to not seek treatment for my childs 'adhd'

[wearyandweepy]

I have a friend who is a health visitor. She, along with several other friends have said they think my 5 year old has ADHD purely based on her - in her words - 'extremely excessive energy levels.' On a school day dd gets up at 7.30, walks or cycles 2.5 miles to school, after school she does a sporting activity 3 times per week for 1.5 hours or else we go to the park for that time followed by the long walk home. She then usually trampolines for an hour while I cook tea, followed by going for a walk of at least a mile or two after tea. She still has tons of energy left and is rarely asleep before 9.30 yet never tired the following day.

A typical summer holiday day may consist of 3 hours swimming, several miles cycling, several miles walking, couple of hours of trampolining and still she doesn't get tired. I don't know if she has ADHD or not. She does struggle to sitstill; she loves rreading for example but regularly rolls off the bed while doing so as she fidgets so much. Same as tea time - she struggles to sit on a chair properly and stay seated. However, at school she sits still when asked and is very well behaved. She is 'exceeding' in most areas and learning lots. I can cope with her energy levels as I prefer to be busy too but am I being unreasonable to not seek medical advice/treatment in case she does have it?

I have no direct experience of ADHD and I'm sure there is a scale but if she can focus and can sleep well, I don't think any intervention is needed.

If she was struggling to focus then its different. My friends DS is a different child on his meds - without it felt like he was

Was overwhelmed by noise ( as if he was in a loud crowded room but actually there was just a handful of people chatting quietly)

Maybe look at techniques to help her not fidget at dinner? I don't know any, but I'm sure there's plenty online :)

You know your own child best, but there's no harm in getting a medical opinion. Either you'll learn something or you won't, but you can't lose really.

She sounds energetic but normal to me. I did read somewhere that very intelligent children are more busy and less likely to sleep for long (but can't remember where I read it and no idea if it is true).

My ds has ASD & ADHD. He was diagnosed at Great Ormand Street the day before his 7th Birthday. I didn't think his ADHD behaviours were that big an issue to be honest and still don't... other people especially school did.

I ended up using medication to manage ds's ADHD. We have been offered no other means of support, behaviour techniques, courses, nothing. Ds was excluded from school at 5. He ws out of school for about 18 months. He now attends a Special School. He will be treated by Camhs for the forseable future.

Your only being unreasonable if your putting your own feelings before your dd's needs. The reality is if she can manage in school, as you say she does and you can cope at home, why would you seek medical help for an issue thats already being managed effectively?

Best of luck!

Look at fidget toys and wobble seats on OT websites to help with your dds fidgeting...

At the table, try an inflated cushion, like the disc-o-sit - she'll need to expend energy just to sit still on one of those. If she's reading, try a weighted lap blanket. She clearly needs sensory feedback when she needs to sit still. If she's still struggling, after those simple things, then would be the time to seek professional opinion. Your HV is not an expert in ADHD, so she may be barking up the wrong tree.

Meantime, you might find a lot of pointers reading about sensory integration or sensory processing. The Out of Sync child is a helpful book and may help you to clarify whether your DC is just energetic or has a problem that needs a bit of attention and some help with coping strategies.

I think you know your own child best. Its not causing you, her or the school any problems... So what's the problem?
Sounds like your doing an ace job and this is a prime example of when well meant advice is politely ignored.

Part of the key to diagnosing ADHD is that the behaviour is having a negative impact on the child in one or more areas of their life - often but not always school is the primary.
If you feel your DD is coping at school and you can 'manage' her activity levels at home then I think you should just keep an eye on things for now but have a low threshold for seeking advice from medics as she gets older.

And as PP says, 5 is terribly young to be thinking about ADHD....

I do however understand why people are more vigilant about ADHD now, it can be a really debilitating condition for children and in the vast proportion of cases treatment (meds or non meds) can make a profound difference.

As far as I know (my boys have ASD but I have several friends whose children have ADHD), it can often be managed reasonably well at home, but it can and does often have a big impact on their school life.

Seeking a medical opinion would do no harm. If there is an issue that presents difficulties later on at school you may regret not having checked it sooner?

If what you say is true (I am not doubting you) I doubt you would get a diagnosis, tbh

I agree that if it's not a problem at school and not really a problem at home then she wouldn't meet the diagnostic criteria, so not ADHD, just highly active.

Would they prefer her to sit at Xbox all day?
Seriously if she doing OK at school and you Ok at home and she socialising and communicates well then I do not see a problem.

5 is very young, and school for her would so far have been reception.

If she's OK with the changes that come as children leave EYFS and go into the more school-like school from year 1 onwards, then chances are she's just energetic. But keep an eye on how she is during the move away from a play-based environment. And if there are difficulties, think about securing a referral as early as you can. A diagnosis won't change your DD, but will help you get her the help she needs if she needs it (and that isn't just a synonym for medication)