How early can my son get evaluated for adhd?

amother

Smokey

Wed, May 06 2015, 1:33 pm

My son is only 2.5.

My pediatrician says it's too early. I'm not looking to start him on meds or anything so early. But I'd love to get him to tame down and/or learn how to handle him.

I know I can't know for sure without him being evaluated. But I highly suspect it. He cannot sit still for a moment. I can't even talk to him simple things, because his mind is all over. He doesn't play with age-appropriate toys. But rather climbs out windows, climbs up bookcases and virtually anywhere else he lays his eyes upon. I'm dreading the phone calls from his teachers once he starts school.

cityofgold

Wed, May 06 2015, 1:51 pm

OT really helps some kids with ADHD. He's on the young side but I'm sure there are OT activities you could do with him. You could get an evaluation done and ask the therapist for suggested activities, or just google/pinterest search. There's nothing medical about them, per se; it won't hurt your child to do them even if it turns out he doesn't technically need them.

imasinger

Wed, May 06 2015, 1:57 pm

Try reading some of the books about working with kids with ADHD. Even without a formal diagnosis, it will be helpful to provide lots of structure -- charts (with pictures for now), routines, clear rules, regular rewards.

Make sure he gets lots of exercise, and yes, OT types of varied activities.

For us, trying the various essential oils and nutritional changes did nada, but it doesn't hurt to give them a shot.

In general, the more you do now, the better. IMO, medication works best when it comes after all the other stuff is well in place, because then sometimes, you can get results with smaller doses.

amother

Coral

Wed, May 06 2015, 2:01 pm

I had a child like you are describing. I didn't put him on meds until he was 5. But if he is really climbing the furniture and jumping out of the windows as you are describing, consider giving him meds now, just for his own safety. I wish I would have done that for my son. Aside from being safer, he might have been able to learn in kindergarten (and he wouldn't have fallen behind).

November

Wed, May 06 2015, 2:12 pm

I would also recommend Occupational therapy with sensory integration techniques. It can do wonders for focus. We had an OT who did hydrotherapy, which was OT in the water and that was fantastic! Also ask the OT about brushing, which was also very effective for our kids, Baruch Hashem. There is much to do at this age.

amother

Smokey

Wed, May 06 2015, 3:32 pm

amother wrote:

Please look into food sensitivities. Gluten free and no food coloring/preservitives did wonders for my dc.

How do you test for food sensitivities? It would be pretty hard to take him off gluten, as he's already allergic to other foods Sad

Also, it runs in my husband's family. Dh as well as some of his siblings very likely have undiagnosed adhd. It seems that it's a result of his genes rather than food intake...

amother

Silver

Wed, May 06 2015, 3:40 pm

amother wrote:

How do you test for food sensitivities? It would be pretty hard to take him off gluten, as he's already allergic to other foods Sad

Also, it runs in my husband's family. Dh as well as some of his siblings very likely have undiagnosed adhd. It seems that it's a result of his genes rather than food intake...

Since he has allergies, I would more than likely connect his issues to food sensitivities. Your husbands whole family may all be sensitive to gluten or other foods.
I would recommend a good probiotic and 2 weeks of low sugar/gluten free/dye free/additive free and see how he does.
He is little enough to make the changes easily.

It takes work but I as well as other people I know have seen results when started at a young age.

I did not see results from essential oils btw.

November

Wed, May 06 2015, 4:36 pm

I agree with the food sensitivities. Keep him away from food coloring unless it's natural. Watch to see if you see differences in his behavior. You'd be surprised how foods can interact for kids with impulse-control issues.

chani8

Thu, May 07 2015, 5:36 am

I would consider herbal remedies already. I had a 2.5 yo child on herbal drops three times a day and in 3 months the child was able to cut down to only needing drops at night. Not that all kids heal so quickly. Some do need the herbs for life.

amother

Smokey

Thu, May 07 2015, 8:28 am

November wrote:

I never give him junk/candy. He eats basic healthy foods.

amother

Smokey

Thu, May 07 2015, 8:29 am

chani8 wrote:

Where do you find these herbal remedies? And how do you know how much to give?

chani8

Fri, May 08 2015, 8:22 am

amother wrote:

Where do you find these herbal remedies? And how do you know how much to give?

I use over the counter herbal mixtures for hyperactivity (ADHD) and the doses are on the bottles, but always start with a half dose. In Israel, there is Regyon Drops, though we find Bio Dream better, though it's listed as a sleep aid. It's not 'just' a sleep aid, it helps with ADHD as well as anxiety. I'm listing the ingredients so you can find something similar, if you cannot find either of these products locally.

Regyon Drops: "for age 3yo, give 4 drops"
Humulus Lupulus
Melissa
Passiflora
Papaver Rhoeas

Bio Dream: "25-50 drops for adults" - probably 6 drops for a 3yo
Valerian
Humulus Lupulus
Melissa
Matricaria (chamomile)
Tilia
Passiflora

amother

Ecru

Fri, May 08 2015, 9:00 am

start giving him omega 3 ( I give my 2.5 yr old child who is exactly as you describe) both my husband and I have been diagnosed as a children with sever adhd (so we definitely recognize our childs behavior!)
omega 3 comes in many kids friendly forms, chews, chocolates.....my kid loves them! from personal experience it is not always best to start with medication without trying all other less intrusive options.
good luck it is definitely a challlange

amother

Fuchsia

Fri, May 08 2015, 9:01 am

(Anon because I'm talking about my son)

My son was diagnosed (in America) at 3. They don't usually diagnose that young (usually around 5-6) and I was told that in order for him to be put on meds down the road, if that was the path we chose, he would need to be "rediagnosed" later. He was rediagnosed in first grade, and we did end up outing him on medication.
Over the years I have taken him off of
- gluten
- dairy
- sugar
- dyes

Nothing helped significantly enough to warrant a dietary change. If that IS the route you choose, I would recommend doing one thing at a time for 3-4 weeks so that you have a clear picture of what each thing does or doesn't do.
In regards to his allergies, unfortunately there are people out there with very limited diets due to allergies. If you discover that it really is a good sensitivity, wouldn't you rather have him be a little more limited than jumping out the window? Before everyone jumps on me, I was on a VERY limited diet throughout most of my childhood, so I know how hard it is to be limited.)
Also re the drops or whatever, I am all for it, but not without proper guidance. If your pediatrician won't oversee it, find someone else who will. Especially as he gets older and if you choose to put him on meds, you need to be careful about interactions.