what could this be

[shaylahurley]

i have a 7 year old step son who has been diagnosed with adhd but even when hes on medicine for it his behavoir still isnt normal. here is a list of what he does.... he cannot pay attention, he constintly chews on his lips or fingers to the point they are raw or bleeding, when he is sitting say watching tv he just all of a sudden jumps up and down and flaps his arms and emmits a funny noise, he has violent outbursts towards other children and hurts them for something as simple as looking at him in a way he doesnt like, he hides his homework at school, when doing homework he will continuously say i dont know and smile when u ask him something he knows, he will ask questions he knows the answer to for example what color is the sky and then when u answer him he will then promptly say oh i know its blue, if u tell him no he will hang his head and start drooling and crying, if you try to talk face to face with him his eyes will wander and roll back in his head, he doesnt sleep at night (if hes tired he will rub his eyes allot and say his eyes are tired but he still wont sleep), he repededly doesnt follow rules, he lies and blames things on his siblings (for ex the other day i watched him wreck on his bike and he got up and lunged at his nearby sister, i stopped him before he could hit her he was visably shaken and when i asked him why he did that he said bcause she pushed me off my bike, when she did not), throught the day he tinkles in his underwear and somtimes full fledge pees in his pants, he tells adults they are wrong all the time and even has asked me if i get mad because hes smater than his father and i, he complains of headaches and tummy aches, sometimes he will go into a depression type state where he doesnt want to eat or play (this state can last from a few days to a week or so), he cant play with toys normally.. everything has to be thrown. i think thats a long enough list. i know every child if different and some of these may be normal for him. iam concerned because he has a hard time functioning and keeping up with other children, also the violence towards other children is so sparatic and unprovoked. we have had him in therepy for a year and his father and i have taken parenting classes with no improvement. we live in a small town with small town doctors and all they can come up with is adhd but his medication doesnt help. iam at my wits end and i dont know what to do..

[margypops]

Have you researched the effects of these drugs on children there is much out there with warnings , the side effects are not good .

[nesi100]

my ten year old is exactly the same way. They have switched her meds a few times over a period of time to get the right one and always has to up the dose eventually because it wears off mid afternoon. She also takes chlonidine at night to sleep or she would be wound up all night and not sleep at all. Sometimes if its wearing of to early they can give another small does right after school depends on what medicine it is. They are all different dosage like she was on focalin 60mg as thats the highest that one goes and now its vyvanse 50mg which can go higher dose than that so it is all about getting which medicine works right for there body. The only problem i have here lately is that she has moments occasionally where she just freaks out bad over some small thing and will act very aggressive for maybe just an hour but in that moment things get broke or doors get slammed or she will literally lash out at me saying things like i hope u die or that im a bad mother or she hates her friends or kicks my car. So the doctor said this could be onset of bipolar. But for now is adding 5mg of abilify to what she already takes its a mood stabilizer we'll see how it goes.

[specialmom]

Hi.  Well, so many different opinions here but I wanted to offer one more thing for you to consider.  My son has sensory integration disorder which is a look alike at times to adhd.  Adhd is often misdiagnosed when it is really sensory integration disorder.  Both relate to the nervous system and can cause behavior that is undesirable in a child.  They are, however, treated quite differently.  Medication does not work for sensory integration disorder or sometimes this is called sensory processing disorder.  We've done occupational therapy to help our son (and it HAS helped).  They work directly on his nervous system, give coping strategies for him as well as behavioral modification.  

Just like adhd, a kid with sensory lacks impulse control at times.  Not all the time but often.  It is like they can't find the stop button.  Even when we are sure they know the rules-------  impulse control is faulty so they can not stop themselves.  And then when they are bright, they know they are going to get in trouble, so that is when they might fib to adults.  Understanding what the impulse was can help in how we handle the situation.

Example, my son has proprioceptive issues with his sensory system.  This gives him the impulse to 'crash'.  He'd crash his bike and follow it up with a wrestle out of impulse to get that impact into his nervous system.  I have found 'safe' ways for him to crash and get that impact to take the place of unsafe ways.   Flapping arms during tv------  it is an impulse to alert himself or calm himself as it can do both.  The way he answers questions may have to do with his processing ----- receptive and expressive language.  

By no means does having a processing issue or sensory issues mean a child is not smart.  Two seperate things.  

Please google "sensory processing disorder" and read about it.  Let me know what you think.  A lot of "heavy work" (which is what they call it----  more like intense play with muscle work involved) is what works best to ease sensory symptoms and organize the brain so that a child can control their impulses.  Ideas of "heavy work"------ all physical activity---- especially swimming, riding a bike, carrying something heavy for mom, hammering on a cobblestone set, running, rolling, etc.  
Again, google and let me know what you think.  good luck

[margypops]

Get his meds checked out maybe the dosage needs changing or he needs a different one .If you do some research you will see the serious side effects of a lot of meds used for ADD and ADHD

[jdtm]

Another suggestion - have you considered early on-set bipolar?  Just wondering ....

[Sandman2]

     These are all pretty common symptoms for a child with ADHD.  Sounds like you have not communicated very well with the doctor or he/she hasn't communicated with you.  Doctors start the child off on the lowest dose and wait for parent feedback.  He sounds like the meds wear off by the time he gets home.  By the way, what do his teachers say?  All the problems you mentioned were home problems.  If he is kind of ok at school, then you do know that its the meds wearing off.  The sad thing is that the doctors should have informed you of this and also what a child with ADHD is like.  Believe me what he is doing is common for a kid with ADHD.  Cool thing about the internet is that you can get more information (if your doc doesn't have the time to give it).  Start here. - and read the whole thing - http://www.rxlist.com/tips_for_parenting_a_child_with_adhd/article.htm
   I also suggest you buy the book -  "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley.  It will be very helpful.
   You say his meds don't help and by your description I would agree.  However, I do wonder if his teachers have noticed a difference.  Also doctors start a kid off on the lowest dose and wait for parent feedback.  If you haven't communicated with the doctor - you need to do so.  I monitor the  ADHD forum.  If you have any more questions - if you post there definitely will see them.  Best wishes.