Parents of children with ADHD can you help, please?

[lottielou7]

My dd is 7 now and she has dyspraxia and her paediatrician thinks she may also have ADHD. As she's getting older, her symptoms seem to be getting worse - she's constantly shouting and today she just opened the car door whilst it was moving. She often find it very difficult to concentrate both at home and at school and she finds it impossible to sit down and eat her dinner (one example).

It's been established that she does not have a learning difficulty but her problems affect her academic progress hugely. She's seen a Ed Psych who said her main issue is with executive functioning.

My question is, do these things sound familiar to you? And also is there anything that can be done to help children with ADHD?

[lottielou7]

Also I have an older dd who is severely autistic and they are quite a bad combination because dd3 is so noisy and dd1 can't stand it.

[ouryve]

Safety first - make sure the child lock is on in the car! That's rather frightening.

It sounds like, whether she has ADHD or not, she might have some sensory processing difficulties. These can make it very difficult for her to self regulate.
www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder/
My eldest has ASD, ADHD and a lot of sensory processing difficulties. He's medicated for ADHD, which takes the lid off everything, but we still provided a weighted blanket, a fleece blanket, lots of squidgy cushions and so on and school gives him access to quiet spaces, fiddle toys etc and his ICT teacher makes sure he doesn't get overheated, as this really bothers him.

Executive functioning wise, many kids benefit from simple visual reminders - lists or charts. DS1 won't have anything to do with these, so we tend to end up talking him through routines - almost always end up telling him to put his top on the right way around!!!

And DS2 has ASD and is very loud. Bad combination barely touches the surface! DS1 can't cope with any of his brother's noise, even when it isn't that noisy and he is completely thrown by his unpredictability. Things can get rather, er, fraught.

[lottielou7]

I'm glad it isn't just us! Thank you for your advice. In the future I will lock the car when driving, definitely - she's never done anything that silly before.

Yes, it's generally thought that she does have sensory and processing difficulties as well. I'm not sure whether she's on the spectrum but I would say she might have a few traits but not enough for a diagnosis. Although I myself am on the spectrum too and I didn't even know until a few years ago!

[Indantherene]

What has the paed suggested?

I have 2 with ADHD; DS (25) and DD (9), both medicated. Both are also dyslexic and have dyspraxia. DD also has sensory processing issues.

Medication was an easy choice with DS because he was violent and DH was worried what would happen as he got bigger. The decision was harder with DD but ultimately she was struggling so much with school that we decided to see if it would help. It has.

[lottielou7]

The paediatrician hasn't suggested anything - to be honest services are useless around here and her doctor works one day a week. At least she is trying to move towards a dx though...as I say, she seems a lot worse at the moment.

She suspected ADHD but hasn't said definitively. Her teacher and I have completed Connors questionnaires.

It's good to hear that there can be a solution for some children though.

[lottielou7]

Some people keep suggesting that dd3 is only acting this way because she has an older, very disabled sister and she's trying to get my attention.

Do any of you have this sort of thing from other people? I think it's obvious she is not NT.

[MrsBobDylan]

We do - I think it's obvious that my DS isn't NT but we still get those sort of comments occasionally. I think it's a way of not having to talk about stuff which makes some people feel awkward.

My DS has ASD and is currently going through an ADHD assessment. I spoke to someone yesterday who said her daughter's ADHD behaviours became more pronounced as she got older. She's medicated now which has apparently made a huge difference.

[DigestiveBiscuit]

Lottielou regarding comments that dd is behaving like this to get your attention - while, there may be some truth in it, IMO, its more likely that these things run in families. I asked one GOSH consultant (admittedly a neurologist) about why members of the family have variations on a theme of auditory processing difficulties, and she called it "Variable penetrance"!

[lottielou7]

I really think that dd does have ADHD, personally. I'm going to speak to her teacher and ask how things are going. I'm wondering whether school is challenging so she lets it all out at home time. She seems very OTT when she comes out of school especially.

[lottielou7]

Thanks for your comments.

[lottielou7]

I've had a really difficult weekend with her. My oldest dd (14) is very challenging and I feel as though I'm going under sometimes.

Everything with dd3 is a battle. She argues with me about everything and shouts over me when I'm trying to speak to one of my other children. I hope her doctor will try to do something to help because really. I'm barely coping with dd1 the way she is.

[lottielou7]

She's been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. Apparently her teachers view and mine are the same. The paediatrician has suggested trying medication to help her focus at school.

[lottielou7]

Dd3 that is!

[Waitingforsleep]

Can I ask what inattentive adhd is?

[ouryve]

ADHD can be primarily inattentive (literally can't focus, often even on something motivating) primarily hyperactive or combined.