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Advice needed - does my child have ADHD?

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  • fsdss
    fsdss Posts: 1,429 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    working in the field of behaviour and children and recently teenagers!!(i practice this daily at work). i mostly agree with what david harrison has posted.

    if you came to me whilst i was at work, i would need to know your routine, diet, parenting skill and the birth detail (including post natal depression). i would want to observe your child and put a plan together eventually to change one behaviour at a time and possibly introduce a new activity such as a bonding game.

    you'd benefit if you recorded his diet firstly (including drinks). over the period of a week and record (secretly) about any incidents including what happened before during and after an incident. and his sleep routine.

    if you could look at your recordings and see if theres a trigger (such as a behaviour happening before dinner or after he's ate something in particular) you could work at changing your routine. however sometimes you need the help of a practitioner to highlight this.
    Give blood - its free
  • getcarter
    getcarter Posts: 898 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Got a 7 yr old with Asd and ADHD and other conditions which are often connected, the lack of eye contact sounds like autism, there is an autism spectrum and your son like mine could be on the mild end of it so don.t worry too much, but it is important to get the help you both need.

    My son takes EyeQ and is also on a very mild dose of Ritalin which helps him
    focus.

    David Harrison - what's this about toothpaste, my son hates the stuff - using baby toothpaste at the moment, other stuff too strong!
  • For some reason, some kids on the dyspraxic / autistic / adhd spectrum have a dislike of toothpaste. No idea why but see it often.
  • Go to your doctor get a referal and some expert specialised advice.

    Do not blame yourself, they way you potty trained, how long labour was or if you should try a wheat/dairy/additive/food free diet.

    There are lots including ''alternative'' therapies that can help ADHD and Autisum spectrum - But you need a diagnosis - you may just have a spirted maybe slightly immature 6 year old or you may have a child whith ADHD/Austium spectrum which is a recoonised neauralogical problem not caused by lack of sleep.

    ADHD can make a good parent look like a bad parent and very well intentioned ''proffesionals'' can make the situation worse - I can name you 20 alternative practices that claim to have the'' cure for ADHD'' usually at a price and huge life style changes that if they donnt work are because you are not doing it right or you need to do something else - They are a bit like religions to be honest

    Children with adhd/Autisum do not always respond in the same way as ''normal'' children - they do not always respond to the same types of dicipline or routines THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT
  • fsdss
    fsdss Posts: 1,429 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    can i just stress that there is a big trend on add / adhd behaviour and it is often subject to controvertial media discussions / interviews etc.

    often people who have poor parenting skills will self diagnose adhd to get some explaination of how their child is behaving. (i am certainly NOT suggesting that this is true in your case)


    as you have already spoken to your sons teacher about his behaviour and she expressed concerns, then i would ask her on her thoughts for referring to the SENCO at the school. she also has links to refer to education psychology for advice and monitoring. (depending on what her referrals are like, it is likely to be quicker than a referral from gp)

    i not to long ago had a similar referral, a very hyper child, who lacked concentration, speech delay, social development delay etc. when i got involved with the SENCO. i visited the school and home to monitor this child, he was climing the walls like spiderman, rolling down the stairs, just basically disruptive.

    we structured a plan but in that particular case it was evident (through his health history gained from parent) that the 5 year old had nutritional deficiencies (i.e he was eating alot of crap). once introducing a new diet and strategy for managing behaviour

    in 10 days mum was acknowledging his improvement.......then it got worse (usually so)....and this behaviour became so much better within 2 months, and is still continuing.
    Give blood - its free
  • Snaggles
    Snaggles Posts: 19,503 Forumite
    Hi,

    I'm an Osteopath and CranioSacral Therapist with a particular interest in working with babies and children. I agree that EyeQ would be excellent for your son. Do not try to save money by just buying cheap Omega3 capsules as the ratio of the oils is important. Start on a high dose and then reduce it.

    Make sure he is getting plenty of fluids, preferably water or water with a little fruit juice to give it flavour.

    Avoid sugary foods, especialy fizzy drinks, and particularly colas.

    Avoid computer games, especially in the two hours before he goes to bed as these can over-stimulate his brain.

    A regular night time routine helps: bath time, quiet reading in dimly-lit room, gradually winding down to sleep time, and letting him know that if he gets up he has to go straight back to bed not come downstairs or be played with.

    Do you mind me asking what his birth was like? How long from first contractions to delivery? Any asistance needed? Which was around his head was (looking towards your bottom or the other way)? (Sorry, very personal I know but important - if you'd rather send the info as a private message I (and everyone else on this site) would understand.) Do you know his birth apga scores? Any significant health issues before or since birth, or for you or his Dad? Strange question, but does he have any problems with toothpaste?

