Brain Scans | ADHD Information
emirateswife, I actually believe that I, too, may be slightly ADD. I am not diagnosed because I'm 27 and they just didn't really believe in it...plus, it's not a major hinderance. However, I do understand what you're writing that describes your life. I fight it daily myself. You would think that would help me with ds but I believe because we ARE so similar, it makes us clash a bit.
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to help us understand!!
ilovemyboys - my son had his brain scans done at the Amen Clinic in CA. This was about 5-6 years ago and it wasn't covered by insurance. It's not as much as you may think, I think with the scans and follow-up psychiatric appts. it was about ,000. It set us back some in our emergency funds but it was worth it!
The scans will have a pattern and the psychiatrist or case manager will explain the scans to you. My son doesn't have the typical ADHD brain, he had what is called the "ring of fire" pattern. The docs used the information as a tool in his treatment. Things didn't drastically change, my son is still my son, but at least we got more of a confirmation that our son didn't have an underlying condition or that his behavior was caused by foods/dye/sugar/ etc. His diagnosis was changed from ADHD to ADHD/ODD/mood spectrum disorder and we did change his meds which did have a positive effect.
There is some controversy surrounding this treatment, but I can say that for us it was well worth it. You can see sample brain scans at the Amen website. Good luck!
Haus of 4, our ds just turned 7 and I've had a hell of a road trying to figure out "what's wrong with him?!"...I made so very many mistakes on his behalf in daycares because I thought they knew better than me. They would hold him down physically, put soap in his mouth, wrap him in a blanket and put their legs over him to make him take a nap...all the while I sat there on my hands because I was clueless...
Then, he started kindergarten and I started researching...I found our son's 'freedom' from that kind of treatment immediately. I have struggle immensely with how to deal. We've screamed and spanked and screamed and took away and we've screamed some more..
Then, about three months ago, after finding this site and a few caringbridge sites, I started really learning. He's got a gift! It's not a punishment when it's treated right and it's not a punishment when he's surrounded by people who love him. It's a punishment when you get uneducated people telling you what they don't know and you don't know either! It's a punishment if you don't research and educate yourself for your sake and your ADHDer!! Socially, it is hard. Other children don't understand and, for that matter, other parents and yes, even TEACHERS! SHOCK, right?!
This is when I started thinking about the brain scans. I just want to see what's going on up there. I'm now fascinated instead of angry about his diagnosis.
It's a joy to come here and see that I'm not alone and that I'm not the only one who sees the talents in these kiddos!
Hi,
Many ADHD children can focus just not on someone else's agenda. They are on their agenda and their brain appears to not want to focus in the the "normal" way. I personally think the world has greatly benefited from the different way in which the ADHD child/adult brain works. I am sure great discoveries in many areas (science, medicine, education, etc.,) have come about because someone has been able to hyper focus in a way that most of us can never imagine. However, ADHD'ers do benefit our world with their beautiful minds but they also suffer a great deal socially. If we could only live in a world that celebrated their gifts and did not require everyone to act and be the same (socially speaking) we might not need to medicate them to act more socially acceptable. Medication has helped my children feel accepted socially and given them friendships they would have otherwise missed. It's been a very important part of their mental health.
I have two ADHD children and they are as different as night and day so I speak in general terms.
I too believe that brain scans are an incredible slice of technology that in my opinon should be used to determine the deficiets in a child or adult brain. However, I have also heard that many doctors in the community look down on it. And I don't understand why. IT does make perfect sense in the psychiatric world. I wish that I could have it done with my son. And yes, like you "I love my boys" I dealt with exactly the same thing when going through the daily routing of getting up, getting ready for school/work each day and could NEVER understand why he didn't get it. Looking back, I can honestly say, it was the meds they had my son on. For example, Remeron--sedative drug, given at approx. 7pm each night, but think about this: an ADHD child can bounce right up and be bright eyed and bushy tailed, where as a bipolar child will not rise up wtih a grin, instead they are mad, aggravated and just want to sleep. Think about that and research. My 2 cents:My understanding of why most doctors do not use brain scans as a diagnostic tool is that, while the scans show general differences between the brains of those with ADHD and those without when looking at large numbers of people, they are not precise enough to be used as a diagnostic tool. However I know there are some doctors, like Dr. Amen, who believe that they CAN be used diagnostically. I personally didn't care for Dr. Amen's book; to me it seemed like he was stating opinions and theories as if they were facts. I did not find it helpful. However if he has been helpful to some, then more power to him!
