Best path to diagnosis | ADHD Information
Many things can look like ADHD and many children can be impulsive and hyperactive for reasons that have nothing to do with ADHD. A pediatrician isn't qualified to make such an assessment. Prodad, you mentioned that your child is in the gifted program. If your child does in fact have ADHD or any other childhood disability he would be considered "twice exceptional"
Having your child assessed by a neuro/psych or a child psychiatrist would be preferred as either one has the knowledge and credentials to make a differential diagnosis. The goal is to get a definitive diagnosis, not an opinion from those who don't have the expertise to give one. Impulsivity and hyperactivity are seen in many childhoods disorders, even some medical disorders but those not trained to make such an assessment seem to automatically point to ADHD. In any event, I'm sure you would like to define exactly what is going on with your child so please consider some of the advice you have been given here. With regard to medication, if needed that is a personal choice made by parents but for ADHD, its a a first line of treatment, not a last resort. Read below as this will give you a better understanding of the child that is considered "twice exceptional"
Twice-exceptional students are:
1. Students who are identified as gifted and talented in one or more
areas of exceptionality (specific academics, general intellectual
ability, creativity, leadership, visual, spatial, or performing arts);
and also identified with:
2. A disability defined by Federal/State eligibility criteria: perceptual
communicative disability (learning disability), significant
identifiable emotional disability, physical disabilities, sensory
disabilities, autism, or ADHD.
�� The disability qualifies the student for an individual education
plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan.
I agree with everyone above. I'm sure you're getting neuropsych is the way to go. In answer to your question about "how" they come to the diagnosis, yes it is still based on their assessments and how it fits into the criteria. With my daughter, we had 4 or 5 different people tell us from the age of 5 she was likely moderate ADHD, we were sort of denying it as she is combined type, but mainly inattentive and not really hyperactive. She could not function without meds now. She has multiple learning diasabilites, but her attentional problems are her biggest hindrance in learning. Now my youngest is just 6 and if you asked me 2 years ago, and I wasnt informed on ADHD, you could've EASILY convinced me she was ADHD, because she was a jumping bean , fresh, defiant, but she has changed so dramatically behaviorally since, now I don't think so. So I guess my overall point is a few things,1) make the neuropsych appointment, getting a diagnosis doesnt mean meds or taking any "next step". 2) start a behavior plan, read discipline books, read ograms marble system on this forum, 3) check him out physcially as edbson mentions, hearing, vision...etc., etc., give it, and yourselves, some time. He is in Kindergarten, you have lots of time, most kids aren't diagnosed much before 7 anyway, so take it slow (unless he's out of control), know all your options so you will be able to make an informed decision if/when the time comes regarding medication. There are lots of ways to help him, as mentioned in all the replies to your post.From Mom2ADHDboy:
Exactly what behaviors are interfering with your son having a better life? Is he having trouble in school? How are his social relationships -- with his family, with peers? How is his self-esteem? Does he seem happy?
His hyperactivity presents itself in several ways. He can't sit still. The only thing that causes him to sit still is a book. The library is like a sanctuary. He'll get a few books and all of a sudden he's as calm as any other kid. Otherwise he just can't stop fidgeting and getting on his feet. Dinner is an endless struggle to keep him in a chair. He usually ends up standing to do his homework. He squirms when watching TV. He can't even just sit in my lap for more than 30 secs.
He can't wait in line or wait his turn. Yesterday we went to a birthday party at a bowling alley and he was in constant motion. He couldn't even stand still long enough to see if his ball hit the pins.When it wasn't his turn he was running in circles and rolling on the floor. Another kid from his class stood there watching him and asked me, "What's he doing?" That's the attention he's going to get from other kids that scares me to death. To 3-5 year old's he was an amusement and they often joined in, but now that his classmates are reaching an age where they are settling down, they wonder what's wrong with him. Or they laugh at him. Or they avoid him.
