OK, so Kalynn was finally officially DX with ADHD and was prescribed Adderall..
After thinking about your input, I've come to terms that she will more than likely be held back another year.
She is definitely more immature than her peers, per her teacher, so I think holding her back will help..
[QUOTE=Joy2] [QUOTE=NoTellin]In your shoes, I would hold her back. Perhaps move her to a pre-K program with an emphasis on socialization. ADHD are typically 30% behind peers in maturity. Even medication doesn't "fix" everything.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this. The fall birthdays are so hard because they are already behind, age-wise. You could put her back into a pre-K program and try again next year. If she is still having trouble, you will know that it is due to ADHD. I held my son back a year and am SO happy I did. He has a high IQ but is just at grade level for his work. Writing is still very hard for him, which is common in ADHD. I can't imagine the struggle if he'd gone to school a year earlier. The kids think it is cool to be the oldest one in the class, so they don't notice. If you decide to hold her back later, it will be much more difficult for her emotionally and the other kids will remember. The gift of time is a wonderful thing, especially for kids with ADHD.
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It's interesting that you said mentioned having difficult with writing..This is exactly Kalynn. In fact, the teacher is trying to get her some OT for her writing.
We felt something wasn't right w/our son since about 3 1/2 and asked about ADHD at his 4 yr appt and it was brushed off cause he was "too young". He turned 5 in Nov, which prevented him from going to kindegarten but we did enter him into a Pre-K class at a private school to get a head start and also hoped the structure would settle him down. It didn't. We and the teacher struggled for two months before we finally took him in again and insisted that he be evaluated and with the referral to a ped Doc, he was dx w/ADHD. We have now started meds & he is having a much easier time in school, we still struggle at home but am waiting for out appt in Jan with a psychologist to further help us. If your Doc wanted to wait until she was in school for a dx, now that she's in school and still having trouble, I would take her back in to try and remedy the situation. I think it's a little early in the year to be thinking about holding her back, there's a lot of the school year left to work through solutions if you get back to your Doc and start the process. I feel like our situation is similar and I'm glad I pushed for some kind of answer to save him some struggle in school. As far as "how long does it take for a 5 year old to adjust?" I noticed a big difference between him & his classmates after about the first month. They had all adjusted and settled down and he was different. He wanted so badly to play with the other kids but was lacking the social skills to do it effectively. This broke my heart. Fortunately he has a teacher that is working very closely w/us and with him to help his succeed. Sorry this is so long, I just felt like your situation was similar to what we went through just a couple months ago. Hope this helps.
[QUOTE=epokey]We felt something wasn't right w/our son since about 3 1/2 and asked about ADHD at his 4 yr appt and it was brushed off cause he was "too young". He turned 5 in Nov, which prevented him from going to kindegarten but we did enter him into a Pre-K class at a private school to get a head start and also hoped the structure would settle him down. It didn't. We and the teacher struggled for two months before we finally took him in again and insisted that he be evaluated and with the referral to a ped Doc, he was dx w/ADHD. We have now started meds & he is having a much easier time in school, we still struggle at home but am waiting for out appt in Jan with a psychologist to further help us. If your Doc wanted to wait until she was in school for a dx, now that she's in school and still having trouble, I would take her back in to try and remedy the situation. I think it's a little early in the year to be thinking about holding her back, there's a lot of the school year left to work through solutions if you get back to your Doc and start the process. I feel like our situation is similar and I'm glad I pushed for some kind of answer to save him some struggle in school. As far as "how long does it take for a 5 year old to adjust?" I noticed a big difference between him & his classmates after about the first month. They had all adjusted and settled down and he was different. He wanted so badly to play with the other kids but was lacking the social skills to do it effectively. This broke my heart. Fortunately he has a teacher that is working very closely w/us and with him to help his succeed. Sorry this is so long, I just felt like your situation was similar to what we went through just a couple months ago. Hope this helps.
