my son was just barely 4 and a couple of months when he was officially diagnosed
I think I knew it was something more than a normal kid thing as soon as he turned 3. I just wasn't wanting to jump on a band wagon. But being a teacher I knew that I needed to do something before he began regular school. The last straw for me was seeing my child in action at school.
I see too many children struggling daily at my school, where I work ( and I don't mean just wiggling in chairs) because parents are in denial.
The doctor we went to got to see first hand what we and his school dealt with . He didn't diagnose right off but he did ask us to do a QEEG and to have him take a glucose tolerance test. Both of which have been a life saver for my son. He was determined to have ad/hd and reactive hypoglycemia. We did opt to go with a very low dose of foacalin xr , a nutritional diet prescribed by the doctor and nutritionist , and play therapy that we started prior to going to the doctor.
Today at almost 5, my son is acting like any other 5 year old. We've been to 6 birthday parties in the last few months and I wasn't a nervous wreck trying to keep him under control . I kind of enjoy going to the parties now. Each party gets better and better. A year ago, I dreaded birthday parties.
i was like 4 but didnt start meds till 6.By the time my daughter was 18 months, I knew something was different about her. Didn't get the offical DX, though, until a few month ago at age 9. it was confirmed for you? Should we wait? My child is 4 and getting hyper and socially (at school) a mess. Advice would be well taken.MY SON WAS 3 YEARS AND 9 MONTHS BUT THEY WON'T PUT IT IN HIS MEDICAL RECORD OFFICIALLY UNTIL HE IS 6(WE ARE IN BRITAIN)3 and I am so glad we went ahead w/ a diagnosis. We chose not to medicate and are working with a Naturopathic Doctor. It has helped me so much to parent him better and I feel, sometimes, like a walking encyclopedia about the disorder b/c I have done so much research. It helps being able to tell his pre-school teachers about what to expect, etc. so they don't just think he is being defiant, etc. I'm happy to tell you more ifyou want to PM me........My child was diagnosed last summer. he is 6. I started thinking the he had adhd since he was 4. A psychologist I took him when he was 5 told me that he filled some criteria to be adhd; at that time I was shocked and didn't want to accept it eventhough I was a teacher before. I decided to try my own discipline and study methods but it was a real mess. I couldn,t control my anger with my son because I got extremely upset when I helped him with his homewoks. This is when I decided to take it really seriously and do something: I tested him in multiple ways until I got his diagnosis.
I really suggest you not to wait. I waited because I was afraid to accept it and I can tell you that I really lost time. During that time I usually lived frustrated and unhappy to see that my child was not like the others. It was sad for me to hear all other moms saying wonders about their kids.
Now that I am acting the right way with my son the story has completely changed. He is a happier child and I feel less anxious and stressed.
I am here to help if you need or have any question.
You can also pm me if you like
My daughter was diagnosed last May at the age of 9. This was after increasingly poor performance in school. We did not really persue diagnosis until thing got really bad last year with anxiety, depression and defiance. She has learning disorders and there was a question of bipolar so the diagnosis took a while. During this period, my daughter started having rages and refusing to go to school because she was so frustrated with her failure. She was seeing a psychologist for therapy and to help us with parenting (very useful). We were pretty desparate by time we got the diagnosis and were anxious to start treatment. She is doing very well this year. She now likes school and is working hard. She actually participates in class now and enjoys school.
Having the diagnosis does not mean you have to medicate, but give you the option. It also gives you what you need to get and IEP or 504 plan in place at school. Please check out the thread on Ogram's marble system. It is a positive reinforcement behavior plan that helps reinforce the behaviors you want. We use this for home and the school uses something like it (with tickets) as well.
my daughter was diagnoised at around the age of 8yrs by a lovely dr who had been seeing her for a while and that was 14yrs ago and britain werent saying a lot about adhd/add back then,
but when my son was just gone 4 we were getting concerned about him and asked her to see him as well which she did , and diagnoised him and we decided to put him on ritilin straight away to help him with his school time, after having so much trouble with daughters education at the same school, he is now 15yrs
My son was officially diagnosed in Feb of this year, he was 4 1/2 but we went to the dr about his behavioral problem in Feb of 2005 (he was 3 1/2). We spent 6 months trying positive reinforcement (suggested by our pediatrician) but that was not working to well. We then switched dr's and our new ped suggested that my son be tested for ADHD. He is now 5 and on 10 mg of focalin XR. As for waiting it never hurts to go to your dr if you feel there is a problem.
