"normal" for a child with adhd? | ADHD Information
Thank you so much for all of your help you guys! I really appreciate it! I dothink that CAPD is something that my ds is definitely dealing with. That
makes me really sad though...it mush be so hard for them. Is there anything
that has been able to help any of your children with CAPD? Anything that
can be done to help them with CAPD? Thank you so much!!My son does not have a processing disorder, but I worked in a high
school with a girl who had a severe processing disorder. The first thing
we had to do was make sure she was given directions in multiple ways.
For every assignment we would give a handout with the instructions,
describe them orally, write the key points on the board, and bring in an
example so she could see what was expected of her. She had an ed tech
who took notes for her in every class. The notes were then sent to the
learning center to be kept on file for her. She had 1 fewer class per day
than the rest of the students as an extra study hall which she did in the
learning center. She had regular appointments set up with teachers to go
over materials, especially math. Her teacher was excellent and made a
point to meet with her and 2 other students in 2 half hour meetings a
week to go over concepts. She had altered (shorter) assignments, but she
usually tried to complete regular assignments because she was very
motivated to learn. She was given the opportunity to have all her books
on tape so she could listen to them and read along, or have someone
read them to her. She was always buddied in the classroom, and if her
buddy student spoke on her behalf, she was given participation credit for
the day. She was not called on in class unless everyone was called on,
and then she was one of the last students to give her time to think about
her answer and how to articulate it, or if she asked to participate, which
was almost never.
Not sure how that helps with your child, but I wanted to give you the
information I had. In a nutshell, give the same information in as many
ways possible using as many senses (sight - both written and pictures,
hearing, touch) possible so that if one isn't coming together another one
might catch on.
Also, I think there is a processing disorder forum on iVillage. In case you
don't get the answers you need here, someone there might be able to
help you.
Good luck! Corrina, thank you so much for your reply! That helps so much to
understand what my ds may need. Thank you for taking the time to give me
all of this wonderful information!
Can I ask...did this girl that you refer to have an obvious speech problem or
any other obviousness of a processing disorder when you would just talk
with her? Did she have friends and was she able to handle fun teenager
conversations with friends? Thanks so much!!Anytime! That's what we're all here for!Thank you so much Corrina that really helps me a lot. I appreciate you
taking the time to help me!Immaturity is an ADHD symptom. Speech/language issues would be a comorbid.
My 9 yr old son had speech therapy for several yrs starting at 2. Plus weekly OT. He remains somewhat socially immature, but we witnessed tremendous emotional/developmental growth between 5 and 7. He has a summer birthday and repeated K, which really helped. He started at a new school for first grade, a private Catholic school. We started his IEP at the end of first grade and continue to fine tune it.
The school has been truly wonderful in working with us. I emphasize that we are a team. Class size is very important, current room has 19. Plus we continue with a behavior doctor and an array of other things that help him. Your son is just beginning his academic journey and anything you can do to make it a positive experience will make him excited about school.
Hi, I am new here and am wondering if it is "normal" for a child with adhd tohave speech/language problems and also to act more immature than their
peers?
My child has been diagnosed with adhd and is 5 years old.
Thank you.
That is my son. We have had speech since he was 2 /12. He is now turning 12 next month. It is also very common for adhd'ers to be socially behind. Mine is as well.
You are at a wonderful place here with very friendly and knowledgeable (spell???)
Is he/she entering kindergarten this fall? Do you need an IEP/504 in place?
Please let us know where we can help.
Thank you so much for your reply. he is going to go to a privatekindergarten this fall. I have heard a lot of talk about IEP's but I am not sure
what one is?? he has been in speech therapy since 20 months old, but there
are still many speech/language issues, but also a lot of progress.
He qualifies for speech therapy in public school, has that been arranged yet?
He also needs to be evaluated by the school for other services if necessary. My son was on an IEP for Occupational therapy for help with sensory intergration. They also worked on his spacing on paper and between people, writing, etc.
I would call the school ASAP and see if you can schedule an evaluation before school begins so he walks in with services and an IEP or 504.
did he go to preschool? Where does he get speech services? You should be getting them for free in preschool!!
BETHANN39959.4457407407by the way, my son still gets speech in school - he is in 6th grade and I can't see them not giving it again in 7th grade. He truly needs it!!Welcome august8
There is usually a 30% maturity lag for children with ADHD. As far as speech and language problems, all too often the child is diagnosed with ADHD when actually they have CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder) which can look very much like ADHD. Sometimes both disorders are co existing. I would consult an audiologist to rule CAPD in or out because while some symptoms overlap, the difference is the inability to process the sound through the ears thus causing speech and language problems. To further confuse things, when both disorders co exist, sometimes ADHD medications are effective for CAPD Read more below:
What IS the Difference Between
CAPD and AD/HD?
Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)
Recently, there have been a lot of questions regarding the difference between two
commonly diagnosed childhood disorders, CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder) and
AD/HD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). When should the child receive speech
therapy? How can I help this child? What exactly are the symptoms of each? Am I doing the
right thing?
You might find yourself asking these questions, plus many more. It’s true the symptoms of
AD/HD and CAPD are similar. The intention of the next two handouts is to provide parents,
educators, and therapists with a general overview of the causes, symptoms, diagnosis methods,
and treatments for each, starting with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). It, in no
way, intends to diagnose, identify, and/or provide treatment goals for children suspected to have
CAPD. This diagnosis can only be provided by a health care professional trained in the signs
and symptoms of each.
Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)
I can HEAR what you say, but I DON’T understand!
