ADHD and/or RLS | ADHD Information

Hi, I am Sheree.  My son is nearly 5 and has RLS, Restless Leg Syndrome.  We thought he had ADHD but then realized that he has RLS.  Research has been done that has shown that many children diagnosed with ADHD actually have RLS.  RLS does run in our family so he had a 50/50 chance of getting it, and when he was finally diagnosed it changed our lives in so many ways.  I have now been thinking for months that it may be possible that he also has ADHD.  He has been an extremely challenging child since the day he was born.  Since he was diagnosed last October he atleast gets more than 7-8 hours of sleep now which has helped, but he is still different than all the other kids I know that are his age.  He has personality plus, but he is constantly on the move.  Can't control his actions or his talking.  He can't sit still for anything except for TV.  Everything he does is fast pase and wild.  I try to slow him down and talk to him, but I seem to be talking right through him and he obviously is somewhere else in his mind when I do it.  The days are long and tiring and I am exhausted from constantly getting on his case.  He is such a sweet and creative kid, but just can't stop from doing things he is not suppose to do and you can tell that he doesn't have control of himself or his actions.  This may sound like most kids, but everything he does is hightened about 10 times.  He is like lemur on steroids, I can't even folloe him with my eyes sometimes.  I need help, I am terrified of sending him to school and decided to wait another year because I know there is no way he could sit at school all day.  He would be getting in trouble all of the time, even though he is a great kid.  He does great at preshool but it is constant action and play, no sitting and learning academics, so it works for him and I only sent him 2 days last year.  People I know talk so bad about ADHD and so I feel so bad about thinking my son has it, but there is just something amiss with him.  Are there alternatives to medication?  How do you all cope with it?  Please help, I am mentally and physically checked out.
Oldtimer, I am not sure what capd/Lpd/LD are or ST/OT/AIT/TOMAIS, I am a newbie, can you explain them to me?  I also make sure my son eats nutritiously since he doesn't eat much, it is just the quantity is so little, but he is very healthy in those terms.  Is Np Nurse Practiioner or am I way off.

People may talk badly about AD/HD, but really it's not the worst thing there is, and these children aren't "bad", they have a disability. With the proper treatment it is very manageable.

I think it would be a good idea to get him evaluated. He actually "doesn't" sound like a typical kid, so don't feel bad for feeling that way. NT children are just not that difficult, so don't feel bad that you think what you think, or feel what you feel.

Get a wide scale evaluation for him, that will look at all the different possibilities and not just one disorder. With proper treatment, whatever it is he has going on, life will become much easier for both of you.

Good luck!

Thank you for understanding.  It was great to come home from the grocery store and already have a response to my post.  Also thanks for the tip on a wide scale evaluation.

To answer one of your questions, yes, there are Alternatives to Medication -- there is a special section on this board that discusses many.  We have found them very helpful.  Good luck and welcome!

Our son has capd/Lpd/LD also. so he is not like others at all. Therapies he needed help also. ST/OT/AIT/TOMAIS. we make him eat right during the week. Week ends are fun time. We are with a Np right now. She says right now no meds.