Does my child truly have ADHD

[LL60]

Please help me find out if my child truly has ADHD.I am starting to doubt he does.He was diagnosed at age 7.He is now 13 yrs old,and in the 8th grade at a parochial school.His past medical history includes a normal gestation,delivered by C-section at 39 weeks,but had severe reflux, a questionable metabolic disorder(medium chain fatty acid co-enzyme deficiency),small kidneys with elevated BUN and creatnine,and metatarsis adductis.Most medical issues were resolved by age 1.He began walking at 12 months and talking at 18 months.He was,and remains,a very fussy eater and will only eat certain foods.He aversion to most foods is so severe that just tasting them will make him gag.He is also lactose intolerant.I began noticing restlessness and inattentiveness with him at age 5 with odd behavior such as chewing on the sleeves of his clothing.He was labeled immature in school.He was tested at this point and labeled as having mild ADHD.By age 7,his attentiveness dramatically decrease,and he became very fidgety,unable to concentrate or sit still.He was,and remains, impulsive with his speech and actions.He was placed on different medications in an attempt to better control the ADHD.He currently takes Strattera.He did well initially with his studies,but by third grade his grades began to slip and he began to isolate himself socially.At age 11,he became very depressed about his isolation and social situation and we sought immediate psychiatric care.He remains under psychiatric care for this as well as for his ADHD.His hyperactivity is now under control and his studies have vastly improved with special accomodations and private tutoring.However,he remains a social outcast in his class and has referred to himself as a geek or oddball.His classmates are kind to him and they do play with him at recess,but he is rarely invited to any social activities after school.He is awkward and clumsy, especially with handwriting and in any kind of sport.He does love playing basketball and acting in the school's "broadway" plays.He tends to gravitate towards interacting with younger kids and is often still considered immature.He also gravitates towards what he calls other "geeks" in school, but does not associate with them outside the classroom.He never asks for "playdates" and is content to be with himself.He appears to have tics or obsessive-type movements, such as sniffing his fingers, scratching his scalp, or shifting his eyes to the right or left.His interactions at home and with family are fine,but in public situations,he tends not to look at people when speaking and talks either in a monotone voice or with exaggerated inflection.He rarely initiates any type of conversation.He used to be obsessed with trains,but now he has been engrossed with video games for the past 3 years.He rarely goes anywhere without his Gameboy and does not want to put it down.Are all these issues related to just ADHD,or could there be some other problem thas has not been identified?

[Editorinchic]

A related discussion, info on troubled teen schools was started.

[karibritt01]

My son was recently diagnosed ADD.  My husband and I asked the psychologist and the pediatrician about Strattera because we were hesitant to put him on a stimulant.  Both told us that Strattera shows improvement at first, but that the body adjusts to it, and it stops working.  We tried Concerta for 3 months.  While he did do better in school, he had a lot of trouble sleepng, and lost 6 pounds.  We switched him to Adderall at Christmas, and he is a whole new kid.  There were so many things about him that we contributed to bad habits, personality, and behavior problems that have just disappeared now that he is on the right meds.  While it is entirely possible that he has other problems, maybe trying other meds for the ADD will help out.  Uncontolled ADD can very possibly cause incorrect tests results, which is the LAST thing you need right now.  Good luck!

[Tiggy the Tigger Girl]

it seems to me that he has ADHD, yes. But maybe a touch of depression in there. Not to be all condescending or anything, but do you REALLY know if the kids at school are all halos and sugar when adults aren't around? Believe me, kids at my school were fine when adults were around and killer when they weren't. And just to point this out, some parents today are really quite behind on teen boys. Believe me when I say, there are different types of kids, teens especially. One type seems to stick with yours in my mind. This "type" of teen boy generally likes his video games, is a bit socially inept, maybe a bit depressed, ADHD usually. And, sorry to tell all you parents out there, but playdates usually end around age 7. This isn't the 60s 70s 80s or even 90s anymore. Most kids don't just hang around and "play" anymore. Now I can see what you mean if he just sits glued in front of his games all the time and barely budges. But to me, it sounds like you have a regular, normal, video game loving, teenager who happens to have ADHD. Sorry to break it to you, but some kids hit their teen years harder than others, and he might be one.

Tiggy

[mad4mustangs]

I also would wonder about Asperger's syndrome.  I am a school nurse, and my observations are that kid's with a complex group of symptoms need to be evaluated by a pediatric developmental specialist.  If you live in a good size city, hopefully you will have at least one.  You might start by asking your own pediatrician for a recommendation, or your school nurse or school psychologist.  One you have a definitive diagnosis, please ask your principal to schedule a meeting to get your child evaluated for either a 504 or an IEP if he is shown to have a diagnosis that is supported by an IEP.  I would also recommend seeking a social skills type of therapy to help him learn how to interact with others.  It is very helpful.  Don't give up, there is help for him!  You are his best advocate.