Overview: A very basic description of CAPD involves a child with normal hearing who has
difficulty understanding (processing) auditory stimuli. In other words, there is a
breakdown between the hearing mechanism and the part of the brain that
processes this information. This difficulty may have a negative impact on many
areas of a child’s life.
Causes: Some possibilities include ear infections, exposure to lead, and head injury.
Scientists, however, continue to speculate on any one cause for this disorder.
Symptoms: Children with CAPD may exhibit any number of the following symptoms:
1) Academic and/or behavior problems.
2) Giving the same incorrect answer consistently to answer the same question.
(i.e. “Who was the first President of the U.S.?” “Abraham Lincoln.”).
3) Easily and frequently distracted from tasks, especially in a noisy environment.
4) Requires increased time and/or multiple cueing to answer questions.
5) Difficulty recognizing and/or discriminating between sounds, especially sounds
that are acoustically similar (s/z and f/v).
What IS the Difference Between
CAPD and AD/HD?
Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)
by Keri Spielvogle, M.C.D., CCC-SLP
6) Difficulty following auditory directions and/or commands, especially
when more than one step.
7) May ask for frequent repetition and/or clarification of questions/statements.
Diagnosis: CAPD should be diagnosed by a health care professional, such as an audiologist.
Audiologists will test the child’s hearing using a battery of tests. These tests will
rule out a hearing loss and diagnose an auditory processing disorder. Discuss
with your child’s pediatrician if a referral is recommended.
Treatment: These treatments are to serve as a general guideline only. The speech-language
pathologist working with your child may incorporate goals targeting your child’s
strengths and weaknesses. Incorporate these goals as much as possible into the
school, social, therapy, and home settings. Some general treatment guidelines
are as follows:
* Provide child with a quiet environment, especially when listening to important
information and completing homework tasks.
* Have the child keep a visual day planner, writing in important information as
soon as it is presented. He/she should review this planner often for increasing
reinforcement.
* Ask the child to repeat commands and directions. If possible, have the child
re-tell you the information in his/her own words.
* Decrease your rate of speech when talking to the child and allow more time
for the child to answer questions.
* Set up a routine for the child and attempt to stick to it. If there are changes to
the routine, remind the child frequently of time and event. Try to provide a
visual, such as a note or picture to remind the child of the change in schedule.
* Follow any goals and/or recommendations set up by the child’s speechlanguage
pathologist.
Thank you so much for all of your help. I will look into all that has been
suggested-thank you!
Does he still need an IEP if he is in a private school? Do you still get it
through the public school? We have been doing private therapy.I am 46 years old and still quite immature in certain areas of my life. I am very impatient, I still throw temper tantrums and fly off the handle about things. I still engage in "child" talk with my 21 year old daughter (who I think is undiagnosed ADD) and we both just think it's silly. The important thing for me to remember is to know when it's appropriate to behave in these ways. Sometimes people will see that side of me and while it's a bit embarrassing, I try to just pretend like, hey, this is me - like it or leave it. A child lacks the experience to know that being immature can be impairing. As a parent, I think it would be a good idea (but tough) to help the child understand when they're behaving immaturely and guide them to behave more appropriately. Maybe some counseling might offer some suggestions. I don't know if this helps at all but it's just my experience and opinion. That helps a lot-thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with me-it
helps hearing from someone who knows-thank you!!
I was told that if we sent our son to a private preschool, he could receive services at the public preschool. We went to the integrated public preschool for both school and services. So you should have been able to as well. Now in private kindergarten, I believe, that the same would continue. You would take him after school to the public elementary school (not sure just guessing ) for services at the end of the school day. I would call your town's special ed and ask. Your son qualifies for services and an IEP or 504 in public BUT I am not sure about private. I believe it is different because it is PRIVATE. You have to follow their ways. That is why families stay in public, for these services and education plans. BUT, still call your town special ed and explain what your plans are for your son and what can they do to help him!! 
please let us know how it goes for you guys!!
I think immaturity is very common with children that have ADHD.I do not think that speech/language issues are a result of ADHD. I second the suggestion to pursue that one further.
My 10yo has lots of speech language issues but he has also been diagnosed with CAPD and Dyslexia as well as the Inattentive ADHD. The CAPD is the base problem I think. It magnifies the ADHD.
He does take Metidate for the ADHD and it helps.
CAPD is a separate disorder that is all too often misdiagnosed as ADHD. Speech and language problems are not symptomatic of ADHD and that's why its important to see an audiologist to rule CAPD in or out when the diagnosis isn't clear. Children with ADHD do not have a problem processing information. They just miss a lot of information due to lack of focus and high levels of distraction. Having both disorders or one or the other makes diagnosing more difficult so that's why its important to see a specialist who can make a differential diagnosis. She is very quiet. She can speak well, but it's really hard for her to answer
academic questions. She has some very close friends, and is chatty with
them. They know her and are very understanding about when she gets
stuck on a concept. They talk in code sort of, like regular teenagers -
"remember that time we did that thing". Everyone does that, she does it a
little more than normal. Again, she can communicate, but it takes her a
lot longer than other kids. She just needs to hear and see it again and
again sometimes, especially with new information, and she needs to go
over it in her head over and over before she's confident she can articulate
herself.
I didn't realize she had a processing disorder when I first met her. I was
shocked when I saw her IEP because she was so normal. She just seemed
like an average shy girl to me. But she worked her tail off and was
extremely motivated. Without that motivation I can't even imagine how
she would have functioned at school. It must be so difficult for her. If
you suspect your child has a processing disorder I would get into therapy
for it as soon as possible to find out which is the best way to help.
Best of luck to you!