Not Diagnosed

[Rocket305]

Hi all - new here. I have a 7 year old who is bright and sweet (most of the time). I haven’t diagnosed him, but I think he may have some signs of ADHD. Was wondering if you all could just list the top three signs that you’ve experienced that led you to get an official diagnosis.

Thanks in advance!

[Onthemove1971]

Rocket305- This is a hard list to write becuase what I find happens is we list things and people.who do not live with ADHD daily think "oh that doen't sound so bad...", but here goes.

1. Impulsive- acts quickly before thinking. for example- He is thinking about running to the backyard to play basketball before we get the car stopped in the garage so he is undoing his seatbelt while the car is still moving ( this also a little hyper focus) leaves his backpack, water jug..

2. Does not listen when spoken to (3x and I am right next to him). For example- Stop grabbing the cat that way, he contuines to squeeze the life out of the cat until it tries to bite him, then he is sad the cat hates him and is scared of him.

3. Not focused- For example- unable to sit in a chair and complete any simple school assignment ( math, writing, fill out a form, etc) without the chair tipping on 2 legs, pencil twirling...

If you need a 4th

4. Excessive talking.. stories that go on and on and on with no clear ending.

I am sure most would agree these are are top ( unliveable and I gave you mild examples)

Hope this helps.. also if you are considering medication, the medication when dosed correctly helps to stop a lot of this. But still keep their personailty the same.

[Rocket305 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you so much for your reply.

[ASMomma00 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Onthemove1971 summed it up perfectly. For my daughter I’d add to the list:

Need for a strict routine: Any disruption in her routine throws her off completely.

Trouble transitioning from one activity to another

Lack of social awareness and understanding of social norms with her peers and others. She prefers to interact with children who are younger and has trouble forming relationships with kids her age. She will interupt others and doesn’t have regard for the normal flow of conversation or social etiquette. Personal space can be a problem at times too.

[Pennywink]

Hi Rocket!

I’d like to add that part if the ADHD diagnosis isn’t strictly symptoms, but if the symptoms are more extreme for their age to the point of an impairment. Which is why much of the public may think it’s not a real disorder, because they do it too, (just not to the degree of someone with ADHD.)

For example. Is it normal for a 1st grader to not always pay attention or get distracted? Absolutely! But is it to the point they are constantly disrupting the class or never completing any in-class assignments? Then we may be looking at something more than normal, and an impairment.

[Rocket305 in reply to Pennywink]

Thanks for your reply!

[Pennywink in reply to Rocket305]

You are welcome!

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Pennywink]

Yes, thank-you for adding this point. Not only is it disrupting the class but the behavior at home is uncontrollable for the untrained parent and that is what makes (at least for us) medication so important.