Is there a special kind of ADD that only PG kids have? Is there information out there regarding this topic?
From what I understand, some PG kids have personality traits that manifest like ADD. They can look inattentive for a number of reasons: in school, maybe it's because they already know what's being taught or because some element of a discussion caught their imagination and they're engaging in some sort of deep-thinking extension that would leave everyone else totally confused but makes perfect sense to them. Also, lots of PG kids have anxiety issues because of their asynchronous development. Basically, they understand things that they're not yet emotionally equipped to manage, or they have these crazy imaginations that lead them to catastrophize (this was a problem I had and have only as an adult learned to manage!)
The first night we met the psychologist, DS had forgotten his meds that morning. So he was bouncing all over the place, looking through her bookshelves, interrupting with questions, etc. I was so frustrated, but it didn't bother her a lot -- she said it was normal for PG kids because their brains were just constantly going and processing things. (She said this is also why my son has NEVER been a good sleeper.)
So is it a different kind of ADD? That's a tough question! I guess the way I look at it is sort of like this: You can get a headache from bonking your head or from your sinuses...but you still have a headache, and ibuprofen still generally takes care of the worst symptoms regardless. DS takes Vyvanse, and it does help him with his inattention and impulse control (though if you read my first post, you can see it definitely doesn't FIX it -- he took his meds the day he was tested!) The psych was kind of uncertain about how much he needed the Vyvanse until she tested him, and she saw his abilities in the actual intellectual areas and then saw the huge dip when they got to the attention-related activities. So I guess what I'm saying is that whether it's because he's PG or because of some other reason, he still benefits from traditional solutions -- changing diet to reduce preservatives and eliminate food colorings, getting plenty of exercise, working on cognitive-behavioral-based behavior modification and, yes, meds.
I don't know if that helps, but I guess that's how I see it.
