Does this sound like ADHD or not? (LONG) | ADHD Information
Well, 4 is pretty young to diagnose since there is such a wide range of normal. My advice is to get all the early interventions you can while she is very young because early intervention yields the best results.fsvgdj wrote:
For the past two or three weeks, she has started making a "sniffling" noise all the time, and has started "clearing her throat" on a regular basis. (both are unproductive) There doesn't seem to be a cold or sinus problem of any kind, and her nose is not running. I am considering taking her to the doctor for allergy tests, but there is no evidence other than the "noise" of sniffling and throat clearing.
If you see no obvious reason that your daughter is sniffling and clearing her throat for the past 3 weeks, also taking into account that you have observed her zoning out, biting nails until they bleed, shaking with anger as an infant, continues to exhibit extreme anger and has resumed chewing on clothing and objects , I wouldn't hesitate to take her to the pediatrician and express your concerns to either confirm or deny that this is in the range of normal behavior. Holding it together in school may mean she doesn't have ADHD as ADHD is always present in more than one setting so I would seek out the opinion of a pediatrician in terms of whether your daughter should have further testing. Age 4 is young for a diagnosis but there are neurological based disorders that can be detected before the age of 3. I would start with a pediatrician to rule out a medical cause and take it from there. If it is determined that the behaviors are out of norm, early intervention is crucial. I wouldn't wait. JMO
Hello,
my daughter, age 4, has always been more active than my son, age 9, ever was. She is especially hyper when excited about something, or when we have company. She often will, quite literally, bounce around the room, and from person to person, climbing on people, climbing off, giggling, jumping, etc.
She is very needy of physical contact with others, and will often come up to me and touch me, or touch my face, or want to look at parts of my face with great interest (ie. the mole below my ear is a great fascination to her, or my crooked tooth.)
She is very talkative, and will come up to me and start conversations without having anything to say. ie. "mommy, um, mommy.... um uh mommy, um mommy, " It is almost like she wants to talk for the sake of talking. Quite often when she does say something other than "mommy", she will obsess on a particular topic. ie. for the two week christmas break, every chance she got she reminded me that when she is 6 her friend was going to sleep over at our house. She would carry on in great detail (and with great repetition) about all of the details of this event that is far off in the future.
She also is very intelligent, and has an excellent memory of stories and lyrics to songs that she may have only heard one or two times. She is very good at memory games, and practises them sometimes obsessively, until she gets better and better (ie, such as games on her leap pad).
She also has the nasty habit of picking her nails and skin around her nails until they bleed. We have tried to get her to stop this, but she even does it in her sleep. One month ago, her thumb became very infected and required medical treatment after one such "picking" injury. She also puts non food objects in her mouth (This had stopped when she turned 2, but returned again just a few months before her 4th birthday). ie. she will chew her collar, sleeve, ties on her jacket, her mitten, small toy animals, the plastic "eggs" inside of a KinderEgg, a piece of paper, her shoe, etc.
For the past two or three weeks, she has started making a "sniffling" noise all the time, and has started "clearing her throat" on a regular basis. (both are unproductive) There doesn't seem to be a cold or sinus problem of any kind, and her nose is not running. I am considering taking her to the doctor for allergy tests, but there is no evidence other than the "noise" of sniffling and throat clearing.
When she was younger, we thought she might be autistic, because she would have very intense periods of concentration that would last for 45 to 90 minutes at a time. She would kind of "zone out" when engaging in certain play activities (ie. doing a puzzle, repetetively covering up a dolly with a blanket) If you interrupted her in these activities she would become physically agitated and angry and would fight to get back to the activity. She still gets in a "zone" like this often, but not as frequently as before, and she doesn't get quite so agitated if you gently interrupt her zone. Also, she has good eye contact, and plays with her peers quite well.
The daycare hasn't pointed out any problems to us. Her kindergarten teacher said she has noticed that she has a bossy side when interacting with her peers.
