preschoolers with ADHD | ADHD Information

My son was diagnosed at 3.  He had been kiscked out of several daycares and we finally realised it was something he just couldnt control. We started meds at 3 and it is the smartest move we ever made.  Alot of people might think that was a dangerous move but we now have a happy loving well adjusted 5 year old whose teacher loves him.  He is now at the point where he requires meds only for school.  Bottom line you have to do what works for your child and not worry about what everyone else would do.

Lonergirl, you did the right thing! I wish that is what I did for my DS.

My husband and family has adhd. I am beginning to think that I have it also. I am very hyper and am a great multitasker. But husband would lose his head if it wasn't attached. His main item is car keys.

My son needed it for his impulsive actions that his teacher actually described as happening so fast that my son didn't even realize he did it!

Thanks for sharing!

I agree with the pediatric neuropsych. evaluation. My son was diagnosed at 4 years old. We did NOT start meds until he was almost 7-big mistake on my part for my son

Also, our insurance paid for the neuropsycho evaluation 100%.

I have read others having their children at your son's age medicated. Mine should have been one of them. My son has severe adhd, the neuropsych used those terms herself. He is so awesome, and I so love him and am protective of him, but meds would have prevented him from suffering unncecessarily from others at school and just in life in general(I hope that makes sense).

Adderall did not like my son either. He does better on concerta. But we use a psychopharmacologist for all medications.  I am a lot more comfortable using a doctor who specializes in these meds since he is a chid. My pediatrician recommended him. This doctor we have to pay out of pocket - he takes no insurance unfortunately, but he is worth it. I feel safe with him since my son is young.

You are at the right place here, keep posting!!

My son was diagnosed and medicated 4 days before his 4th birthday. That sounds young, but he was not your ordinary 4 year old either. I should mention that I have ADHD. This may or may not have been a determining factor I don't know. 

I have no regrets. He is 6 - will be 7 in Aug. And I am actually glad that we got a jumpstart on his treatment. I would hate to be starting this whole doctor/med/school stuff ALL at the same time. It would be like starting at square one if we would have waited. I also don't think he would have the success he does now if we had delayed treatment. Again, his ADHD is severe and I find my son can't really function without medication. Which is why he was diagnosed so young in the first place. I think for a child with attention issues that medication might seem a bit extreme for a 4 year old. But for a child that is BoUnCiNg off the walls - crazy insane hyper - it's simply needed!

It seems to me like you really a full neuropsych evaluation. Private is best, but expensive if you do not have insurnace coverage.  He sounds as though he would benefit from speech/language therapy and OT. A lot of these behaviors may be generated out of frustration (delayed language) and the sensory stuff. If he suffers form sensory processing issues he needs OT daily in order for him to be calmer. Is he in school? I would try to have him evaluated by the school department, he is too old for early intervention.

I agree, a full neuropsych eval would be the way to go. Not a Pediatrician. Although they often mean well, they do not have the expertise needed to diagnose or treat ADHD or other similar issues.

has anyone suggested CAPD to you? (central auditory procesing disorder)?

I have heard of some kids being diagnosed at this age. There are a few parents here with really young kids who have been diagnosed, they are few and far between though, since most psychs won't diagnose until age 6 or over.

 

What type of Dr is the new one?

I got her name from our new daycare provider.  Apparently our daycare provider's son had very similar issues like my son. 

This Dr. is a pediatrician.  I don't believe her specialty is children like him, but his old  Dr., before we had moved, was very well know in Minnesota for dealing with children like him.  She is the one who prescribed the Adderall XR. 

After our incident with the Adderall, we began to wonder if it really is ADHD, but just seeing him and how he acts, I don't know what else it could be.  He's very hyper active.  Does not listen at all, no matter who's talking to him.  I don't think he could physically sit still for more than 2 minutes. 

The other thing with him too, is that he has some sensory issues.  He had seen an occupational therapist for a bit, but then we had to move out of state and have not been able to resume it.  But, even with that, he had a hard time concentrating on the tasks at hand. 

He is 4 years old and still has trouble talking.  He's much better, but most people can't understand him because he talks so fast and is still having trouble with a lot of sounds. 

My husband and I are at our wits end.  He's causing problems at daycare and at school.  the main thing is, he just doesn't listen.  He knows what he is doing and he understands why we say no or slow down.... but it's like it's a reflex.  He is acting faster than his brain or something strange like that. 

We don't really want to put him on any medications, but we feel we have no other choice.  We've tried everything we know and other people don't seem to have any other suggestions.

That is the way my son is.  He's been kicked out of 4 daycares in a little over a year.  We thought the structure would help out and for a time it did, but when more and more kids joined, the more and more he would act out.  It's like it was a sensory overload for him.  Going to the store to go shopping is nearly impossible.  He won't sit in the cart.  If he isn't in the cart, he's running all over the place and grabbing everything in sight.  Makes it very difficult to run errands. 

He has been in school for a year now.  He does do well for the most part.  The special ed teachers constantly work on his attention span and trying to participate in group activities and that sort of thing.  Good thing there is more than one teacher in the classroom. 

At home and even daycare (which we are now in a much smaller, home based daycare) it's hard to sit and color or read books.  He doesn't want to sit.  If I were to shut off all the noise making things and sit in an empty room to do an activity, he would still have trouble just sitting there for more than two minutes. 

