3.5 year old recently diagnosed

[Charmingly928]

Hi,

I have a 3 and a half year old daughter who was recently diagnosed with ADHD. We have been to our regular pediatrician, a neurologist, and a child psychiatrist. I have tried finding a play therapist but cannot find one that accepts our insurance. I am doing Triple P classes online. My daughter was almost kicked out of her preschool for behavior problems (throwing severe tantrums, climbing on tables, spitting at teacher and peers etc) and we just switched her from a academic based preschool to a more play based preschool to see if that helps. My daughter's psychiatrist mentioned guanfacine or clonidine but I’m not sure how I feel about medicating a child so young, I want so see if the school switch and Triple P helps first. Does anyone have experience with kids this young with ADHD? What else should I be doing? I don’t want her to get kicked out of preschool for behavior but I’m not sure what else to do. Any advice or knowledge about medicating children this young would be appreciated.

[Onthemove1971]

Welcome to the group. We want you to feel welcome and that we are all here to share and struggle together. Our son is in high school now, but when he was in preschool we had a number of issues.

I would like to recommend early intervention services through your school district. They can help provide you with services that your child might need. They would be best to look at why/where she is struggling and help her transition better.

This is a long journey with the same recommendation if you are a young child middle school, high school and beyond.

It is great to balance school and exercise activities. Setting up 3 tools to her your child deal with the symptoms of ADHD. Thearpy, medication and accommodations in school.

Our doors are always open.

Good luck!

[Charmingly928 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thanks for the recommendation, I will look into early intervention services.

[spookyscaryskeletons]

Definitely talk with your school about a 504 accommodations plan or an IEP. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to get on track. This is a great place to come for ideas and understanding. We get it! Welcome

[Charmingly928 in reply to spookyscaryskeletons]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome, I will definitely look into that.

[lll435]

The play based school will hopefully help. When my son was 2 and having behavior issues at daycare, I tried to make sure he got some exercise before sending him and also tried using a reward at the end of each day for good behavior. He loved to go to the library so whenever he had a good day, we went straight to the library afterwards. I let the teachers know so they could remind him of the reward when there were signs of trouble. It doesn't work on day 1 but it did help. You have to put up with tantrums though when they don't earn it.

[Charmingly928 in reply to lll435]

We just started doing a rewards system actually if she has a good day at school, we give a little bit of tv time as that is what motivates her at the present time, though I do wish it was something else. Thank you for the reply and ideas!

[JJMom16]

Play based will be better, but it is still a struggle. My son got diagnosed at 4.5 and we started therapy and meds with a child psychiatrist thereafter while waiting for a formal neuropsych evaluation. He was getting in trouble at school (pushing, hitting) and we had to try meds.

We started with Clonidine 0.1mg at bedtime to help with sleep as it was definitely a contributing factor, and we did see some improvement in hyperactivity and emotional regulation on Clonidine alone. We did add in stimulants (short acting Ritalin to start) and an SSRI (for anxiety) later, closer to 5.

3.5 is young. I understand wanting to delay medication. If you do decide to proceed, know that you are not alone. This forum is a great source of information and support for many.

[Charmingly928 in reply to JJMom16]

Thanks so much for your reply and information about meds. I am so hesitant to try them because my daughter is so young, but they will likely be necessary at some point soon if not now. I am open to them, just trying to delay if possible. Hoping the school switch will help too. Thanks!

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Charmingly928]

Many parents are fearful medication will change the child's personality. When medication is given in the correct type, dose and timing it stops many of the symptoms which allows them to focus on everything else. Also most stimulant medication only staying their system as long as the doctor decides. Short acting can be 3-4 hours and long acting can last an entire day 6-8 hours depending on the child's metabolism. Then the medication goes out of their system and the symptoms come back.

Hope this helps, there is no one size fits all for treatment. We would be more than happy to answer any questions if you have them.

[HoldingonLou]

Momma, it sounds like to me you are doing all you can. Take it one day at a time. Remember when kids are young, just like us, they don't understand what it bothering them either. I agree with a recommendation of therapy, meds, and behavioral accomadations at home and school. It's not going to be fixed over night or in a month. You and your child are both learning how to handle her feelings and behavior associated with it. It will be a learning experience as well as a part of growth. I know my child did better in a play daycare than an academic one. We were able to find a psycholigist that offered play therapy. Even though I didn't agree with it, my child's reward was sitting in front of the video game center playing. This was a reward he did not want to loose. Give it time. See how the daycare change effects her. Then if she still needs help, consider the next available option whether it is meds or counseling.