Emotinal Problems | ADHD Information

Thanks so much!! It helps to know that some one is going through the same thing. I really do think a lot of the problem is just hormones and anxiety at this point. They put her on Clonidine but I don't think it is working. I may ask about Lexapro at her appointment on the 16th. She hasn't been talking about the voices lately so I'm hoping they are gone, I haven't had the nerve to ask her. She's usually such a good kid but lately I just want to scream!!

Jamie, I do feel for you. My dd is 11 and she is so emotional..I mean look at her wrong and you would think the world is ending. She used to say she heard voices..but her Psychiatris was able to get out of her that is was actually her thoughts racing a mile a minute and that she was so anxious it would keep her up at night. She started her on lexapro or cipralex (depending on where you live) and it made all the difference i n the world.She says "the voices stopped". It is also a hard age because they are hitting that puberty age..where they are emotional rollercoasters anyway. So with ADD teamed with that and anxiety issues sometimes its like walking on eggshells in our house. We see more mood changes and half the time i am still stuck on her last mood when she goes off into another one.I cant keep up half the time and when i try to give a kind word to smoothe things over she tells me not to go fortune cookie on her and walks away! I really hope you get to the bottom of whats really going on and i do hope its more her age and the move than anything else. Let us know how she continues to do!!!

I'm glad your appt went well and that you are feeling better about things for your DD!

I'm curious, why does the doc think your DD will eventually be diagnosed as bipolar? Someone else also posted the same thing about their child. Several years ago I had a friend whose DS was dx'd ADHD and then later (when he was 8) they changed the diagnosis to bipolar (she then went on to tell everyone that all ADHD kids were actually bipolar). I don't know anything about being bipolar except that it is extreme highs and lows. When my DS was dx'd at 5 he was just impulsive, innattentive and hyper so I felt he didn't show any signs of being bipolar. He is now almost 13 and this summer I took him off meds (for the first time since he started at 5) so I could get a feel for "where he is". He has done very well (I didn't think we would last a week). He does complains of feeling really hyper sometimes and he has days when he complains of feeling very tired. I didn't give it much thougth until I saw your recent posts. But, despite saying these things he seems pretty much the same to us. Anyway, I don't want to hijack your thread but I am curious as to why the possible future bipolar dx (just trying to educate myself on yet something else I know nothing about.)

I also found the doctors comment on her giftedness interesting - this is something I have been learing a lot about recently. There are some good books out there. My DS was determined to be gifted years ago and was in a great gifted program. We moved this year and the GT program here is AWFUL! DS started having some issues and at first I thought it was his ADHD causing his problems but I now think it is his giftedness and anxiety he recently developed.

Anyway, I'm glad things are looking up for you and your DD! Wishing you continued good luck!

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It's only been 2 days and I can already see a difference in her. She went to the pool today and normally she WILL NOT go under water or in the deep end (she has a phobia about water on her face) and today SHE DID IT!! She went under water and even passed the swim test so that she can go in the deep end and was LOVING IT!! I was so proud of her. That was such a big step. She also didn't freak out once today about bugs and we were on a field trip outside all day with tons of bugs everywhere. And she is terrified of heights and went across a suspension bridge that was probably a good 50 feet in the air!! She's making such progress already. I can't wait for the medicine to take full affect!!

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Awesome! I bet she was proud. It must have given her a great sense of empowerment to be able to overcome these obstacles. Good for her.

greyhoundmom,

The reason he thinks there is a good possibility of bi-polar later is that it runs in my family. On both my mom and dad's side. I was diagnosed as border line bi-polar when I was a teenager but I never believed them or kept up with the treatment. Now as an adult I can look back and see the symptoms clearly. I still struggle with it from time to time (right now I'm in a low and it's hard to get out of bed or do anything). My mom is also border line bi-polar, it is very strong on her side of the family.

He doesn't think she is now because she does so well on the stimulants. In most cases a bi-polar child does not react well to stimulants, it brings on manic episodes, if not treated with a second medicine. Since we have not seen any of this in her, except for the anxiety, he doesn't believe she is bi-polar at this point. I'm just going off what he told me though.

I'm glad your son is doing so well off his meds!! That's great!!

hanginindere-

She is very proud of herself and we are very proud of her. I almost wanted to cry when I saw her at the deep end of the pool and going under water. I know it sounds small but it is such a HUGE accomplishment for her.

With my daughter, when her dose of Concerta was too low - she was very moody - not always predictable. When we increased her dosage, things were much better. Perhaps, decreasing to 36 is too much of a drop for her. Maybe you need to go back to 54 or try 45 mg (27mg & 18mg).

Another thought and maybe she is too young - but could she be starting puberty? You can get lots of mood swings with that too. You just never know what you are going to get with a hormonal preteen/teenager - especially when you toss in all the other stress you guys are under.

Thank you to all of you for your replies. We always knew she had ADHD from the time she was born. She was not a happy baby and had to be moved and kept constantly entertained. At 3 her doctor noticed it was becoming a REAL problem but we couldn't do anything about it, no one would touch a child that young so he gave me some advice to help her cope, and me as well. We finally saw an "ADHD Specialist" at Riley when she was 4 and she told me nothing was wrong with my daughter, I was just a bad parent. I ACTUALLY listened to her for awhile. We finally found help and someone to listen when she was 5. We took her to Behavior Corp and they were a God Send. They understood I didn't want to medicate. I thought she was just too young. And they worked with me on ways to help her behaviors. Nothing worked and I finally agreed to try her on medicine. It took us a year and tons of more problems but we finally found Concerta was what worked best. She has been on the concerta for 3 years now and it has been great. She is a wonderful child and loves taking her medicine.

She was on 54 mg for just over a year. And then all of this began. She was still on the 54 mg when all of it started but since we lowered her dose it is more evident. And then when we added the Clonodine it seemed to make the mood swings worse (which happened at the same time as lowering the dose so it's hard to tell). She was sleeping better but now she's up 3 times in the night.

I'm going to call the doctor and see about getting her in. I'm just scared since they don't have the resources here to really treat her very well.

I think all of this change is just too much and I hope it just might take some time for her to adjust. It also could be hormones and her body changing. My husband thinks it might. I hope that's all it is!!

Thank you for your help and support!!!

It has been interesting reading this. We moved April '07 and when school started in September everything fell apart for my 12 yo ADHD DS. THis school year was a mess. He had a problem teacher and issues with LOTS of bullying. I thought with puberty maybe his meds needed changed, so we did - no help. School is out now and things are soooo much better and we are now back on his original dose of Concerta (what he was taking before school started). I certainly haven't figured everything out at this point but I do think that stress can really throw my kid off balance. Reading these posts make me wonder about it even more. If your DD was fine until your recent relocation, could the stress and changes from that (as well as the death of someone close) be what is causing her problems? Like I said, I don't have things figured out but I think I may have jumped to a lot of incorrect "conclusions" with my DS because he is ADHD. If my other DS had had similar issues I would have done things differently and not assumed their was something "wrong" with him. I probably am not making any sense at this point - I guess what I am trying to say is that maybe you aren't dealing with new or worse symptoms, maybe your DD is just really stressed and these symptoms are how that stress is showing. Also, my neighbor has a 9 yo DD and I have heard her mention that she thinks puberty is starting - she mentioned how emotional her DD is now on occassions.

