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#1
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Turbo-charged toddler
My oldest, now 8, was officially diagnosed with ADHD at age 6 although I
pretty much knew before that. He requires *much* closer supervision than my other kids because he doesn't think about the consequences of things before he does them (like swinging a baseball bat without looking around to see if anyone might be standing nearby or running into the street after a ball) nor can he really "entertain himself". He was active in-utero and was never a great sleeper, he really fought going to bed or down for a nap. Once asleep, he was fine but he was (and still is) up at the crack of dawn. I was reluctant to put him on medication but it has made such a big difference in being around him. He's not talking incessantly, nagging us for attention or pinballing off the walls. And the medication has actually improved his appetite even though one of the side effects is having a reduced appetite -- I think this is because he sits still enough to actually finish meals and not talk constantly (we used to have a rule that if he fell out of his chair more than twice during a meal, it was over -- if you have to have a rule like that, you KNOW there's a problem). I'm not sure of the statistics, but children of parents who have ADHD/ADD have a *much* higher incidence of having it as well. I was diagnosed in the past year myself. Often, with women, it presents as depression but after some research I've discovered that the depression was caused by my frustration with how disorganized I am that I can't get anything done. Leigh in raLeigh "mountainspring" wrote in message ... My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive, even among toddlers. Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't really found anything meaningful. I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies to help us both cope better. I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have..... Thanks in advance, Kate -- reply to mountainspring at softhome dot net |
#2
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Turbo-charged toddler
Our OS was officially diagnosed with ADHD in 1st grade, however, looking
back, it was readily apparent in preschool. His 2nd year preschool teacher called me in to observe him (he was 4 at the time) . I think she was fed up with him, her exact words were "I am at my wits end ! " (she was an older 50-something lady) and unable to deal with him, whereas his first preschool teacher was a young energetic woman fresh out of college, who got on with him quite well. His little classmates were all sitting at some activity or another while my son was running about the room bugging people and touching things in the room and making noise and talking non-stop. He was our first child so we had nothing to judge him against, but after having two other sons after him, it was plain to see that he was way more energetic and on-the-go. He was not a "handful" in the sense that he was hard to deal with, he was always a very happy child and was never grouchy or fussy. He slept well and ate well, but when he was awake, he was constantly into everything. It was like he had a motor inside him , driving him to go go go .. He also had a hard time making friends because he was always in everyones face, very touchy-feely , wanted lots of hugs (we are a very physically affectionate family) , but this tended to put a lot of other children off. Now, he is 13 ( almost 14) , and had lost all of the hyperness, but is still easily distracted, and if he has to do a task that involves more than 3 or 4 steps, has to have them specifically laid out for him and needs monitoring to make sure he gets it all done. He is in Honors classes at school but needs help to stay organized and make sure he gets everything done in a timely and neat manner...the clock and calendar mean nothing to him. He was on medication for several years but chose not to use it for the past two, it is more work for him but he seems to prefer it that way. There are a lot of resources on the web for ADD and ADHD. Good luck to you and yours. "mountainspring" wrote in message ... My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive, even among toddlers. Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't really found anything meaningful. I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies to help us both cope better. I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have..... Thanks in advance, Kate -- reply to mountainspring at softhome dot net |
#3
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Turbo-charged toddler
I won't get into it all, but just wanted to let you know that I knew my
nephew at age two had ADD/ADHD and when he got into first grade he was officially diagnosed. So three is not too early. If he is truly ADD/ADHD, then you will know at three. -- Sue mom to three girls mountainspring wrote in message ... My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive, even among toddlers. Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't really found anything meaningful. I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies to help us both cope better. I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have..... Thanks in advance, Kate -- reply to mountainspring at softhome dot net |
#4
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Turbo-charged toddler
Wow Leigh, just had to say that I could have written your post word