He constantly grabs at things with his hands. Once he sees somethig that interests him he goes for it, regardless of where it is, who has it and whether he's been told NO. (Impulsiveness driven by insatiable curiosity). He gets an idea in his head about something and just does it. He came home from school two days in a row last week having cut his own shirt up with his scissors. This is the third teacher who has had to take his scissors away for good.
He is extremely verbal and loud. If he's not talking continuously about something he's making some kind of noise. Hooting, screeching, animal noises, roaring, etc. And loud! ON one hand I worry about losing him in crowded places because he will bolt off at anything that interests him and follow any stranger that will talk to him, but at the same time I always know where he is just by listening.
What is really wearing on us however, is that by age 6 we expected him to be more self sufficient. But I must constantly watch him and follow-up with him to make sure he does what's asked of him. Just getting dressed in the morning is a challenge. My 2 y/o daughter only requires a third of the attention he does. When he is at school and I just have my daughter at home she is wonderful. It's quiet, calm. She plays nicely by herself. Then he comes home and all h@!* breaks loose. She gets whiny and loud. I get stressed out. Going out to eat is more stressful than it's worth.
Regarding your questions MOM2ADHDBoy, he gets into some trouble at school by not following rules, but academically he's getting the work done and making the grades. He reads at a middle school level. His vocabulary is astounding and his logic skills are way ahead of the curve. HIs self esteem is fine, but we feel like the constant timeouts and scolding from us is beating him down. He always feels remorse for doing things wrong, he just doesn't seem able to control himself. I feel guilty for punishing him if he does something wrong because to ME it seems like he just can't help himself.
We just started the marble system I read about here. We'll see how that goes. And I just ordered the 123 Magic book too. But I think we've been pretty consistent with how we've managed behavior with him.
Thank you for all of your feedback. It sounds like the neuro-psych may be the next step for him.
I am new to this board and have found some comfort in reading the posts of others who are struggling with the same frustrations my wife and I have about our son. Misery likes company I guess.
Our Kindergartener has been a handful since he was old enough to walk. He has many of the symptoms I have read so much about here and elsewhere. He definitely leans toward the hyperactive/impulsive end of the spectrum. He has no learning disorders and, in fact, just switched to a gifted program.
During the gifted testing the school psychologist suggested taking an assessment to evaluate his behavior. His teacher (who loves him and is wonderful) and I both completed the assessment. The psych scored it and said the results were worth a discussion with the pediatrician.
I made the appointment and the ped. glanced at the assessment. Then he said he prefered the Vanderbilt assessment. So his teacher and I completed it too. We both scored him very high on the hyperactive/impulsive side. Gave the results to the pediatrician and his response was, "So what do you think?" I said I think he's hyperactive based on this and the last 3 years of him bouncing around like a jumping bean. He said, "Are you prepared to take the next step?" I asked him what that was and he said, "meds." I said I hoped for more options than that.
I had another conversation with him later and I told him that he never really gave me his opinion. Then he finally said that he thought my son was positive for ADD. (He seemed to use the terms AD/HD and ADD interchangeably.) One might conclude at this point that he knows little or nothing about the issue but he told me one of his own children is ADD.
We have always suspected ADHD may be an issue and thought that if he received some formal diagnosis we would want meds to be a last step, but we might consider it. But what we are really having troube with is the DIAGNOSIS. I thought the pediatrician's diagnosis based on one assessment was pretty weak. I understand there's no blood test or brain scan to help out here, but who is the best "expert" to go to for a through evaluation?
There are pediatric neuropsychologists in our area. Are they the best ones. What do they do to make the evaluation? Will it just be more assessments and a judgement call based on the results?
An earlier pediatrician, one more familiar with my son, once told me that the school will push us to do something, but if he is not struggling academically to fight them. Well the school has not pushed us to do anything, but his behavior is affecting our famliy life and we are terrified it will affect him negatively in his social development. I already hear other kids making comments about him when he gets wound up or overly emotional and verbal. That can only get worse.
We want desparately to help him but are not sure who to turn to for the right diagnosis.
Any suggestions about where to go from here will be greatly appreciated!
