what is adhd and how do I know that my child doesnot have it

[Lucy721]

my question is the following

my daugther is 5yrs old and she is always touching things that she knows is wrong.I put her in time out over and over for the same thing I ve try taking away the things that i know she like the most but it doesn't work I dont hit her at all but I talk to her and tell her that what she is doing is wrong. please help me

[lolly122]

hi i have a son who has adhd he is now 9 but i found out when he was 5 all children are nauty from time to time and age 4 they want to touch things and she may want to touch it again even though she has been told off for it, this doesnt mean she has adhd, adhd is a few other things like never sits still gets very bord quickly, concentration levels are not there, if u feel that she has these symptoms then go and see your doctor and they will get you help and tested good luck

[guidos1]

Definately get your child tested.  You'll be doing them and yourself a HUGE favor if it turns out she does have adhd. My 10 yr. old daughter and I both have it.  Trust me, if she's got it the biggest favor you can do for her and yourself is to get her treatment started.  My daughters did a complete 180 after we got her on her meds.  School work is better, homelife is better, just everything is better.  Same goes for me.  Once I started being treated for it my life improved 10 fold.  Get her tested!!!

[Lilak2002]

Well, my son was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD and a mixed receptive speech delay and I will tell you what he does.  .  He was diagnosed when he was 3 almost 4 years old.  He is the same way as your daughter as far as touching things.  If I tell him not to touch or do something it makes him want to do it more so I try not to glorify the situation, meaning I try not to put too much emphasis on it.  It’s kind of like telling him not to push the big red button.  I noticed when I didn’t make too much of a big deal out of it he will move on.  He is also worse when he is not on his meds.  My son hates time outs and when we first started this journey it had no affect on him but we were consistent with him and talking to him was the biggest thing.  If you sit and talk to them I think that lets them know that what they think matters and we’re not just punishing them just because we  can.  It didn’t always work but it helped out a lot.

The thing is, there is a lot more to ADHD then just that.  She just may be Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) which my son has also.  There is no meds for that, you just have to work with her to get things on track.  I like to tell people that ADHD and ODD are just fancy words for he can be really, really, naughty sometimes.

[allmymarbles]

Your poor little daughter is only five years old. So she touches things. So she doesn't listen. Just like a lot of five-year-olds. She will settle down in time. A good mother would not drug her child just to make her more manageable. A good doctor would not hand out ADD junk. Sadly not all doctors have sufficient regard for their patients. The drugs for ADD, if in fact your child has it, whch I doubt, are DANGEROUS. They are speed.

[1centwiz]

Try trade and praise... in other words, tell her that it would really bother you more if she touched this or that, and make the this or that something that really doesn't bother you. It will test her for her defiance. If she still goes to the other things, then it's something that may be in the color, the feel or where it is located. Try moving it and see if she seeks it out. If she does, then it may be just to bug you... or she's not "done" with it yet...
In regards to praise and consequences, make a big deal about the important stuff, like when she does what you want her to do and not about what she's not supposed to do. I like the fact that you talk to her, but do it only once to warn her and give her the consequence if she continues to do it. Then follow through. After the consequence, talk to her about it again and ask her how you can help her not do it again... It puts the responsibility on them for thier actions.
I say this as a ODD myself and it worked for me and my Mom. I was a hellion along with my two brothers. One you could just talk to and he'd crumble. The other brother wouldn't care if you put him in time out for days... he'd often sit there long afterward just because he was having more fun by himself in his own fantasy land... me? Didn't matter what you did, I was going to do what I wanted to do unless you gave me a better option.
Responsibility also was a good motivator for me. If I didn't clean my room, I wouldn't get my clothes clean. However, my mom made it fun on laundry day and we got to push all of our clothes on the floor, down the stairs and to the laundry room, but the rule was we couldn't use our hands... Needless to say, we all had laughs as underwear would get kicked up on the lights, or socks would end up as lone items which made getting them to the laundry room quite a challenge. My Mom was good at making games out of boring stuff and taught us all how to take care of things. Later on, I wised up and didn't need as much "help" to do what was right. I became the teacher to the little kids on our block and therefore became the best babysitter in town. Everyone always had fun when I was around because I hated to be bored.
I might not know what it's like to be a Mom, but I remember still to this day what it's like to have been a very frustrated and mis-understood kid. I have a huge heart and realize now how big my Mother's was to put up with the three of us enough to have one more, eleven years my junior. I think it was a ploy to keep me a virgin until I got married. But that will have to wait a few years for you to worry about with your daughter...

[Sandman2]

   1centwiz is touching on a very important part.  The reason why your child is touching something makes a big difference as to how you discipline them.  There is nothing more heart breaking then seeing a child that has (say) ADHD being disciplined the normal way and knowing that it won't work and the parent just keeps piling more and more discipline on until something breaks.
   One indication is that if you are applying good, consistent discipline and the child is not responding - then suspect that something else is going on.  Also if this behavior has been going on for a while.  Something that just starts due to changes in the family (for example), would not be what we are talking about.  The rules kind of change for teenagers because they are now crafty enough to manipulate the situation.  Not to say that 5 year olds can't, but its more unusual.  You only mention one thing that she is doing which is touching things over and over.  If this is all she is doing, then its probably not ADHD and you should try some of the other good ideas mentioned above.
   The point being that if she doesn't respond - then you might want to consider professional help to make sure you are applying the appropriate measures for what is bothering her.

[allmymarbles]

Your daughter is naughty, not sick. I was plenty naughty as a child. If I didn't make trouble at home, I made it at school. Guess what? I grew up just fine. I have had a wonderful life and have a wonderful bunch of kids. Thank goodness some bozo doctor didn't try to make me "manageable." It would have killed my spirit.

[dkpoto]

Meds seem to be the easy way, the same approach we use when our dog acts up. Five years old is way too young to be ingesting powerful ADHD stimulants. The drugs do not cure ADHD; they only manage the symptoms. Eventually, other forms of symptom mangement must be incorporated. Do you want your child on speed?

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