ADD or Adhd as I've seen it referred to

[Christy]

I also think that a lot of teachers, and parents, just aren't thinking. These are kids. Kids have a lot of energy and they are disruptive. It's their nature to be disruptive. As an adult, you need to learn how to deal with it.

I think a good parent will know if their kid is ADD or not.

Ding Ding Ding!!!! You win the door prize.

Actually, I disagree somewhat with your second statement. I think many times parents want an easy answer to what their childs problem is, and ADD/ADHD takes the responsibility out of their hands.

 

[Christy]

Thanks. My son has an appointment with a specialist Wednesday. After another consultation with his pediatrician, the doctor believes this is "combination disorder." I was given names and definitions, and my head was spinning. He told me my son needs to see a specialist, so here we go. I am only posting this personal information because it might help someone else, and I also have received so much support from everyone in this thread. Thanks again.

What is it that your kid is doing that makes them feel that he has ADHD?

 

[Nickel]

What is it that your kid is doing that makes them feel that he has ADHD?

She said ADD, not ADHD. I would think that ADD would be harder to "diagnose", because there isn't any hyperactivity associated with it. Like someone said, they just seem lazy, when in fact they just might not be able to concentrate. You know Danielle, she has ADHD, and is a PITA at all times. Her older brother has it too. They've both been medicated since they were little b/c they went to military doctors and I guess no one knew any better. I'd say they've both grown to have serious personality disorders.

 

[Christy]

Elaine, unlike your girl, my son waits until the last moment to complete an assignment in the classroom. He fidgets and talks, and then rushes to complete the work. I have noticed a major change in his behavior at home as well. He literally bounces off the walls, and if I ask him to do something (ie:close the blinds,) he will forget the task halfway through because something else has distracted him. His teacher is calling me today to let me know if there has been any improvement. Thanks again for all of the input and good wishes.

Wenchy, sounds like typical boy behavior to me.

DO NOT subject your son to being medicated.

 

[Christy]

She said ADD, not ADHD. I would think that ADD would be harder to "diagnose", because there isn't any hyperactivity associated with it. Like someone said, they just seem lazy, when in fact they just might not be able to concentrate. You know Danielle, she has ADHD, and is a PITA at all times. Her older brother has it too. They've both been medicated since they were little b/c they went to military doctors and I guess no one knew any better. I'd say they've both grown to have serious personality disorders.

ADD/ADHD, same difference, and the pinging off the walls leads me to believe it was ADHD. Either way, medication is a copout, and as a parent, you should not be bullied or guilted into feeding your kids mind altering drugs.

 

[Nickel]

ADD/ADHD, same difference, and the pinging off the walls leads me to believe it was ADHD. Either way, medication is a copout, and as a parent, you should not be bullied or guilted into feeding your kids mind altering drugs.

Agreed. I don't wanna even think about the psychological problems my cousins had and still have to some degree as a direct result of ritalin and adderall.

 

[Christy]

Wenchy, medication is not a cure all for ADD/ADHD. Keep that in mind when you do decide what route you will take. Behaviour modification and an action plan with the school makes a world of difference. As I stated before, my son is going through the same thing your child is. His was so severe that he would break down and cry in school and would not stop. He is now able to keep up with the class, he is not singled out because of his inabilities and is the happiest I have ever seen him. It is very frustrating at first trying to find the medium in all of this. You know your child the best - not some doctor or some teacher - you. Do what works well for the both of you. Be supportive and understanding. I wish you luck.

My son used to throw up every night and every day in school when he was in public school. Went through the whole rigamoral of dealing with the school shrinks and whatnot. It's all flat out bullshit.

It all boiled down to him being severely depressed because everyone focused so much time and attention on what was "wrong" with him, rather than focusing on what was right with him. He's an incredibly intelligent child that will never have much interest in "book work".

Plus, when a child is brainwashed in to thinking that he's "not normal" and "below average", they will work to that level. They do so much coddling of the "special" children these days, they are never expected to be anything but below average.

I yanked my son out of public school and put him in a Montessori school, where the work was much more hands on. Also, he had an "old school" school teacher that absolutely wouldn't give an inch. If he didn't do his homework, he sat in at recess and did his work, if he turned in crap work, he sat in at recess and did it over.

