Symptoms of ADHD

[misty]

We moved from a different location in January, 2007. This thread was transferred from there and has a different format than the ones which are created on this site.


linda.........thread Started on Oct 24, 2005, 8:15am

Symptoms of ADHD

The behaviors that indicate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can vary from person to person. The most common characteristics are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior.

Inattention is characterized by difficulty focusing on a specific task, particularly if it is not a task the child is interested in. The parent may notice their child has difficulty learning new things because they can't pay close enough attention to the task at hand. They may notice that the child has no problem paying attention to a video game they love, but when it comes to finishing a school project, it's like pulling teeth.

Some of the ways a parent or teacher might describe this behavior: the child's mind drifts; the teen seems to be all over the place, never focusing for more than a few moments; the student doesn't finish anything, and when he or she does, there are many mistakes; the child is easily bored.

Hyperactivity is characterized by seemingly endless activity. The child cannot sit still and seems compelled to talk, often a mile a minute. The child is restless and may seem anxious.

Some of the ways a parent or teacher might describe this behavior: the child is constantly moving; the teen can't sit still for five minutes; the student taps his feet, squirms in his seat, and talks in class even after being asked to keep quiet; the teenager is like a ball of endless energy, moving, talking, and bouncing from one activity to the next.

Impulsivity is characterized by thoughtless or inappropriate actions or reactions. They act without thinking about the consequences, and the sudden action can seem to come out of nowhere. This behavior can be risky, as when a child suddenly runs into a street without looking.

Some of the ways a parent or teacher might describe this behavior: the child just blurts out anything at any time; the teen just pulls out of the driveway without looking both ways; the student grabs something without asking first; the student never waits his turn.

These behaviors in and of themselves do not necessarily indicate ADHD. With attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the student will show one or more than one of these behaviors persistently over time and they will be very obvious to parents and teachers. The behaviors will interfere with social relationships and academic performance.

[lcdc1]

How do you tell the difference in adhd and add especially in girls? I have read a lot about this subject cause the adhd is clear to me as I grew up with it and never outgrew it - I just learned to cope as an adult with the help of meds. Anyway I feel like my oldest may exhibit some signs of possible add? She is not hyper in a bad way, but very active in sports and particularly running - if she has a break for an extensive amount of time from sports she is short tempered, fidgety, lost, etc......... I am trying to work out if she has add along with a LD? The teachers and I did the Conners thing along with LD testing and the Conners did not show a lot. But a few of the teachers said she is a great kid but exhibits anxiety?

[laurapalmer]

LC, i think add is just attention deficit disorder & adhd is the hyper kind, where the child is into everything, etc. My daughter can get hyper at times, but she is not like that all the time. She is 15 & diagnosed ADD. She is going to be tested by our psychologist the week after next.

[scecil]

Very interesting.... My son who will be 3 in July, is def. the hyper.
He also throws things, bites, screams. He will not sit & color, games, he will play for maybe 5 min or less, tv he will watch it sometimes, most of the time it's just on. Up at 8am, he will take a nap, but bedtime sometimes is a hassle. Busy busy busy, he can't be alone, has to follow me everywhere. He helps around the house, most of the time making a mess.

he will not sit down, nor listen, thinks everything is a game. Taking him to eat out, is so hard. It's embarrassing. He will not sit, nor listen.

He is very clingy, has to be by my side all the time. he has these tics, little quirks,.

On the other hand, he talks really well, he is a smart boy, loves sports & likes to be outside, as much as he can. But boy, if he don't get his way... here comes trouble.

I need to get him tested/evaluated by the ped, or whoever they send him to. It's getting out of hand.
But after reading some sites, I have noticed, that if you calmly talk to them, it helps.

my older daughter seems to offset my son in alot of ways... & my husband as well. I told them, if they don't talk to him calmly he will just keep flipping out.

I just want help for him, he is such a good boy,& smart, & I want him happy.

Thanks for reading this...

[jj]

There are so many other things that can mimic ADHD which is why it is so important to get a thorough testing by someone who specializes in these disorders.

You mentioned how your son thinks everything is a game. That sounds just like my niece. And no matter how mad her Mom gets she laughs. But my niece takes it a step further and actually will initiate an argument and acts like she totally enjoys it. So there is far more going on with my niece.

[katiekat]

scecil, Your son sounds alot like mine. Hyper, embarrasing to take out, and clingy, the positive stuff you said sounds just like him to.It is a good idea that you are seeking out help while he is this young. I believe the earlier you intervene the better...don't get discouraged keep after what your son needs. I still am getting comments that Sean is "too young" from the school for an eval and he is 6 1/2. As his mom you know your child and you know best if something is not quite right. Do you mind me asking,you say your son has little tics and quirks specifically what they are? Just curious because he sounds so much like Sean. I agree with JJ a diagnoses is a very important first step. Good luck.

