ADHD

[Tyson2018]

Hi there everyone. I have a child with possible ADHD so I’m here to learn more about it and get any helpful tips as well. His teacher and I both believe he has it. I just want to be able to understand his disorder and have more patience for him. Any tips would greatly be appreciated.

[Pennywink]

Welcome!

I find Dr. Russell Barkley’s work a great starting point for anyone looking to research ADHD. Despite its prevalence, there is a lot of social misunderstanding.

m.youtube.com/watch?feature...

That being said, young children - boys especially- are NOTORIOUS for masking disorders (where it looks like one thing, but is really something else.) And there is a lot of overlapping symptoms with other disorders. I would highly recommend doing an evaluation with someone trained in diagnosing ADHD. Not that I think you are wrong, but having the most accurate diagnosis will help in developing the most effective treatment plan.

[Tyson2018 in reply to Pennywink]

Thank you. Yes I took him to see a behavior health pediatric specialist. He said it maybe a number of things and not just one thing. We aren’t doing any medication at the time because we are trying to find out what’s going on with him. His school will be doing testing and I’ll be doing lots of talking with his teacher and a counselor at the school.

[Pennywink in reply to Tyson2018]

Sounds like a wise choice - we are actually doing the same. We have some neuropsychological testing next week to figure out what all is going on with my son before exploring potential medication.

ADHD usually is accompanied by something else - it’s pretty rare to JUST have ADHD, though it’s not uncommon to be what is diagnosed first. My son was later diagnosed with Tourette, and OCD and Anxiety usually tag along with that too eventually. And I’m pretty positive he’s twice exceptional. It’s like ADHD just opens the flood gates of a million diagnoses. Lol!

[Onthemove1971]

Tyson2018-

I would highly recommend if you are going to have your child take medication you have him see a pediatric psychiatrist. They are specialist who know what type, dose and time of day the medication is best for your child.

We spend to many years trying with medication that our sons Pediatrician thought was best (more one size fits all) and it did not work. Now things are so much better for us, rarely outburst or crying and when we do we talk about why and deal with it.

Best of luck, learning about it is a journey take your time to accept it.

We are here for you not matter what you decide is best for your child.

[Tyson2018 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Ok thank you for the tip! We want to wait on the medication since we aren’t exactly sure what he’s struggling with. It maybe a number of things but thank you for the heads up! I’ll keep that in mind.