A Pediatric Neuropsychologist is your best bet, they will generally order bloodowrk to rule out other causes. Do an evaluation consisting of several hours/visits of observations and testing.
IMO pediatricians should not diagnose or treat ADHD, they just don't have the training.
I wish I could help you. But all I can do is tell you from what I have learned is the dx is made from interviewing the parents and answering questions related to his his behavior. Since you have a pediatric neuropsychologist in your area I would take him there. I don't have that in my area and so I am taking my son to a Pediactric behavioral specialist MD that is 70 miles away but can't get him in until May 13.
I wish you the best and would love to know about your experience with pediatric neuropsychologist. I would travel as far away as needed if I thought that would be the answer besides drugs. Please keep me updated.
All A Neuropsych will do is evaluate and offer therapy. They will make treatment recommendations, including meds. this all sounds like you are on the right path. I'm happy your hool has a gifted program for him and with all your support he is going to soar! Good luck, keep us updated on how you all make out.I'm starting to think the diagnosis is somewhat related to how the child manages with medications. My son is very complex - gifted, impulsive, destructive, anti-social, and has been considered ADHD, bipolar, ODD, etc. with sensory modulation issues. He is now on concerta, zoloft, and tenex, and at this point I don't care about the labels, I am glad to have a combination of meds that treat his symptoms. The concerta really helps his inattentiveness - you really can't connect with him unless he is on it. After he started Zoloft, he started laughing at movies and really enjoying fun moments. The tenex has helped him be less reactive, harmful, and destructive. He is still anxious about many things, but we have time to work on these. He is 8 and had to be tested at an 8th grade level to get accurate academic assessments. So, he is bright, but has a lot of extra issues. I would suggest starting with the most evident issues and looking for a medication. I am a strong believer in meds because i have seen so much suffering in the absence of medical help.
The med. side effects aren't as bad as the media makes them out to be -- for the vast majority of people. They take rare instances and make it sound like that's a common reaction. So, when you consider whether to medicate, keep in mind that side effects probably will be manageable.
Exactly what behaviors are interfering with your son having a better life? Is he having trouble in school? How are his social relationships -- with his family, with peers? How is his self-esteem? Does he seem happy? I ask these questions because, to me, the decision to medicate is whether the problems might be controlled by meds., and if so, whether medicating is worth making those other problems disappear. If they're minor inconveniences, then maybe it isn't worth it. If they are seriously impacting his quality of life, then maybe it is worth it.
Thanks for providing all of the detail about your son's circumstances. I agree that pediatricians are not ADHD experts, so they are not the best ones to diagnose. Some people go the route of a child psychiatrist, but I chose a neuropsychologist to diagnose. I liked that they would spend many hours with my child, observing him and doing various tests. I also liked that the report included several recommendations for the school. It included things as small as the importance of taking breaks to keep him moving (like bringing work up to the teacher).
Like your child, my child is academically advanced, and I pursued the ADHD diagnosis because the ADHD was affecting his behavior tremendously. Since starting meds, he's accepted much better by his peers and now has numerous friends. He also doesn't get into trouble at school anymore, and he rarely gets in trouble at home when the meds are in his system. His life has improved dramatically since we started meds. It's the best decision I ever made to pursue the diagnosis and start meds.
Good luck!
We too have the picky eater. My son has ADHD but he also has a condition called SID (Sensory Integration Dysfunction). He was diagnosed with the SID when he was 2 - we didn't get an ADHD diagnosis until he was 5.
My son won't try bites of new things because of how they look, smell or feel - it has nothing to do with the taste. He doesn't like the way things "feel in his mouth". He goes so far as to only eat certain brands of things because if they "look different" he won't even taste it. I feel your pain in this area. We too tried the eat it or go without route - it doesn't work. I can tell you that as he gets older, he does eventually try new things, but it is a SLOW process - and I do mean SLOW. And it has to be HIS idea. If he wants to try it - he will ask.