He is in speech therapy right now.  We are hoping to get into OT again very soon.  Since my husbands insurance just started again, I need to check on seeing a specialist to formally diagnose him. 

He had been seen by child psychologists and has been evaluated by two schools by their early childhood special education department.  All agree that he is hyperactive and they also brought up sensory integration dysfunction (and similar types) but they can't work with any of the sensory issues until the hyperactivity is somewhat controlled.

We knew that something was up when he was about 2 years old so the one thing we aren't doing is just sitting around waiting for it to take care of itself.  We really are trying to control this now before it becomes a HUGE problem for him down the road.  The hard part is just trying to find the right people to help such a young child.

As far as me and my husband, my husband had ADD as a child and I think he still does to an extent.  I always thought  I did, and still do,  but was never diagnosed.   We are all the type who can't sit still.  We always have to be doing something.  I too am a great multi tasker.  But our son is just over the top when it comes to his activity level. 

One thing that I need to add, is that I feel a lot better now knowing that we are not the only ones out there with a child like this.  We have talked to a lot of people and nobody can seem to relate to us. 
The reason I asked about schhol was at age 4 an evaluation and services would be provided by the local school system.I have a son who just turned 4 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago.  We had tried Adderall XR right off the bat and that made him worse.  We have another dr. appt in a week and were going to talk to the dr. about putting him on medication again. 

Just curious if anyone out there has a child this young who is on meds for their ADHD?
I so know what you mean Meaghan. 

Calvin just turned 4 and we already know that we don't want more children because he is way to much to handle.  It's unfair to him being the only child, but emotionally, I don't think we could do it. 

He constantly stops and asks people what their names are and tells them about his bike or whatever he may be by.  It's funny but also annoying and like you said, it can be embarrassing if you know the person doesn't want to talk to him and he just keeps rambling on.  Never stops touching things too.

From what I have been hearing, I want to see a pediatric neurologist. 
I found all that out the hard way.  For some reason, people aren't being very helpful with our situation.  It's like pulling teeth.  It's so frustrating.

But after his evaluation, he started the ECSE program and has been in it for over a year now and will continue this fall.

But thanks for the info. 

We are just going through what you are going through right now.. We have known my son was ADHD since about 18 m onths old, but I am now finally at the end of my rope with him and he was diagnosed with severe ADHD. I agree a lot of people who do not know Colin, have said that is the worst move, but until you have a child like him nobody can relate. He surpassed hyper at 1, now he is just on batteries that NEVER go out. From sun up till bed (when he just crashes) he is talking a mile a minute and now he is starting to lie ALL the time. I went to the mall today to return soemthing and right away he is talking to the door man showing him his new crocs to EVERY Single person he passes. It gets embarssing when you know people dont want to talk to him, but he cant seem to stop talking or running or hiding or touching !!! We have an appt. with the pediatrician on the 10th and then we will talk about meds then. I would love to know where you get a neuropsych test done??  Through a neurologist or psychologist??

Good luck and it is great knowing other people with kids my sons age are in the same situation as us.. Ohh by the way Colin is 4 1/2

Meaghan

Ohhh that is so funny..

I thought it would be too much to handle to, but his sister is such the opposite of him it is unbeleivable. I feel guilty for both, for her because he gets more attention, not always good, but more and for him, because I do treat her different and I dont yell at her because she is so easy going and care free that there really is no need to yell. I do see why parents would not have more children though..

We have already decided adn talked with his school so he is not allowed to learn his address yet.. I know it sounds bad, but he will go to everyone and tell them his name and full name (thank goodness he has a speech problem and people can not always understand) and then go on and say when mommy is home when Daddy is not. He just has no boudaries in who he talks to at all..

I should look into NueroPsych..

 

Meaghan,

I would get your evaluation from a neuropsychologist and med management from a pediatric psychiatrist. Those are great options. You can get a referral from your pediatrician or call your local childrens hospital. Quite often the pediatrician will go ahead and start meds, but its nice to get the appointments with the specialists going. Rarely is the first med at the first dose right on.  Good luck and keep us posted, we all learn from each others experiences. Hang in, it's a long road, but worth it, there is a lot fo help out there for your child and family.

Diane V39259.6391319444

My son is 4.5 yo, and was diagnosed with ADHD a few weeks ago.  His main problems were with impulse and aggression, and was on his way to getting kicked out of his 3rd daycare in 3 years. 

We decided to try one of the antihypertensives, he is now on Clonidine.  He is doing really well on it, and his teachers have not stopped thanking us for trying the meds.  We have seen a real improvement on being able to sit long enough to focus on whatever is going on in school, also at home.  His classroom is so much calmer and quieter than before the meds.  He tried so hard for so long to get a sticker for good behavior at school, and since he is on the meds, he gets a sticker most every day.  He is a lot happier now.

Our home life is so much better, no more climbing on the furniture, and screaming matches to try and control his behavior.  For a long time we could not imagine having another child, our son was sooo much work.  We are now looking forward to our next son being born in September.  I feel that starting meds this early is important, as he is really starting to form his social circle, and he is starting to understand his self-image. 

I think as long as you are working closely with a psych, and conservative on starting the meds, it will be for the best.

juliana57, thanks for the post, we all love to hear these good stories. I wish you continued success with your son and good luck with your new baby! Diane V39260.2077199074