Good luck and sending lots of hugs!

Greyhoundmom03

I think you are correct. Between the stress of the move and puberty I think she is feeling overloaded. She is also starting to be interested in boys, which is still embarassing for her. She's at a rough age and mix all of this it may just be too much to ask for her to be her usual happy go lucky self. THANK YOU!!

Jamie

Just a thought, my dd started guanfacine, which is the same class of drug as
clonidine, back in April to help w/ hyperactivity/impulsivity and it definitely
effected her mood at first. She just had a little bit more of an attitude. It did
go away pretty quickly as she adjusted to the med. So maybe the
moody/emotional issues could be the med? I hope you get this figured out
soon. It does sound like she has had a lot of change recently and stress can
come out in lots of different ways even for non adhd kids or adults for that
matter! Good luck!

Thanks!!

We had another emotional night. She was fine and then she just started bawling. I finally got her calmed down and laughing and the next minute she bawling again and then laughing again. She's cycling so fast it makes my head spin!! I promised her a day of making cookies and board games tomorrow! I do hope that helps.

The psychiatrist comes in July so I'm hoping that maybe he can get her to open up a little more to him and get her past this.

There are so many positives to living in Japan, new culture and adventure, but she keeps dwelling on everything negative, even when things are going good. She's made tons of friends here already and is usually out playing with them or they are over here. I thought we were making some real headway until the last few weeks.

I really hope that it's just her adjusting to the meds or hormones or something that we can get past because I feel like I'm going crazy!

Her dad helps the best he can but he doesn't do well in dealing with emotional stuff (he shuts down when he's upset). He went and sat with her last night but he just couldn't deal with it tonight. It's stressful for all of us I guess!!

The joys of being a parent!!

Thanks to all of you for listening. Sometime it just helps to vent!!

I don't want to dismiss the hormone theory.....FOR SURE, but it seems kind of dramatic for hormones at her age. MY daughter gets like this a little, but she is 13. The mood swings werent that significant at 10 FOR US. Obviously everyone is different. I would be thinking meds.................just try to be there for her, but a month is a long wait.I can't imagine that there isn't someone you can call to get some help even quicker. Well, may be that is not true since you are in Japan. Just seems that here in the states I would call the doctor or therapist right away and explain and get advice. it's hard to see your child suffer and for your whole family to suffer through.

I think bipolar is a definite possibility still. My nephew was diagnosed 13 years ago at age 7 with the disorder, back when it was really rare to diagnose children with bipolar. They always knew he was different than the other kids.

They found that having him stay aerobically active makes a huge difference. If he started having real difficulty, they'd send him out to their trampoline to jump for like 15 minutes and it helped him focus.

I spoke to my son's psychiatrist about this today and asked what she suggested for adhd - karate, running, etc? She said aerobic activity is the best and to let him try different things and see what he enjoyed and would stick with, so I intend to start that process - may help.

Good luck with your daughter, and hang in there! I know that just when I can't take something anymore, there seems to be some change!

Well, here we are on day 4 of her crying fest. I called the doctor and they can't even get her regular doctor to see her until next Friday. I'm at my wits end!! It started as soon as she woke up!! All because her dad didn't make her Ramen noodles soupy (the way mommy does). It took us almost 2 hours to get her to calm down and then all of a sudden she was laughing. Lord only knows what will set her off next. I feel like we have to walk on egg shells around her and my husband is not really good at that. He is a 2nd class Petty-Officer in the Navy and has a hard time dealing with the soft things.

She's in Karate but that's only an hour once a week. She just got done with Baseball and Soccer doesn't start until August. Plus it's been raining here for 7 straight days so there is not a lot we can do. They close the indoor pool to open swimming during the summer and we can't go to the outdoor pool because of the rain and she's too young to go to the base gym.

I hate that we live on such a small base with such limited resources!! And I hate not being able to help her! I just feel like pulling my hair out at this point!!

I just wish I knew for sure what was causing all of this!

I am so sorry you guys are having such a hard time without much help. Have you thought about increasing her Concerta back to the level it was at previously? My youngest daughter (11), was very moody and when her Concerta dose was too low.

I agree with Dianne, that it probably isn't all hormones. My 13 year old who can be very moody, never cycles through emotions that fast.

I hope you can find some answers soon.
Thanks for all of your support. We have a doctor's appt next Friday and I'll ask her about upping her dose again. This is getting very exhausting!!

Ok. So, a couple of weeks ago I posted about our 9 yo DD having "auditory hallucinatons". Well, after taking her off her meds for about 5 days and the symptoms getting worse (she started hearing them during the day and was only hearing them at bedtime) they concluded that it was her ADHD meds wearing off and it was her "imagination" and started her on .05 of clonadine at night to help her go to sleep (she wasn't sleeing because of "the voices"). They also reduced her meds to 36 mg of Concerta from 54 mg because of summer.

Now she is having so many mood swings we don't know what will set her off and what her reaction will be. One minute she is fine (laughing and joking) and the next she is so angry or crying her eyes out for no good reason. Am I crazy to think that she may be bi-polar as they orginally suggested when all this started? Is it possible to come out after all this time that she's been on meds?

There are also other factors. We just moved to Japan, away from all family and friends and just before we left the states we lost a very close friend. He was her favorite "Uncle". She didn't talk about it for a couple of months and now all of a sudden that's all she talks about. Heck, we got back from Karate tonight and she was fine and then she went into her room to get in her pajamas and make her bed and next thing I know I hear her absolutely histaricle. She was in there crying about Uncle Joel and how much she misses him, they were very close. I just don't know what to do. I feel absolutely horrible that I can't do anything for her.

We have an appointment in July with the Psychologist that comes around but I'm wondering if I should get her back to the doctor now. It's just getting worse. I don't know if I'm over reacting or what. I just feel helpless at this point.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Jamie

Yes, you are not alone. My daughter is 7.5 and she has digonsed at 5. For 2 years we put her on Focalin Xr and clondine to sleep. It has always helped her sleep. The doctor just put her on Rispodal for bipolar and this was a little bit better at first and now i think she needs her medicine upped again.

My daughter does not do well with lose either, she always talks about it. It is like they find one thing and stick to it for along time. I would suggest you get her to the doctor asap.

it may be ALL of those things combined, the stress, the loss, the move, the med changes.....etc.

