Question for parents of kids with ADD

allwildgirl

allwildgirl

Cathlete
Okay, I have an appointment set up with the specialist for my DD's testing. So.... what exactly do they do? Are the parents involved at all, or do they just whisk your kid away?

Thanks for any help!
 
I have no idea how they test for ADD, but when Tristan had his intelligence tests, he was whisked away and spent literally hours being tested by different people. He loved it. It was like playing games.
 
They do various intelligence tests on your child (like Wechsler, Stanford-Binet). They also ask for family history, child's medical history, did you have normal delivery. They look to see if the same set of symptoms happen in more than one setting (like school and home). Does he constantly have to be reminded to do things? Can he sit still? I have plenty of books at home on the subject. If you would like them, just send me an SASE and I'll send them to you.

Marcy
 
For my son, DH and I were in the room with him the whole time,(both times- he was borderline in 3rd grade and 10 when diagnosed). The adults were asked alot of medical history questions, and my son was asked ?s. The dr. already had his iq test, and that he was tested as gifted and talented and his grades(not good). We (parents) had to fill out a specific quetionaire and also so did his teachers. As a 10 year old all this was very telling. The dr. was able to tell us at the meeting (had all info at the meeting) that he had ADD. At first we were upset she "labeled" him, because we kept telling him it was to see about helping him focus, so he wouldn't be labeled, but again, at 10 he knows whats going on. The doctor should give you some books and websites with info, if your child does have ADD. I don't know how old your DD is but if she needs meds, you may have to get her "buy in" with that. Good luck, and I hope all goes well for you and your DD tomorrow.
Deanie
 
With my 12 year old, the Pyschologist met with us together, then there were extensive testing with just her and my daughter which lasted all morning. IQ testing, and questionaires. We filled out some of the same questionaires and later DD and I compared what we remembered, and it was amazing how close our answers were. After the testing, we waited a week and went back in for results. The Pyschologist went over all the tests and what they meant. Then gave suggestions on how to help the areas that are problems. For DD, her IQ was very high, but she has a learning disability that showed up in various places. Being aware of this LD is very helpful because we know what areas are going to be hard and why(Math and Science). She said she is ADHD - inattentive and she went over the different things that can be done for that.

We also made an appointment with DD's doctor, and went over all the findings, and the doctor had us fill out further questionaires, along with her teachers. She agreed with the diagnosis of ADHD-inattentive, but DD will not take meds. We did talk about nutrition and exercise and other things that could help.

DD will be 14 soon, and her grades have improved, but any little disruption takes weeks to recover, such as illness from school, focusing on something like a play, or music contest. She swims and we don't travel to as many meets, or if we do, we make sure we are home on Sunday for recovery time before school. We have found we just continually re-evaluate and adjust to the changes in her life as she gets older. I will be making an appointment with her High School counselor so we can begin forging a relationship with the High School to hopefully path her success.
 
Thanks Dorothy. Regardless of the diagnosis, we're going to try handling it without using meds. I have a couple of good friends who have done this with their kids and it's worked very well for them, so I have some support there.
 
Shelley,

As you know I have "been away from here" and saw this tonight while browsing. I just wanted to let you know I'd be glad to talk or answer any questions from my vast knowledge of the issue...har har har. Just email.

And remember, should Sophie be determined to live with ADD it does not define her. It is just one aspect of her and can be dealt with successfully like any other issue in life, say like...a bad hair day? (gotta have humor also to deal with it).

Take two chocolate bars and call me in the morning.:)
 
It is possible to deal with it without meds, but I have to warn you, it is a roller coaster. January has been a very rough month, and we had to have the "refocus" talk just last night. It is a constant thing to keep on top of, and now that she is older, it is a constant thing SHE has to keep on top of, not us.

The physchologist was funny. She said people with ADHD rely on other people. That is why there are Mom's and Dad's, friends, secretaries, and spouses. That hit home, because now in studying this thing, we have decided she gets it from her Dad, and 25 years into this marriage, we fell into the pattern of me organizing his life and making sure he knows where he needs to be when. We never labeled my husband, everything just fell into place on what we needed to do to function.
 
Shelley,
My DS is going through the same thing for ADHD. I posted earlier regarding the issue when it was first introduced that he might have it. We have a Dr. appt. on Friday, and right now the school is doing a lot of testing, so I don't know where we'll go from there. Meds is our greatest concern. How do you plan on managing it without meds? I'm very interested, but there's so much conflicting information out there, I don't know what to believe. Does it work for the children of your friends? What are they doing?
 
