Any help I will take it....

[Liamwilcoxen18]

I am new to the site... I have a 3 year old who I am about a 100% sure has ADHD. It affects every moment of our lives and some times I just go crazy and have to shut myself in a room to breath!!! As far as diagnosing him, would I just talk to our pediatrician about it or do we have to go some place special for it??? Any advice I will take.... I want to enjoy my beautiful child and know how to better handle him and help him.... and for it not to impact our lives so negatively!!!

[chagua7]

Understood.org has some great information on 9 Things to Look for in an ADHD evaluation for your child. Also some books that I would recommend would be by Russell Barkley - Taking Charge of ADHD is a renowned expert in the field of ADHD.

Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell, M.D. & John Ratey, M. D.

[Liamwilcoxen18 in reply to chagua7]

Thank you

[Grateful17]

We here all understand what you are going through. You've come to the right place! Read through a lot of older posts and you will learn tons. Give yourself many breaks for sanity and get a lot of exercise to relieve stress. One story to make you feel better.... I had a construction guy working on my basement remodel when my kids were 2 and 3. He too had a 3 yr old. He came upstairs one day and said something like "Man! it sounds crazy from down there! How do you do it?!" Ugh

[Liamwilcoxen18 in reply to Grateful17]

I get that all the time!!! Thank you

[Ldydy24]

Welcome. I would recommend you discuss your son with your pedestrian. He/she will be able to provide advice and a referral if needed. I understand how you feel as my son was a bundle of energy and no impulse control starting at 3. We were constantly told it was a behavior issue even though we disciplined him and did a ton of reward charts. Finally after he finished preschool I demanded to have him tested as I could tell he just couldn't control himself. We were referred to a child psychologist trained in ADHD and after several tests he confirmed he had ADHD.

[Liamwilcoxen18 in reply to Ldydy24]

Thank you.. great advice.... is your son doing better now??? My son is such a good kid he just has zero control and it just breaks my heart because I just am at a loss on how to handle him!!! It kills me

[jschwab39]

My son was 3 when he was diagnosed with sensory integration disorder. The ADHD diagnosis came years later. But my husband and I knew something wasn’t right so we went to his pediatrician and he ordered a home evaluation. Testing was done in our home by a few different specialists. Ask the pediatrician and they’ll walk you through the steps.

[Liamwilcoxen18 in reply to jschwab39]

Awesome thank you

[jschwab39 in reply to Liamwilcoxen18]

Yw

[Ldydy24]

Hi my son is now 13 and yes he is doing much better with the help of medicine. It took us several years to find the right medicine and a great doctor to treat him but he's been taking Focalin since he was 8 and it's worked good for him. He's like a totally different person on meds and we see a big difference. Unfortunately ADHD medicine is not a 'one size fits all' so don't get discouraged if you venture down this journey. Good luck.

[555jms]

Hi there, your story is not a lone one.

I have had the most help from an Occupational Therapist.

They have incredible knowledge and a hands on approach/tools. It's important to recognize the difference between ADHD and SPD (sensory processing disorder). It is very common and the lines can get crossed. The good news is once you are aware of the sensory issues you will know how to help him. Remember this is a journey and love always wins. When I offer my son a hug (even in his most irate states 99 percent of the time he says yes. Then we reset and recollect over and over.... Lots of love to you.

[WendyKirkpatrick]

I am the mother of a 30 year old who had ADHD all of his life. First and foremost, your child is a treasure in your life, as mine was to us. BUT, you will find that the pediatricians, the schools, neighbors, friends, relatives, will try and make you feel the opposite. You are first and foremost, your child's number one advocate if this is the case. He or she has to know that no matter what is going on, you are your child's guardian angel. By all means you can start with the pediatrician - but beware that when your child is 5, the doctor will want to just drug your child for the school's convenience and the school will want your child drugged for their own convenience. You can also try a child psychologist, nutritionist, allergist, or neurologist if you feel the need. There is so much material on line about these conditions - -diet, nutrition, behavior modification, yoga, sleep research, and on and on. And there is reading material out there to help parents understand better what is going on and how to deal with it. The behavior modification and reward system is a big help. Later in my life, I wrote and illustrated a children's book entitled "I have ADD and I'm Proud to be Me." (by Wendy Kirkpatrick). It's on line on Amazon.com and Createspace.com. I wrote it because I could NEVER find a book that details ADD or ADHD from the CHILD'S PERSPECTIVE and how it makes him/her feel and relate to the world. If you can read the book WITH your child to build communication and mutual understanding of what you are BOTH going through. My best wishes to you and your family and I hope I helped you a little. P.S. Do not worry about what the schools and doctors think. YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE are the caregivers and you have to fight for your child's rights, do not just let people convince you to drug your child - - and watch out for the side effects.

[Nla1 in reply to WendyKirkpatrick]

I LOVE this post and 💯 agree... it will have its challenges but these kids are so genius and special. They just don’t self regulate well.

X

[Liamwilcoxen18]

Thank you so much!!!