The SID was noticable for me in many other areas as well - tags in clothing, the seams in socks, he likes to sleep with a fleece blanket, he can't stand for a light breeze to blow on him - etc. Some of the behaviors he has overcome - like wanting to wear shoes to bed - with play and sensory therapy - others he will probably always have to deal with.
There is a great book called The Out of Sync Child that was a godsend to me when he was first diagnosed. There is a companion book called The Out of Sync Child Has Fun, which has some great "therapy" type things you can do with them at home to help them with some of the issues.
Hang in there - I think you are on the right road. It is just a matter of getting it all together.
I only have one thing to say about the power struggle over food............not worth it..............he is trying to have some control..........my suggestion dont make him a separate dinner every night, but be sure there is at least one thing on the table he does like, he eats what he eats then thats it. What is the point of forcing him to try things, this is one of those pick your battles situations and now you're in a standoff...............I'd let it go. He is not going to starve to death. I bet once the power struggle is gone, he'll be more cooperative...............
This is more a kid issue than an ADHD issue, ids with ADHD just LOVE conflict and turmoil though, so they may fight it even harder.................
My dd was the same way until 2nd grade. It was only her behavior. I didn't want to put her on meds until she started struggling at school. We did the adhd diet. No dairy, no processes foods, no sugar, no carbs. This really helped with her hyperness. Research it on the internet. It will tell you all the foods to stay away from. We still do the diet with modifications, but know she is in the 4th grade and on meds because she has an auditory proccessing problem.
Your son sounds exactly like mine with the constant motion. On his report card it stated from every teacher in every class that he had trouble sitting still and paying attention - even when doing activities he enjoyed. I know what you mean about the dinner chair battles, and going out not even being worth the drama. I seriously felt like I had to "protect" other people from my son't behavior.
It is daunting and draining even on the "good" days. Academically we had the same scenario - huge vocabulary very early, reading early, etc. He was saying things like "wow it is refreshing in here" when he was 3 - so I can totally relate.
I know what you mean about the negative environment - our son was always in trouble, everywhere we went. It was impossible to "catch him being good" because he was constantly moving and doing things inappropriately. I also know what you mean about other kids avoiding him - we went thru that too.
We got our official ADHD diagnosis a little over 2 months ago and putting him on meds is the best thing we have ever done - for him and everyone around him. Everyone who dealt with him before knew how hard he was to even talk to - church, school, home, out in public - it affected every area of his life. Now, he is calm, focused, able to complete his assignments, able to have conversations with people, able to sit in a chair, etc.
I know it is a super hard decision - I agonized over it - and shed buckets of tears. But I tried everything else, supplements, dietary changes, firm discipline, you name it. Nothing changed. So, as a last resort I tried the meds - with the mindset that if the side effects were awful, or he didn't respond that I didn't have to keep him on them.
For us, putting him on meds was a lifesaver. He is happy now, and that is worth everything to me. The side effects weren't the horror that I had heard before I came to this forum. He is excelling, in all areas of his life, and I feel like I have my son back.
Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck. I know the road is hard, believe me, I know.
My son's path started with his ped. I went in and told him of the problems he was having in school (hyper, won't pay attention, defiant ect.) and he set up an appointment with a psychologist for an ADHD evaluation. The whole process was done over 4 visits.
1. Initial Intake- Where the dr. determines what the concerns are and learns a little bit about history from the parents.
2.Psychological Testing- This is where he is givin tests to determine his Intelligence and Emotional levels. He is also givin a computer test that checks his Impulsivity. This test is a big factor in the dx.
3.Brief eval. w/o medication- He was givin the computer test again w/o meds.
4. Results visits- This is where he shared with us what he found and what his suggestions would be from this point.
It took about 3 weeks after the last visit fo me to get his writin report in the mail and I learned that my son was not only ADHD but he also has ODD which I knew nothing about.
It is a fairly simple process to get the testing done(it was for us) it is just time consuming because you have to wait to be able to get int to see the psychologist. My first appt. was January 29th and the appt. was made in Nov.
Good Luck to you.