I could go on for pages and pages on this subject, but I'm sure I'm in the minority with my views and approaches at treating "ADD/ADHD", and I'll wind up really pissing some people off.

 

[Nickel]

I think it has a lot to do with the area too. When I was in elementary school in NC, "special ed" meant "handicapped", but up here, it often refers to kids with ADD/ADHD. I was a substitute teacher awhile back, and had to assist in a special ed reading class. I'd say about 75% of the kids were just hyperactive and couldn't concentrate, and the rest of the group had real issues, like dyslexia or the like.

 

[sweetpea]

My 8 year old has been diagnosed with this. Any parent out there, (or someone who knows someone) who has gone through this I would appreciate hearing about:

1) How this news affected you
2) What you did about it
3) The outcome

TIA

Being ADD myself I have been keeping a very close eye on my 4 year old. There is a difference between ADD & ADHD. There are a lot of good books out there about both. Read anything you can get your hands on!!! There are also food allergies that have been known to give the same symptons. ie food dyes,preservatives.... There are ways around medication, such as smaller classroom settings.

 

[Christy]

like dyslexia or the like.

Mine has MAJOR Dyslexia, they have like a bazillion accomodations for these kids, which I refuse for mine. He has to learn how to function in the real world and be self sufficient.

 

[KCM]

My little boy has short term memory loss. He cannot recall what he did today (or has great difficulty in doing so) nor can he remember what you tell him five minutes earlier. Now I know he is young (only 9) but it interferes with all aspects in his life, i.e. school, home, sports, etc. He gets very frustrated because he cannot recall things easily. Which, compiled with the depression and concentration issues, caused major problems for the little boy. He is on a very low dose of medication to help with this compounding problem. While I don't condone medicating a child just to use it as a method to "deal" with a child, it was the best form of treatment in addition to the other help we have given him. His depression stems from issues with his biological father which I don't really don't care to discuss (if you can understand). He has made a remarkable turn around and I don't in anyway contribute it to being medicated. It took a lot of hard work on his part, my part and his other supporters to get him where he is now. He is starting to retain his thoughts better, deal with situations better, work independantly for the first time and he has all the confidence in the world.

 

[Nickel]

KCM, I have a similar problem, but probably on a smaller scale, and when I'm aware of it, I can control it. I have huge memory issues. My mom gets very mad at me when she asks me to do something, and I forget to do it. She does not believe that I actually forgot. With prompting, I'll remember, but if I don't do it right away, fat chance getting it done. Also, if someone tells me something, I can look them in the eye, and nod and to the rest of the world it looks like I understand, but I'm not hearing or retaining a word they are saying. I have the attention span of a doorknob.

 

[KCM]

KCM, I have a similar problem, but probably on a smaller scale, and when I'm aware of it, I can control it. I have huge memory issues. My mom gets very mad at me when she asks me to do something, and I forget to do it. She does not believe that I actually forgot. With prompting, I'll remember, but if I don't do it right away, fat chance getting it done. Also, if someone tells me something, I can look them in the eye, and nod and to the rest of the world it looks like I understand, but I'm not hearing or retaining a word they are saying. I have the attention span of a doorknob.

His is something like that. He is very intelligent but has the greatest difficulty in remembering things. We work on associations, writing down what his thoughts are in a journal so he can recall, etc. It helps him in so many ways. It is hard to see him struggle just to get a story out or tell me something because his train of thought wrecks so easily. He has been doing very good lately and calls me when he gets home from school to tell me everything that went on that day so he doesn't forget.

 

[Nickel]

His is something like that. He is very intelligent but has the greatest difficulty in remembering things. We work on associations, writing down what his thoughts are in a journal so he can recall, etc. It helps him in so many ways. It is hard to see him struggle just to get a story out or tell me something because his train of thought wrecks so easily. He has been doing very good lately and calls me when he gets home from school to tell me everything that went on that day so he doesn't forget.

Does he have a harder problem remembering personal interactions, or things he has read? I did very well in school, mainly because during a lecture, I wrote everything down (even now, If I'm on an important call, I'll find that I've jotted down random words and phrases to help jog my memory later), and relied mostly on the text and my notes to retain information.