BEfore you pay a specialist to test your child, did you know that schools are required to do testing on children if they are suspected of having a learning disability. You will have to go to a doctor for your child to be diagnosed, but the school can screen you child for a other learning disabilities. Often there is more than one thing going on. MY son is ADHD and also has a written expression deficit. ADHD is a qualifying condition for OHI (other health impaired) and when diagnosed should qualify your child for special services at her school. Many of the tests I've seen people list her are the battery of common tests given at school when a child is referred for special education. As far as "ADHD testing" there is no one test for it. A good doctor will look at many different sources. When my son was diagnosed he had a neurological work up by his pediatrician. He had an EEG. (We had been in a car accident when he was little and he had a head injury. The doctor wanted to rule out epilepsy.) I don't know if this is always a standard test given for ADHD. We also had Ryan's teacher fill out an extensive questionaire, I filled it out, and so did my son. (He was in 5th grade at the time) His teacher and I also filled out a Connor's. If the doctor uses the Connor's it should be filled out by more than one person. You should fill it out, a teacher, or other person who has daily interaction with your child. There are places out there offering "help" for ADHD kids. Don't take your child to a "specialist" who hasn't been recommended by a pediatrician you trust. Some of these places are there more for your money than to actually help your child. Good luck. I have to say the thing that works the best for ADHD kids is consistancy. If you go the meds route be religious about taking it. Set up routines at home and school. Make sure your child is sitting in a location at school that provides her with as few distraction as possible. One other thing. ADHD kids are cool! They have talents that are under appreciated! I have one student that I truly expect to see on Comedy Central someday. He is so quick and witty. He struggles so much at school, but he makes me laugh every day! His resource teacher provides a study hall every Friday. We get him in a quiet location and he gets the work done. Just because he isn't getting anything done when in the regular classroom doesn't mean he isn't learning. Be creative when coming up with strategies to help your daughter and give the stratigies time to work. Don't try more than one thing at at time. The best to you. My son will graduate this year. School has been a struggle, but he is delight.
 
Before I start I wanted to say that I'm a firm believer in not taking any unnecessary meds.

Having said that, I also believe in taking meds when necessary.

I grew up with ADD, back then you were called bad, you were beaten and sat in the corner. Later on in life I self medicated with alcohol and other illicit drugs. My self esteem was zero. Somehow I managed to get in the Navy, when caught they sent me through rehab (now they just throw you out.) I've cleaned up my life considerably.

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD & depression. We tried no meds. Went to meds, feeling as if we failed. With meds she was very successful. She is now off meds for the ADHD, she needs meds for the depression as she has been suicidal in the past.

My message here is this, if you can manage without meds, hooray for you, but no one is lesser a person or a parent if they have to use meds.

Would you deny your child Albuterol if they were asthmatic, would you deny your child Insulin if they were diabetic? Then what is the hang up on using meds for neurological diagnosis?

You trust the MDs when you take your kid in for an infection or sickness but you don't trust them if they say your kid needs neuro meds.

You rush out and buy some "holistic" mix like "Gods own Formula" that an unqualified salesperson tells you will cure ADD, Autism and help your credit rating.

Sorry I sound harsh, I care for you all as if we were friends. I don't want to see you suffer any of the crap my wife and I had in 18yrs of parenthood. I am a little bitter about the BS I caught trying to raise my kids and being second guessed by people who don't know "Jack" about "special kids" (God how I hate that term.)
 
We went to a specialist outside the school system, because the school tested my daughter and did a really poor job of it. Since she was getting C's at the time of the testing, and had strong parental support, I really feel that the push to use their special education dollars on her was not there. That was at a time that she probably would have accepted it. Every teacher she had since first grade always felt there was something wrong, but could not put a finger on it because she is bright and was getting by. Going to an outside specialist that was recommended to us was our last resort. Once we did that, we brought the reports back to the school and met with their pyschologist(a different one then tested my daughter), and the social worker and principal. The physchologist reviewed the report, and met with DD, and agreed with the report. By then my daughter refused any special help for her LD. And refused trying meds, and ADHD meds are the sort that you have to play around with the type and dosage sometimes to get the right one.

