I Think My Son Has Adhd

My son is only 8 months so I can't give you ant advice besdies to take him to his doctor and they can diagnose him, if need be.

HI C.,

I so empathize with you! My son is always on the go and I can't seem to get him to slow down, but However I try to Kneel down to his level and speak to him on his level, sometimes it works and then other times it is just he doesn't want to be bothered with me!! THere for a while I thought it was only with me but my husband is starting to get the picture!! I think it is just all the energy that young boys have, they don't know how to just slow down and think about bathroom or eating!! Krystian is a hit and miss eater! I have never been able to get him to sit for more than 2 min. So I let him eat when he wants and I put it in the living room so he will eat!!Plus with it being so cold outside they don't get the chance to get out and expend any of there energy! So this is his way of trying to let it out! I hope I was of some help!

Becca

I am one of those people who has been doing a lot of research on ADD/ADHD, and am finding out that it is becoming more prevelant and understood that these conditions do not exist! ADD/ADHD are catch all diagnoses for multiple symptoms, IE: hyperactive, inattentive, fidgetty....Someone out there in the medical world found a medication that covers the symptoms, and gave the "condition" a name. Through my research, I have learned there is a cause and effect. Dr., Parents, Teachers, care takers are looking for the quick fix to get the child under control. Drs. should be more willing to find the cause of the behaviors before covering them up with medications. Food additives, preservatives, dyes, environmental toxins, allergies,and sensetivities to any or all of the above can cause most if not all of the symptoms you describe. I found a book " Is This Your Child?" by Doris Rapp M.D. VERY fascinating! The book is put together in such a way that you would not have to read from cover to cover to find information you can put to use in your own home. That was my first step in researching ADHD for my son. I can also send you some links to more information that has been helpful to me. Send me a personal messege, I will be happy to share what I have found.

For now, as far as the eating goes, I went through that too, my son was born underweight, we struggled to get him to gain. (Now, we can't get him to stop eating! What we didi is to always have on hand within his reach a variety of healthy snacks. We also went with the Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks. Alternating with the Pediasure, as the pediasure is expensive, yet much healthier. He always liked cheese, fresh veggies and dip, never was much for fruit, yet we made sure to offer his favorites. Find the healthiest of your sons favorite snacks and keep them in small containers, easy for him to grab and go. Get creative with other snacks to entice him with healthier foods. One thing we learned is WE are the parents. It was hear, belieeeeve me! It sort of sounds counter productive, but; we slowly eliminated less haelthy snacks and "forced" him to eat healthier. He did go through a period of not eating. We stuck through it and WON! Please discuss with your Ped. before forcing your son to choose. It worked for us, it may not work for you.

S.

If you are really worried about ADHD you should have him evaluated by his pediatrician. But you could try cutting down or cutting out the sugar in his diet (the snacks they market towards young kids are usually full of corn syrup which is the WORST kind of sugar)as i found my son went bonkers with too much sugar.

I've got a couple of different suggestions for you:

1) Since he's above the age for Early intervention, he can still be assessed by the local school system. Some school systems have intergrated preschools for kids, who have developement delays. They add a structured, nurturing enviroment, and have teachers who do periodic evaluations on kids. My son has some delays, especially the focusing part. They might help you in diagnosing as to whether or not your son does have something medical.

2) Stop reacting to his behavior. If he gets up from the table- pick him up and place him back in the seat, and reinterate its time to eat. Maybe a suggestion of a reward might help? Initally, I mean. I do the 'three strikes your out' with my 3 yr old & 5 yr old. I'm beyond the time out stage with my kids. So, I take things away from them- TV, stories at bedtime, going to events. I'm careful on when I use these tactics, but do follow through (which is extremely tough to do when I am also looking forward to it)on them.

I hope this helps. I know how frustrating it must be for you! Hang tough and don't give up. Worse case scenario, say to yourself "And this too shall pass"- Maybe that will help? Good luck!

I would definitely look into the various possible options, such as adhd/aspergers, etc. Your child is acting that way for a reason... it could be something in his diet that makes him aggitated, lacking focus, etc. The earlier you figure out how to help your son the brighter the future for all of you! Medications for ADHD, i feel, should be used only after all other therapies/avenues have been explored.

it may not be ADHD, it could be just his age and how he is. My son will be 4 in July and he is just wow LOL. I mean he bites, hits, just over all hurts him self, dont listen, trys to do what he wants when he wants, he wants what he wants if not he trys to cry and act out to get what he wants. He been kick out of 2 daycares and no one would help me. They said they would and all that but I had to do it my self. Now hes getting help its not working but it will in the end I guess. But now they are going more towards ADHD just cause of how he acts and it runs in the family. I hope you find what you need. If anything you can not me. take care.

i have an almost 5 year old. i believe at his 3 or 4 year check up, i asked his doctor if he thought that my son had adhd (while my son kept bouncing up and down on the table). he chuckled and said that he didn't think so. he said that MOST boys are a lot more active (especialy more then girls), he said that he seemed to be a normal active boy. he said that when my son was in the midst of other kids (in daycare or preschool) and if he did have adhd, his teacher/daycare provider would definately be able to tell the difference. (as a comparison to other boys his age especially). well, it did turn out to just be a normal boy thing. so unless others are telling you that they think that he has it, i wouldn't worry about it. but if it does bother you, don't hesitate to ask your doctor. for things like that the earlier detected the better. good luck! T.

