Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Scattered mentally, anxiety fueled, emotional...

Impatient, avoids eye contact at times because it's "too personal". Very creative, quick thinker, very funny in a weird way. Loves to make people laugh because "laughter is an honest form of communication". Impressionable, see's everybody's side to an argument, which slows/halts production. Sings/makes noise incessantly.

This is what I'm dealing with. Is this ADD? I am exhausted.

It sounds more like ASD than ADHD. If you are this concerned I would see a neuropsych or developmental pediatrician. It is really impossible, even for a professional, to diagnose someone without interacting with them and performing an evaluation.

What age is he/she? Could just be a very active child. I'm not sure how this is ASD. Lots of people without ASD have problems w/ eye contact. Google symptoms of ADHD. Some are hyperactive/impulsive and others are mainly just spacey and unfocused.

ditto sallymom, on getting an evaluation. There are many, many possible interpretations of this behavior. If you or your child are distressed by it (and it sounds like you are, at least, drained by it), then you may find it helpful to consult with a professional.

Seeing a good professional often involves a wait. In the meantime, I recommend doing your best to see that the basics are covered. Review sleep and screen time guidelines for your child's age and see if you should make adjustments. Make sure your child is getting plenty of exercise and eating a healthy diet.

I would have sworn that DS11T1 NP results would have diagnosed ADHD. I was completely off base... Dx: specific learning disorders and a language disorder. Who knew?

Until you've had really good testing, you don't know. But if the child is wearing you or herself out, testing is a very good idea.

One of my kids has been diagnosed with ASD and sounds like the OP's kid. His ADHD-like symptoms are supposedly related to ASD (e.g. distractible due to thinking about his special interests).

Gifted kids tend to have special interests as well and spend a lot of time thinking about them. I am uncomfortable w/ the trend I've seen on this board lately of people suggesting ASD every time a kid is described as somewhat quirky (probably mirrors the trend in our society as a whole--neuropsych thinks ASD is overdiagnosed lately and I see his point). Sometimes the symptoms are obvious, like the child is withdrawn, not doing any pretend play, lines things up for hours everyday, stares at the ceiling fan for hours, etc. and there is a concerning pattern, but in this case the symptoms could mean anything or nothing. Only way to answer OPs question is to have her child go to someone reputable and qualified who can diagnose these disorders (although DSM criteria/checklist for ADHD is very simple to find online, so people can get an idea of whether it's even a concern).

ASD is something likely to be raised by teachers etc at some point as is ADHD. Getting it pre-emtively ruled in or out can be quite useful.

Eta. If you can afford it.