bad traits. He had hit her , pushed her, screamed at her, and anything he can do to annoy her. Just the other day, he got up screamed at her and told her over and over that he did not like her. I just really am begining to feel that nothing is helping him that I am doing. Even the meds. Any advice would help and little shoulder to lean on would also help. I don't have anyone who seems to understand what I go through every day with my two children. Esspecialy my son. Any reply would be wonderful. Thank you very much. I always seem to be on the verge of tears.Hi. What is your child like with other kids, aside from your daughter? What gets him angry? Has he ever been tested by a NeuroPsych or seen a Child Psychiatrist? There are a few possibilities here. First of all, he could have more going on than just ADHD, since ADHD meds plus therapy aren't working. If a child diagnosed ADHD has severe social cluelessness, sensory issues, is "strange", may have language problems and, in general, doesn't seem to "get it", there's a possibility that instead of ADHD, he has high functioning autism, which is very hard to diagnose in kids younger than 10 (and is usually considered ADHD). The danger: The child misses out on important interventions that help him live a fuller life as an adult. These kids needs tons of supports. Now if a child diagnosed ADHD is extremely angry, rages for hours over a "no", has a devil/angel child type of personality, puts holes in walls, hurts himself and others, doesn't sleep, and, in general, seems miserable and makes YOU miserable, the chances are that the ADHD is eventually going to be changed to early onset bipolar. This is especially true if mood disorders or substance abuse are in the family tree. Bipolar is being diagnosed more often now, but it's usually the Psychiatrists who pick it up. It is like an angry, rageful ADHD. Stims make these kids worse. They need a different type of meds, so, if it's bp, it's important to know this from ADHD too. When a kid doesn't respond to ADHD interventions, you can do one of two things:
1/Keep trying ADHD meds and see 2/Further evaluate (sort of like if your child is feverish and it won't go away with antibiotics, you need to explore WHY there's a fever. Obviously a doctor got it wrong or it would be better.
My son was misdiagnosed twice (once ADHD) so I sort of have a layman's knowledge of ADHD, bipolar, and ASD, not by choice, but I know how frustrating it is when professionals get your kid wrong, and he doesn't improve. I recommend a re-evaluation as stimulants/Straterra can actually make some kids worse, and it's best to know the demon you face than to keep medicating something it may not be. I medicated my son with stims right off, and he never responded to them because ADHD was not his main problem, although it looked like it at the time. I wish you luck, whatever you decide.