Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional your ADHD/gifted journey

Aculady- DS9 does have proprioceptive issues...proprioceptive and vestibular issues are his primary sensory problems (along with a tactile oversensitivity)...thus the excessive movement.

I have definitely considered not doing the meds. In fact, we have had far more days this school year without meds than with. Obviously, I don't want to medicate him if he doesn't need it. At the same time, if meds will make things better for him, then I'm not against giving them. Yes, he can get by without them....I can tell the tutor to suck it up and deal with his fidgeting.... but could he reach his true potential with the medication? You have to remember that his teacher who says he is doing "fine" without the meds, is teaching all levels of students. Sure my HG child is performing above average without medications, but could it be easier for him if he could focus? But then we go back to whether the issue is focus or just boredom. Ugh, it just goes in one big circle.

I don't mean to have hi-jacked this thread, but while I'm discussing DS9, I'll update you on his medication trial from yesterday. Yesterday, I gave him Ritalin 20mg a full hour before tutoring. She said he was far less fidgety and was able to concentrate more. At the same time, he was more talkative than usual. Then, in physical therapy, he was able to follow patterns much easier than normal. He did not act silly or goofy or anything like he normally acts. At the same time, he seemed really "down" to me and he was constantly yawning saying he felt like he couldn't get a big enough breath. This is really sooooooo hard!!! I don't want to hurt him by giving him meds and I don't want to hurt him by withholding meds. Sigh.

Big hugs, perplexed!!! It is so very hard to sit by and watch the 'experiment'. I hope you get things sorted out. And I agree about the 'one big circle' bit. If you ever suss out the chicken and the egg... please share!

Oh, that is so tough perplexed. I hope you get it figured out. FWIW, I think your approach makes sense. I was wondering, though, given your son's sensory issues, has the OT given you a sensory diet for him? If so, what effect does that have? I was just thinking that if his movement is from SPD rather than ADHD, then perhaps you can find a soothing sensory activity to do before tutoring or throughout the day that might have a similar effect to the Ritalin without the side effects? My DS8 is also in OT for fine motor delay and proprioceptive & vestibular issues. We are just in the first few weeks of it, though, so we are still experimenting ourselves with finding the right sensory diet for him.

In the other thread I posted, I was thinking about the boredom issue too, and whether gifted kids may seem to have ADHD because they are faced with more "boring" activities on a daily basis than ND kids. So even if they are reacting similarly, the number of instances for gifted kids would be higher, making it seem like they have a lower tolerance. But then, some kids are gifted AND ADHD and we still come back to the question of how do you tell the difference between a misdiagnosis and a dual diagnosis.

Sigh. Really wish these kids came with manuals!

My DS10 also takes Ritalin 20mg but his is LA and stretches over 10 hours. I also noticed some moodiness etc. at first but within a few weeks it went away although on a day he doesn't eat it might pop up. Overall it has been a real positive for him. Sometimes you need to give it a while if you are seeing positive effects.

Thank you all for your encouragement.

Breakaway, I think you are right...I'm not being patient enough. I need to give it some time.

LNEsMom- We have tried a sensory diet of sorts. At school, his teacher often has him run errands, move heavy books, pass out papers, etc. This really does seem to help. The most soothing activity for him, though, is swinging(on the OT kind of swings..not playground swings). Unfortunately, these kinds of swings are not readily available outside of OT. As a word of encouragement to you...we have been in OT a little over a year and his sensory issues have REALLY improved. He still has a tactile oversensitivity, but now he recongizes what it is and is able to communicate that he doesn't like the feel of something.

wondering what the earlier signs some of you saw in your children's behavior that made you suspect add/adhd at an early age?
i've got a very busy bright boy- hard to say some days what is normal busy boy, and what may be more ADHDishness?
DH probably has some ADHD as does his mom- but more inattentiveness/daydreaming quality + likely central auditory processing disorder... hmmm

Thanks for the encouragement, perplexed. We are just beginning the OT, so it is good to hear from someone who saw good results. We are trying to figure out his sensory diet, it is weird how some activities sort of rile him up and some are calming, and hard to figure out which is which.

And those OT swings are awesome. I saw a place online once that will install them in your home, but you have to have the space for something like that, which we really don't.

These swings?
http://www.amazon.com/CHILLY-SWING-RELAXING-OCCUPATIONAL-THERAPY/dp/B001V6POUS

Hmm, I wonder if that would work as well. The one's at therapy actually have several different choices, platforms, one that sort of like a log-shaped cushion that they lay on, but the one that the sensory seekers often like the best is basically a piece of material hooked at the top. They lay in it and it envelops them like a cocoon while they are swinging. Seeker heaven, lol! But that one is a cool alternative!

When we first talked to some dr's and counselors about our son's behavior (I want to say he was 3 at the time?) one of the things they explained was that hyperactivity and attention span are not very good indicators of ADHD in young (below school age) children. Inability to consider consequences is really the better indicator. IE: Jumping off furniture and doing other dangerous things without any consideration, repeatedly doing something regardless of how many times you've punished them, etc. The majority of kids with ADHD have an executive function disorder - they literally cannot control themselves. They may KNOW what they are meant to do, but they just can't.