Very worried about my seven year old | ADHD Information

First of all, what kind of doctor is going to assess your child? That's the key. Is he going to have intensive testing not just for ADHD, but also for other things? I'm not sure how they do it in Canada. I do know that many things mimic ADHD because my son had an ADHD dx. first, and that turned out not to be the main problem. If it's not, stims may help the attention anyways, or they could make him worse--either way they won't address all his issues, unless it's stand alone ADHD, and to me it doesn't sound like it. OCD symptoms also appear in many disorders. At least in the US, Pediatricians don't diagnose childhood disorders very well. Have you ever done research on high functioning autistic spectrum disorder? Hyperactivity is a big symptom, touching evrything, insistence on sameness, routines, and getting upset at transitions, social problems up the wazoo, sensory stuff, and anxiety is through the roof with these kids, often in crowded places with high levels of stimuli. I'll post a few links of disorders that mimic ADHD and also send you to a Conduct Disorders board where the parents deal with all sorts of disabilities--ADHD and beyond--and can give added insight, if you like. In the meantime, before testing (hopefully with a neuropsych) you'll just have to watch him. I had to keep my eyes on my son at all times when he was younger. He'd do crazy things like run in the street without looking.

MomWI38926.4307175926I'm new to the forum, having very recently taken my son to my family physician for a very long appointment which led to my doctor telling me that he suspects that my son has ADHD. He has been referred to a specialist for further testing.

Our appointment is next week, but in the meantime, I'm terrified for my son's safety. I'll get to that in a bit...

Now that the term ADHD has come up and I have had some time to research it online, I see that he has long displayed many of the symptoms of ADHD. He will not sit still for more than 30 seconds, often standing at the table while we eat, moving from chair to floor to couch to chair in the livingroom, constantly fidgeting, constantly talking and interrupting others, forgetting instructions within seconds of receiving them (like "put your shoes on, we're leaving in a minute"), having trouble saying what he's trying to say (he stutters and then forgets what he was talking about), disrupting class at school by interrupting others or activities, leaving his seat, not doing his work, acting without thinking, not listening when being spoken to. He had a good teacher at school who did her best to keep him on task, and we tried at home to help him with staying on task and being more courteous to others when they are talking, assuming that his behaviour was something he would grow out of or learn to overcome with support and encouragement. But there were problems at school, where he had lost all of his friends, where he was becoming increasingly disruptive and at home it was obvious that he was under a lot of stress with the social problems. He started acting out in frustration on a frequent basis.

At first, this was an at-home problem, but this past month, things have escalated. He has been in summer camp for four weeks and is now acting out there in inappropriate ways when things don't go his way (yelling and pushing other kids) or when someone tries to correct his behaviour or discipline him (tied himself to the wall with a chain that had to be cut so that he wouldn't hurt himself)... He has also been climbing on tables and over chairs constantly, despite the fact that he has fallen and hurt himself half a dozen times.... the list goes on. He has essentially gotten himself kicked out of summer camp,, as he has been so disruptive that the staff can't take it anymore. They offered me a partial refund to not bring him for the rest of the summer, because otherwise he was on the road to being formally removed from the camp with no possibility of refund.

I really didn't know where to go with these problem, but I figured it could wait another few weeks until we saw our doctor for annual check-ups next month. Only there has been another issue going on that sent my concern into overdrive. For some time, my son has been expressing fears over choking. I figured this was partially my thought for having been stressing to him that he needs to keep small toys away from his baby brother, who puts everything under the sun into his mouth.

At first, he expressed his concerns as being about his brother choking and dying. When he was four, my second child passed away at age 6 months due to complications of prematurity, and my son was really devastated to lose his baby sister. He doesn't remember much of it now, but we had a lot of little talks when I was pregnant again last year and when his baby brother was born about how he feared losing a sibling again. But he recently told me that he is also afraid that he will choke on something, and his (usually difficult) bedtime had become a total stress-fest, with him leaving his room every 10 minutes to tell me that he's afraid he's going to choke on the small toys in his room and die.

Then it all came to a head. He completely freaked out one night and begged me to take all of the small toys out of his bedroom. He was sitting in his bed looking pale and terrified, so I went around his whole room and took out everything that he could possibly fit into his mouth, mostly to settle his fears, but also because I suspected there was something more to it than an excuse to stay awake or simple "what if" fear.

The next morning on the way to camp, I asked him to explain what's going on in his mind when he starts to worry about choking. He told me that it's like the two sides of his brain are fighting. One side is telling him that he must not put something into his mouth, but the other side is telling him to pick something up, put it in his mouth and choke on it. He would lie in bed and reach out to toys while the two sides argued and he said he knew that if the "bad side" won, he would put a toy in his mouth, choke and die. That last night, he had gone so far as to put the toy in his mouth and then take it out again, because the "bad side" was winning and he just wanted the fighting in his head to stop.

Mentally, I just panicked. I put on a calm face and asked him if he wanted to talk to our doctor. He asked me if the doctor could make the fighting in his head stop. I told him we would try everything to make it stop and he said, "mom, tell the doctor that I'm begging for it to stop. I don't want to die." I got him into my doctor that same day. He told me that these kinds of obsessions can occur with ADHD, but in all of the reading I've been doing, it looks more like the other way around: ADHD symptoms occurring with OCD.

Whatever the heck it is, I am really afraid that he's going to hurt himself. I'm trying not to over-react, but I find myself not able to take my eyes off him, sneakily checking him every ten minutes in his room after he goes to bed just to make sure he's okay.

Welcome... a couple of thoughts reading your post. Anxiety very often accompanies ADHD -- however, that should all "wash out" when you obtain a diagnosis.

Also, you mention not understanding the escalation in the past month. It could be that camp was way too overstimulating and overwhelming for him. A new situation, new people, lots of things going on, not a usual routine, etc. -- those things can throw kids with disorders into a tailspin! It can be really hard for kids with disorders to connect with other children, and they will often try to make those connections in inappropriate ways -- sounds like what may be happening with your son.

Anyway, welcome to the board, I hope you find the answers you seek!

Hello and welcome to the board. I'm sorry you are having such scary problems with your son. You are doing the right thing in seeking medical attention. Maybe you should get a referral to a specialist. DD has had evals from developmental pediatricians, psychologists, and a neuropsychologist. I think the only ones we haven't seen yet are a psychiatrist and a neurologist! I don't really have any advice other than make sure you know what you are treating before you start to treat it. Have him thoroughly evaluated. Good luck!We know very much what that is like with Daniel also. We knew he was different as a infant. He is 10 and still looking. It upsets us very much that dr.'s our not looking at the whole puzzle. He asked at age 6. I also hate it when we get attacked by others for what we do for him. Life is hard enough as is. We are wondering will every really know ever. He started with ECi at age 1. So far we have gotten told these issues. adhd/capd/lpd/Si issues/Ld. HE is a blessing as we thought he wasn't going to make it after birth. He went oxyagen deprived 2 times. We are praying this years education will make the difference. The closest friend connection is with scout friends/church friends/family. I also wish school people would realise we all have feelings and wish to be liked.