Hi: this reply I gave in the last entry should be responding to the first post from mom regarding ADHD and school so that it makes sense what I am saying.
Thanks
clm
In reading your post and few questions come to mind... firstly, there is no mention as to why you would ask about ADHD... has your child previously been dgnx with ADHD? Our son at three was too young to have the cognitive testing that can help give a definitive dngx of ADD. It wasn't until he was about 5 years old that a neuropsychologist assessed our son when he was in a OT program at a children's hospital with a provisional dgnx of "low sensory threshold" which is r/t sensory issues as very early indication that I now see connecting to ADD as I study more about it over the last seven years (he is now 10).
Secondly, your child would be stimulated differently at home, out in public, and at school but despite this and how it may show variance on her focus, attention, impulsivity, etc. there has to be a consistent pattern throughout, not just bits here and there. See testing criteria... lots of recommendations within this web site.
Thirdly, I have over the years noticed that girls (for many listed reasons I have read about) tend not to get dgnx at an early age... I believe that it is the school which often creates an environment differently than at home which opens up areas that are more challenging for the child and symptoms become more noticeable but girls seem to be able to be 'unseen' until later age due to lack of symptoms academically and socially within the classroom setting (they tend to more mature than same age male peers, etc.).
Now given all this... your child may do well with therapy for sensory issues alone, but for our son is was just the beginning that opened up other unknown areas of disabilies with learning and social challenges despite being extremely bright as evidenced in multiple repeated testing over the last seven plus years.
Hope this helps for thoughts.
clm
sydnee,
How is she at computer games/programs.?..My son was able to stay focued on these because they had lots of action...basically when he was your dd age he played with educational programs such as reader rabbbit and the living books....because he loved these and used them often he actually learned to read at the age of 4 ( although we have a literature rich environment and he was/is read to often...I still think it was the computer that helped him read so early)
IF YOU THINK FOR 1 SECOND SCHOOL WILL ADMIT TO SEEING WHAT YOU SEE GUESS AGAIN OURS NEVER DID. THEY TRIED TO BLAIM THE ISSUE ON US. THEY GAVE ME PARENTING HELP BOOKS. IGNORE STAFF GET A NP EVALUATION.
SCHOOL TESTING STINKS i THINK IT'S BIAST BY THE PSYCHOLOGISTS THE SCHOOLS HIRE. THEY DON'T TEST FOR EVERYTHING.
joemom: I have only tried the dvd/learning computer ones, she liikes them and begs for me to put them in and then gets frustrated easily and is done so I never bothered to buy any leapfrog/etc just because I thought it would be a waste but I definitely might try it now
ivanhoe: thanks, I truthfully almost agree with you. The money that I pay to put her in there sometimes I think they would tell me she walked on the moon, to keep getting my weekly check. Ive just heard that in order to get a diagnosis for stuff: that the teachers will have to fill out some behavior form to show she is having issues
Okay so I talked to the teacher today, never mentioned ADHD, I just said have you noticed this or that. They said she listens well but she talks constantly. Also at the stations (which they stay at 10mins) she is done right away and wants to move on. They say she doesnt focus on anything for a long amount of time. (their comment was she is super intelligent and just cant stay focused, that they have to help her find stuff for her brain to do)
Im not trying to say my child has ADHD but she will be 4 her in 3 months and the behavior is growing progressively worse at home and I was curious to know if maybe the school doesnt recognize it yet or just as a post above me said, they dont want to label her. Ive read many books on behavior and all signs point to ADHD. Now mind ya, I have raised my younger sister and niece and my younger brother, I never once saw the behavior I see in her. I feel sometimes as if people want to jump to the conclusion, that its a disicipline problem when I know otherwise.
She definitely has the inability to focus but she is also very hyper. Here is a just a small list of things she does:
She cannot focus on anything for over a few second span. She can't do anything alone. She won't watch tv but for a mere second and even then is jumping around and climbing on furniture, tables. She wont sit still anywhere including the dinner table. She must be moving, jumping, on the go constantly and even when we take her places like playgrounds she bores within minutes. Im not even excited about Christmas because she never enjoys new toys. She oohhs and ahhs then 3 seconds later she is done and never plays with it again.
She also has oversensitivity to sound and smell. She throws unneeded and unwarranted tantrums. Her reactions to little things are dramatized, as if she is dying or has been seriously hurt.
She cannot wait her turn and cant understand to wait. She takes from her 16mth old brother and is violent towards him. When punished for being rough or always taking stuff from him, its like she has no memory and does it again within minutes.
She also seems incredibly intelligent but does not have the focus to do things she should be able to do at her age: certain games, books, abc's, etc.
When children are younger they do not like lableing my girl fell between the cracks and they told me "she would grow out of it". They did mark her at risk for all the ADHD signs mind you. when she began Kindergarden is when the school approached me and re-screened her and I was told they do not like to label why nothing was done the first time.There are many reasons a child can't focus or acts out and the symptoms you describe can be indicative of many things. The age of 3 is very young but if the behaviors are out of the norm drastically that's a great cause for concern. The criteria for ADHD is that the symptoms have to be present in two setting, ie...school and home because these children can't hold it together in school. Children with ADHD, while they do have low frustration levels, they do not act out violently. While they can hyper focus on an activity they enjoy, they also hop around from toy to toy or activity to activity due to lack of concentration and a high level of distractibility.
While its difficult to diagnose a 3 year old, if your child's behavior is affecting her quality of life, I suggest you first get her a full medical to rule out a medical reason and then have her tested not to label her but rather to get her help early on with the difficulties she is having. Early itnerventions rasie the odds of a better outcome down the road.
Your story sounds alot like my son's. At age 3 the school system picks them up in our state. A child psychologist dx'd him with sensory issues, ie heighten hearing and smell and tacile needs. He qualified for the early childhood program because of his sensory issues. He was also very hyper and lack of attention span at that time, but they didn't want to recoginize it and focused on his sensory issues. At least he was getting the special help that he needed. As he stayed in that program until he was 4 1/2. We are now in kindergarden and we have seen a psychiatrist and he has properly dx'd him with ADHD and some sensory issues still remain. But at the age of three there can be problems, I don't think that is too young to be tested. Hope this helps!!Skip a psychologist and do the neuropsychologist they test for more things.Just curious I have a 3yrold to be 4 in December. Has any of you noticed ADHD symptoms are worse outside of school and that teachers maybe dont pick up on the symptoms while they are so young or because they may be so intelligent or bright?
For instance, my daughter wont even play with anyone or any other toys but puzzles. But because she doesnt always act out in school, teachers never think she is ADHD. Will she act out as she grows older?
In my sons case he was worse in school, because he was overstimulated, but difficult at home as well. She may not necessarily have the hyperactivity as much as the inability to focus. All kids may act out as they get older, depends alot on how we as parents deal with it. Also all adhd children don't always have all problems on the checklist. My son never had difficulty keeping fairly organized.