How long has she been on the regimen she is on? Have the mood swings recently started with the med change? I generally feel if something significant starts right after a med change it is usually the meds, BUT unfortunately we never know. Unless it's awful, I think using the "two week rule" may be worth it, but if she's a mess, call the doctor now.

When they were trying to decide if my son had ADHD and/or bipolar some doctors told me that if the problems were mainly bipolar disorder than the symptoms would get worse on ADHD meds, if it was mainly ADHD it would improve with the right med. Has anyone else been told this?

I don't know if that really helps in your daughter's case, because she might just need a different med. That is also a really big change for her to deal with, so it might be hard to separate out the factors right now. I hope things get better soon!

I am so sorry for what your daughter and you are going through. I had a long talk with Jon's psychiatrist today and thanked her for helping Jon so much that he is the lovable little boy we knew so many months ago. She looked at me and said it is just a matter of finding the right medications. The wrong ones also gave our son exactly the symptoms of your daughter but even worse- he was hospitalized three different times for over three weeks total. The third time I took him to a new doctor and hospital many hours from us. They took him off all his old meds and started him from scratch and now he is on minimal meds.

We also had many changes in the past year with death, moving, illness, new schools etc. It seems like our adhd children feel everything so much more intensely. And if they don't know why they are feeling a certain way they will reach into their memories for a situation that made them feel close to the way they are feeling now and they hang on to it to try and make some sense of it; to have some control in mostly uncontrollable and very scary feelings. I hope this made sense.

I would go NOW to the doctor and have her/him start over. it helped my son.

sink that's a great idea. She already keeps a journal so that might be something that we can add in to it.

So, here's question...Ever since she started on the zoloft she has complained of her stomach hurting all the time. The first night she threw up (which the doctor said she might do) but she hasn't since but is constantly complaining of her stomach hurting. Is this normal?

Congrats in you victories! That's exciting.

I know exactly what you mean about the things that sound small. I was there with you last week when my daughter made it through a week of swimming lessons. She usually hates trying something new, loud places and doing things with people she doesn't know. She went with her best friend and had a great time. It was really great to see her successful.

Dont know wher this fits in best but just read an entry which makes me think it is worth letting you know. Since I have meds I am able to keep a basic journal ie.ticking boxes, it is a menstrual calendar and although it may sound daft it is possible that you men out there could also benefit from it, it records swings in my own perceptions of my ability to concentrate, calmness, sleep quality, etc etc, and I must say I found it very helpful because (as I have just read ADDers find it difficult to keep track of their own state of mind) it has little or nothing to do with my menstrual cycle but enables me to feel a stability in my life because I can see visually where I am.

give it a go!

ps. it is only possible on meds because you need the `sticking to it` ability.

Karin,

Thanks for sharing. I know what you mean. Whenever anything happens the first thing I do is want to get on here to share. I feel like I've know some of you forever instead of just talking over a message board for the last few weeks. It is a comfort to know that I can get on here and share what we are going through without being judged or looked at wierd. Your DD sounds just like mine!! She can get so wrapped up in the littlest thing for no reason and freak forever (at least it feels like it) and then all of a sudden it's over! I find it amazing and perplexing at the same time!

I'm glad you got back from your trip alright and I hope your appointment went ok.

Our weekend went alright for the most part. Saturday we went to the base laundrymat to catch up on laundry (our drier takes like 2 hours). Well right towards the end my DD notices that there is a spider above where we are folding the clothes. So, she starts just staring at it and starts shaking and jumping like it's going to come down and get her (spiders in Japan are not poisonous and they don't bite). I keep reminding her that the spider has no interest in her, that it is just trying to buid it's web, and that they are not poisonous here but she's not listening to me. By the time we leave she's almost got herself completely histarical and RAN to the car!! So, then she spends the rest of the evening jumping around acting like the spider followed us home or something. It's funny now but at the time I wanted to pull my hair out!! LOL It's amazing what they focus on!!

I can totally relate to the spider thing! My daughter - 11 years old - totally freaks out when she sees a spider. She won't go into the room if she's seen one until we have killed it or assured it is gone. Earlier in the week, she was playing outside, saw a "freaky" bug and came running inside and wouldn't go back outside until she was sure it was gone. I sure hope she out grows this one soon!

Hi Jamie , I just wanted to check in to see how your dd is doing. How was your weekend. I just thought i would share with you what happened to us on friday..i thought of you as I was driving to Fort Lauderdale...It is abot a 4 hour drive for us..We were on the road by 7 am. By 7:30 my daughter was freaking out cause she couldnt get her hair brushed properly.We tried to explain its hard to do int eh car..That every time she put her head back it would get messed up..That was not okay with her..She started crying and brushing even faster and harder.I decided to pull over at chick fil a get some hash browns,potty break and put her hair in to a braid for her..Well she wanted it ina pony tail,,So i did that..back in teh car..thought everything was fine and i hear crying again..She is now hysterical..brushing her hair so wildly it is actually messing it up more..and not to mention swinging the hair brush which in the process smacked her sister int eh mouth, who sat looking at her like she was nuts..which made her even more hysterical....all the while I am driving ,trying to convince her to jsut put the brush down and relax..which as we all know does not go over well....She was crying so hard..and i could tell that she really didnt understand why she was doing what she was doing..She couldnt stop..just brushing and crying..I pulled over..had her remove her booster seat....and then whammo..it was fine..We started on the road again..she sniffled and cried softly for a minute and then was out like a light for the next 1.5 hours....All the while i kept thinking I cant wait to get back to a computer to share this with you. Kinda wierd since we dont know eachother..I guess it is comforting to me to know you would get it when many others out there wouldnt..It just reinforces how much the ADD community on here can really help us to feel we are not alone. Anyway, hope everything is going okay! Take care

The more and more I read, it is so comforting knowing I am not the only one. My son FREAKS on bugs and spiders to the point he wont sleep in his room if there is a moth flying around. And he is a 9yr old country boy. hahaha but seriously its all trial and error and you just never know whats going to set them off and if its going to be easy to get controll or hard. I am so glad for this site. It is just so good to know I am not alone!!!

Oh yeah the bug thing..I mean we live in Florida..There are bugs and lots of them!!! At some point you come face to face with a bug and you can imagine the insanity that ensues!!! ListenI love coming on here and telling oyu the stuff she does..cause it sounds funny when i write it and lets me get it off my chest...but when you are in teh middle of one of those "episodes" like my car incident you just want to scream..i think pulling each one of my hairs out would be more tolerable sometimes!!

