I'm new to this forum. Ok here's my story. I'm a single mom of a wonderful 4 yr. old boy. Recently he has been diagnosed with ADHD and hyperactiveness. I wasn't completely prepared to hear this diagnosis. I mean when he was 2 yrs. old I took him in to be evaluated and one of the therapist told me that he had shown signs of maybe having PDD, well as he got older, those "signs" of having PDD, gone. So here I thought he was going through a phase, well he turned 3 and I realized his behavior was getting out of control, again I thought, hmmm....terrible two's extended to terrible 3's. Well some of the behaviors where not all that normal. I would have to repeat myself several times to tell him not to misbehave. I mean I would have to repeat, repeat, repeat myself over and over again on how he should behave and what he'd done was not good behavior. He would nod his head and answer back "Yes mommy". Well, here we are in '08 still dealing with the same issues, but worse. He won't listen to me, he talks back all the time, time out in the corner doesn't work all that well bc he can't stand or sit still while doing time out. Tantrums out in public are sooo bad, that I would have to go to the bathroom and punish for misbehaving. And of course after being punished he goes off and does the same thing. Basically I am at my wits end with this. We go to therapy so I can better understand my son and he goes so he can better understand himself. But when we leave from there, I fell that there is no progress being made. He still acts out on the constant basis. Oh and that he has an extreme amount of ENERGY. I mean he will wake up early in the am and still have energy left over til dark and that's not including a nap. Right now, the things that Iam having a BIG problem dealing with aside from his behavior is the part where he is in constant motion. Can't focus on one thing. Sitting down at the table eating dinner is a challenge for him. He can't sit there and finish his meal without having to get up walk around the kitchen. Or play with his fork and spoon. If he can't do either, he's constantly moving any part of his body. He constantly interrupts me when I am talking to others, sometimes he has a hard time with his manners. And the fact that he just has all this energy. We go out for walks, go to the park, I do a lot to exert his energy and he still has more to give out. His father is in the military so he doesn't get to see him often. But when he is in state, he does great with being around his father, but the acting out behavior is not as bad when he is with his father. However, the constant moving around is there. Can't keep him in one place. Car rides he has to be doing something or moving around in the back. He isn't on meds right now, and I am considering on putting him on it. I just need some advice from you guys who now. I am not surround by people who have kids with this disorder, so it's hard for my friends to understand what I am going through but they are a good support system. To be honest, the reason why I decided to join this group was because I had a major breakdown last night with my son. My boyfriend told me to get online and find a forum specifically for parents who are dealing with their children with ADHD. He knows it's hard for me and for my son, so with that he advised me to get involved with parents who are going through the same problems/issues, on the daily basis. Registering on here actually made me happy because it's one step to helping my son out and helping me to know more about this disorder. For this is to anyone who is willing to help me out, I need some advice on how to handle my son. And I would like to know your opinions on different medication that I can consider putting him. He hasn't started school yet, in fact Feb 12th will be his first day in preschool for 3 hrs. Now he has not been in a school setting before so I'm a bit anxious and nervous to find out how he deals with that and being surrounded by other children. So please to anyone who can help me out and perhaps lend a helping hand, please respond back! Thank you!!!
Vanny- ↓
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| Name: MN-MOM | Date: Feb 11th, 2008 8:13 PM |
| It sounds like you're doing behavioral therapy, which is great. Is he also taking medication? For my son, behavioral therapy was not enough. It took both therapy and medication to be effective. My son needs methylphenidate (generic of Ritalin). Something for you to research well and consider with your doctor. Also, look at his diet. I also use Omega 3 to help, although that takes a while to build up. ↑ |
| Name: adhdoverdrive | Date: Feb 15th, 2008 5:21 PM |
vanny,
What you are describing does sound like ADHD. I have two sons, both with extreme ADHD. You described my oldest son to the tee when you described your 4 yr old. Take heart. The first thing to do is talk to your pediatrician. Write down your sons behavior over a few days time so you can give a clam and accurate description of the symptoms. Ask your boyfriend or someone else who spends time with your son to do the same. This is important. This lets the doctor get an idea of a childs behavior from other than a parent's point of view so that they can see that it's not a child-parent issue. Discuss getting your child properly evaluated and then discuss treatment in that order. Make sure the DR. you choose is interested in your chid's welfare and not just dispensing meds. My peditrician sees my children, now 11 aand 13, every six weeks for check ups and med evaluations. Seems extreme? Not for me. Meds made a huge difference for us but some children can do well on behavioral modification and biofeedback so discuss options with your Dr. Vanny don't dispair. Take a deep breathe, take action, and know that this is workable. I do this everyday with two. It's no picnic but it's worth every minute.
ADHDoverdrive ↑ |
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