I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that, for someone with ADHD, it is kind of like being a radio that is getting all the stations at once rather than being able to tune into one station at a time. (That would drive me nuts!) So when someone with ADHD can find something really intense that they can focus on (like a video game), that allows them to block out all the other "noise," it is indredibly appealing to them. That made sense to me and helped me understand ADHD. There is just so much that is unknown or not well understood, though, and that is what is so frustrating to me.
inspired by music, You are right. It is very complicated. I'm trying to do a little research here and there and it is hard because it's widely defined as to why or why not! Your reasoning made a lot of sense to me...our ds is 7 and so very much in to Video games. It's when he's at 'his best!' !! thank you for your explaination.
That WAS very informative, thank you!! I am still checking into this so I appreciate your post!
Thank you so much emirateswife. I don't have adhd and actually am a bit of a drone- can be too focused and forget to stop and smell the flowers. I have educated myself about adhd and know intellectually that what you describe is what life is like for my ds but it helps so much to get a reminder from an adult.
I hope you dont mind me jumping in here..I have never had a brainscan done on myself or my DD. But i wanted to comment on what someone said that for a person with a.d.d its like a radio where no channels come in clear...This is so true...I would like to take you on a journey with an ADD mom..
I go to walmart, or publix..I have my list...I get my cart , i start down the first aisle.....I hear the wheels on everyones carts rolling, i hear everyone talking, i hear the shopping lists ruffling, i hear the kid 3 aisles down screaming, i hear the baby on aisle 10 crying, i hear the cash registers, i hear the plastic bags being filled with groceries....I am now only at aisle 2..I have nothing in my cart yet..i have passed by the items on my list because i coudlnt think..i couldnt seperate the noises...I start pushing my cart faster...The lady is yelling something about pricechecks over the intercom, the deli lady comes over the speaker with what i think is todays special. The people push past me hitting my cart, I am frustrated and angry now..still have only a third of whats on my list and decide its all i can handle for today and we will finish the list tomorrow..I am ooverwhelmed and irritated..All the noise, the choas, the people, I am mentally drained and worn out..I seriously have shopped like that for as long as I can remember...i wish you could be in my brain when i go through it..Concentrating harder, trying more, or ignoring the noises doesnt help. Its so overwhelming...Okay so heres another typical day for me:
Cleaning the house well..People say why cant you motivate..why cant you just do it..You must not want to..Let me tell you I have come up with elaborate schedules, with cleaning procedures and anything else you can think of to get the house done in a day..Heres how it goes...Start with laundry,put clothes in the wash ,take out the dry clothes put them on the couch to fold later. Go to the kitchen for coffee, see the kitchen is a mess so start cleaning there.Oh i have to go potty, so i go the the bathroom and look the sink is dirty. So i take out cleaning stuff and clean the sinks .I start to work on the toilet, get thirsty, go back to kitchen, oops have to finish kitchen.Then the dryer beeps, stop go to dryer, take out clothes. GO to couch with dry clothes, start to fold. DD calls for help in room ,go in to help her make bed.End up moving bed, taking apart toy boxes and organizing her whole room.Looks great.go back to bathroom ,oops forgot to finish it earlier..eek the dryer again...I decide the carpet is filthy..i get out vacuum and start..kids yell..what? its past lunch time?..are you kidding me ??..i havent even finished the breakfast dishes....go make lunch..the door bell rings while kids eat...I go to answer..mail lady..wow my front porch is dirty..go outside to clean front porch..holy cow the roses need trimming..so start that..whos on the phone?? Go in talk to sales lady. Oh the lunch dishes need cleaning( and breakfast).Start that...dryer again..aaaggghhh. go get more dry clothes put them on couch.start folding laundry..what was i doing.....oh no i forgot the hose was filling up the pool..aahh its at the top of the edge..go to back yard turn off hose..oh my goodness the table out here is dirty..get bleach ,clean outside by pool...Its what time??? Dinner already..You must kidding me..Is all we do is eat around here..GO make dinner...Has the table even been wiped today? okay i sit finally and eat with kids...I am worn out..I look around..why is the house so messy I been working all day??? clothes are still unfolded on the couch,the bleach is still outback by the pool with the unraveled hose,the roses i trimmed are still lying on the sidewalk by the hose i was going to use to clean the porch,my bathroom is still not done, the mop is wet leaning against the wall, the toilet still has bleach sitting in it, the vacuum is still in the living room where i had just started.....I do the dinner dishes and all the others..go to the couch sit down and think what on earth ahve i done today? why is it still so messy? I decide to go to bed....turn off lights got to room,aaagggh my sheets are in the washer!!!!!!!!!! i am too tired..I will sleep wrapped in comforter tonight..Hope fully I will be able to finish shopping and house tomorrow...This is no joke..This is what its like to be an addult with ADD. I am aware of it..i have to keep reminding myself what i should be doing and what i was doing. I always thought this was normal...my kids do too...Sorry it was so long...I just wanted to share what was going on in my brain..maybe it will help you understand a little how easily we get sidetracked and distracted.Maybe you will see your childs brain differently..Hope i didnt bore you! Welcome to my life!!! Sorry again for the length! I got sidetracked .