Also..on the cleaning thing..I too have A.D.D. Cleaning is a problem..It takes so much for me not to lose focus..On my meds i can keep a better focus on getting the job done..but i still venture off into different directions ..the meds help me to bring myself back to task but only because I am aware of what I am doing..and talk myself through it..Let me share with you what makes it easier..Dont jsut send her into her room to clean up..That is way too general..It will overwhelm her..I have now learned to break the room down for my dd. I start with can you get all your clothes hung up and dirty ones to dirty basket..It is usually easier if I hang around..doing the "great job".."youre doing this really fast "You dont have to stay in the room but you really do need to pop your head in every 5 minutes max..Then when that is complete say okay today i only want you to accomplish one more task in here like you closets,or the stuffed animals or the books. If you dont break the room down for her it willbe too overwhelming.Trust me it ahppens to me.I have to break the house down into chunks..And when i do my room I have to break it down into chunks..And the chunks dont have to get done in one day.Say 3 days and its done.THat can be her goal.but you will have to either write it down for her as her goals or be the one to remind eher and tell her.Once the room is done..if you want it to stay that way you will really need to remind her daily.And maybe hang out wiht her while she does a quick nightly pick up and chat while she does it or like we do sing to Hannah Montana or camp rock.Its the only way my DD can do it and me too.Alot of people who dont understand ADD will say well she should be able to do the whole room alone..They dont get that its not gonna happen..unless she is hyperfocused on it or unless you break it down into manageable chunks that you make for her. So if you dont have that expectation for her to get it all done in 30 minutes or so it will be easier and more fun for you both.Also it teaches her how to get things done as an ADDer. I had to learn it..But not until i was 36..when i got diagnosed. If someone had told me how to break down the tasks..boy my life would of been easier. Anyway I hope it helps a little..sorry if I babbled..I know it is frustrating from a parents point of view..I get that feeling too..but it is also frustrating from a ADD persons point of view..Like my DD said yesterday..."why cant we just be normal mom".."why does everything seem so hard for us?" my reply " who says we arent the normal ones?" THen she laughs....

Yeah Emily sees a fly or ant or any kind of bug she completely freaks!! I just don't get it and it gets really irritating at times!!

So, here's an update. She is now grounded for a week. Her attitude lately just sucks!! We've been really leniant lately since we've moved to Japan because we knew the adjustment was hard on her but we've been here for 6 months now and her attitude is going down hill fast. So here's a look at how the past couple weeks have been:

She has an 8 pm curfew (which is very generous since most of her friends have to be home by 6) and she's been showing up late EVERY time. She doesn't go to her friend's apartment every night but every time she does she comes home late. This week alone she's shown up 10 min, 22 min, and 40 min late. One night she asked to go to her friends, shows up 22 min late and then tells us that they went to base to watch a movie. Without telling us!!

Yesterday we had to go to base to get something for dinner. We let her stay at the apartment with her friend while we were gone. She knows that she is not supposed to leave the apartment if we are not home and yet she did. She went to her friends (which we knew when we got home that's where she was) and she didn't leave a note or nothing AND then showed up 10 min late.

She has been told multiple times to clean her room. She'll go in and start to clean it (for like 10 min) and next thing we know she is playing her DS. She completely ignore's us. If we are talking to her she either won't look at us or will just walk away and not say anything. She's taken to giving us the silent treatment lately too.

When she goes to friends houses we are always told how well behaved she is and how great her manners are but when she is at home it's a totally different story. Like last night her dad asked her to help him clean off the table for dinner (which she did because she knew she was already in trouble). He told her thank you for helping me and she just walked away without a word. I just about blew a gaskit at that point. I have raised her to mind her manners, if someone says thank you then you should say you're welcome and things like that. It's like everything I have every taught her is gone!!

I know it's just typical rebellion behavior but I just want to scream sometimes. So, that is why she is grounded for a week. We told her that she needs to take sometime and re-evaluate her attitude. She has to get her room clean, put her things away, and start helping with things around the house without an attitude. This should be interesting. LOL

Well, I guess I've ranted for enough for one day. Thanks for listening!!

The "attitude" sounds very much like what I am getting from my 13 year old at times.   She will totally blow me off and continue what she is doing.   I don't know how many times I had to tell her to deal with her horse stuff (leg wraps, pads and other related stuff she need to wash and bring back to the barn). Weeks went by and it there is sat.   I eventually had to do a little more hand holding than I thought was needed but the task got done.

To help with the ignoring, I have started something that is working pretty well for us right now. If I ask and she ignores me and I have to ask again, she owes me 15 minutes - of which she needs to do whatever I ask.   Not sure how long it will last, but I am seeing some improvement.

The room cleaning - I have the same issue with both my kids.   They get distracted with books and other things - even my non adhd daughter.   I have no great suggestions for this issue other than to close the bedroom door and not worry about it.   I figure the dirty clothes will make it into the laundry when she runs out of things to wear...

One additional thought.   Maybe with the lower level of meds, she is getting too distracted or implusive.   She might be losing track of time easier than she normally would or making choices she wouldn't make if she stopped to think about them.

One book I read about teenagers that was good was called "Yes, your teen is crazy."    It had many insightful insights into the teenage mind.

Aren't teenagers/preteens fun?
I find the whole conversation interesting because I too have been through a lot with my son. Short history: diagnosed at age with ADHD--yet, mentioned that at some point in his life would be bipolar. So...during the years my son still had issues and LOTS of them; we have been diagnosed as PDD-NOS, Aspergers, and during those diagnosis's the doctor would tell me that he was uncomfortable dx'ing him as bipolar although many of the symptoms he had overlapped with ADHD, etc. More recently, like this year, he was diagnosed as bipolar. Many doctors will NOT diagnos a child with the disorder simply because there is not set diagnostic crieteria for it in the DSM-Manual. Approx. 80% if not higher children who are diagnosed with ADHD will and ARE bipolar. Makes me wonder if the stimulant medication is contributing to this disorder? Since there have been no long term studies using the stimulant meds on children. Looking back on our life (son is now 9ys) I have to say that yes, he was bipolar from day one, and I mean from birth.
Now, we are working on reaching those theraputic levels of meds so that he can function better in all aspects in his life. just reading what every one has wrote It is amazing to see that others experience the same that we do in our home. Every night at bed time it is always one thing or another. My 9 yr old can not go to bed with out some sorta drama. It always starts with giggling and dont stop till he is in tears cause he is hearing things, he needs a drink (and it HAS TO have an ice cube), he has his 5 thousand blankets, but one has fallen of hiw bunk and he has to have it. We had the prob with emotional mods swing like you describe when he was on adderal. Concerta and a strattera combination is what we have found to work for us. Good luck....

JO58,

The clonidine has helped lower the voices, not take them away all the way. And she is getting to sleep a lot faster. However, she is not staying asleep. She is up 2 or 3 times a night. I wish we could get to the doctor sooner but we live on such a small base that it's hard to get in sometimes. Thanks!

