To mothers of children with ADD/ADHD

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Jan 14 2018, 11:27 pm

amother wrote:

We get some things through the district, most therapies we get privately but covered by insurance. Either way, diagnosis is necessary. Insurance won't cover things without a documented reason.

Insurance covered some therapy, and we got OT, PT from the board of ed without a diagnosis. But sometimes you get what you pay for...

We went private (sensory therapy) and paid a few thousand dollars, it was worth every penny.

seeker

Sun, Jan 14 2018, 11:55 pm

In NY, you don't really need a diagnosis for preschool services through the DOE. They do their own assessment and if they think the kid needs help and you don't have a diagnosis, they just put the reason as "preschool student with a disability." However, the year the child turns 5 they are in grade school and then they need a diagnosis to get DOE services.

amother

Slategray

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 4:08 am

Ds was diagnosed at 7. It was impossible with him. We put him on meds and he's the sweetest kid now. I got back my son. As a newborn I saw right away something was different. He is my oldest, I didn't realize it was ADHD. Till the school complained and dh connected the dots. Diagnosed at age 8. I have had so much heartache till now he was struggling severely. Now he's doing so much better. On vyvanse and doing great bh.

sarahmalka

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 8:37 am

My child was diagnosed age 8. I didn't realize before age 7 that he was atypical. Maybe because several of his close friends also have it, and that's who I was comparing his behavior too! Very Happy

Also he's my only boy.
OP, take your child to someone who really has a lot of experience with ADHD. Could be a pediatrician, or could be a developmental specialist or psychiatrist. Our city (not NY/NJ) has a few clinics that specialize in ADHD exclusively. If you have other family members with diagnosed or suspected ADHD, that makes it a little more likely that what you're suspecting is right. It's strongly hereditary. Getting a proper diagnosis can help in a lot of ways, I strongly disagree with the idea of avoiding diagnosis.
The hands-down most helpful resource I've found on ADHD is this video lecture series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSfCdBBqNXY
It's by a PhD expert in ADHD named Dr. Russell Barkley and is broken down into 5-8 minute segments which makes for easy listening/watching while puttering in the kitchen or folding laundry. This taught me more about ADHD than any of our doctors IRL and anything else I've read. My only complaint is that Dr. Barkley rejects the idea of natural interventions helping, like diet changes (such as Feingold diet), fish oil, etc.
OP, these videos and others by Dr. Barkley helped give me tools to handle things with my child, so take a look.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 10:19 am

DD was a hyper-alert, no-nap-taking baby. When she did sleep, it was only in short bits, and then she was up again. As a toddler, her most uttered phrase was "I'm BORED!" Super active as a child, always running around the neighborhood. Much more into imagination games than sitting with books or dolls.

She finally got diagnosed at age 12. She's 14 now, and has chosen not to go on medication, at least for now. She is aware of her issues and does her best to work with them. Every morning she gets up and makes a double espresso for herself before school, and says that it help her immensely.

She sees her hyperactivity as part of her personality, and she likes her personality and doesn't want it to change. She does a fairly good job of managing herself in the classroom.

amother

Slategray

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 7:15 pm

frantic im so glad shes doing well. after the issues you explained to us all she was having just last year. she sounds like shes doing well. may I ask if she came back to live with you?

im asking because you shared with us so much then and so many people here were helping you. I was just asking to hear if shes with you.

you dont have to answere if you feel uncomfortable.

amother

Slategray

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 7:22 pm

op your getting different experiences. if you can handle your child without meds. then by all means it might be what you want. but if you feel its not a positive experience then by all means you should not feel bad and go the route of meds.

