I cannot put a finger on it

[jill]

Lately the things Annette does makes me think she has more going on than meets the eye like when we were at the dance studio getting ready for dance pictures she was so distracted and had to pick up off the floor and hand things (like glitter off others costumes) and hand them to people. She also at one point in street clothes rolled on the floor and she runs around like a fool I almost think does she have mental retardation but then no for she has a higher IQ. She acts so foolish and strange at times the other girls look at her like what is your problem yet say nothing and at these times she will not listen to us nor follow re-direction. All this makes it harder to find friends for her when she acts weird lately. Also she will not do anything for herself always resists when I tell her to do it herself maybe this is a vent mix. We see the psychologist tomorrow however he does not ever lately see anything new but I will try again.

[charliegirl]

Remember the maturity level of most ADHDers is 2 to 3 years behind what we see in other kids of that age. She is hyperactive, impulsive and has a short attention span. That can account for a lot of behavior you wouldn't expect to see at her age. If she has a higher IQ, she may even be bored and not have the self control to hide it yet.

It never hurts to talk to the psych about her behavior when you are concerned.

Something else I have done to help me get a grasp on whether to be concerned about my son's behavior, especially when he was younger, was to think about it and what I would say to another parent who came to me with the same concern. Sometimes it helps to take the emotional aspect out of it and look at your child's behavior as someone else's. If you saw that behavior in another child and knew her diagnosis, would you still consider it to be something to worry about or would you be able to empathize and reassure the parent that it wasn't as abnormal as they thought, under the circumstances? What advice would you have for them?

[jj]

Jill,
I always think the parent has gut instincts when something isn't right so do run this by her psych.

But from my standpoint (not living with her and going by what you say) I think this sounds like pretty typical ADHD (ADD). She is distracted by shiny things - no surprise there. No impusle control -wanted to lay on the floor so she did - no surprise there either. Doesn't take direction is common. Unfortunately, kids with ADHD are going to stand out as different or odd - depending on the severity.

But there is a chance there may be more going on and if you feel strongly about it then you are probably right. You are the Mom and Mom's usually just know these things.

[katiekat]

I was going to say exactly what JJ said-to go with your instinct.
I always knew Sean had ADHD but I also always thought there was something else going on. I know several kids that have ADHD, and I agree that Sean does also, but there is still some very odd behavior that I dont think can be explained by ADHD alone.
In Sean's case, I think the Aspergers makes perfect sense and explains a lot. It did take quite a few appointments with different psychs,therapists, etc. to finally hit on something that fit. Different people have different opinions so maybe you could go to another doctor?
It could just be ADHD but if you have your concerns it is definitely worth looking into.

[jj]

You know, I was thinking about this a little more and considering what CG said about her maturity being a couple years behind most kids and taking the circumstances(at a dance studio) I think this is pretty typical and almost typical of any kid a couple years younger. I say this because I'm thinking of the many kids I've been around over the years and when put in a different place they get this excitement and kind of turn into these wild creatures. ROTFL I'm thinking specifically of visiting relatives - the kids seem to be out of control they are so excited and family gatherings - the kid noise is sometimes overwhelming with them running and screaming. Maybe, because of all the stimuli around Annette and catching her in just the right mood, this was her way of dealing with it or expressing her excitement. Of course I wasn't there so I can't know what was really going on...just sort of thinking outloud except I was typing my thoughts. Hmmmm.

[jill]

Thanks it is probably the maturity level, I am going to mention it to the psychologist today. I took a day off of work since her appointment is at 2pm. I am getting some cleaning done since we have been running a lot on weekends my house has fallen severely behind not to mention I am the only one who cleans. I am hoping once the house is clean by weekend we can tackle clutter spots and start cleaning clutter areas.

[dimples74]

I'm a newbie.............What was Annette's diagnosis?

[jill]

May 7, 2008 20:08:06 GMT -5 dimples74 said:

I'm a newbie.............What was Annette's diagnosis?

*It used to be at the bottom I guess I need to fix that but her diagnosis is Moderate to Severe ADHD, combined type, ODD, anxiety, and Sensory Processing Disorder (sensory integration).

The psychologist feels it may have been all the excitement and the distraction was too much. It was crazy in there for pictures and lots of cool costumes to view all cute. The other issue we had picture day was her wanting to touch everyone else's costumes when they had glitters or were shiny and that is clearly the sensory.

[anon4now]

Reading the responses, and using my own experiences it does sound like she found something to focus on, and was able to tune the "chaos" out by just looking down and seeing pretty glitter and picking it up, and really once she had it what was she supposed to do with it? Certainly not put it back down, so she handed it to the others.

The only other thought was if she does it everytime, then it might be OCD. But I'm sure you would see so many more signs if that were the case.

Anon

[jill]

I have had her screened for OCD and no. She is also a slob things everywhere but will pick things up (not her things).