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Thanks, it is helpful! I finally called the pedi, on the verge of tears and she was prescribed Adderall, so hopefully this will help.
Your son sounds like Kalynn. It's about at the end of the first semester and she still has yet to settle down. 3 out of 5 days, I usually see bad marks, ie. getting of her seat, not paying attention, etc etc.
It sounds like your taking a step in a new direction, I hope it works for you. Be patient tho, it doesn't change over night. I was ready for an instant change and it didn't happen. I think we were so ready for a solution to the problem that we had been dealing with for so long that I thought it would be like magic! It still takes time and after about 6 weeks we are still struggling but at least have balanced his days at school so he's focusing better, controlling his impulsiveness, etc... We still struggle at home but feel like if he's having good days at school, that is half the battle and one hurdle overcome. Good luck!
My DD, at the time was 4, has been to a neuropsychologist who felt that she indeed show signs of ADHD. However, she said she wanted to delay the dx until she was in school.
Fast forward, she's in Kinderten and is five now. She is struggling with her behavior. She's constantly out of her seat, doing inappropriate behaviors (a few days ago, she flashed everyone her chest), not being able to complete work.
The biggest shocker was when I got her report card. Out of 14 behaviors, she got an X on all but 2 (x is not good). I feel that it's interfering with her learning and I'm afraid she'll have to be held back.
I have talked to her teacher but she says that it's just her age, since she JUST turned 5 in August, and school started 2 weeks after her birthday.
Is there anything I can do to get her help? Could it be her age?? How long does it take an average 5 year old to adjust??
Thanks in advance for any insight and/or suggestions!
MamaCeleste39417.7820023148Hi, my daughter was five when she was diagnosed with ADHD. She too was having trouble sitting still, in and out of her seat, talking constantly, not completing work, etc.... She started Adderall in K and her teacher noticed an immediate change - she stayed seated, focused on her work and did really well. She still has trouble with distractions. Unfortunately her teacher this year (second grade) is not very responsive to her disorder so I get alot of notes home saying she needs to mind her own business. Her first grade teacher kept her away from the very distracting kids and we had a great year. She was very helpful and understanding. I wish this teacher would show an ounce of compassion, but she wont, so we ignore her notes basically.
Hopefully your daughter's teacher will work with you. Maybe the school can get your daughter evaluated. I took my daughter to a pediatric neurologist who was really very helpful in getting my daughter on the right path. If you can find a pediatric neurologist in your area, that may be a great place to start.
In your shoes, I would hold her back. Perhaps move her to a pre-K program with an emphasis on socialization. ADHD are typically 30% behind peers in maturity. Even medication doesn't "fix" everything. [QUOTE=NoTellin]In your shoes, I would hold her back. Perhaps move her to a pre-K program with an emphasis on socialization. ADHD are typically 30% behind peers in maturity. Even medication doesn't "fix" everything.[/QUOTE]Thanks for your insight! It's been really helpful, this is all new to me..
My child has been diagnosed since the age of four. He is on Dexedrine during the day and Clonidine and Risperdal at night. He is doing well in school. He does tend to get into trouble if I forget to medicate him in the a.m. He sees a pediatric psychiatrist. We didn't want to medicate our child, just like most every other parent, but we do not regret our decision to do so. We did it for him, and people that used to hate to see him coming, now complement him on his behavior. We are so proud. Though things are not where we would love for them to be, his outburst and behavior have improved. He loves school.
Our pediatric psychiatrist had told us that children with ADHD are about three years behind in maturity.
My suggestion is to ask to try the mediation for three months. This will give you a chance to see if this will help her. You will need a pediatric psychiatrist to monitor her and the meds. It is a trial and error kind of thing at first. You may need to change meds or dosages to find what works best for her.
"Our Children are Precious in His Sight"
Good luck
We also held my oldest back a year in Kindergarten. Only partly due to her ADHD, but boy am I SO glad I did.............it's helped everyhwere, academically, socially, even just for her stamina