I would definately NOT jump to the ADHD conclusion yet.
The behaviors you describe that have cropped up in the past two weeks could be symptomatic of several different things........not just ADHD.
The first thing that shot into my mind reading your post was to have this child checked out by a pediatric ENT (Ear Nose Throat) to make sure the child's adenoids/tonsils are not enlarged significantly. I had a friend whose child's adenoids were so infected and enlarged, they were blocking normal air breathing patterns at night when the child tried to sleep. The result was sleep apnea. Guess what the result of the sleep deprivation was??? Surprise ...surprise.... poor attention span, distractibility, hyperactivity, etc. It mimics ADHD symptoms.
Only a professional can dx what is truly going on of course. But the fact that you state these symptoms behaviors were not there previously highly suggests you may not have true ADHD going on.
Okiemom
I find it apauling that the teacher would suggest add when these symptoms are uncharacteristic for him. add is present from birth and it has never caused suddend sleep like that. I would have prayed for that when ds was 4. he never wanted to go to bed or wake up when he was asleep. Naps, yeah right! I am sure that the Dr. wil ask how long the symptoms have been going on and how things were in the past. Most peds are don't that stupid! If the doc dose give that diagnosis I would tell them to go to a pshyciatrist for the meds management and a second opinion!
I wanted to write all you guys back and let you know that when she went to get him yesterday the teacher mentioned something about their naps being weaned away from them over the last 2 weeks. My bf was appauled that she had failed to mention that they were taking their naps away from them slowly over the next month to get them ready for kindergarten! She couldn't believe that this wasn't explained to her when they realized he was having a problem behaving!!! He has ALWAYS had a nap every day and actually looks forward to them. We are both sure that this is the problem and will subside when his body adjusts to his new sleep patterns.
I am sorry that I bothered you guys before waiting to see if something like this was explained, I was just really concerned that the dr would go and prescribe meds w/o properly doing a history.
Thanks to everyone!!
You might suggest they consult a pediatric development team at a children's hospital or university if one is available. They can evaluate the child for all of the posibilities.No, the sudden behavior change is most likely not ADHD. ADHD symptoms generally are there from birth, and must be present for at least 6 months. 4 1/2 is too young to diagnose anyway.
He honestly sounds like a normal 4 yo boy to me.
I would look at his sleep habits and diet for any changes, and go from there.
A psychiatrsit would take several visits to diagnose, bloodwork, EKG's EEG's and several other things, RUN from anyone who does not do these tests.
I was recommended to this message board as a reliable resource for help with any ADD questions I may have. Sorry it is so lengthy.....
Hello, my name is Kelly and I have a best friend whos little boy is 4 1/2. He has always been a sweet child who has always seemed to have a normal attention span (listen to a whole book w/o interrupting, sitting through an adult church service etc.). The last two weeks he has been displaying a troublesome attitude at school (he is in pre-K). His teacher has given him bad marks for almost two straight weeks stating that he has either pushed/kicked another child and has been having trouble with listening.
Today at school he was having carpet time and was being very energetic and was talking with other kids and the teacher warned him that he would have to go and sit at his desk if he didn't obey the rules. When the teacher looked back up in a couple seconds he had fallen fast asleep. She woke him up b/c it alarmed her and he was back to his energetic self and seemed to be unable to behave himself for the next few minutes until he became sluggish again. She called his mom and suggested she take him to the doctor to get tested as this was a sign of ADD. I am certanily no expert but have never heard of a kid just falling over asleep due to ADD.
My friend is at her wits end because his teacher mentioned ADD as a possible cause for this sudden behavior change. His father agrees and wants to take him to the doctor but I am worried that the doctor will listen to his parents complaints about his recent behavior and put him on medicine w/o throughouly going over his history. I am afraid that my friend is now overly sensitive to him not listening as a normal 4 year old does although I have been reminding her that he IS 4 years old.
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