...that it was time to have your child evaluated for ADHD? My four year old is driving me absolutely nuts, and I'm just so *tired* of not being able to go anywhere/do anything with him without it being difficult. I know, people have told me, "it's the age--he's still immature." True, but I have an 8 yr old daughter and 6 yr old son (6 yr old has SPD and Klinefelter Syndrome)--and my 4 year old is VASTLY different than they were at this age! We even jokingly nicknamed him our "little troublemaker" when he was barely 2.
We just got home from a VBS--it was the last day, and the kids (ages 4 to 5th or 6th grade) put on a presentation of the songs they learned. Well, there's my son in the middle, twirling around. He sang one song with the group, then announced that he was done and wanted to go home. Well, if that was the only issue, I'd have been fine, but after the program, everyone stayed for lunch. D. hit 2 different kids within a 30 min. time frame.
He has pinched and bit my SPD son several times over a few week span recently. When he gets dressed, I need to keep him on task--I can be looking him in the eye saying, "take off your socks", and he'll start taking off his shorts. He is so hyper--always jiggly, running, head-butting...I could go on and on, but the point is, he shows all the "hallmark signs" of ADHD (impulsivity, inattention, hyperactivity), but I have heard that most drs. don't dx until age 6. And my dh is worried that I just want to "slap a dx" on our youngest, when he just might be an exhuberant boy (he is, from what I've heard, every bit as hyper as my dh was at that age!). BUT, I'm the one home with him (I can't wait for summer to end!), and I'm the one in tears after my kid is the one who can't follow directions or hits another kid, and I can just see all the other moms staring at me in judgement. I just want to go hole up in my room and hide and cry, but I can't because I have 3 kids to take care of. AND, I just turned 40--aren't "older" parents supposed to be able to take more in stride, and not be stressed out?
Sorry to have rambled, but I don't think I can take this behavior another 2 years before seeking a dx!
Michelle
You CAN take him to the doctor. They will refer you to a behaviorist and go from there. There are children diagnosed younger, but it is not all that common. Seeing some one will help give you strategies to cope though. Having him evaluated will also give something to look back and compare to in another year and/or two. Diane V39283.4850694444I had my son diagnosed at 4 by a psychiatrist. Your son's behavior sounds a lot like mine prior to treatment.
I am 40, too, and felt so inadequate for not LOVING the parenting experience. It was just so much work, and too much drama, being in social situations with my son. I had a feeling there was something wrong around the time he was not even 2 years old. Of course, I couldn't get a diagnosis until this year. And this was after 2 years of behavioral psychologists, 3 different day cares, etc.
We eventually decided on trying Clonidine, which has really helped him a lot. We can even let him play with other children, without having to hover and analyze all of the dynamics to make sure he doesn't lose it with the other kids. He is really starting to make friendships, and his teachers say his is so much more controlled and focused at school. We can even drop him off at a friend's house for a play day without having to be there.
I think the limitation with a diagnosis at 4 is that there are a limited number of prescriptions that can be given to a child of his age. But if you can work with a psych to rule out all other possible causes of his behavior, which might take some time, you can get to a definitive diagnosis, which will get you to the next step, which is treatment, however you want to treat the condition.
Good luck and know you are not alone.
Julie (Mom to Paul 4.5 yo ADHD, and one on the way EDD 9/30/07)
We took my son for a neuropsych evaluation when he was 8. We had known since he was 3 that there was something going on and have been seeing a play therapist off and on (but mostly on) since that age.
She was the one who referred us to the neuropsych after we came back to her after almost a year without therapy. His behavior had improved greatly over the years, but around the middle of 2nd grade it took a nosedive and his teacher started complaining that he wasn't paying attention, constantly fidgeting, missing directions, etc.