Is the clonidine helping her? Is she going to sleep better without the voices?
If not I might try deceasing and stopping the clonidine. My guess is that
new med plus the lower dose of concerta has just made her lose control of
her emotions. It's too bad you can't get help sooner! Good luck!I just wanted to say that one of my 3 nephews (all have ADHD) also has an
anxiety disorder. He graduated from high school in May and turned 19 in
June. His anxiety was so bad after Christmas that they decided to treat it.
They weren't sure if his focalin was causing it so they stopped the focalin
for a month or so and the anxiety did not get any better. He worries all the
time! Anyway the point of this is that his doctor put him on zoloft in
addition to his focalin and he feels so much better!!! He said his thoughts
are not so controlling anymore. He still may have a worry but he is able to
rationally think through it and then move on. So good luck!! I hope she
starts feeling much better!

BTW your story about your post is the story of my life!

Thanks you guys!! I always feel so much better about everything after writing it down to you guys and then hearing your responses.

Karin- If you could get me that checklist that would be great!! I really think that would help her a lot. I use checklists a lot for myself but I never really thought to do them for her too. I really like your idea of using them around the house. I may have to do that.

The doc is going to keep an open mind about the bi-polar thing but he thinks it is highly overdiagnosed in children. But he also said that it is a really good possibility that she will have it and may have it right now. He thinks that once the anxiety is calmed down we will really be able to see more of what is really going on with her. He has to go back to Yokuska here shortly but is having me email him once a week to give him an update as a phone consultation. That makes me feel so much better.

Anyway thanks you guys!!

Ok so we went and saw the Psychiatrist today!! I am so happy to have some REAL answers!! He was great. He took his time talking to me and her and going through everything from her birth to now (we were there for 2 hours).

So here's his dx. First of all he doesn't feel that her ADHD is being completely treated. He said that it sounds like the doctors have always just given her the minimal amount of medicine to get her by instead of finding the dose that will really get the job done. He said with her "motor mouth", being fidgety still, disorganization, and lack of impulsivity control he feels that her meds need to be upped more to get the full benefit. He also said she is extremely gifted and that is why she can still do so well in school. He said socially is right on track as well.

Secondly he dx'd her as having Anxiety Disorder. We were told when she was younger that she had Adjustment Anxiety and he feels that dx was wrong. So he put her on Zoloft. He thinks that once we get the anxiety under control that it will help in a lot of areas and then we will up the concerta to 72 mg (but not until the anxiety is controlled better). It makes a lot of things make since now that we've talked to him. He explained that the reason she keeps focusing on her Uncles death and the mood swings and her constant chewing on things (clothes, blankets, tongue) is all signs of anxiety. He said she is a downward spiral right now because of everything that happened at once and if we don't get control of it now if will just keep getting worse.

He does think that there is a possibility that she may become bi-polar when she gets older but doesn't think she has it right now. He wants her to go to therapy eventually and told us that there will be a child psychologist starting at our base at the first of the year and that he feels she will be alright until then. He doesn't think at this time there is a reason for us to be descreened. He said the only way we would get descreened is if we can't get it under control or she gets worse.

He said that we are doing most things right. I told him about her grounding and he had me change that. He said not to ground her for things she can't control (like time and forgetting her scooter places or misplacing things) but if we need to ground her to only make it for 48 hours and to just take away 1 item that she likes the most (such as her DS). Taking away more than that or longer groundings will just make the anxiety worse. I also have to start giving her more protien in the morning (such as an egg and cheese sandwich). He told me that my staying at home with her is probably the best thing I could do for her right now.

On the up side...Her height and weight are right in range!! She has hit a growth spurt this summer. He said that there is a stigma with ADHD meds stunting growth but it's not true. He said the latest studies show that ADHD kids in general are smaller when they are younger (on meds or not) and that they always hit their target height and weight by the time they become adults. He told me there is absolutely no reason to worry about Em's weight or anything because she is at target.

So, I'm just happy to have a name for what she is going through. Oh yeah...I almost forgot the Auditory Hallucinations are gone!! We started giving her Melatonin at night and now that she is getting a full nights sleep they went away. He said the reason they probably began was because she wasn't sleeping well because of the anxiety and then the lack of sleep was causing the hallucinations. So, all in all it was a GREAT visit!!

My DH is not happy about giving her another medicine. He feels that she is taking too much already and was being a real butt about it all night but he'll get over it once he sees the changes. He thinks she's just making excuses and using her uncles death to get out of trouble and such. You would think he would understand having ADD and PTSD but he doesn't. He didn't go to the dr appointment (he was on duty). I think I might see if the dr will talk to him and explain it all so that he'll feel better about it all.

I sometimes wonder if I have ADD (my husband thinks so). In the course of writing this post here is what has happened: First I was sweeping the floor, I spotted the laptop and decided I wanted to tell you guys how the dr appointment went so I got on here and started writing, my DD said something to me and I remembered she needed to take her new med, so I went and got it and gave it to her, after that I realized I never finished sweeping the floor so I started doing that again, then I realized I never finished writing my post, so here I am finishing this up. This is why I can never get my house clean. I start on one thing and go to put something away in another room and see something that needs done in there and start on that and then something takes me to another room and so on. My house is a disorganized mess!! I get so frustrated because I don't know where to start and when I do I never get anything accomplished that I just don't want to do it. I guess I understand what my poor daughter goes through when I ask her to clean her room.

Karin, I took your advise. First I told her to pick up her floor so she could at least walk in there, then when she was done with that I told her to clean off her dresser and wipe up the pineapple juice she spilled on it. Next we are going to clean out her closet...Together. This has really helped. Thanks.

Well, now that this post is forever long I guess I should quit writing. Thanks to all of you for your support and help. I don't know how I would get by without you guys sometimes!!

Congratulations, it sounds like you met a docotr that you truly felt comfortable with and you guys are on the right path! The Zoloft takes a couple of couple of weeks to work, but I think you'll be pleased with it! Keep us posted, now relax and enjoy the rest of the summer!Dear NavyWife--your post caught my attention given the many intimate details concering your doctors insight as well as some of the things your child has done in the past. For example, biting on things. My son, around the age of 5-8 would do the same thing. He would bite his shirt, blanket or bite his nails; constantly. If we went anywhere it was a must have toy or some item of comfort that he HAD to bring a long. He is still like this, but not as bad. And he is now 9yrs old. Ok, so at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with ADHD (severe) and the doctor at that time said that there was a possibilty that he too would be bipolar. Please keep this diagnosis in mind as you and your family go about your daily life. Had I known what bipolar was when my son was younger I could have avoided a lot of unnessecary disipline, and probably been a better advocate for my son during the first 3 years of elementary school. And I would have pushed for the diagnosis. Becasue it was not until this year that I finally found a doctor who would diagnosis him as such. There are NO set dignostic criteria for children with bipolar. None. and many doctors will not label a child as such. Yet, approx. 80-90% of children diagnosed with ADHD will be diagnosed later on with bipolar. I highly recommend the book to any parent whose child is ADHD to read "The Bipolar Child" by Demitri Papolos and Janice Papolos. It is THE bible, if you will on bipolar. It is not my intention to scare you into this disorder; my aim is to educate any parent about the possibility of it and to catch it early on. I have been through hell with my own child since birth, and looking back I am 100% positive that my child was born bipolar but again, the doctors (and I have been through many) never mentioned it, but one; yet diagnosed him with ADHD. However, many symptoms of bipolar overlap with ADHD, ODD, anxiety, etc. Check it out.
My son was given ritalin, Strattera, Adderall, Remeron, Risperdol, Zoloft, Tenex, Clonidone, Concerta (which he is still on at 54mgs but split--one given in the am and one in the afternoon) and now on Abilify and at 20mgs. The highest dose for an adult for bipolar taking abilify is 30mgs. and we are not seeing any results from that high dose. Just recently, I requested to put him on Lithium--but since the FDA doesn't approve it for children, only those who are 12 and older going through adolescence. Anyway---I am here for you as well.
I have lots of experience with ADHD, and I would be more than happy to be a shoulder for you.