I have seen tremendous improvement. in so many other areas. ds doesnt say it. but hes been smiling a lot more. hes so much happier and feeling so much better with himself. its amazing how I could have a decent conversation. and his scholastics are way better. I am amazed how this has helped him and us. I do not know if I would be able to continue without meds.

constant negativity. he was miserable with himself. he was hyperactive to a point where he wasnt really focusing on much. except reading his books. which he loved.

he had severe encopresis and wetting dureing the day. he was a mess in so many areas. and I see so much improvement. its amazing. every child is different. it also depends on the severity of the issues the child exhibits. ds has severe hyperactivity. and impulsivity. to a point where you could see he had very little control and he would only realize right after he threw stuff. like a stone at a neighbors car.

you couldnt reason with him because he was too quick and didnt take any time to think. it was a nightmare in so many areas. I love my son dearly but it was too much.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 10:19 pm

I also took the medication route. My son is a really smart kid but had to be put into a self contained class because he was too distracted to learn in class. Once we started the medication he was able to catch up on the skills he had missed the previous years. He is still still taking the medication-and doing great in school b"h.

amother

Burgundy

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 11:23 pm

amother wrote:

Can you tell me more about this.

It's hard to explain on one foot. It's not like you can throw a bunch of vitamins at your kid and expect them to be cured. You would need to look for a cause to know how to treat more precisely. Potential causes can include yeast overgrowth, metal toxicity, bacterial infections, gut dysbiosis, food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances, etc. But in general, kids with these symptoms tend to do well on gluten free, dairy free, dye free diets. Magnesium and b vitamins got rid of my kid's hyperkinesia (inability to stop moving.) You can google biomedical treatments for adhd. This book is a great introductory read https://www.amazon.com/Healing.....+bock

amother

Jetblack

Mon, Jan 15 2018, 11:34 pm

amother wrote:

I would take her off gluten and dairy ASAP. This is the perfect age, much easier than when they are older. Adhd can be reversed with diet and supplements.

Years ago, I was recommended the book "The Hyperactivity Hoax" by Dr. Sydney Walker. It had good reviews on Amazon, and one of the things he suggests is checking for gluten sensitivity. This was not my son's problem, but it's worth a try.

amother

Chocolate

Tue, Jan 16 2018, 9:10 am

I have 5 kids on medicine and my dh

my oldest started latest as I was against medicine
but after I saw how it helped in - I am saving the others years of hardship

it is hereditary - and my father, brothers, and husband all have adhd - so we have a lot of genes

my now 6 year old started meds earliest - I realized from very young that he was adhd (recognized it) and we just started him as he is having trouble reading.
the small amount of ritalin at this point really helps him. (we had his teacher fill out a rating for 10 days straight - half with ritalin - and you can see from his rating the major improvement)
I feel like why wait till the child is suffering and self esteem to get them the help they need.

shoshanim999

Tue, Jan 16 2018, 9:19 am

I definitely recommend medication. Those that aren't on meds, probably don't have real adhd. One of the effects of adhd is the inability to concentrate or focus. Children with adhd will likely do misrable in school and fail. I'm not buying this "we look at as a blessing" or "my child channels her energy in a positive way and dance around the house". Kids spend most of their day in school. A child suffering from adhd will have very little chance of success in school without meds.

amother

Slategray

Tue, Jan 16 2018, 9:30 am

and what about the social aspect? my son did terribly at it. it was so sad how he couldnt control himself yet was so bright. I would ask him after he did something wrong to someone if what he did was ok. he would almost always answer no after the incident. yet I could see he was severly impulsive. he couldn not help himself well. he understood it was hard for him.

now, I see he thinks before he does something. he even says it out loud so I see he is thinking. its amazing how well hes doing. he had a severe case. and I am so happy I gave him a chance at success and to feel good about himself. saved his self esteem. baruch hashem.

if only I knew earlier it was adhd.

initially when we started meds the adderall was having a terrible affect on him. I couldnt get a decent doctor in my neighborhood. he was doing very poorlly appetite wise. I was very worried he was losing weight. he didnt look good. so we took him off it and put him on vyvanse. immediate positive results. if I beleived in magic I would say so. it was like a light bulb went on.

amother

Burgundy

Tue, Jan 16 2018, 3:44 pm

amother wrote:

I never read this book but just from looking at the link, his premise is definitely spot-on. Adhd as a disease onto itself is a hoax. It is a symptom, or a constellation of symptoms, rather than a cause. The cause is not always gluten sensitivity. But that may be a factor for some, or many.