I had my son at the age of 4 (just barely 4). My son is almost 6 now. Your child sounds very similar to my son in the beginning. He had a QEEG done by a psychiatrist and a 6 hour glucose tolerance test done also per request of the psychiatrist. We discovered my son had reactive hypoglycemia which they have linked to some of the ad/hd impulsive issues. Our psychiatrist had us work with a nutritionist. We started a high protein diet and low carb. Very helpful info from the nutrionist. He still can be a kid... we are not strict about the diet and he is very healthy and a healthy weight...not under weight or over weight.
My son was diagnosed as having ad/hd (impulsive issues) and we have him on 5 mg focalin xr. He has been on that since the beginning. We are one of the luckier families. We've never had to adjust the dosage and he really is pretty under control . :-) Still at times if his schedule changes or we are up late we might see some of the hyper behaviors but nothing like we saw early on.
We also found play therapy to help our son. He is currently only going once a month but in the beginnng we went 4 times a month. We keep him active in swimming and soccer class. I'm telling you we are seeing a much happier child these days.
Find a doctor that believes in the whole picture. Not just meds. I really am a believer that if you make a balance of changes you can keep from having to play around with the dosages and your child will be better off. Hope this makes sense. (note: this worked for us... I realize there are exceptions)
And... I have to say I think we as parents need to learn what we can about ad/hd and not make excuses for our children. I feel sometimes that some parents are helicopters and hover over their children. We have to find a healthy balance and not pamper our children. They need to learn to handle their situations and we need to model and provide our children opportunities to learn.
4myson39283.6735069444If you want to medicate him, you can take him to a child psychiatrist at age four. I believe that academy of pediatrics says no diagnosing ADHD before age six, but psychiatrists are in a separate category. I would NOT spend money on a neuro-psyche at this age. It is very costly and not covered by insurance. I would reserve that for school age, and then the report will include recommendations for classroom accommodations that you use can use it to get services if needed.
If your DH is worried that you want to slap a diagnosis on him, try the alternate route first. It is especially helpful for hyperactivity and impulse, but not so much on focus. Personally, I'd give him omega-3 and magnesium. See the alternatives board for recommendations on those. That should reduce the hyperactivity. If the impulse still remains, I'd toss in a homeopathic remedy. I would think that these supplements would reduce the symptoms enough at this age so that he is tolerable in a home and even preschool environment. Elementary school however is another subject (SIGH).
As far as the diet: high protein, low sugar, no dyes, minimal preservatives.
NoTellin39283.878275463
Well I know exactly what you are on about!!! Our son has controlled our life from such an early age - we have lost friends, not been able to go places and brought me career to a screaming halt. We still struggle and he is 14!!!
We knew something was different from about 14 months when we would just run everywhere! By 2 1/2 he was uncontrollable and non-responsive to most requests. It was like he was in a world of his own. He wasn't speaking and hated going out from the house. Sociallising even going to a shop was just impossible. He would throw 20 tnatrums before breakfast and was just so frustrated. He went to day care 1 day a week at about 14 months and he would act like a wild rabbit. He would then bite and hit anyone who came near him.
At about 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 we were really worried. His speech had improved and but his social skills were non-existent. Group time he would spend under the paint easle. Still biting and lashing out if he felt underthreat. Teachers new there was something wrong but living in a rural area, we had limited professionals. I remember dreading walking into the kindy (3-4 year olds) to hear what he had done wrong that day. I would wait until everyone had left because I just couldn't cope with the humiliation. Mothers groups etc he was awful and of course all the mothers had an opinion about me child rearing.
At 5 I had a diagnosis of ADHD. Then meds followed. We also took away dairy at 7 and he became awake and more communicative. He still had very poor auditor processing problems. When he was about 11 another doctor diagnosed ASD and severe anxiety. At 14, he still is really hard work and we still hover over him in social situations! Still everyone is so judgemental of all our choices and decisions and of course his behaviour. We tend to keep to ourselves. Recently we found a family just like us!!! For the first time I have found a place where someone understands.
Keep pushing for an evaluation. Write a comprehensive timeline of development and anything we observe that is out of the norm. Even video your child. Look into diet, have speech, OT and auditory processing testing done so that any issues can be ruled out.
Good luck