ODD? | ADHD Information
[QUOTE=chasesbigsis]All three of mine have banged their head into the floor at times as infants/toddlers. Since I am ADD I have been watching them closely for signs of AD/HD.
There are many posters here from England and I'm sure they can help guide you.
[/QUOTE] Wasnt just at times was a constant every day thing,I have been takin him to my health visitor doctor about his behaviour since he was 8 months old.He hardly slept as a baby and would always want to be held, i only discovered after having two more children how difficult he was as a baby, and i dont just mean the odd sleepless night, he's been a problem child since day he was born.. He is exactly the same now as he was at 12-15 months.Someone mentioned bi-polar and i was just questioning that if it was that would he have been like this from day 1? I have been thinkin that if it was bi polar why he has always been the way he is now.Even as a ten month old baby he would bang his head into the wall and bite and scratch.He was even very hyperactive then.From being 15 months he has displayed the traits of anger and had had rages.Plus I thought in bi polar they had bouts of it and that it wasnt constant.He is like this all day everyday and has been since being as i said 15 months old.Its just as he is getting bigger and stronger and he is learning more words etc that he seems worse.Im so confused! There are parents on this board who have children with bipolar that are very well versed like sheri.m. Perhaps she can give you more insight. Utlimately, you have to get a differential diagnosis to get some real answers and my heart really goes out to you because you dont have these resources at your disposal. To non professionals symptoms of behaviors mimmick other disorders but a professional in the field of diagnosing and treating childhood disorders has great knowledge about the vast distinctions between all these childhood disorders/ Ruling bipolar disorder in or out is crucial because children with bipoar disorder should not take stimulant medication as it can indeed trigger mania. Head banging in infancy is a sign of extreme frustration in the child because they cant communicate verbally the source of their frustration and the root of their frustration can be as a result of many things. I really feel for you and your child and I hope anyone reading this from the UK can redirect you toward better resources. Hugs to youAll three of mine have banged their head into the floor at times as infants/toddlers. Since I am ADD I have been watching them closely for signs of AD/HD.
There are many posters here from England and I'm sure they can help guide you.
Rang doctor today and he ruled bi-polar out as he said they screened him for it already and he showed no signs of having it.In his opinion my son has severe ADHD in his words possibly the worst case he has ever seen as a doctor.He didnt rule out aspergers syndrome or ODD though and he said he does have dyspraxia .Have to wait another week or so before our next appointment.Wish the daytrana patch was available in uk :( i think it would be a real help to my son.Is there a possibility you could video tape your son during several of his bad times. Perhaps if the doc could see just what you deal with he may change his tune.
I am so sorry you are having such a rough time.
Cameronsmummy, your son sounds a great deal like my son was when he was younger. He also exhibited the anger management problems, aggression, foul language, and jealousy toward his siblings. His biggest problem was not wanting to accept the word "no". This would always provoke a very strong reaction during which he would cry, scream, throw things, punch walls, and trash his room. He has also always been extremely argumentative. He is now 18 years old, and was only diagnosed with Cyclothymic disorder (mild bipolar disorder) and ODD about 21/2 years ago. This was not from our lack of trying.
When he was younger, we had taken him to a psychologist who we thought was reputable, and he basically blamed us. We made the mistake of somewhat buying into this theory for several years, and things only worsened. We took him back to the same professional when he was about 14, and had assulted another student at school. This man administered an Adult MMPI to a 14 year old! Of course, it revealed nothing. During his counseling sessions this time around, he was told that it was all our fault, and that he had no problems. He was told that Mom and Dad were just too strict, etc. Our son can be quite charming and manipulative, and he had this guy snowed. He saw our son only, and did not communicate with us. Of course, things worsened, and we withdrew him from this man's care, and took him to another professional.
This time, he was tested appropriately, and was given the above diagnosis. Of course, by this time, adolescence had entered into the picture big time. During therapy sessions, he had the attitude that he knew more than his counselor and his parents put together. He has never been able to develop insight into his problems. His counselor commented once that our son usually spent the entire session "blowing smoke", and trying to convince him of how great everyone thought he was. Bless his heart, though, he continued to try, and did not give up on the situation. I think that one of the best things that he did for us was to convince us that it was not our fault at all, and, as we suspected, our son did, indeed have problems that he would not acknowledge. He also referred us to a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and made some recommendations to him. He put our son on respirdal, and this did help somewhat with the anger management problems that he constantly experienced.