 

[dustin]

His is something like that. He is very intelligent but has the greatest difficulty in remembering things. We work on associations, writing down what his thoughts are in a journal so he can recall, etc. It helps him in so many ways. It is hard to see him struggle just to get a story out or tell me something because his train of thought wrecks so easily. He has been doing very good lately and calls me when he gets home from school to tell me everything that went on that day so he doesn't forget.

Good for him and you both

KCM, I have a similar problem, but probably on a smaller scale, and when I'm aware of it, I can control it. I have huge memory issues. My mom gets very mad at me when she asks me to do something, and I forget to do it. She does not believe that I actually forgot. With prompting, I'll remember, but if I don't do it right away, fat chance getting it done. Also, if someone tells me something, I can look them in the eye, and nod and to the rest of the world it looks like I understand, but I'm not hearing or retaining a word they are saying. I have the attention span of a doorknob.

See now... You remember the long term things. And I remember the short term things

 

[KCM]

Does he have a harder problem remembering personal interactions, or things he has read? I did very well in school, mainly because during a lecture, I wrote everything down (even now, If I'm on an important call, I'll find that I've jotted down random words and phrases to help jog my memory later), and relied mostly on the text and my notes to retain information.

His is a mixture of both. Sometimes he can remember what he did on the playground and who he played with. Somedays he can't remember at all. Sometimes he can remember what he had for lunch - other days not. What is really interesting is that he excels in math. On tests he gets 100%. However he cannot recall facts when asked. I can just ask him a math fact and he cannot recall it. If he sees it on paper, he can. He is improving and is now able to read a paragraph and answer questions for me - even if it is one question. Before, he couldn't remember what he just read to me.

 

[Wenchy]

KMC,
This sounds like my son. We will all make it, simply because we have to. He has even plummeted in the last week since I first posted this. We all have trials in life, and they are supposed to make us stronger. I believe they will.
Thanks!
Wenchy

 

[Christy]

KMC,
This sounds like my son. We will all make it, simply because we have to. He has even plummeted in the last week since I first posted this. We all have trials in life, and they are supposed to make us stronger. I believe they will.
Thanks!
Wenchy

He's probably plummeting because there is so much attention being paid to what MAY be wrong with him.

 

[Wenchy]

He's probably plummeting because there is so much attention being paid to what MAY be wrong with him.

Do not think that this has not being considered. Little guy is oblivious though to what is going on. Counselor at his school today called me to tell me what high self-esteem he has. His parent's, the school counselor , his teacher, his doctor and specialists will all work together. If this is too much attention, then so be it. Anything for my kid(s)

 

[Christy]

Do not think that this has not being considered. Little guy is oblivious though to what is going on. Counselor at his school today called me to tell me what high self-esteem he has. His parent's, the school counselor , his teacher, his doctor and specialists will all work together. If this is too much attention, then so be it. Anything for my kid(s)

Don't be so sure that he is oblivious. I'm not trying to tell you Wenchy that your kid is doing this for more attention, that isn't the case whatsoever. Changes tend to make kids do weird things. In my LONG experience with this, I've found that the more everyone else is stressing about what is going on, the more kids tend to go weird.

You can do what you want, and you can choose to believe the BS that his teacher, doctor, and "specialists" throw at you. My advise is to pay more attention to what your kid tries to tell you rather than what the so called "experts" try and fill your head with.

Just look at how many people on here have spoken up about having an ADD/ADHD kid. Everyone wants to have a tangible thing to point at, as to what may be their kids problem. My answer is, they have no problem. Each and every human being has a distinct personality and when it doesn't fit into the cookie cutter, little quiet drone personality, people automatically assume there must be something wrong, and try to force their children to conform to the "norm".

Does anyone ever stop and consider that these "ADD/ADHD" children are not "abnormal", that the don't have a "problem" and that by feeding them this psychological bullshit, may quite in fact be doing much more harm than good? Most "ADD/ADHD" kids are quite good at thinking outside the box and coming up with just incredible observations and ideas when not hindered by being forced to be "normal".

I say, leave them be and watch them grow. Stop trying to psycho-analyze and medicate because they can at times be annoying, you'd be surprised at what they can teach you if you just open your eyes.

Okay, stepping off my soapbox.