Hi C.. I'm sure you're probably really tired and exhausted, and I think you're a good mother for being concerned, but I think we as parents are conditioned by the media and drug companies and doctors that everything needs to be treated with medication. PLEASE consider other options. When I feel that my son, my boyfriend or myself needs to be treated for something I DO go to the doctor, but we then go to our homeopathic doctor and have HER prescribe a natural remedy. Her name is Barbara Coffey. She's in Norwell on Washington Street (route 53). Her phone number is ###-###-####. She's AWESOME! She's always helped us out and she's GREAT with kids. (Most of her patients are children). Call her and just talk to her and at least see what she has to say. You've got nothing to lose.
Also, please keep in mind that your son is ONLY 3 years old. How many 2-4 year olds do you know with any kind of attention span?? This is the time when they're learning about EVERYTHING and discovering the world. Try and enjoy it when you can.

This may sould strange, but my mother told me that when I was little. Whenever I ate anything with preservatives, I would behave quite a bit differently than when I did not have them. Also, sometimes terrible twos is actually terrible threes (I have heard).

My daughter is 2 years and 7 months and she is a lively one too. Sometimes she does not want to eat at lunchtime or dinnertime. Sometimes, I let her play and bring the food to her so she eats and plays. Something easy like pasta elbows.

I also gave my daughter the Carnation Instant Breakfast in her milk to help her not lose weight (she is a peanut anyway). She thinks it is chocolate milk and chugs it. That may help him since he is so active. Ovaltine as well. We have given our daughter that as well. Both have vitamins and she seems to love it.

As far as listening goes, you kind of have to pick your battles. Try to praise him when he is behaving, even if it is just for a moment.

I have the same problem with my son! BUT no child can be diagnosed with ADHD until the age of seven and by a medical proffessional. Def., talk to his dr. but also think of other factors:
1. children that age some more than others need structure and organization. I notice that if I am stressed out or out of wack one day, so is my son.
2. Sleep patterns, make sure he is getting enough sleep at night and napping during the day
3. non chaos, quiet organized settings always
4. It doesnt matter if you sound like a broken record, stay calm dont raise your voice just continue to tell him it is time for this and help him back up to the table. always scoot down to their level when you are talking to them and make sure they are making eye contact with you

C.,

Your Son sounds just like mine. Classic three-year-old behavior. I too was a little concerned about ADHD as it does run in my family, so I asked the Ped about it when we went for our 3-year well-check and he told me that he is way too early to diagnose.

Its easy to say to someone that your child WILL eat when they are hungry, but its a whole different thing when it is YOUR child. I know. But try to tell yourself that. Mine is a grazer. He doesnt like to sit still for meals either but he eats constantly thru the day.

Why do you want him to go to the bathroom with the door closed? In our house we have an open door policy. Snake?

M.

C.,
The first thing to do is call the pediatrician's office. Speak to a nurse and discuss your concerns. I've seen many parents jump to ADHD as a cause, when it was something completely different. For one child, it wasn't ADHD - it was food allergies that caused him to react as if he were out of control. With the help of the pediatrician's office, the child's diet was changed (to Gluten-free) and he is a typical 4 yo.

I am sorry, but I believe 3 is way too young to diagnose as having ADHD. My daughter has ADD and was not diagnosed until 1st grade. My youngest is very active, as your son is. Some are just more active than others. I know it is tiring, but I would just set up a daily routine. If he doesn't listen, put him in a time-out, naughty corner,etc. Good luck!

Hello C..
My name is H., I have 3 children. 2boys, 7,10. 1Daughter with cp she is 9. Both of my boys have ADHD. Your son might be to young to know. Usely when they start kindergarden is when They get tested for it. Well, not tested but that's when the school and parents fill out forms and then return them in to the Doctor. Your son sounds like my son when he was 3. Sounds like your son has more of Hyperness then attention. I know with my son, I wanted to hide myself and just scream. You should talk with your son's doctor about your concerns you have. The best thing to do at home is give you son something to play with at home, Crayons and a coloring book. See how long he stays with that project. Write things down so you don't forget. See if he jumps from one thing to another. Don't show alot of attention to his bad behavior, because he will do it more to get your attention. I hope this helps you. Both of my boys started on Meds when they where in Kindergarden. Good Luck.
H.