Adhd??

[mrssparkle123]

Posting on here for traffic, please don't tell me I'm being unreasonable 🙂
Oh and well done to anyone who makes it to the end of the post.... it will be a challenge!

Hi everyone,

I went to the GP with concerns about my 4 year olds behaviour and I only got a third of the way down my list when he said he'd refer us to rule out adhd, he did say it could be that there's nothing wrong with my son but a paediatrician would be able to assess more extensively than he could.

The concerns I have are mainly 'normal' child behaviour (I think) but possibly not that at the frequency and extremity that my son displays them. My brother is dyspraxic and some of these things do overlap, so that's also a possibility. I would just like some opinions from anyone who knows about adhd...

1. random loud noises at random times
2. very loud
3. interrupts half way through a sentence
4. 1 way conversations
5. frequent emotional outbursts, screaming and crying up to 10 times a day
6. irrationally aggressive, violent behaviour towards younger sibling (for example if he says a word he doesn't like)
7. hates loud noises
8. hysterical laughter
9. impulsive behaviour (jumping up on the table randomly)
10. always fidgeting, moving, can't sit still
11. lack of awareness of his own body (accidentally kicking people when flailing his limbs around)
12. obsessed with food
13. obsessed with death
14. inappropriate with body parts
15. very physical - sitting on people, squeezing people, jumping on people and likes people to do it to him, will be laughing while doing it and if the other child is crying he doesn't seem to realise/he able to stop
16. will totally switch off when television is on and be absorbed by it
17. very short attention span (unless it's for television!!)
18. very obsessive with characters/colours
19. very routined
20. takes a long time to fall asleep at night (up to 2 hours)
21. irrational fears, eg terrified of cars in the distance when he's on the pavement holding my hand, or terrified of a dog in the distance
22. appears sorry for doing something wrong but doesn't seem to stop himself from doing it 5 minutes later
23. repeats a question over and over until he is satisfied with your answer even though you've been saying yes all along
24. low self esteem and says he can't do things without trying
25. gets distracted half way through a task
26. instructions have to be repeated over and over very clearly and concisely

Thank you to anyone who managed to get to the end of my post 😂😂

My DD does all these things and she was diagnosed with adhd and is waiting testing for autism. It's hard going. Keep your head up 😊

Sounds so much like my DS! Currently awaiting a diagnosis but both ADHD and autism are possible in his case.

Sounds like mine too.

Count yourself lucky you have a good doctor. It took me from when ds was 3 till last year 7 fucking years later before I was taken seriously.

From your list, my dds (who I think are NT), when they were 4, did 3 & 16, and dd2 did 24. None of the others.

My child does all of the above and has ADHD and autism

Mines the same and currently awaiting an assessment

@NotSoThinLizzy thank you! At what age was your daughter diagnosed? I told his preschool teacher what the doctor said and she was shocked and said she wouldn't have said he has adhd, but then he only went 3 hours a day and played all day, I know he displayed some of these behaviours at school because they told me but they put it down to him being young..

@librarysuperstar how old is your little one?

@Threeminis that's awful! I am so sorry! Did the school flag things up as well?

@arethereanyleftatall sorry what does NT mean 😳

@HopeSpringsEternal2017 @Badbadtromance how old are your little ones?

Yes sounds familiar.

NT is neuro-typical.

Mines 7. Now i know i can see it. The strange noises, laughing inappropriately ect

Sounds quite similar to a friend's child who has ASD and possibly also ADHD. Great that you're being referred. It's so hard to tell as to some degree what you're describing is normal, immature behaviour of a young child but the fact that it stands out to you means it's probably more pronounced than is normal.

Sounds like my niece she has a number of diagnoses - ADHD, APD, Sensory issues and is under assessment for autism.

She is lovely and manages in a mainstream school. It is tough for her parents sometimes but the diagnosis helps.

Sounds like he has a lot of adhd traits, they don't usually start the assessments until age 6 though.

they usually ask that you've done a parenting course too, so they can rule out parenting/behaviour

My son (diagnosed with ADHD age 12) displays only a small amount of things on your list.
His diagnosis is moderate to severe ADHD.
He's 18 now and the main difficulties are disorganisation, concentration and some sensory issues.

A lot of your list is exactly my child who has adhd and ODD but there are some things that hint at autism in my (unqualified) opinion.
Things like the obsessional stuff I wouldn’t have thought was a big symptom of adhd. Mine is extremely disorganised and careless.

Good luck, glad they are seeing him so early. What are you hoping to achieve with a diagnosis?

Sounds like my 9 year old.
She's finally being seen by CAMHs who have referred to Pead for ADHD and ASD, also just had full cognitive assessment done. Probable dyslexia and/or APD.

I sincerely hope your referral goes through but if it doesn't, and he's at school, go to the school nurse. That's how we finally got the help we desperately need.

Our dd does not display any of these symptoms at school, however!

My dgs has been diagnosed with ADHD, but hasn't got most of the symptoms shown here. He's probably got 2, 9, 16 and 17.

Yes I think it sounds like ADHD. Poor him and poor you- it sounds challenging!

There's also a possibility of Asperger syndrome though with the obsessive and irrational fears (although that could be explained by a separate anxiety disorder such as OCD), sensitivity to noise, emotional overreactions and interrupting people.

I have a 9yo with ADHD and a lot of those sound like things he does/has done at various points, lot of hyperactive and impulsive behaviour plus emotional outbursts, phobias and some sensory things. Was also very obsessive about things at a younger age but has widened his range of interests these days!

However some of it could be regular 4yo behaviour, or more towards ASD (though ADHD and ASD are closely linked) or Sensory Processing, Proprioception difficulties.

Be aware that in a lot of areas they will not diagnose ADHD until around 6, as medication is generally only allowed from then (though I know a few children who started meds at 5). So in the mean time they may diagnose sensory issues, or they may refer you for parenting courses. If they do this please don't see it as an insult- almost everyone gets them suggested and it's one of the steps towards diagnosis.

If it is ADHD then DON'T PANIC! It is hard work and exhausting to parent an ADHDer, but it is very treatable. Read up about how ADHD brains work and it helps you understand why they do certain things and how to help them. And don't let scare stories about medication put you off trying it- it has been life changing for my son and for a few other children I know.

Sounds like asd/adhd. There is quite an overlap!
Good luck with assessments, the waits are often ridiculous but a good paed can usually spot enough to give you a good idea from the first appointment.

Thank you so much everyone for your replies! I would definitely go on courses if they were offered as I feel I'm failing him at the moment. I just don't know how best to move forward. As a few have mentioned he's still very young so I think it's going to be difficult to get a diagnosis at this age (if there is one!) but hopefully the referral can point me in the right direction for best supporting him! Thank you!