Take care

Tammy

What a good report, Navywife! Please keep a closer watch on your daughter whenever a new med is started to make sure there are no side effects. Sometimes, meds in combination can create havoc with a child.

Now you can take time to relax and regroup and know that you have aced the mom adhd score card! Hope things just get better and better.

Randy

Jamie I am so glad about the doctor appointment..I would like you to read my post on the brain scan thread.I left a detailed report of what a day in my life is like..See if it sounds like you..Listen when i took my dd to the doctor to get meds after years of trying natural approaches she was picking herself so badly..She has scarred lips and arms where she would scrape of the skin. The lexapro/cipralex has really stopped the majority of that. She only does it now hwen she is about to do a golf tourney or something like that. Its funny cause I hear you describe your DD and it sounds just like my DD. It strue about the grounding her..I mean once you read my post on the brain scan thread...and you think of the things you do that are similar...how can you really ground her for getting sidetracked? I know its hard cause we get frustrated...so maybe you could make a checklist for her. My hubby is a pilot and lives by using checklists..So we have done the same.In every room there is a small checklist of sorts. Or the door to enter throught the garage a checklist like this:

DID YOU REMEMBER TO? put away scooter and bike properly

are your shoes on the shelf

did you put away any balls, gloves or toys you used

IF SO GREAT JOB AND THANKS!!!!!!!

We have a list like that everywhere..At first my mother thought it was unsightly to have reminders all over the house...but you know what..it sure beats yelling at my kids alll the time,which is what would happen. ANd it really helps an ADD person to see it before them in writing. The reminders are there.We cant ignore them. The rule in our house is if it isnt written down you havent told me. I myself get off track so easily..So i too have my own checklists. If you are interested I will tell you the one on my dd's bedroom door. It has really helped and is simple enough not to be overwhelming. If the lists are too long or too much writing they will ignore .So keep it simple. Let me know if you wnat to see it and i will write it for you.Anyway I am glad the Doctor is working out! That is such good news. My DD goes to a Ped. Psych. once a week sometimes every two weeks. We pay it ourselves cause its not covered..but you know hwat ...it works. From day one my DD trusted her and we told her she can tell her anything and the psych cant tell us. Most of the time dd wants me in with her..She is honest and will tell the doc exactly the stuff she does.She knows i wont but in or judge her.nothing said there can she get in trouble for ..It has really helped us together!! I think it is definitely a good step to take! Anyway sorry its always such a novel when i write..I get so excited to share with you all and to hear how your kids are doing. You're hubby will come around..There ares till times i get mad at my DD and punish her only to go in later and say "sorry, having ADD myself i should get you mores sometimes..I know you didnt mean to forget or that you dont mean to be moody"..Sometimes we dont want to see our DD's as being so fragile..It is scary to us that they are like us...Hang in there. I know you have alot on your plate. At least now there is a Doctor taking proactive steps with your DD and hopefully that will be jsut what she needed!!!! Please keep letting us know how she is doing!

Have a great day

Just wanted to give you an update!!

Yesterday was our bases 4th of July celebration. It was hot and we spent the entire day outside sweating. Well, the day started off great. After a month of being trapped inside from the rain we were all happy to get out. My dd and dh were joking around and chasing eachother just having a blast (I got some great pics of them laughing together). He was tickling her and she was doing it back.

All of a sudden he pinched her (which she had been doing to him and laughing about) and she was set off. It's not like he pinched her hard, he was just playing with her. Next thing we know she is crying and giving him the silent treatment. I mean it was like the snap of figers fast.

Then just as quick they are laughing and everything again and then she starts crying again for no good reason. We get something to eat and while we were standing in line she went to play at the park. She comes back and she's all fine again.

And of course when her moods get like that my DH gets all upset (he's ADHD too). They are 2 of a kind I swear!!

I'm ready to pull my hair out. I'm thinking she was just tired and hot but dang! Her moods change faster than the weather in the mid-west!!

Just needed to vent!! Thanks!!

I am so sorry that things didn't go well! I have no words - that doctor sounds awful. I would be incredibly frustrated too.

Thanks everyone for you encouraging words!! The doctor we saw was her regular (assigned) doctor. We got a call and she'll be seeing the Psychiatrist on the 16th. I'm hoping that he will straighten this whole mess out. The other doctor that we saw first talked to him and said that he thinks the whole thing is just her ADHD and her mind going crazy at night.

She says that the voices are telling her she is all alone, that everyone she loves is gone, that everyone is going to die. I think it comes from everything going on with her. Her favorite Uncle died in October and then in February we had to leave all of our family and friends to move to Japan for 3 years. The doctor (the first one she saw) and I both believe that is what is causing all of this.

Her doctor says that they are not equipped to take care of her here and that "the voices" are not a normal symptom of ADHD. She wouldn't even listen to me.

We don't have any doctor's back home that we can go to. Her original Pediatrician moved back to Canada. The Psychiatrist she went to no longer excepts patients from out of the County. And her last doctor just treated her, no real attachment or anything.

Oh well!! At least we get to see the Psychiatrist and hopefully get it all straightened out. We'll be alright as long as they keep us together. Our daughter is such a daddy's girl I don't think she could handle being away from him again, it would just tear her apart.

She's dealing with all of it very well. She knows the voices aren't real so she tries to ignore them. She keeps herself up and going until she's ready to fall asleep. Sometimes she falls asleep on the couch so she doesn't have to deal with it (TV blocks it out).

Thanks to all of you for your support and prayers!! You are all God sends!!!