I agree with all of the others. Pediatricians are great for sore throats and yearly well check-ups, but you chould have your child evaluated for ADHD by someone else. A pediatric neuropsych. or a pediatric psychiatrist. It does sound as though your child may very well have ADHD. Medicating your child isn't the end of the world. Those of us that have chosen to go that route, have done so out of love and concern. We want our children to have a better life if that is possible.
Good luck.
Our children are precious in His sight
To HisMom301: Thank you for the detailed description of your son's evaluation. My wife and I are both engineers and we love lists and procedures! I want to find someone who has a defined process for this diagnosis (unlike what his pediatrician did). We will be investigating a local pediatric neuro-psych this week.
GatorsMom, it sounds like you have a very similar situation to deal with. I'm glad you found some help and the meds are working for your child. Thank you for sharing your story with me.
We have said to ourselves a million times, "All these behaviors that drive us crazy will serve him well as an adult." He has never been a wallflower. He always jumps in with both feet. He loves nature centers and he'll nose his way right up next to a worker or volunteer and pepper them with questions and beg to help feed animals or be a part of the experience. I was always very timid and shy as a child so there is this part of me that is saying "You go boy! Live life to the fullest!"
But when there is unstructured time, he decides to create the excitement, usually by doing something inappropriate or impulsive. MOst of the time that he gets in trouble in school is during unstructured time. Lunch, snack, recess, waiting for dismissal, etc. While they are doing activities or teaching he is completely absorbed. He loves to learn. That's why his teacher loved him. She said he sort of showed the other kids how to participate.
Thanks to all of you for your feedback. My wife I feel better having learned about your experiences and reading your posts. There is one other trait that our son has that I never see mentioned in relation to ADHD.
He is an extermely picky eater. We know this is not atypical for a 5 or 6 year old, but he is stubborn picky. We have never catered to him. We cook dinner for all of us and he either eats or doesn't. I'm not a short order cook and it ain't no restaurant here. But he absolutely refuses to try new things. We've tried to feed him something simple that most kids would eat like scrambled eggs. I hope this doesn't sound cruel, but I fed it to him breakfast, lunch and dinner one day and told him at each meal that if he didn't at least taste one little bite he'd have it for the next meal. He finally took one bite at supper then made himself throw up. We told him he can't get down from the table until he tries one bite of something. He either falls asleep looking at it, or takes the bite, gags and spits it up. We've since read these are not good approaches, and have not done that anymore, but it amazes us that he is unwilling to try even a nibble of some things.
Does anyone else battle this? Have you ever heard of this behavior linked to ADHD?
I will. Thanks for your reply.
I always thought my son was a bit on the clumsy side as well. When my daughter came along it seemed like she rarely fell and that sort of confirmed for me that he was less coordinated, although it's improved with age. He's also extremely emotional when he falls. HUge tears and lots of screaming over nothing. I never made a big deal when he skinned a knee so it's not like all that screaming got him extra attention. My daughter just brushes it off and moves on.
Just an update to all of you who offered your wisdom here. We have a Nuero-psych appointment set up for the 30th. It's a full day of testing with a report to follow in a couple weeks.
Last week we went on a Disney Cruise and it was a disaster. 
By the first night I was thinking, "What was I thinking?!" Eating out is very stressful - that's all we do on a cruise! My son made it until Wednesday before being asked to leave one of the kid's clubs. We took him out of a restaurant twice because he couldn't settle down. It was awful. I'd like to have the money back from that trip to pay for the psychologist! 
But I did read the 1-2-3 Magic book on the ship and started using it this week. So far so good! My son is responding well to it. My 2 year old - not so much.
Thanks again! Stay tuned...
Hi ProDad-I just replied to you in another thread- here I am again. Just wanted to say that your son sounds SO much like my daughter (7 and in grade 2). She is also a kid that is always on the move, always talking (not at all surprising now that we know that she is highly verbally gifted- she scored crazyhigh on these parts of the WISC-IV, over 99th percentile). Funny about the moving thing though- she's not all that coordinated, and I would almost call her a klutz. And about impulsivity- I do find this is one thing that has really improved over the years. At one time, I couldn't keep *anything* that would be potentially of interest to her in sight- she'd just grab it, run off, and of course it would then disappear into the ether.