My son was 6 but I knew in my heart much earlier. I guess my first clue should have been when he tool the last nap of his life at 18months old and his sitter started charging me extra cause he thought naptime was party time and didn't want to let anybody sleep! LOL, you gotta love um!
I used to compare him with my childhood behaviors all the time and justify it. Too bad I didn't know then I was ADHD too. Once he got a bit older he's almost 13 now, it was easier to really compare me currently with him because the hyderactivity was a bit more controlled. We are two peas in a pod indeed. Like mother, like son I guess. I should have taken him when he was in K5 but I didn't I waited a year and I will always feel guilty for that. Now more than ever because my detailed understanding of ADHD deepens everyday and I personally know it's a stuggle even when you are not staring at the blackboard all day.
[QUOTE=msbobbi]My son was 6 but I knew in my heart much earlier. I guess my first clue should have been when he tool the last nap of his life at 18months old and his sitter started charging me extra cause he thought naptime was party time and didn't want to let anybody sleep! LOL, you gotta love um!
I used to compare him with my childhood behaviors all the time and justify it. Too bad I didn't know then I was ADHD too. Once he got a bit older he's almost 13 now, it was easier to really compare me currently with him because the hyderactivity was a bit more controlled. We are two peas in a pod indeed. Like mother, like son I guess. I should have taken him when he was in K5 but I didn't I waited a year and I will always feel guilty for that. Now more than ever because my detailed understanding of ADHD deepens everyday and I personally know it's a stuggle even when you are not staring at the blackboard all day.
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This post made me giggle...my sons pre-school politely "suggested" that they could reduce his tuition if he went home prior to naptime, since he didn't nap!!! He also stopped napping around the 18-24 month range! For me, I noticed something out of whack when I took him to a 2 hr. "zoo school" experience that was a simple story, craft and snacktime to prepare him for preschool -- BIG difference in his ability to sit still and concentrate on the story, the craft, even the snack. We tried many, many, many forms of positive reinforcements, without success. In Kindergarten it really came to a head and began to have him tested. At the end of the school year we started him on a low dose of Ritalen and we could NOT believe the difference. He had never been big on coloring or drawing and the first day on it, he drew us a picture of our family (first time ever!) -- big tear moment! I went to see him at lunch that first day and he greeted me with a smile and said "I'm doing it!!!" without us even telling him what the medication was for. His self-esteem sky-rocketed due to his ability to stay on task and actually complete things. Now into First Grade, we have also added Omegas to his regime, along with magnesium supplements after reading the "alternate med" message board....he has just made the A Honor Roll. -- WOW!
My dd was diagnosed when she was 9, after a teacher suggested we look in to it. The signs were there much sooner, but I was not as educated then, and thought that she couldn't have ADD because she was so spacy and quiet. Why, she was never a discipline problem at school, like those OTHER kids! Oh, no, not MY daughter. I have had to eat so much crow.Our daughter was not diagnosed officially until age 7. She will be 10 in December. I always had my suspicions and knew something was not quite right. I wish I had pursued it earlier. It didn't hurt her too much academically, but I think it has had an impact on her socially in developing skills and how others have perceived her. I also think her self-esteem took a hit in preschool and kindergarten. Good luck-you know your child best-but it is SO hard to know what to do!
My son wasn't diagnosed until he was 9 and then was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and insomnia. Because he is gifted and could compensate for many of his struggles in school, no teacher would suggest that he might have ADHD. He just got more and more unhappy as his coping mechanisms stopped working and school got harder and harder. Additionally, he was struggling with writing but he wasn't diagnosed with dysgraphia until early this year at the age of 13. Again, none of the teachers at middle school would speak up and tell me that they thought the problem was more than just bad handwriting and oppositional behavior. Throughout his school career, prior to various diagnosis, my son ended up being pigeon-holed by the other kids, feeling sad and depressed and being isolated. While I always think more than one doctor should be consulted for a diagnosis because there are often multiple causes for behavior, I believe the earlier the diagnosis, the better. Good luck!