ADHD?

[Capredon]

Hi, my son is nearly 12 , a twin and I think he has got a condition but I don't know which.
He has never been able to concentrate at school, he is not patient, he doesn't seem to listen to instructions or long bits of information, he gets angry easily, his tantrums are out of control, he doesn't find easy to say nice things to people, he doesn't tolerate much from his calm twin...
Teachers always complained about his lack of concentration, he is not dyslexic , the doctors ignored me every time I mentioned it to them saying it would pass...I am his mum and you can feel those things...does anyone have a child with these symptoms?
I looked into ADHD and it could be that but he is well behaved at school even though he hates it so I am not sure it is the right condition...I prefer to look into it before going to the doctor again because my son would have to come and he would hear all the things being said which I am not sure would help at this point.

[Capredon]

Many thanks, I will ..

[Sandman2]

   Realize that doctors typically start a child off on the lowest dose and wait for the parent to give feedback.  So if he is given a stimulant med and you notice any difference within a week - get back to the doc.  But the doc should tell you this when you visit them.
   You might want to get the book - "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley.  Its about 10 bucks on Amazon.  It will answer a lot of your questions - plus give you lots of good information about things like 504 plans which will help with school.

[Capredon]

Thank you for sharing, can you tell me what kind of difference you noticed and after how long he started the medication please, just to get a rough idea..thank you

[Miffy1974]

I have a son aged 9, who is a twin. He was diagnosed at age 7 with ADHD, O.D.D, delayed maturation of brain; cognitive delay etc and has poor social skills. His twin sister displays none of these traits. All I can say is keep pushing for help and don't give up. It's a long battle but so worthwhile. He has been on medication for 2 years. Now on methylphenidate AM, Strattera PM.

[Capredon]

Thank you so much, you helped us very much so I can start my research to help him.
I love my twins more than myself as I waited 11years to have them...I know that whatever affects him still makes him special and he is very loved.
Thanks again!

[Sandman2]

    First, a child can have  ADD and be very behaved at school.  He could also have ADHD and hang in there at school, but self destruct once he gets home because he is trying so hard at school.
    I am going to give you a great site that gives you the differences between ADD and ADHD as well as a ton of other good info.  The site is -
    http://www.help4adhd.org/en/about/what
   click on both the WWWK1 and the WWWK8 links.  Maybe even print out the symptoms - check off which ones fit him - and take that to the Doc.
   Another really good idea is to find a doc that specializes in AD/HD kids.  Many pediatricians just don't have the time to do much.
   And, yes, he does need to hear what is going on.  Could you imagine if he has AD/HD and he has been doing all these things cause he really can't control what is going on?  They is what really causes problems later on.  
    And if he does have AD/HD keep in mind that meds are only half the answer (or less).  Information is the key.  If you need any more info.  Please post back.    Thanks for taking the time to try and help your son!