I wonder if it is not really voices but just her thoughts and fears in her mind.
It kind of sounds like anxiety to me (in my very unprofessional opinion). I
am a worrier and my worries and fears are 10X worse at night. Even at a
young age I used to worry at night. And with all that she has been through
and with stimulants heightening anxiety, it could just make her mind race at
night as she is trying to go to sleep. It's great that you get to see the
psychiatrist soon. Hopefully you will get all of this settled soon. Good luck!before we ever started my son on meds....he used to tell me his brain would talk to him. If he would get in trouble he would say things like " I know I shouldn't do it but my brain wouldn't listen" every thing was his brains fault. But once we started him on meds the ones that worked for him, he stopped talking about his brain. Or any other conversations he may hevr been having in his mind. I so do wish you and your family the best of Luck You are in my prayers...

Hi Jamie, poor daughter! Those voices may be her thoughts racing a mile a minute- especially if TV can distract her from them. Would it be possible to get her a cd player with over-the-head earphones and put on soothing music or music she enjoys at night? Even during the day, when she is stressed, it might help her.

What is going on with medical care for our children? I know here in Florida, mental health care funding is being cut way down.

Hopefully you will be able to stay with your husband and your daughter will adjust a bit. If you are staying in housing perhaps you can make playdates for your daughter. Keep us informed. My prayers are with you.

Randy

Your son and my DD sound like they are one in the same. She has to have every blanket, stuffed animal, and doll in bed with her (I can't figure out how she sleeps in that mess. Then she wants me to lay down with her, rub her feet, rub her face, a drink of water. Then she wants to goof off and laugh and play. Then next thing I know she is crying. AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

The last few nights have been a little better. Maybe she is adjusting to the Clonodine? But for some reason she wants me to lay down with her until she falls asleep. Sometimes I do but then I worry that I'm just making things worse. I feel she is 9 and should be able to sleep by herself.

Lately it feels like she is revirting. She doesn't want to bathe herself, she wants me to dress and undress her, she wants to sit on my lap all the time. She has always been very independent up until this point. Heck, she won't even get herself a glass of Koolaide (which she has been doing since she was 4) I don't know what is going on. Friday can't get her soon enough.

The daytime seems fine. Her and her friend play all day. They go outside with their scooters, play DS's, get snacks and drinks. But if her friend isn't over or when night time comes she becomes a 3 year old again. Sometimes she even starts trying to baby-talk (which she has never done). I can't figure her out.

I guess it must be her way of coping with the move.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent!! Somedays I don't know what I would do without this board.

I was just checking in to see how things have been going. I know how frustrating it is to wait to see a doctor when you feel like your child needs to see someone NOW! Although my situation isn't nearly as limiting as yours, it will take me 4 -5 months to see a child psych and I have an appt with the pediatrician today that I had to wait 3 weeks to get. Very frustrating! Anyway, you mentioned your DD is reverting back in some of her behaviors - I think anxiety and stress can do this (as well as meds that aren't right). I had an interesting thing happened Sunday - my DS was bullied terribley this year and I was told he talked in funny voices sometimes, etc which is why he was bullied. My son had never done this in the past (before bullying). Since school has been out his personality has changed back to normal and I see a lot of maturing on his part. Okay, so Sunday we go to a boy scout function and the kid who has bullied my DS all year is there. I keep my DS away from this kid so he doesn't have to deal with him. BUT, my DS starts talking to me in funny voices and saying silly things! I think that was how he coped with being bullied. I asked him later if he realized what he was doing and he said yes but didn't know why. I share this story because maybe some of what is happening with your DD is her coping mechanism. Also, in another post you mentioned that your DD was gifted and a book I am reading talks about how VERY sensitive some gifted kids can be so things affect them differently than they do non gifted kids.

I hope all goes well with your doctor's appt. and that you find her issues aren't serious. Hopefully it is just a med dose that is wrong or is her way of coping. These can be such scarey times.

Greyhoundmom,

Thanks for asking!! Actually the last couple of days haven't been too bad. She did wake up at 4 this morning and come stand by my bed and stare at me. She wanted to sleep with her dad and me (which she hasn't done in years). I think part of the reason she is doing better is that she finally has a friend here (she lives in the same building) that she has a lot in common with and they play together all the time. Her friend is either over here or our DD is over there. I think that it is helping a great deal. I agree it may just be that she is trying to deal with too much at once and revirting back is what helps.

I'm starting to think that part of it is hormones as well (she got her first pimple today!! AAAGGGHHH!!). Some kids go through these things sooner than others (I thought we still had a couple more years at least).

Just a couple more days until we see the doctor and hopefully get things back on track. I hate to up her meds again to their normal dose because she is gaining weight but at the same time if that's what she needs to feel better than that's what we will do.

Thanks!!

Navywife - Just curious how you guys are doing and how your appointment went today.

Hi- also wondered how you all are doing. I hope the doctor's appointment went well. One thing I was told is that clonodine can cause the mood swings when combined with certain medications and can be very detrimental when combined with stimulants. Jon's new doctors took him off the clonodine (weaned him off) and put him on risperadol instead. The risperadol seems to help his anger and help him calm down enough to sleep. For really bad days we were told to use benedryl. As a matter of fact- the hospital uses IV benedryl to sedate off-the-wall children who come in.

But know that nothing is a cure all. Until your child is grown it will be very hard dealing with day to day up and downs. (even on the right meds). Just know that you can vent here and just cherish your child no matter what 'mode' she is in. That is what she will remember. Besides an 8 y/o with adhd I also have a 30 year old with aspergers and this is what the 30 year old has told me.

rnady

Navywife I have had you and your daughter in my thoughts and prayers all week. Please give update on appointment when you can.

Jaxx

Hi All-

Thanks for all of your support and concern. The doctors appointment went alright. They upped her Concerta back to the original dose. It's only been a couple of days but she is still having a few ups and downs.

My real problem is this doctor threatened to descreen us (which basically means she may try and send me and our daughter back to the states, without my husband). I am VERY upset about this. All she heard was that our DD is hearing voices and started in. She said she is a possible threat to herself or others. She didn't even ask her what the voices were saying or anything!! I really didn't like ths doctor to begin with but now I really don't like her. Unfortunately we don't have a choice on who our doctor is here.

She was on leave when all of this started with our DD and doesn't even know the whole story. My doctor is the one who originally treated her and was even consulting the psychiatrist that will be coming this month. THEY determined that it was just her ADHD and that her mind was just going crazy with everything she had been through lately and this was her body's way of dealing. Her regular doctor wouldn't even hear of it. She said that is not a symptom of ADHD so that couldn't be the problem.

I just wanted to scream at her to listen!!!

I'm more inclined to listen to the other doctor and the psychiatrist over this woman. Our DD has been through so much already. Taking her away from her dad would just make things 100x worse.

So, now it is making us think that we are going to have to have our DD lie to the doctor from now on just so our family isn't torn apart. We have been apart so much already. The last 3 years have been crazy (My DH went to Iraq, he got back and then decided he wanted to go back active duty so he was gone again) we have only really been together for the last 5 months continually.