Sometimes the looks she gives me are disturbing. If she doesn't like what I tell her, or if she wants me to do something for her and I tell her she will have to wait a few moments, she sometimes gets this very angry look in her eyes, grits her teeth, and pushes her fists towards me. She holds this pose for about 15 seconds and growls and grits her teeth at me the whole time. She always is very apologetic afterwards, but still wants her way. I can actually remember her doing a version of this when she was an infant and I would be breast feeding her. If she coudn't get the milk, or couldn't latch on right away, her fists would grab me and she would literally "shake" with anger.
I am not sure what to make of this. Is this normal behaviour for a 4 year old? I can't really tell. I should mention that my older son has Asperger's, so I am not really sure what normal 4 year old behaviour should look like. She is certainly MUCH more outgoing, social and agressive than my son ever was (or likely ever will be!).
Thank you for any input you may have - I have read some web sites about ADHD, but it is hard for me to judge whether my daughter's behaviour fit into the criteria or not. They don't seem to me to fit the Asperger's or ASD critera. Also, most of the descriptions of OCD don't ring true. Your opinions are appreciated.
Welcome to the board fsvgd Because there are so many childhood disorders whereas symptoms overlap, only a specialist trained in the field of diagnosing childhood disorders can give you some definitive answers. To the non professional, many things can look like ADHD when in fact the behaviors can be indicative of something more or something entirely different going on, including a medical condition.
I recommend that you start with a pediatrician and get a full physical work up for your child. If a medical condition is ruled out, I would then seek out a neuro/psychologist as your child will get a full neurological and psychological assessment. There seem to be many things going on with your daughter so only a specialist is qualified to give you a differential diagnosis.
There are many parents on this message board with a vast amount of experience and knowledge who can share their experiences but I think it would be wise to seek out a the expertise of a specialist so that the reason for the behaviors could be identified and treated. As the parent, if you think there is a problem, then there is one and the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome down the road.
I'm so glad you found us as this is a very supportive environment. Hugs to you
Hello! You just described most of my daughter's behaviour, too! My 9 year old daughter was the kind of baby who if I could have cloned, I'd have been a multi-millionaire by now. She's still a great kid. You could take her anywhere. My 6 year old on the other hand....well....I don't think many would want a clone of her! 
I love her to death...but holy cow. She does the talking thing...um, mommy...uh, mom...I swear...she likes to hear her own voice! And she has ALWAYS been an active child. You know when she's sick because she's quiet and lays down!!! 
Though she doesn't zone out like your daughter...my daughter doesn't often have a great attention span....well, at least for things that don't interest her. Playing with her toys or watching her shows are a different matter. My daughter also has these very angry episodes where she'll not grunt, but make a weird sound. And the looks I get! If looks could kill....she's also a very huggy/touchy child.
Definitely take her to the doctor and let them help you figure it out. I know that I kept just saying that my daughter was just really active (though deep down I knew it was more than that) and my husband still hasn't really accepted the diagnosis of ADHD/LD/ODD...he just keeps saying that she is exactly how he was as a kid and that there's nothing wrong with her!!! 
But I know it's more. So one way or another, put your mind at ease and get her evaluated.
It sounds like you have not gotten any significant complaints from the kindergarten teacher, so these behaviors are not impacting her in the school environment. I would just sit tight, wait, observe, and see how things progress. The number of tests that a neuro-psyche can perform on a child under age 7 are very limited, and the evaluations are costly. Personally, I would wait until she is 7 years old, and if you still have concerns and/or the school raises issues, persue an evaluation at that time. You'll get something much more comprehensive.
Hi there fsvgdj and welcome!! These boards are the best, glad you found them.
Reading your post makes me want to reply that a mother always knows! I would go with my gut and have an evaluation scheduled. Get as much information now. It will only help you later! You also mention that you have a son with aspebergers so you are very well experienced at all this!
Go with the gut! Keep us posted with the goings on of both your children!