When he turned 18, he moved out on his own at our insistance. All of the years of feeling stressed and edgy had taken their toll on his relationship with the rest of us. We never knew for sure what kind of mood he was going to be in when he walked in the door. We had had our fill of middle-of-the-night phone calls saying that he was in trouble, and police knocking at our door looking for him. We would also cringe each time the phone rang during the day, thinking that it was the school calling again. Each time he would get himself into trouble, it was always someone else's fault and not his according to him. We still hear from him occasionally. He seems to be doing amazingly well considering the fact that he has not been taking his respirdal for over 2 months. I have to wonder, though, about how much different things might have been if he had received proper treatment for his problems at an earlier age. I would encourage you to continue to try to do everything in your power to insure that your son gets the proper treatment for his problems while he is still young. I wish you the best of luck!
If you want more information you can go to Conductdisorders.com they have everything listed also talk to a psychologist with your concerns.It took me almost 4 years to get an adhd diagnosis , but i also think my child has odd.He swears constantly, spits, kicks,bites, lashes out will not do anything he does not want to do, ie I've had doors kicked in plant pots smashed and his bedroom trashed if he does not want to put his pj's on.His tantrums last anything from 5 minutes to an hour in length.He struggles at school and does not obey anyone with authority,in fact what you want him to do 99% of the time he will do the oppisite.He has been premantly expelled from school ( waiting on a special school place) so he is at home with me all day and my younger children are now at the center of his behaviour.He has stuffed my babys mouth full of bread "seeing if he chokes" to use his words! has bit punched spat and tried to push my 2 year old down stairs.He hits me and screams awful words in public at me.He does not care about anyones feelings ie when we was out shoppin he asked a lady if she was pregnant she said no he asked why she was so F****** fat then.He has flooded our bathroom to the extent it came through the celing, as he wanted to see how much water it would hold.He uses the 2 finger salute to passers by to see what reaction he gets.He lives in a loving stable home where he is well cared for, I understand the adhd part the impulsivity the hyperactic and the attention span part but i dont understand this behaviour.He lies ( never used to) and is disliked my most children who know him.Is there medication for odd? He takes ritalin at the moment but so far it has not worked! he has also been on concerta too..though he had suicidle thoughts why he was on it.He was six..his moods change rapidly though he often seems tense and moody.He just seems to snap and go off on one.He used to be sorry after an outburst but now he seems to feed off it.We have tried sticker charts time out the marble system takin things away grounding and to be honest he does not seem to care about anyone or anything! help!
Hi Cammeronsmummy......I'm sorry it took so long to get a diagnosis for your child but what kind of doctor diagnosed him? The behaviors you describe suggest there is far more going on than ADHD. I know its been a long journey trying to get your son diagnosed but I would get another opinion as the behaviors you describe are more indicative of Bipolar disorder. Very often ADHD and Bipolar disorder go hand in hand or sometimes the child is misdiagnosed with ADHD and actually has Bipolar disorder. I am by no means diagnosing your child as I am not a doctor but when a child with bipolar disorder is given stimulant medication, it can trigger mania in the child and make the symptoms far worse. ODD is more often seen in Bipolar disorder and at this point I would recommend that you have your child reassessed by a doctor who is trained to make a differential diagnosis. That would be a neuro/pych or a child pychiatrist.
I live in uk the only doctor who is able to make a diagnosis of such things was the one who diagnosed adhd.I too have often wondered if he has more going on.Thing is the national health service sucks! We had an appointment in September they cancelled it until end of Nov.I have had school ring the doctor,myself,my health visitor the school nurse and a child mental heaLth specialist ask for an earlier appointment to be told that it is the earliest available.I have even asked if i can be seen private meaning i pay quite a large amount of money to be told no doctor with the skills/knowledge sees patients private in my area.I guess I just need to sit it out till Nov, i have looked up bi polar and i agree adhd and bi polar symptoms are very alike though i have also been told hardly any children get diagnosed as bi polar in the uk :( Will see what he says.He is a lot improved when we first change medications but when his body gets used to them he slips back to his old ways.The concerta xl one does was too weak and the next one up spaced him out.. I really think the daytrana patch would help him but isnt available in uk and when i asked was told it wont be for many years :( He certainly has adhd he ticked every single box, but im sure there is more going on..Doc did mention aspergers syndrome and he also noticed tics, I hate seeing my gorgeous lil boy like this.I totally understand where you are coming from but some people that post on here would struggle to get there child diagnosed as adhd they would just say they had behavioural problems(if they lived where i do of course).If my son just had half the problems he does I'd feel so much better.Everythin in england seems to go at a snails pace, though i am sure if the doctor lived with my son for a week he would hurry up and understand far more.I always seem to come accross as whinging i know ;) but i feel like the people who should be helping want to to tell me what to do ( though nothin has worked) but dont want to get their hands dirty so to speak :( I feel bullied by teachers Doctors health workers behavioural therapists school nurse My gp.. im doing all i can and am being ran into the ground.Its so annoying knowing there are things that can help my son yet i dont have the access or the means to them.my son also has odd and adhd and from what i have been told there is no treatment for odd.....that normally if u can get the adhd under control the odd will ease up......i am still waiting for that to happen