Is ADHD meds for 3 year old too young?

amother

Babypink

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 6:46 pm

My 3 and a half year old shows many signs of ADHD Sad

breaks my heart that I’m asking about medication as I’d never in a million years thought I’d possibly think about medicating a 3 year old. My son has a very hard time focusing, paying attention, sitting still. Can’t sit long enough for us to finish reading him even a short book. It’s becoming a problem at school. Please help.

amother

Honeydew

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 6:57 pm

He is only 3 years old. I will say it again. he is only 3 years old. A 3 year old (especially a boy!) is going to be energetic, impulsive, and have a limited attention span.
how long can we adults sit still in one place for!? and yet we expect our 3,4,5.... years old to do so
I recommend the book "The disease called childhood"
I know it is a controversial issue, so I want to be clear that I actually do not necessarily believe that there is no such thing as ADHD, what I DO believe is that A)it is way over diagnosed B) children under the age of 6 should not be diagnosed with ADHD

cnc

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 8:15 pm

naomi2 wrote:

He is way too young for a dx and way to young for medication. You may suspect he will have adhd but for now you can set small goals for him and work on them, make behavior charts and Also, read up on parenting highly energetic, distractible, and impulsive children.

This. It's still worth evaluating him- you may be able to get him services from the DOE depending on where you live.

imasinger

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 8:20 pm

I'm with the rest.

He may very well have ADHD. But maybe not. And it's not a good idea to medicate so young.

Read everything you can about ADHD. Try every other alternative to see what works well. Definitely charts, definitely reward and shape behavior. Consider regular, vigorous exercise. Consider learning about neurofeedback, Brain Gym, other systems that work naturally to promote calm and focus. Check out diet and some of the other ideas out there.

It wouldn't hurt to talk to your pediatrician, because if he does have some diagnosis, there may be therapies available. Check that out, too.

Mommyg8

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 8:27 pm

I would advise you to get an evaluation, in many states this is free from the board of ed. Once evaluated, the therapists may have suggestions as to therapy for your child.

I don't know where you live, but in ny and nj they have programs for three to five years old, maybe other states do as well. It is by far preferrable to try therapy before medication, at least in my opinion!

country

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 8:45 pm

Hang in there! 2 of my kids were the same way at 3 I thought for sure they had adhd. I had to get my daughter a seit and I got a para from insurance to cover the rest of the day. Just to keep her safe. She used to jump off the bookcases ... she just turned 4 and shes a different child she functions great in classroom, I repeated her in nursery same teacher as last year. Teacher can't believe its same kid. She actually sits through whole circle time.

RebekahsMom

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 9:51 pm

Absolutely too young to medicate. ADHD meds tend to be stimulants- amphetamines, same category as speed and coc@ine. (No idea if that word trips a filter). They modify the way the brain works, and long term use is associated with stunted growth.

I second (or third, or fourth) getting an evaluation. Many public schools have programs for free designed to handle kids with needs like this. It may be sensory issues. Something like sitting in a fidget chair (yoga ball with a chair back), having something small like a fidget cube, or wearing certain clothes can help

It could be something in his diet. People are suggesting cutting sugar/ dairy, but seriously, try cutting food dyes, especially red #40. I personally know kids who are perfectly normal until consuming it.

amother

Babypink

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 10:49 pm

Thank you all so much for your advice. It makes me hopeful to read about kids who were like this at age 3 and then tuned out fine.

He was evaluated at a young age because he was born very prematurely so he gets all therapies- Speech, PT, and O.T. he also has a SIET in school.

We just switched therapists because he aged out of EI so the new therapists are currently scheduling with his school.

His teachers have just been mentioning that his behavior is becoming more challenging because he often doesn’t listen. I told them he barely ever listens at home which is why I’m always stressed out from him.

His O.T. felt like he’s a typical hyperactive boy -but he was seeing him at home, nptvat school where he’s expected to sit in circle time.

His other therapists brought up his behavior sometimes and we were always brainstorming ideas- we’ve tried behavioral charts, bribes, time outs etc. nothing works. We have a trampoline and lots of couches that he jumps on. We’ve tried creating a cozy tent fir him to go to and relax. Nothing helps the negative challenging behaviors such as his impulsivity, stubbornness to listen etc. He believe that shelves and tables and counter tops are not meant to have anything on them. Everything belongs on the floor.

He is very stubborn and impulsive and screams no when we tell him not to touch or do something he shouldn’t.

That is why I am thinking meds but it’s nice to hear that 3 is too young.

Diet changes would be difficult because he’s a picky eater, took him a while to tolerate all textures etc. he’s thin and has a very fast metabolism.

I will try and read up on more natural approaches. I feel like I need an expert behavioral therapist to help me.

RebekahsMom

Mon, Oct 30 2017, 11:14 pm

that explains so much more. I didn’t realize he was being assisted already.

My son had a sensory integration diagnosis along with other issues. He was also an insanely picky eater. Pretty much milk (3-4 gallons a week), cereal, chicken nuggets, and bread/ pasta. It took a few years of feeding therapy to fix that. Don’t change things too extemely, but look into dyes.

Find out if your OT has sensory integration training. Ask about a sensory diet (nothing to do with food- more like weighted blankets, brushing, etc). My son had to wear a weighted vest when we went into new/ busy environments (specifically family holidays) because he would full-force crash into you. The jacket made him calm.

Mommyg8

Tue, Oct 31 2017, 12:02 am

I didn't realize that he was already in therapy...

My experience has been that different therapists are good at different things. Most ot's do not specialize in sensory integration disorder, and not everyone is good at this kind of therapy, either. Si and add often co-exist, and many kids with add can be helped with si therapy, especially brushing - my info may be outdated, it could be they have better therapy nowadays... He may not have si , but I would think It's worth a shot before putting him on medication.

lavenderchimes

Tue, Oct 31 2017, 12:37 am

I agree with all of the above: I would be SUPER hesitant to diagnose such a young kid with ADD/ADHD. I would NOT put him on medication except in the most dire of circumstances.

If you do want to try eliminating certain foods, please make sure to do it in an organized way, one thing at a time. If you cut out every possible problematic food at once, you are both going tk be miserable, and if his behavior does improve, you will have no idea which food made the difference. Especially if he is a picky eater, you need to be able to tell which thing is affecting what. For example, when I was on college, I started getting a specific GI problem. My mother suspected a milk intolerance, and instructed me to cut out ALL dairy for one week, and then eat a lot of daity the following week. Sure enough, the first week I had no problems, and the second week I was majorly afflicted. I quickly learned exactly how much milk I can tolerate in what circumstances.

Hatzlacha!

amother

Cerulean

Tue, Oct 31 2017, 1:27 am

I'd be very wary of ADHD meds if he's already got trouble keeping on weight. One of the most pronounced side effects I always experienced on them was loss of appetite. It's very common to lose weight after starting ADHD meds.

For the record, one of my cousins also loved sweeping everything on a flat surface onto the floor around the age, but he's totally normal: no behavioral problems or learning disabilities. And he's pretty successful now.

amother

Azure

Tue, Oct 31 2017, 1:58 am

Almost all my kids are on medication and I learned to tell it from young
BUT I would never medicate a 3 year old.
My 6 year old is very ADHD but I am trying to push off medicating til next year if I can.
I did learn a lot about ADHD and there are other ways to help the child at this age - and things you can teach them that will help them for life.
Maybe a therapist or coach could guide you on how you can best help your child at this stage.
I strongly recommend it - as even with medication - the medication doesn't do it all - you need to learn how to guide your child to fulfill his/her potential.