    He might benefit from CranioSacral Therapy, but I'd know better if I had answers to the above questions.. What area do you live and I will see if I can find someone who could check him out for you?

    David Harrison
    Thanks for your reply - I don't mind you asking at all. His birth wasnt assisted but it was induced (dont know if thats of any relevance). He was facing the normal way (not looking at my bottom, although granted that would have disturbed him for life!).

    I have a hazy memory of one of his scores being slightly lower than it should have been but on the second check all was normal and I remember the midwife saying he's a bit tachycardic, but again all was okay shortly after the birth.

    After the birth I had severe pain in my SI joint and SPD. Also had hypertension for couple of weeks after the birth and a bit of post natal depression (god this is sounding terrible isnt it..). I couldn't walk without crutches (because of the SI joint pain) for about 6 months after the birth, although thankfully none of this stopped me from bonding well with him.

    Re the toothpaste issue - it has been a battle getting him to clean his teeth properly, but he doesn't seem to have any particular dislike of the toothpaste itself.
    "I wasn't wrong, I just wasn't right enough."
    :smileyhea
    9780007258925
  • MegS
    MegS Posts: 234 Forumite
    Your son sounds very like mine (he's 6 nearly 7). The school have referred him to an education psychologist for assessment but the wheels of education turn extremely slowly. My doctor said it was best left in the hands of the school and so we wait. I have my DS on Efelex (?sp) capsules for both omega 6 and 3 (he wouldn't take the EyeQ), he doesn't do fizzy drinks at all. Funny that about the toothpaste though, I had wondered why DS was adamant he wouldn't use our toothpaste. I had a phone call from the school again today to let me know about his behaviour with the other kids (he goes to after school club on a Friday so they don't get to see me). Can't really say much else apart from I know how you feel. You can always pm me if you need some support at any time.
  • Snaggles
    Snaggles Posts: 19,503 Forumite
    elljay20 wrote:
    the fact he doesn't sleep till ten is very likely affecting his behaviour. when my dd's behaviour was deteriorating i posted on here about sleep times and put her to bed at 7.30. she only has a few toys in her room and her behaviour is soooo much better for her having some sleep. i would really be looking at working on getting him to sleep earlier before panicking. to me (and i'm not a doctor) a lot of the behaviour you describe could possibly be related to the fact that he's too tired. try not to worry, easier said than done
    Thanks, we have wondered for a couple of years if the lack of sleep is affecting his behaviour, although we have tried EVERYTHING to get him to sleep earlier! He has a couple of toys that he has in bed with him, but we try and keep him calm and relaxed, so he doesn't play computer games etc (except on very rare occasions, and never in an evening close to bedtime), we limit how much telly he watches, don't really give him fizzy drinks or sugary snacks, keep him away from colourings as much as possible etc. I am trying not to worry too much though, thanks.
    "I wasn't wrong, I just wasn't right enough."
    :smileyhea
    9780007258925
  • Snaggles
    Snaggles Posts: 19,503 Forumite
    blessings3 wrote:
    We were very reluctant to get ''Harry'' labeled but have found long term it is the only way to get the help that he needs - whilst your son sound a moderate case the anger and outbursts do need to be addressed
    Thanks, yes I suppose I am worried about labelling him, and I suppose also worried that I will be thought of as a 'bad parent', but I realise now that the time has come that we do need to speak to a doctor about this. I think we were just hoping he was just a very energetic little boy, and would settle down as he got older, but I think it is becoming more noticeable as he gets older that there are some differences between his behaviour and his friends' behaviour.

    I agree 100% that the anger needs to be addressed, it's very distressing to see him get so cross and not know what to do to help. He is also becoming aware that he has a bad temper and often says he wishes he could 'stop stropping' as he puts it.
    "I wasn't wrong, I just wasn't right enough."
    :smileyhea
    9780007258925
  • Snaggles
    Snaggles Posts: 19,503 Forumite
    Calm-Seas wrote:
    My Daughter has Tourette Syndrome ,Adhd, OCD =obsesive Conpulsive disoder etc etc etc.
    You have mentioned that has a baby there was no eye contact does your son still find eye contact difficult? Which is often found in Autisium and if a child has Adhd they can also have some of the associated behavours all the above and more all fall in to the Autism spectrum line.
    ...
    And remember you are never alone Dont ever think it is something you have or have not done it is a chemical in the brain that is misfunctioning not you :-)
    He doesn't seem to have problems making eye contact now, although he wont keep eye contact for more than a second or two (if I ask him to try he will have a go, but it does seem to be an effort for him). Thank you for your kind words and I wish you and your daughter the very best.
    "I wasn't wrong, I just wasn't right enough."
    :smileyhea
    9780007258925
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