for word from my own experience. To the OP I say Yes, you can absolutely know at age 3 if a child has/will have ADHD, if you know what to look for. What kindof behavior has your son been showing? BRandy "Leigh Menconi" wrote in message link.net... My oldest, now 8, was officially diagnosed with ADHD at age 6 although I pretty much knew before that. He requires *much* closer supervision than my other kids because he doesn't think about the consequences of things before he does them (like swinging a baseball bat without looking around to see if anyone might be standing nearby or running into the street after a ball) nor can he really "entertain himself". He was active in-utero and was never a great sleeper, he really fought going to bed or down for a nap. Once asleep, he was fine but he was (and still is) up at the crack of dawn. I was reluctant to put him on medication but it has made such a big difference in being around him. He's not talking incessantly, nagging us for attention or pinballing off the walls. And the medication has actually improved his appetite even though one of the side effects is having a reduced appetite -- I think this is because he sits still enough to actually finish meals and not talk constantly (we used to have a rule that if he fell out of his chair more than twice during a meal, it was over -- if you have to have a rule like that, you KNOW there's a problem). I'm not sure of the statistics, but children of parents who have ADHD/ADD have a *much* higher incidence of having it as well. I was diagnosed in the past year myself. Often, with women, it presents as depression but after some research I've discovered that the depression was caused by my frustration with how disorganized I am that I can't get anything done. Leigh in raLeigh "mountainspring" wrote in message ... My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive, even among toddlers. Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't really found anything meaningful. I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies to help us both cope better. I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have..... Thanks in advance, Kate -- reply to mountainspring at softhome dot net |
#5
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Turbo-charged toddler
Hi Kate,
I know it's hard to except when there might be something wrong. I am dealing with this with my youngest. I suspect that there is something wrong with her. She too, is not taking the social cues that should have been learned a long time ago and a myrid of other things that she is doing/not doing makes me suspicious. Since my nephew has ADD/ADHD, I am well aware of the signs and she shows a lot of them. C.H.A.D.D. is a support group and really good website for ADD/ADHD that probably would be very helpful to you. Instead of sifting through all of the sites, do a web search on those letters and it will take you to a legimate site. Good luck Kate and if you need to talk, email me anytime. ) -- Sue mom to three girls mountainspring wrote in message ... Sue wrote: I won't get into it all, but just wanted to let you know that I knew my nephew at age two had ADD/ADHD and when he got into first grade he was officially diagnosed. So three is not too early. If he is truly ADD/ADHD, then you will know at three. -- Sue mom to three girls Thanks, Sue. I have a strong suspicion at this point, and some of the stories of others who have replied to my post only support my fears. I plan to talk to his doctor about it at his next check up. While I'm sorry that dealing with ADHD may be in my son's (and my) future, I'm also sort of relieved to know that some of his behavior has a reason that I can identify, and that its not just a result of "bad parenting". Knowing that it likely may be ADHD allows me to be a little more proactive in how I deal with him now while its still relatively early which may, hopefully, help him in the long run. Take care, Kate -- reply to mountainspring at softhome dot net |
#6
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Turbo-charged toddler
(mountainspring) wrote in
: Basic toddler behavior, only on a scale about 10 times what I see in other kids his age. His activity/energy level just seems extreme to me; he is constantly in motion and can *not* sit still, even for story time at the library when everybody else was able to. He also seems to have very poor impulse control--that has improved somewhat, but it still poses a serious problem, IMO. He requires constant supervision--if I can't see him, or at least hear him (and often, even if I can) he is likely to be climbing on something he shouldn't be or doing something else that he shouldn't be doing or that poses a risk to him. Its exhausting trying to keep up with him..... before you start thinking ADD/ADHD, take a look at Sensory Integration Disorder. http://www.sinetwork.org/whatisdsi.htm What does DSI look like? DSI and Sensory Seeking These children have nervous systems that do not always process that sensory input is "coming in" to the brain. They are under-responsive to sensation. As a result, they seek out more intense or longer duration sensory experiences. Some behaviors that can be observed a * Hyper-activity as they seek more and more movement input * Unawareness of touch or pain, or touching others too often or too hard (may seem aggressive) * Engaging in unsafe behaviors, such as climbing too high * Enjoying sounds that are too loud, such as TV or radio volume DSI and Sensory Avoiding These children have nervous systems that feel sensation too easily or too much. They are overly responsive to sensation. As a result, they may have "fight or flight" responses to sensation, a condition called "sensory defensiveness." Some behaviors that can be observed a * Responding to being touched with aggression or withdrawal * Afraid of, or becomes sick with movement and heights * Very cautious and unwilling to take risks or try new things * Uncomfortable in loud or busy environments such as sports events, malls * Very picky eater and/or overly sensitive to food smells DSI and Dyspraxia These children are clumsy and awkward. They have particular problems with new motor skills and activities. Some behaviors that can be observed a * Very poor fine motor skills such as handwriting * Very poor gross motor skills such as kicking, catching, throwing balls * Difficulty imitating movements such as "Simon Says" * Trouble with balance, sequences of movements and bilateral coordination my 3 year old has a combo of sensory seeking & sensory avoiding, with apraxia & minor dyspraxia. are there things that you've observed that seem the opposite of how a 'normal' toddler reacts? for instance, my son will spin or wobble (toss himself rather violently back & forth) to calm himself down. when he was pre-verbal (he started speech therapy at 26 months. he did not use any words & rarely made sounds) we found that spinning him when we needed him to pay attention to something worked. also roughhousing immediately before bed helped him fall asleep, rather than winding him up, like most kids. lee -- It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them. -Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
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