Anyhow, back to diagnosis. She was diagnosed by a child psychologist who is in private practice (not through the school board, which up here would take years on a waiting list to get to). The entire assessment consisted of 5 1/2 hours of direct testing, plus an hour intake with us, a bunch of questionnaires, more questionnaires that her teacher filled out, and another hour debrief where we went over the various testing in great detail. What I found really interesting was how she used the WISC-IV subtests (particularly the memory subtests) to describe the effects her ADHD had on it. She did a number of other tests as well as the WISC-IV.
I did beforehand worry that this wouldn't be reflective of my daughter, but I was really pleasantly surprised. It all makes sense to me now, and I'm optimistic in that I feel we can do so much for her knowing what we know.
Let us know how this all goes :)
I got a neuropsyche eval. 00. 9 hrs of testing. 2 hour parent interview plus lots of paperwork to fill out. got a 20 page report.
there are no lab tests for lots of conditions. alzheimers, epilipsey, schizophrenia, to name a few. we are not going to toss them out as invalid b/c there are no lab tests to prove them. adhd falls into this bucket. you don't need the neuropsyche testing IMO.
Jessica N39556.3413310185there are no lab tests for lots of conditions. alzheimers, epilipsey, schizophrenia, to name a few. we are not going to toss them out as invalid b/c there are no lab tests to prove them. adhd falls into this bucket. you don't need the neuropsyche testing IMO.
true, but you do need it to be sure there is not some other learning disability going on.
How many times have you gone to the doctor pretty much knowing what was wrong with you? You wait in the waiting room for an hour, another hour in the examination room, answer all the questions and the doctor tells you that what you suspected was correct. Afterwards I always feel like it was a waste of time, BUT hindsight is like that. It could have been something else and that's why I went to the doctor.
This time we are talking about something that is much more important. My child and the possibility of a life long battle with a condition that will affect every facet of his life. I'm not going to base decisions about that on a 20 minute assessment done by myself and his teacher and a quick glance at it from the pediatrician.
The 50 it's going to cost and a day out of school are worth it to me regardless of the results.
You never know what is going to pan out with an evaluation. We did the whole, huge eval involving 5 different professionals after 2 years of being seen by a mediocre child psychiatrist. I found it incredibly educational, even though the outcome was still "ADHD". Interestingly, we started taking my son to a psychologist after this big evaluation; she saw him for 6 hours and then suggested that he might also have PDD-NOS! After 4 years of taking him to different professionals! It was a huge relief to get this diagnosis on top of the ADHD because we have always been overwhelmed by his anxiety, intensity, sensory issues and reliance on routine. I don't fault the others for not picking up on this because I think that you need to spend a lot of time one-on-one to tease certain things out, especially with children whose intelligence helps them compensate and seem more "normal". The more complicated the kid, the more useful multiple, comprehensive assessments are.My son is 8 and we have been trying to find answers almost since the day he was born. Now, with this combination of ADHD and PDD (not to mention the mild seizure disorder), I have this feeling of "aaahhh" -- relief. We will finally get more appropriate medical and educational help for him. I see it as a process, and the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.
yes, the more complicated, the more useful the evaluations. i'm really just talking about straight adhd. if those are the only symptoms you are seeing, the neuropsyche eval seems over the top. not to mention, they don't always catch everything and they aren't always right. the wait-and-see approach is sometimes better. everythings becomes clearer with time.