[Laufer]

Get Early Intervention (if he qualifies) or other assistance with parenting strategies. I don't care how good a parent we are, we can always benefit from another perspective, especially an expert. The more self-control you can teach your son now, the better! Get specific strategies and techniques to use.

Also, make sure he is in a very structured daycare and/or preschool if at all possible. The earlier kids learn to follow the routines of a structured environment and follow the directions of another adult, the better! He will be proud of himself that he is doing the same thing other kids are doing, and sometimes this is the best setting in which to teach new skills.

Delay getting a diagnosis at this age if at all possible. I wouldn’t wish this diagnosis on anyone, and he is still young. But in the end, you know best; access all the support and advice you can from professionals, family and friends. Good luck!

[LindsayStal]

I am also new to the site and am in a very similar situation as you. I noticed behavior changes in my daughter when she turned three and it has progressively increased with age. I was able to find an ADD/ADHD specialist in my area to have my daughter evaluated. She is almost five now and since getting diagnosed we have been at a standstill; she has ADHD l, but is too young for any Dr. to medicate.

Currently we are trying Keto diet and chiropractic care to see if we can obtain any changes.

Stay strong!

[Nla1 in reply to LindsayStal]

Medication is only convient for the school, but the side effects are startling and you will have to try a few on your hold until something ‘works’, which is only a bandaid over a bullet hole anyway 😫

Look into Neurofeedback.

I am starting this with my son next month... painless, no side effects- physical therapy for the brain and trains the mind to build the ability to focus and concentrate. Amazing testimonials (across the board for brain development in people with Autiam, ADD, ADHD, etc). It also helps to reduce the medication dosage for people ADHD and often eliminates it altogether.

It is expensive $160-175/per session but amazing if you can help them to develop neurologically- the areas of the brain controlling their impulses, behaviors and lack of focus. My son is also aggressive and he IS his impulses. Medication is the last option for us... too many side effects and no long term damage data available, plus we will one day be entering the teenage years and I don’t want him Self medicating and experimenting with an already high tolerance to prescribed medication (worried about it all- as you can see..) Look into it.

Drake Institute

EEGinfo.com

Childteenfamilytherapy.com

Xo

[Terrilynn04]

We knew from birth that our daughter was in non stop motion and can empathize with you on the negative effects it has on every aspect of your life. We told our pediatrician about it when she was 3. We said, “I’m pretty sure she had ADHD.” We were referred to the Child Development Clinic (CDC) where she was evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. Their report said that it was too soon to tell if she had ADHD and that it was probably just normal toddler behavior 🤦🏼‍♀️. They said to have her re-evaluated at age 5 or in Kindergarten. We didn’t wait that long because it even affected her ability to do simple preschool tasks. I spoke to a child physiologist and she said it’s rare that they’ll medicate anyone under 5. However, Ella’s symptoms were so obvious, they had her evaluated at 4. I had to fill out a behavioral questionnaire and so did her teachers (she was already on an IEP for having Ataxia so it was easy to get her evaluated thank goodness). She went back to the same doctor at the CDC and after re-evaluating her they came back with “severe ADHD.” Duh! I knew it! Now get me some help gosh darn it before my family goes nuts!! 😆 And so they did! Sigh...life on medicine has been transformational to say the least. I just got home from a social engagement with some friends of ours at a fancy restaurant and didn’t have to reprimand my sweet girl once. She was soooooo good! 😇 We are all much happier and it’s so nice to see her actually be able to focus and learn what it’s like to look at or play with something for longer than 4 seconds. ☺️

Good luck on your journey!!

[Liamwilcoxen18]

Thank you!!! Does she still act like you child on medication?? I mean I don’t want my son to be not there in the since. I just don’t want my precious boy to disappear if medication is what it comes down to...

[cristinarodriguez]

I have a 9 year old son with ADHD and I alwas new after he starter to walk at 12 months (more like climb, run,) that he was not a typical boy took his to his pediatrician , he said terrible 2's, than at 3 , terrible 3's, dont stop trying, seeing specialist just because a Dr tells you he is just more "active" that other kids his age.I took my son at 3 years old at Child find to get tested becasue he didnt talk as a 3 year old should, but I didnt mention the behavioral issues to the at the time, because his pediatrician said that is was nothing wrong with him , I regret it because having only speech delayed, did not qualify him for preK services here in Nevada, so I waited 6 months to get him retested again, by the time he got tested again he was 4 years old, he qualified based on his non verbal conversational delay, at tis time I added the behavioral problems on the questionnaire, but they saw him so nice and cooperative doing all the testing for the 3 hours he was there, that they probably didnt believe me that he needed help on behavioral to.

He got placed on preK by the time they found a spot in the preK he was 4 1/2 so he only went to preK for about 3 months, becasue the summer preK was reserved for extreme delayed kids, like death, autism, etc...not much of a help for me but start the process sooner than later to get him tested and if they tell you that he is just in his terrible 3's go to another Dr. What I did and I still do so I dont go crazy have them do sports , physical activities, 1 to 2 hours a day, so they get tired and they go home to relax