I just don't know what to do. I want our DD properly treated but at the same time we have no where to go back in the states and I don't know if our family can take being seperated again. I'm not saying my husband and I would divorce or anything like that but the emotional termoil is just too much for all of us!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

I feel for you so much right now..I know how disappointing it is to have hope that the Dr. is going to fix it and you wait for the appt. date and then after all the wait and hope that things will get better they instead take a whole new path and instead of the problem being fixed a new issue develops. It is frustrating and I wish that I could tell you what to do and where to go for the right answers. All I know is you are a great mom and will get th help your daughter needs by staying strong and doing what is best for her and flollowing that natural GUT feeling.

Please know that I will continue to keep you and your family in my prayers and thoughts .

Dear Jamie, Oh my! My prayers are with your family. I know how hard it is to have your husband away for long periods of time. Right now, just concentrate on your husband and daughter. Jon was having a conversation in the back seat the other day and I asked what he was doing and he told me he was speaking to the voices. I stayed calm (good thing because I was driving) and asked him what voices and he told me the voices in his head. Well, because he was dx'd (incorrectly) bipolar I thought I had a real problem on my hands. I didn't know what to say so while I was thinking he told me not to worry- they were imaginary friends he had and they were helping him or he was teaching them something or the other.

Anyway, perhaps your daughter can tell you a little more about her voices or 'share' them with you. Or maybe she is just stressed out. A lot of people with nothing wrong with them 'hear' voices once in a while. But they aren't really voices just their thoughts in the subconscious intruding on the conscious. Know it sounds bizarre but it is true.

The only suggestion I may make is that if you have a doctor stateside that you trust for your daughter, perhaps you can contact him/her and let him know what is going on. I believe you can go stateside for a while. Your husband can even go- isn't it called compassionate leave? or Emergency leave?

Well, keep us posted and know that everyone is wishing you the best and many of us are praying for you.

randy

Oh Jamie, this is horrible. The LAST thing you or your family needed to hear. Will you still be able to see the psychiatrist? Who was this doctor?

Hi Jamie, Yeah I do beleive some of the meds can upset their tummies.When we started lexapro they said it would do the same.I always just make sure she ahs eaten with it and that seemed to help. I am so please about her swimming day!! That is such great news.You know its funny..People who dont have an A.D.D. / anxious child really do take for granted the simple things in life..Like routines, their kids swimming, their kids social awareness...and for us..well..my daughter remembering to do normal everyday things like brush your teeth,hair and get dressed are all accomplishments to us. If she can look someone in the eye and say its nice to meet you..thats amazing..when she was finally able to go and eat in public again..when she was able to leave the house without being so agorophobic..all these things that alot of kids do without thought..well for us they are huge..They are daily successes!!! And I now cherish these small things!

Anyway Jamie, I am so pleased the new meds seem to be helping.Below is my DD's bedroom checklist.Her and I wrote it together so she got to choose the title for it..It is broken up into 3 sections...During stretch of 3 days she does 1, then 2, then 3....It helps to maintain order and her room never gets so messy she cant clean it in 15 minutes.

BREAKDOWN OF THE ROCKSTARS ROOM CHECKLIST:

1. CLOTHES

Dirty ones to hamper

clean ones put away neatly

remove empty hangars from closet take to laundry room closet

are closets orderly(no clothes falling or on closet floor)

are shoes neatly arranged or in a pile? ( no piles please)

2. FLOOR

Pick up toys on floor ( put in proper places)floor should be clean of debris so I can vacuum.

trash in bin

check under bed.. nothing should be there!!

3. BED,SHELVES,COUNTERS,DRESSERS

Bed should not have piles of clothes or toys- put away if so

clean dressers and shelves of items that have " other homes" ( like a toy box, or magazine box, or closet)

straighten up books and magazines

dust if needed ( and windowsill)

Great job keeping up with your room! When checklist is complete party like a rockstar!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay so there you have it..My daughter wants to be a rockstar so thats why we went with the rockstar check list. Its a very simple list..Basic and to the point..It works though.. She will do one part each day in order then back to the top and start over again.So in 1 week they will cycle through each part twice with sunday off.Hope it helps!

I love that list!! Thank you so much!!

I know I have friends who look at me funny every time that we have a small achievement, like the pool. I know it is small for them but for us it was such a HUGE achievement.

So, Em goes to school with a girl that was just diagnosed and just started medicine. The girl's mom and I were talking and I told her about Em's ADHD and she asked if she could tell her daughter. I guess her daughter doesn't want to take the medicine and doesn't understand why she has to (she's innattentive type). I told her that would be fine with us because Emily is not the shy in the least or ashamed of her ADHD. So, I told Emily too and she is thrilled to talk to her. She said she remembers how scary it was at first for her too and would love to talk to her and help her be less scared and alone. I was so proud of her!!

No matter what trials we have to go through daily with our kids I feel that we are the ones that are truly blessed!!

That is so great Jamie! We too have ensured that our daughter is in control of who knows and who doesnt..She doesnt seem to mind talking to other kids about it..I think it is empowering to her..She is very matter of fact about it..She tells them how she cant filter out all the stuff going on around her and that when she wants to focus on something she can go into hyperfocus mode which alot of kids cant do.So she is proud of that.I think it is good they feel that way about it. I grew up being told you never spoke about anything wrong with you..you didnt go to Psychiatrists and you dealt with your own problems...Thats why it took me 36 years to diagnosed..I knew all along something wasnt right...I want my dd to know talking about it is good..never be ashamed of the way God made you. I am so excited for your DD ...at least she has someone who will understand her. That is great! Anyway have a great weekend!!!

Randy,

We have a CD player that she keeps on all night. She says it makes them softer. I agree that it's probably just her mind racing. The clonidine has seemed to help a bit too.

We don't live in base housing (we wanted to experience Japan more) but we do live in an apartment building that is all military. She has a few friends that she plays with on a daily basis (they got here just about the same time we did). I believe that is helping with the being lonely issue. We also have some friends that we meet up with regularly to do things. I'm friends with the mom and she has 2 sons that are the around the same age as Emily (one was in her class last year and the other will be in it this year, they do 3rd & 4th grade in the same class).

With her friends and all the sports we keep her in I think it is helping. She had a real bond with her baseball team (my friends boys were on her team). She is also taking Kempo (my friends boys are in it too) and she'll be starting soccer in September. Plus when me and Jen go to the gym Emily and the boys go swimming. Emily is a bit of a tomboy so she gets along better with boys or girls that are also tomboys.

Boy I'm just rambling on today. But thanks to everyone for your prayers and kind words and advise. It helps so much. Hopefully the Psychiatrist will have good news. I can't wait for the 16th!!