I am the step-mother of my 5 year old step-daughter Emma. She has been diagnosed with ADHD and an anxiety disorder (they didn't say a name for it.) Me and her mother go to her Doctor appointments together and stuff because she has a bad anxiety disorder herself so I have been trying to help out as much as I can. They have put Emma on a few different types of pills but nothing really helps. I mean it might help her focus at school and calm her down so the teachers can deal with her...but we are at our wits end. She has had tests for mental retardations, diseases, etc and nothing has shown up. She just got another Dna test yesterday. I personally think there is more to her than just ADHD. Here is her symptoms:
She is book smart and doesn't have a problem learning numbers, abc, etc.
She seems to not have any common sense. She doesn't get embarassed, and she RARELY gets angry. She will cry but she never gets mad. She is always smiling and happy.
The other day at school the teachers asked her if she wanted to make them mad and she smiled and said yes, and was punished for it but she didn't know what to say, and I don't think the teachers realized Emma is slow or something is wrong with her and she just doesn't get it. She took off her clothes in class one day just sat there...took off her clothes..normal kids would be embarassed wouldn't they? One time she had my daughter in the bathroom with her and picked up a turd out of the toilet and was like "This is poop Kacie!" laughing. And I was like "Whoa! Most little girls would just KNOW ewww that is gross!" Right? OR ??
She often says things that don't make sense and when talking she gets the words of her sentances messed up. My 2 year old seems to understand things better than she does. Sometimes I tell her to pick something up and she will look around everywhere when what I told her to get was right in front of her. I don't know what to do but I don't know if this is normal ADHD behavior or if something else is wrong? Any tips would be helpful! Thanks!
Doesn't sound like ADHD to me either. Definitely seek out a specialist (not a pediatrician but someone even more specialized.)
Good luck!
that's not ADHD, or if it is, it's running co-morbid with something else.
I also agree that this is something more than just adhd, if that even fits. I would get another diagnosis. Was the first with a pediatric neurologist? I would have a complete evaluation done. Has the school done one? Is she on an IEP or 504 plan for her education at school? If not, it sounds like she may qualify.
I think it is great that you have found the boards and are helping her!
I agree that this does not sound like ADHD. I'm no Dr, but to me it doesn't even sound like ADHD+something else.
I am pretty familiar with ASDs and really not much of it sounds like that either. I agree the social part does to some degree, but not likely in my opinion. Generally with an ASD social interactions ARE outside the understanding of the individual, but there is an anxiety and a fear that generally goes along with it...like it includes the knowledge that the person knows that they don't know the right thing to do or say or whatever. Just a discomfort with the whole ned or idea to interact. That is not what I got from your description. More like an ambivilance along with the lack of appropriate social response.
I absolutely agree that you need a specialist. I'm assuming they've run the gammot with the whole genetic testing being done...but that could be a wrong. I would find out from the mom what all has been tested and what specialist have been consulted before moving forward.
And frankly, it shouldn't be assumed either that IF a specialist was consulted that she doesn't need to be brought to another one...I might probe into what all was discussed and tested, etc.
My opinion is that she needs a complete neuro evaluation and a full neuro-psych assessment.
But as I said, I'm no Dr...that's just my gut based on what you've said.
Please keep us posted!
Yeah.... She needs to see a specialist.
Sometimes it is said that ADHD people are intelligent and have book smarts, but lack common sense. ADHD'ers also tend to be less socially skilled and develop social skills slower, however, it sounds to me that there is something more than just ADHD behind this.
It sounds like while the child may have ADHD, there is probably something deeper root to your problems.
Thanks for your help. She has seen many specialists and she is in a classroom at school with only other ADHD kids. She also seems to do ANYTHING other kids tell her to do. That's what happened with why she took her clothes off at school, her explanation was that someone told her to do it. It is hard because we will discipline her but then afterwards I feel horrible because it makes me feel like she might not have deserved it because she doesn't understand what's going on completely. Like, she knows what she does is wrong because we discipline her but a couple days later she will do it again like she completely forgot.
She has a speech therapist who helps her but she has been going to her for 2-3 years and has only had a little improvement. I'm pretty sure she has seen a neuro and all they diagnosed her with was adhd but I know something else is wrong. It sucks being the step parent because you can't do anything. :(
I'm not sure about being Autistic because she loves to be cuddled, she loves attention, she loves playing with people and interacting, and she is always smiling. Sometimes it's almost like she has a very very mild form of retardation..I feel horrible saying that but like I said a very mild form of it, but through the tests that have been done on her she doesn't seem to have it.
krxstal39898.3763657407 [QUOTE=krxstal]I'm not sure about being Autistic because she loves to be cuddled, she loves attention, she loves playing with people and interacting, and she is always smiling. Sometimes it's almost like she has a very very mild form of retardation..I feel horrible saying that but like I said a very mild form of it, but through the tests that have been done on her she doesn't seem to have it.
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