[scecil]

katiekat said:

Do you mind me asking,you say your son has little tics and quirks specifically what they are? Just curious because he sounds so much like Sean. I agree with JJ a diagnoses is a very important first step. Good luck.

Okay is tics, he has to have everything perfect.... if anything out of the ordinary, or not on a schedule he gets all mad, flips out. If he asks for chocolate milk, & we give him water or juice. OMG! we asked for TROUBLE!! Gavin changes in in matter of seconds. He doesn't like bugs to touch him, well who doesn't. Put on shoes he didn't want. he likes to just have his pull up on all day, which is ok, when we aren't going anywhere, it's hot here. But If I say we are going outside & we don't . Oh boy. he will have his shirt, shorts & shoes ready. he has to help no matter what, if you don';t let him, your asking for more TROUBLE.

Oh about the potty.. ha ha it has to be FREE of anything dirty, no toilet paper.. etc. He will clean the toilet before using it.
Movies, he has to watch them over & over & over & over. We know all the lines of the kids movies & some others.... seen them soooo many times.

Sometimes, we are having a GREAT day, & outta the blue, he will just get mad & throw things across the room or at us. It;s like he ticked & had to let it out.
He will not color with crayons, will eat them instead. He has done fingerpaints, & markers. But like I said only lasts 5 min or less.

When he goes to bed, HE MUST HAVE: binky,cup(water) & pooh bear.. Oppps I forgot the most important thing... ME!!!!!!!!!!!

last night he slept in his own bed, from 10pm till 4am. I am proud it's a big step!! I know I have missed some things about him, but this is just some. I am on my way out the door to take my daughter to the dentist.

Thank you ladies for the lovely responses... i appreciate it

[charliegirl]

You should get him tested. If you possibly can, I think it would be a good idea to take him to a neurological psych or neurological pediatrician for testing.

There are things that can mimic ADHD, a couple of them are OCD (obbsesive-compulsive disorder) and aspergers. His quirks are also possibly indicative of those, so you would want them ruled out and the school's testing isn't likely to look into those.

[gwendolyn171]

charliegirl said:

You should get him tested. If you possibly can, I think it would be a good idea to take him to a neurological psych or neurological pediatrician for testing.

There are things that can mimic ADHD, a couple of them are OCD (obbsesive-compulsive disorder) and aspergers. His quirks are also possibly indicative of those, so you would want them ruled out and the school's testing isn't likely to look into those.

[lori]

I just found this site and I am hoping that it can help answer some questions I have. My step daughter was diagnosed with ADHD abuot 2 years ago...and I have never been comfortable with the diagnosis. Although I do feel that may be a part of the problem, I feel in my heart it there is much more to it.
She definately shows signs of ADHD where she cannot seem to stay focused on the task at hand, whatever it be. But, she has so many other things going on that to me, seem very outside of the realm of ADHD. I am a teacher and I thought I knew enough about ADHD until lately.
My Step daughter is 15 but acts about 8-10 and in acc. to the situation, sometimes even younger. She has reached an age where she is not socially accepted...she has several things going against her right now: #1 she is a girl and girls at this age are just hateful, she is very small framed and shorter than most girls her age, she is very pretty but when you girls her age spend any amount of time with her, they quickly realize she's not "cool" as they would put it which in return initiates the ugliness that girls this age can so easily dish out.
She is terrible messy, she lies all the time and about things that she shouldnt lie about, she says things all the time that make no sense at all (Ex: She recently asked me if the grass in our yard was real...?) She says things like: Isnt that funny...when there is nothing funny about the situation...at all.
A majority of her problem areas are common sense things...like: close the shower curtain when taking a shower, use soap to bathe yourself, push the unlock button in the car to unlock the outside of the car for me,...I could go on and on.
She hides food in the strangest of places...even though she is free to eat any time she feels the need, just as long as she eat in the kitchen...but I find full plates of food under her bed, in closets, in cabinets, in clothes drawers...no matter how many times we have gone over the NO FOOD IN YOUR ROOM rule BUT you can eat anything and everything in the kitchen.
She is probably at the bottom of her class and struggles all year long and not for lack of trying...if it werent for her mother staying on top of her after school to get her work done, she couldnt focus long enough to finish it...she has to do everything she can get her hands on as far as extra credit, tutorials AM and PM JUST to maintain a passing grade.
She tries so hard to fit in with girls her age but to no avail...she has more in common with my 2 & 5 year old children than she does with kids her age.
HELP...does this all sound like ADHD only?