Does anybody have any knowledge or experience of ADHD/ ADD?

noodledoodle78

As the tile suggests looking for some help/ info.

My little boy is due to be tested for the above.
From what little I know it certainly seems to explain his lack of focus. (He is not being tested for being hyper).

Can anyone give me any info on this?

Thanks in advance x

meritaten

my Granddaughter aged nine has had this diagnosed, two other grandchildren have been diagnosed as ADHD/Aspergers and ADD/Aspergers.
tbh I am not exactly sure what aspect you want advice on? there are so many ramifications it would be impossible to cover them all.
There are many many good websites dealing with this too! some in UK and some in USA and Australia.
What right now is your main concern - lets see if we can help with that!

noodledoodle78

Thank you for your response. I am probably a little premature in that he has yet to be tested, so the honest answer is I'm not really sure.

My little boy has long had issues in school and it is very hard for him to concentrate/ retain information. He had previous hearing issues where he had very poor hearing until he had three operations for gromits.
We had always thought his problems at school were as a direct result of his hearing loss.

Today we had a visit from a behavioural therapist who wants to test him for add/ ADHD and she is convinced this is part of the problem.

I suppose I am probably looking for reassurance more than anything and any advice on what to do/ expect to help my wee boy.

Sorry for the rambling - I'm probably not making much sense. Just a bit overcome by it all tonight x

natbags

I have LOL!, my son, he just wouldn't/couldn't behave at times and NOTHING would make him - there was no punishment strong enough, and he never learnt from them....long story short.... he was always quite loud and a few people started to comment on this, so we got in touch with the school nurse who referred him for a hearing test

The doctor testing his hearing commented that perhaps we should consider having him tested for ADHD??? (first we had even really heard of it) There are tests.... we did Connors (school also complete this) and using these together with other points taken into consideration, a conclusion was formed that he did show the signs
of behaviour related to one of the following;
Attention deficit (repeated requests/losing things/forgetting/v poor planning and organisation)YES all of these
Hyperactivity (chewing/restlessness/running around inappropriately) MY SON HAS SOME OF THESE or
Impulsiveness (running across roads/significant lack of thought and/or empathy etc.) ALL OF THESE

Medicating was something we strongly opposed initially however when we realised that a very, very bright boy wasn't achieving his potential at school because of something he couldn't control, then we changed our view (with parental training courses run by the ADHD nurses)
He is now a very happy, smart, bright boy, who got amazing results in SATS, and he feels much better on medication and not always being in trouble (because he just couldn't help it) - his Dr is very conservative on the medication dosage, so he isn't zombified (as many people report Re: Ritalin), he is just calmer and still full of personality and character (but more of the nice side :-))
GP's cant prescribe the medication, and medication is not (in our area anyway) given out willy nilly, and it is strictly controlled
Intervention has helped us hugely as a family and especially my son

meritaten

its ok - I understand! you have suddenly been hit with this ADD/ADHD issue which previously hadn't crossed your mind.
ok - well its usually suspected when a child cannot concentrate or focus in school. they may be disruptive in class or may hide away! there are also other subtle clues which an experienced teacher or SEN may pick up on.
The test itself is usually a questionnaire the school fill in, one the parents fill in and an interview with a child psychologist or psychiatrist. (that's usually painless btw - they mainly try to 'interact' with the child and will observe their 'behaviour'). They may or may not make a diagnosis then or they may want to observe the child in the classroom (they did this with my grandson but not Granddaughters). it can be quite a long process or can be as short as a few months! I know I am sounding like I am contradicting myself here but the diagnosis is 'tailored' to the child and its not 'tick X amount of boxes and hey presto - a 'label'!
you haven't had the diagnosis yet so don't get beyond this right now! but, in your place I would start googling for local ADD/ADHD/Aspergers parents groups. you don't have to have a diagnosis to join any of these and the parents are a great source of information and knowledge on how these conditions are diagnosed and treated in YOUR area! most areas will have at least one of these!
I hope this has helped - its not the end of the world if this is a diagnosis...........indeed it can be VERY helpful! as in getting the RIGHT help for your child!
Good luck and keep posting and let us know how its going!

skivenov

This is a pretty good startting point - http://members.scouts.org.uk/documents/AdultSupport/devfuninsfin/fs322100.pdf (PDF factsheet from the Scout association for it's volunteers, but freely avaiable)

Diet is a major contributor. I was hyperactive as a kid, probably still am a bit now if I look hard at myself. Keep it varied, keep the sugar low and plenty of veggies.

meritaten

I wouldn't say Diet was a 'major' contributor even in Hyperactivity. its a 'factor' yes, and a diet high in additives and chemicals seems to make the Hyperactivity worse. It isn't actually known what 'causes' this - though several theories are being investigated.

sanfrancisco

Have a google Neuro Developmental Delay and Retained Reflex Therapy.

Have a look on the mumsnet special needs board.

Read Disconnected kids and Is that My Child.

xxx

noodledoodle78

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I will certainly look into all your advice.

My son does not show any signs of hyperactivity ( much the reverse if anything - he's very laid back). I phoned his teacher today to give her the heads up and she was only aware of ADHD in the hyper form- so by the looks of it this will be a learning curve for her too.

From looking on the internet he definitely has most of the symptoms of the attention deficit / inattentive side of things.
It's all starting to make sense now. Continually forgetting to bring homework home/ not sure what his homework is/ not able to follow routines (having to explain every morning that he must brush his teeth etc)/ making silly mistakes with his homework/ not willing to complete mental tasks.

I am actually feeling relief now more than anything. After 7 years of knowing something just wasn't quite right but not quite sure what I think we might now be able to get him done proper help.

Thank you all so much x

meritaten

My granddaughter is Aspergers/ADD and yes, what you say rings bells! but they do for the ADHD one too! the main difference seems to be that the ADD kid can sit still for long periods, but seems to be 'away with the fairies'! the inattention can be because their 'interior' world is far more interesting to them than 'this' world! I was a bit like that as a child. I strongly suggest you join a parents group! you will hear many many different stories - but you will also detect a strong undercurrent of 'similarities'! you will think 'Yes, he does that' and 'Yes, I FEEL like that too'!
because they are going through or have gone through EXACTLY what you are going through now. and are a fantastic source of support!
my DD is heavily involved in her local ADHD/Aspergers support group - she says she would never have survived without them. I have been to meetings and they are so supportive and friendly and INFORMATIVE! they also usually have links with the areas psychiatrists and psychologists (very useful)!