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    #113860 10/15/11 08:29 AM
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    the ped is wanting to diagnose ADHD. We have two more appointments before I feel I can really go with that, one with a LD specialist and one with a 2e psych from Hoagie's. Our school has never suggested this diagnosis, so they have only focused on her behavior, not the possibility that she needs a medical intervention for behavioral ones to work, etc...

    How many doctors did it take to convince you that your child has ADHD? How many tests and how in depth were they? Did the school suggest it to you or was your ped the first to suggest it? Did you medicate right away or try behavior/diet interventions? Do you wish you had known/tried meds sooner? If your child is on meds now, how do you feel that is going?

    DH is out of town until mid Dec, so I am basically handling it all myself. Ped knows I am shocked she suggested meds first, even though she is hesitant to write actual dx of ADHD. I'm really taken off guard by this possibility, on the the other hand, so many times I have wished for a "magic pill" to make it better for DD. I need a lot more info and would appreciate hearing your stories.

    DH just informed me that he is actually not surprised to hear all this. His younger brother and nephew (son of a different brother) were on ADD meds as kids. And he says he remembers the difference when they took it vs didn't. THAT would have been helpful to know!

    Last edited by 2giftgirls; 10/15/11 12:05 PM.

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    On the topic of magic pills, is your DD taking Omega-3 supplements with high EPA and DHA? They are often helpful for people with ADHD, and have lots of other health benefits as well. They typically take a few weeks to start showing benefits.

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    no, we don't use any medicines, vitamins, etc unless I suspect someone has a cold. Each of my 2 DD's has been to the doctor ONE TIME for an ear infection, nothing else ever. I rarely even give them tylenol.

    We could try that...do you have a brand that you like?


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    Originally Posted by 2giftgirls
    How many doctors did it take to convince you that your child has ADHD? How many tests and how in depth were they? Did the school suggest it to you or was your ped the first to suggest it? Did you medicate right away or try behavior/diet interventions? Do you wish you had known/tried meds sooner? If your child is on meds now, how do you feel that is going?

    With DD9, we knew she had ADHD when she was a preschooler. Actually, we even joked about it when she was two years old. It was not a shock at all, we actually wanted to pursue the diagnosis, but waited until she was in school so we could get feedback from her teachers in case it was just that way at home. The school knew our concerns from the onset, but they waited until the end of first grade to finally agree with us that her attention was not improving and that it was interfering even when she was really trying to pay attention. We did go to medications pretty soon on after the diagnosis. By that point, we had already tried everything we could think of... supplements, behaviour modification, etc, and knew that it had little effect with her. And, hell yeah, we wished we had not waited until second grade to get the officially diagnosis. Her primary year was HORRIBLE. She is still recovering from it four years later. For her diagnosis, her pediatrician used the Connors questionnaires as a basis to start therapy and then referred her for a psych ed assessment. Because there was a four months wait for the assessment, we opted to start the med before the assessment. Even then, the pysch. confirmed the ADHD diagnosis (WISC, WIAT-II, CTOPP, WRAML2, GORT + teacher and parental questionnaires).

    The past two years have had their ups and downs and we are still trying to find optimal dosing. Unfortunately, DD is very sensitive to the meds and suffers from mood lability. She only tolerates biphentin and, at that, a low dose. She just saw the pediatrician yesterday and I was very proud of her for speaking up for herself well at this appointment. She told me ahead of time that school was 'impossible' this year because she just could not concentrate no matter how hard she tried. SHE asked to try a dose increase again. The ped suggested to use the higher dose (20mg) on school days and go back to the lower dose (15mg) on the weekends, or to even alternate the two if her moods are a problem again. In the past, I suffered a lot of guilt during dosing trials. Now, I am happy that DD has started advocating for herself. She knows what she needs and wants and it is important to let her participate in managing her ADHD. To confound things, she was just diagnosed with dyslexia. The pediatrician pointed out to DD that her problems paying attention and getting work down won't be magically fixed with a higher dose, as the dyslexia is probably a big contributor. We really need to get the new accomodations in place and then reassess.

    Good luck with your decisions. You have to do what is right for your family and your child, and no one can make that decision but you. I will say that, originally, DH was reluctant for DD to start meds. Her teacher talked with him about it and used her own child as an example. She compared ADHD to any other medical condition and pointed out that he would never refuse to medicate her for a medical illness if there was a treatment available. In the end, he agreed to a month long trial. He changed his mind after one week, when DD told him that her brain was no longer 'itchy'. Now, he is pursuing an ADD diagnosis for himself. My suggestion... keep an open mind about all suggested interventions!


    Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it. — L.M. Montgomery
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    My DS7 is in the 3rd grade also and he moved to a new school this year for a self contained HG program. We had him assessed with the WISC to apply to the program and he is above the 99.9% GAI so he is where he needs to be academically. He has struggled with behavior in the past two years at school (he was mid year grade skipped last year) but has consistently scored very high on achievement/ability tests. We were hopeful that a better academic fit would be the answer to his behavior issues but we got an email from his teacher about a month ago expressing behavior concerns.

    He is currently undergoing a full neuropsych evaluation which has consisted of a classroom visit by the psychologist, about 4 hours of one on one assessments by the psychologist, extensive questionnaires filled out by both his teacher and us. After that is all done, the psychologist with write the report/recommendations and meet with us to discuss it.

    Although I never thought of ADD before, I would not be surprised if he has the disorder and has just been able to mask it because everything was always so easy for him. This is the first time that he has had to actually concentrate and put in some effort (especially with writing). He has always been a highly intense and spirited child. Plus, there is a family history of ADD. I am kind of at the beginning of my gifted/possible ADD journey but we should know more in a few weeks.

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    Oh, and by the way, no educational professional has ever suggested that DS has ADD. However, because he is obviously highly gifted, I wanted the full eval to rule it out or in and to try to figure out what is going on if he does not have ADD. And, I did start giving him Omega 3s about 3 weeks ago - we give the Nordic Naturals. I have also been trying the Nurtured Heart Approach at the suggestion of Grinity. Both seem to be having some effect but we still have good days and not so good days.

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    Deonne-we are in a similar place, it was the ped who said it last Friday and it turns out we also have some family history. I am also pursuing a full eval with a private psych and the ped is writing a referral...plus now I'm really going to push the school for a learning disability assesment


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    Which book does a parent start with in regards to the "Nurtured Heart Approach"?

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    Transforming the Difficult Child Workbook -that is the only one I purchased. It is good because it states it step by step and is set up to implement the approach right away. Good luck.

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