I know how you feel. I it is sooo hard to understand the ADHD kid when you don't have it. I can understand easily the diabetic who needs insulin - not because I have it but because it just makes sense to me but the brain stuff is so hard. My 2 boys just had a huge blow up over a Wii game because my ADHD son turned off something my other son was working on before it could be saved. My ADHD son felt he was so justified in what he did because of something I had said earlier in the day that he took totally literally. Now DH is upset (he really struggles with understanding our ADHD son), I'm upset and both boys are upset. My ADHD son is really mad at himself because he can't control his impulses and it is so hard for me to always know how to handle it. I know he can't help it but then again I struggle with the "that isn't an excuse". Oh well, no answers from me - I just know where you are coming from.IMO, it's always easier to follow through on a plan of action when you have something tangible to go on. I think that it's human nature to want proof; especially when there may be a differential diagnosis, say bipolar disorder versus ADHD, etc.google QEEG and you will find a lot of info. showing what I think you are looking for
my son had a QEEG done when he was 4 and it really helped me in making my decision on how best to help him...it gave me a visual that was scientifically sound in my opinion...it wasn't just a hunch on my part or the doctors...it was another piece to the whole picture
4myson39623.8733680556Some times I have such a difficult time understanding WHY adhd causes the issues our ds has. You know, I realize his brain doesn't 'function' like the typical and I realize it's 'not his fault'...However, not truly understanding it is what makes some days harder than others. Some days my dh and I will have so much patience with our ds and others we just want him to 'get it' and we're harder on him. BLESS HIS HEART, I know. So what I'm looking for is information that you guys could possibly lead me to. Is there a site that I can find that has actual brain scans of an adhd'er or something that I (and dh) can visually look at and see the differences?
I hope this doesn't seem like an odd thing to request and I pray someone here understands what I'm trying to ask for!!
Seriously!
I want to add this to help you get what I'm saying. I don't understand why our adhd kids seem to LOVE/OBSESS over video games more than the typical kids. I don't understand why my son has screaming outbursts right now because he's off of meds....I don't understand why we wake up every morning and it's like 50 First Dates for him (each day is a new day and he has no memory of our daily routines/rules).(Kind of hard not to laugh at that....) There are so many small things I don't understand. We have an adult friend of our's and he is add and he was explaining that his mother had a brain scan of his when they first diagnosed him and I thought "that's something I'd LOVE to see and know about". I realize I could ask ds' dr for our ds to have his brain scanned but I can only imagine the dollar signs there...Anyway, even if you don't know how to help me (ha ha ha), thanks for even reading this far!!
Try googling Daniel Amen. He has done a lot of research involving brain scans. I have one of his books and I know he has some scans up on his website. The book is called Healing ADD. It's a misleading title, but the book has lots of pics too as well as a lot of info about brain function, or misfunction as it may be.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I have wrote down the two things you all have suggested. I appreciate it so much. It's exactly how I feel about this is just as JadeRock said-I understand diabetes because it is logical. But the brain is something else, isn't it??? SO very complex. Anyway, you can't imagine how relieved I feel that you guys knew exactly what I'm looking for and understand WHY!! It helps so very much.Geez I understand your need to know. I wonder sometimes if Wyatt's symtoms are actually caused by other things. Every kid with adhd has slightly differrent symtoms and reacts differently to meds. The best doctors can misdiagnose. (sp?) After all they are only human. What exactly is going on in his brain? Would the scan look different depending on what I feed him? I read somewhere that if you play "marching" music while they do their homework they can concentrate better. Would the brain images change. UGH! Right!! I mean, how are you supposed to really understand WHY if you don't know HOW and WHAT?? I think it should come with and ADHD diagnoses, a brain scan should automatically come with it!! This is such a complex thing...And then maybe the ones who say "Spank them rowdy kids!" "Give them a good ol' dose of discipline" will see you can't spank a brain to get what you want! In the meantime, people like my husband who need to visualize the 'issue' (and me, too) can look at that scan and say "Oooooh, I see"And maybe their braind would look absolutley normal and we would discover that we are the screwed up ones! haha When Jon was 4 1/2 he had an EEG and it was abnormal. I am sending forms to the hospital to get a copy and will compare it to the ones that 4myson told us we could google. This is a great thread, Ilovemyboys.
randy
Well, I am glad it's helping you, Randy!! You know, it just seems like it would be the most natural thing to do...if you have a brain tumor-don't they check out your brain??? Well, if you have things not connecting or misfiring in your brain-should your brain NOT be looked at?
I don't know, when our friend (add) was telling us about his it just struck me as "DUH!!" Because you cannot see what is going on from the outside. I so badly hope this can shed some light for all of us interested....