[QUOTE=Jessica N]yes, the more complicated, the more useful the evaluations. i'm really just talking about straight adhd. if those are the only symptoms you are seeing, the neuropsyche eval seems over the top. not to mention, they don't always catch everything and they aren't always right. the wait-and-see approach is sometimes better. everythings becomes clearer with time.[/QUOTE]
Many symptoms can look like ADHD but may be something entirely different as symptoms of different disorders overlap so one cant assess ADHD accurately without ruling other things out. As p arents and non professionals, we can't accurately know why the child is having such struggles. It could be ADHD, more than ADHD or something different so a diagnosis should be made by one with the credentials to do so. When in doubt, get a second opinion. Also, the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome.
Hi ProDad,
I just read this whole thread and I think you are going the correct route. My son is extremely ADHD (non-functioning without meds) and his giftedness is only in the visual-spatial area, which I didn't know until he was tested. Unfortunately, that doesn't help him in school much but it may be useful later in life.
As an engineer, probably the most comforting thing you can do is begin to read studies and medical information on ADHD. The anti-med websites out there do a real disservice to all of us and contribute to the stigma of ADHD as an imagined problem. The people behind them invariably have a hidden agenda, be it to sell something, promote their religious views or discredit the pharmaceutical industry entirely.
If your son indeed has ADHD, the only proven solution is medication. If you , as an analytical person, understand how the brain works, this should make sense. Other cures suggest either that the child does not have true ADHD, that he/she has mild ADHD, or that a placebo effect is occurring. I stick by this opinion because a great mass of research has borne this out. That doesn't mean that you have to choose medication, if the behavior is otherwise acceptable, but if the ADHD is severe enough, you won't find relief from any of the other hocus-pocus "cures" out there.
Good luck. Let us know what happens.
Joy2 wrote:
That doesn't mean that you have to choose medication, if the behavior is otherwise acceptable, but if the ADHD is severe enough, you won't find relief from any of the other hocus-pocus "cures" out there.
Excellent advice Joy2
I forgot to add ... I agree with the others that a power struggle over food is absolutely not worth it. Save your battles for important issues. I wouldn't make a big deal over food at all, and trying to control food intake could lead to eating disorders later, especially in your daughter. Just serve it and ignore it.Thanks again for the info. Some people have mentioned trying different diets to limit his hyperactivity. I've read alittle about this, but our problem is that he eats such a limited diet already. He practically lives on milk, bread/cereal and peanut butter. I tell myself this isn't so bad because we only give him whole wheat bread and he won't touch coke or any other soda. He'll drink a little juice sometimes, but not alot. He will eat fast food, but we've done away with that too. So what do I eliminate? What would I replace it with if there's nothing else he'll eat? Don't tell me he'll eat something else eventually. He won't. I can't believe how little food he will get by on to avoid things he doesn't want.
We don't have food battles with my daughter. She's a pretty good eater.
Regarding the "hocus-pocus" cures, a while back I picked up "The Myth of the A.D.D. Child" by Thomas Armstrong. It had 50 "strategies" for improving your child's behavior. While I thought he had some good suggestions, ones that would apply to any child, I did not see how these strategies would help him in every situation. He suggested things like asking his teacher to give him two desks in class and allowing him to move between them at will. Yeah, right. I'm sure his teacher would go along with that. She'd have a roomful of 6 year olds all wanting two desks. "Why does he get to walk around! Waaaa!" And how does that help him stay in his seat at a restaurant or church?
I think children have to learn to function within the bounds of societal norms. It would be a disservice to him to lead him to believe people will always alter his environment to suit his behvaior issues.
Medication will be a last step, but if it's what we need to help him and keep our family sane, then we'll consider it. We can always discontinue it if it doesn't work out, right?
[QUOTE=ProDad]. He suggested things like asking his teacher to give him two desks in class and allowing him to move between them at will. Yeah, right. I'm sure his teacher would go along with that. She'd have a roomful of 6 year olds all wanting two desks. "Why does he get to walk around! Waaaa!" And how does that help him stay in his seat at a restaurant or church?
I think children have to learn to function within the bounds of societal norms. It would be a disservice to him to lead him to believe people will always alter his environment to suit his behvaior issues.