And I also agree that ADHD kids are very interesting. My DD has so many talents, and one is the knack that everyone likes her. Despite the bad grades her teachers just love her. I guess one reason why we do get cooperation from them. They truly want her to succeed. One teacher told me they wished we had an artistic school around here, not just the schools that specializes in math and science. She said my DD belonged there and would excel. We don't so we work with what we have.
 
Judy - I got your PM. Thanks:)

Hopefull - I'm in Canada and our school does NOT test. Nor do we have to pay for the services of a specialist.

Dave - thanks for your input. I have no qualms about using meds if we need to, but I'd like to try without first. And believe me, I'm already encountering TONS of crap about even having my DD tested. I'm at the point where I'm snapping at people who question my decision. It's very disheartening.
 
Dorothy - I'm getting a lot of that. That the teacher is using it as a cop-out because she doesn't want/know how to deal with Sophie, etc. etc. It's quite frustrating.
 
Shelley, stick to your guns and do what you feel is right for your child. Nobody knows your child any better than you. I definitely would get Sophie tested outside the school system. I dealt with a lot of crap with the Board of Ed and I figured out I knew more than they did at times. I got my son into a school that I felt would help him and had supportive teachers and guidance counselors. If it were up to the Board of Ed, he would have been in a school with padded walls. Fight for your child and don't listen to all the people that think they know what they're talking about and don't know anything. Like Davie said, if your child needs meds, get them for her. My DS has been on/off meds. When he was younger, it definitely helped him but as he got into his teens, he was better able to cope and is now completely off them. I don't know how it is in Canada, but, as your daughter goes to high school, don't let them steer your daughter into getting an IEP diploma. It's not worth the paper it's printed on. Make sure she gets a regular diploma. An IEP diploma here means your child has met the educational goals the system has set for them like "can complete 10 multiplication problems with 80% accuracy". Make sure your DD gets as much of a regular education as possible with whatever support she might need such as speech/language, counseling, etc.

Good luck with everything.

Marcy
 
My son has autism and ADHD and medication has made a HUGE difference. I was against medication for many years and we tried cod liver oil, the GFCF diet, oh good grief I can't even remember all the vitamin/supplements we tried that costs several thousand dollars. Finally one day we were at wits end and tried ritalin (Focalin XR 10mg) and we had tremendous results. He is now mainstream in 3rd grade learning his multiplication tables. He is doing wonderfully! I cannot express in words the difference the medication has made. I know many people will think I'm a bad parent for putting my son on meds, but if you only could see the difference....... in real life. It's been amazing. He is able to learn for the first time. He is far more verbal for the first time.
I hope this doesn't make you mad, I just want you to know, that it's okay if your child needs meds. God bless and good luck to you, whatever you choose.
Lisa
 
Shelley,
I am a teacher, a parent of an ADHD son, an ADD dil, and I have some ADDish qualities which I discovered on my journey to understanding my son.

We opted out of the school testing because our school tests for ld's and not specifically for ADD. We refer them to their doctors for that. Our health plan Kaiser, does a questionaire that includes information from school, home and others.

There is not a single test that rules in or out ADD. There are ADD type behaviors that can be seen in multiple settings. There are some common descriptions of their school progress. Our son's was "he is so gifted but doesn't work to his potential".

Most of the tests, don't rule in ADD but rule in or out other factors that can crop up with attention and hyperactivity problems. Things like specific learning disabilities, aspergers, depression, and physical problems. For example, my vary non ADD son was recommended for educational testing and it uncovered an intermittent hearing loss. Having the ears treated changed everything.

What makes the testing complicated is that all of these conditions are on a continual scale with everyone. Some people are overly attentive (hyper focus) to hyper scanners(hard to focus). Supposedly normal is somewhere in the middle. Also what is normal in my home maybe different from yours and what is a good level of attention for home may not work in school. For example, the attention required of a student is focused. The attention required of a teacher is a scanner, keeping track of many things. So it is very confusing.

My journey with this in my son and myself, used many things, psychologists, coaching, medicine, behavior plan, and included working with his diet, exercise, sleep habits and develop routines to help his success. The most powerful change for us came from a psychologist coach, and developing routines for home, school, work anywhere that support his issues.

I recommend ADDitude magazine which celebrates and helps the type of personality that comes with ADD/H and I recommend the student control journal found on flylady.net. I have seen these things work wonders with families.

Good luck and celebrate your daughter as you go through this every ADD quality is a blessing in another setting!

Teachreef
 
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