[Curls]

The picking eating made me think of food sensitivities.  In particular there is a diet for ADD that has had very good results for some children.  It's the Goldfein Diet (or Goldstein something similar - I can't spell or remember sounds well).  There's a good website for it, and you can see if it looks promising to try (if you have time to research yet one more thing).  

Personally I came down with CFS post-virally 9 years ago.  During the first year I was barely able to move, had trouble understanding English, totally blurred vision, etc. etc..  The first treatment I tried that helped was eliminating some foods from my diet (for me it was dairy & eggs & minimizing a few other ones).  My symptoms improved dramatically (although I'm sure my underlying illness was the same).  As I've continue to explore treatments I've noticed a number of people and conditions where symptoms improved with changes of all variations in diets.  It's not something doctor's have explored (although I tried it because of a recommendation by Hopkins' Clayton Heart Center based on a study they had done and results they'd seen), but I have heard good things about the Goldfein diet over the years.

If you do try an elimination diet of your own design, be sure to take out foods for around 2 weeks.  If you see some notable improvement, then you are likely to see more over several months time.  It's not an on and off switch process.  For dairy make sure to eliminate casin (milk protein) too.

I hope you find the answers you are looking for!
Cheri

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your son certainly has a history which is typical of children who display ADHD, and that diagnosis is likely accurate. However, it is not the whole picture. Your son displays other conditions alongside the ADHD, and these other aspects of his functioning need to be pinpointed so that sensible intervention can occur. From a diagnostic standpoint, your description indicates that the following should be considered: Non Verbal Learning Disability, Tourette's Disorder, High-Functioning Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder. He may benefit from some addition to his medication, but in great part his 'other' (i.e., non-ADHD) problems will be addressed through some form(s) of therapy (e.g., social problem-solving group, occupational therapy).

[WalkersD]

Please look into Asperger Syndrome. My son was diagnosed in Jan. of 2005. He is now 6 years old. You might be surprised at how high functioning a child on the 'Autism Spectrum' really is. People assume autism means non-verbal and hand flapping, but that's such an overgeneralization. Look at this website for more info: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ If the link doesn't show up, do a Google search for Asperger Oasis and you'll see a link. Good luck to you!

D.

[LL60]

Thanks so far for your input.I don't know if it's Asperger's,but that thought crosses my mind frequently.

[Tula]

sometimes kids do funny things like sucking on there sleeves smelling there hands and whatever else.  it could be a habit
and may come from being uptight.  my son did the smelling fingers thing and he is a very picky eater.  hes always done awsome in school but is pretty quiet.  he has a great bunch of friends that has brought him out of his shell.  hes always been a pretty mellow kid though i guess with 5 sisters.  if the funny habits continue maybe you should look into tourettes.  i dont know i think our kids need to be allowed to be kids and shouldnt be expected to fit the mold of society.  there are alot of pressures on our children.  take it one day at a time enjoy your son keep an open mind and allow him to grow in a healthy manner.  puberty is difficult in itself its ok if they retreat to there rooms and like to be by themselves its part of the growing process.  your mom you know whats best just give him sometime to mature and at the end of the day it will all workout.  Pray about it ask God what he thinks He created him he knows him best.  get the book the power of a praying parent and pray the prayers for your son.  depending on your faith sometimes we look to people to much when God is waiting for us to call on Him first....   try it.  good luck and God Bless

[bossy]

I wonder if it could be Asperger's syndrome (a variant of autism)

[girl522]

My brother was disgnosed as having ADD in the 2nd grade.  My parents tried different kinds of medicine but nothing seemed to make it better and he was always fine at home.  Anwyway...fastforward to high school and then we find out that this whole time he wasn't ADD but he had social anxiety disorder.  He is very smart and until we started to treat him for this his grades were horrible and he mostly kept to himself.  I personally believe that anytime a child has a problem these days the doctor just diagnoses as ADD.  Now he is in his first year of college and doing great.  He has not been on any medicine in 2 years.  I would talk to your doctor about this possibility.

[daycare mom]

some of the stuff you are describing sounds like autism. I have a daycare child with that? Is there a possibility that it has gone undiagnosed this long?

[daycare mom]

it sounds exactly like you are describing my nephew. i do not know what to think. I quesion whether my nephew has ADD. he is great when he is at my house, or at grandmas, because there are rules. But at his own home he is a different kid. I think my sister has some parenting issues, and that fuels his behavior. she is very strict on him at times, and is VERY overprotective. (He isn't allowed to watch pg-13 movies) yet He owns every video game system made, and has games rated for adults due to graphics and violence.  Yet she gives him priveleges that most other parents wouldn't give a child that age. Like going to his girlfriends house after school when the parents are not home. I question wether his "problems" are his, or hers. I'm sure that you are a great parent, I just thought the similarities in the two boys ages and behaviors were weird. By the way, he has a biological father with a family history of mental illness, and goes to a therapist twice a month. He has a great stepfather, but he spoils him rotten.

[LL60]

Thank you for the web site.I will definitely look into it.