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This may be true, but school is HARD for these kids and as adults life isnt so restrictive. Yes you have to abide by societal rules, BUT if you cant sit still through a movie at the theater you have the option to not go and rent, if you hate staying in your seat at a leisurely dinner, you can take it to go. Schools need to educate large groups of kids and run classrooms what works for the majority, then make special accomodations for children who's disabilities dont allow them to function in that environment. School accomodations are also just that, school accomodatins, for the rest of life we as parents have to pick our battles and make the decisions on which beahviors to work on. At 6 he has a LONG time to learn them all. So if he cant sit at a restaurant, dont take him, but work on behaving in church. Maybe in increments of sitting for 15 minutes a week, gets rewarded, after he masters that make it a half hour....etc., etc, until he is able to handle the whole service.
I know the eating thing well - I posted about it earlier but I just wanted to encourage you if I can. Here it isn't peanut butter, it is quesadillas - and by that I mean 2 tortillas with sour cream, cheddar cheese and taco sauce in the middle. If I didn't make them and mashed potatoes, he would literally blow away. And I know what you mean about trying to change diet, it is impossible with a child like ours. They will go without, regardless of how many times I am told by others to "make one dinner and he will eat when he is hungry". No - he won't. I feel your pain in this area.
I never believed my son would EVER eat anything different, but he does add new things sometimes. Now mind you, it is like 2 new things over a years time, so it isn't anything to get all excited about, but it does sometimes happen. Over the past year we have added lemonade and chocolate pudding. Not real nutritious, but hey - I will take what I can get.
Hang in there. I know how hard it can be. Just hold on to the hope that the same determination that makes him focus on only eating certain things, might be the same determination that is needed to do something really important, like cure cancer someday. =)
Dad
The food battles are not worth the trouble.
My son has been a picky eater from birth. The joke at our house is that he only eats 10 things, in truth it is 12-15 items. We eat lots of Rice-a-roni Rice Pilaf and chicken. He does not eat typical kid food (mac&cheese, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, hot dogs,no Mexican, Chinese or Italian and most vegetables). He does not try new things, like your son he will go hungry. I am waiting until he gets a girlfriend and she gets him to try new things. He experiments when I am not looking. He discovered cheesecake and lemon pound cake on his own.
As far as going out to eat-- as long as they serve chicken strips we have it made. He has discovered buffets and loves them because he can pick out what he wants.
Go to a specialist and get a full evaluation. We are in the mists of Autism eval for Asbergers at 12, because the pediatrician didn't connect the dots. I get the results in two weeks. Many of the symptoms of these condition can overlap, it takes a professional to sort it all out. The pediatrician does NOT have the expertise. They are good for general health issues.
Relax and enjoy this child. They can be so much fun because of their creativity and different way of looking at everything. Being ADHD isn't always a curse, you just need to learn how to harness it. For me--being ADHD has allowed me to develop my artistic side.
Don't let any doctor tell you meds are the only answer. Go for a multifaceted approach. Meds, behavioural counseling and coaching , etc. I would never let a pediatrician treat my child's ADHD again, they missed so much the first time. Also, they were unwilling to try different meds. My son is on a mood stabilizer, the Pediatrician would have never given it to him.
Good luck!
Relax and enjoy this child. They can be so much fun because of their creativity and different way of looking at everything. Being ADHD isn't always a curse, you just need to learn how to harness it. For me--being ADHD has allowed me to develop my artistic side
You know, this is a good point. I read somewhere from another poster so I'm stealing their logic.................."after you evaluate you still have the same kid you sent in". I loved this line. IMO the evaluations are crucial, you need to know how to plan your path, especially for education and as they get older if there are still learning issues, having background becomes more critical..............but it's still you 're same kid 
. You love him/her the same, maybe more, and by finding out what they need and what they need young you are paving their way for success. None of the steps you make define or change your child, they just hopefully help him/her grow!
Jessica N wrote:
you don't need the neuropsyche testing IMO
Actually, a neuro/pysch can be a critical part of the evaluation process as they rule out other very serious disorders because symptoms of ADHD can look like many other things.
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