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 😂😂

@mrssparkle123
Do you mind me asking how much you paid for a private psychologist appt?

@WeAreSailing £195 plus travel as she's coming to the house.

Another thing is another trait of asd not liking touch? As my son is obsessed with tickles and being squeezed

Ok. What outcomes are you hoping for if it's not a diagnosis?
Sorry not being rude, genuinely want to know what benefits there are in this approach

@WeAreSailing she said she'll be able to make observations and opinions on whether she thinks it could be anything. Just won't formally diagnose, so I guess she may say 'he is showing signs of xyz' she also helps with strategies to deal with the behaviours. I'm just hoping it will give me more of an idea of what is going on and the report she writes might be handy to take along to the NHS referral. There were full assessments that cost in excess of £1000, I found 3 different centres/hospitals that do them but I think I'll start here first 😬

@WeAreSailing also all of the professionals I have spoken to have suggested a diagnosis wouldn't happen so young! 😫

@mrssparkle123
How did you find the psychologist?

@mrssparkle123

I initially approached my GP when DS was aged 3 and he was assessed for asd via nhs. From age 3 that took us to age SIX to get on paper! (The asd pathway in my area is known to be a shockingly long wait). Fortunately we had a verbal diagnosis at about age 4 and his primary were soo supportive that those interim years without diagnosis weren't too bad.. but such a hugely supportive mainstream is sadly rare these days due to sen budget cuts.

During the above process he wasn't assessed for ADHD as he was "too young". We were readily offered melatonin for sleep though but at that point I declined it.

Fast forward to age 10 I went back. Asked GP for a referral regarding his hyperactivity, lack of sleep and anxiety. We were on the camhs waiting list for a year and then had a really poor experience with them so I went private. The private paed diagnosed his adhd and anxiety, and later on his verbal dyspraxia. That same year he had a sensory assessment with a Barnados OT, again private but his lovely primary funded it.

For my boy he's needed the help that comes with having a diagnosis. Also by age 9 he was saying things like "why don't I ever learn" "what's wrong with me" "my stupid brain" etc which was heartbreaking.

Sadly we are again just having done a round of up to date assessments as he crashed and burned in year 7 and we are now struggling to get him a more specialised school place. His up to date reports show very clearly that he needs support and tailored learning, and is actually very complex, where to the outside world he can talk your ear off, makes eye contact, comes across as bright, etc.

We see his private paed every 6 months and she's amazing, I drive out of county for her and am so glad we came across her. I'm by no means a high earner but it's a cost I prioritise. Bills, food, paediatrician.

YourHand....where did you find the private paed?
After hearing so many stories about length of time to get an NHS assessment I think private may be our only option at this stage

I did a lot of research into private paediatricians and she was mentioned across several different parent support groups, forums, etc.

Strategies are exactly what we need here too mrssparkle. Half the time I’ve no idea if we’re doing right or wrong. This morning was tough. He had a party to go to, and he’s been looking forward to it. We get there and he’s refusing to go in, crying and screaming at me. We end up sat outside while he has his outburst, he eventually calms down and we go look through the door and decide to take the present in and if he wants we can just go home. He did decide to stay, and had a great time, but for that 15mins sat outside while he’s so overwhelmed by the noise he’s shouting at me I just wanted to join him and cry.

It’s really hitting home now that whatever his issues are identified as, he’s going to keep struggling with the things that other kids just take in their stride.

@YourHandInMyHand that message has made me very emotional, I really feel for your son and what a wonderful parent you are to give him that support he truly needs, I totally agree with you on the prioritising, we would do the same although it would be extremely tight to fund things privately. Finding things so difficult at the moment and my husband isn't being very supportive, he says all the right things to me but gets very frustrated with my son and isn't being very nice to him :-(

@WeAreSailing after much googling and researching different avenues, there's not much in my area though! We are also really struggling and I don't feel like I'm doing/saying the right things

Another thing is another trait of asd not liking touch? As my son is obsessed with tickles and being squeezed

That's part of Sensory Processing

www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/uk-mum.html

thesensoryseeker.com/sensory-processing-disorder-in-the-uk/

You may be able to self-refer to a paediatric OT that specialises in Sensory Processing, otherwise there's loads of info online and you can put some interventions into place yourself quite easily with everyday objects.

Likes being squeezed and tickled that's sensory seeking, he's seeking the input from those sensations.
Look up Proprioception and Vestibular processing so you can learn why he's doing that.

A pile of cushions, put dried pulses into a soft toy for a weighted lap-pad, the measurements are all online.

Most conditions have co-morbids, that's what you call things that co-exist alongside the main thing your child's been diagnosed with or has most debilitating symptoms of. Sensory Processing is very common as a co-morbid.

@BlankTimes thank you, I've bought a weighted blanket to see how that goes and some squeezy fiddle toys as well. I'm not sure about sensory processing disorder as he's always seemed fine with clothing and textures of materials and having his teeth brushed. Although he has always put things in his mouth more than he should and he does lick people and things 🤨

@BlankTimes we've also been doing 'yoga pretzels' some children's yoga cards that involve doing pressure poses together! He finds it hilarious (not sure that's the aim but hey he's happy!)

Well the weighted blanket isn't making a difference yet 🙄 do they take time? I looked through a check list of ASD and my son doesn't really tick many of the boxes I don't think!

👋 hi I've just come across this thread after searching ADHD. Just booked a GP appointment for DS who is 5 & really hoping we will be able to get a referral for assessment. Many on that list is familiar. I've found ADDitude to have some helpful advice.

@lepotato good luck with getting a referral!!
Xx

Thanks 🤞🏻

Can anyone recommend a good fish oil? I read that the best ones have 2-3 more times EPA than DHA but I can mostly just see DHA or small amounts of EPA

Well 1st step in place. GP has made the referral for DD - to whom I have no idea!

My concern is that it's going to take too long so have investigated going private. It will cost approx £800 and I've been advised to ensure any assessment is multi-disciplinary and NICE approved (to ensure results are NHS recognised)

Well don't @WeAreSailing. It is always worth investigating concerns.

While you are at it, you might want to consider asking for a sleep and breathing assessment. There are a number of studies that suggest 50-80% of children diagnosed with ADHD actually suffer from undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea.

Well done, not well don't! Sorry @WeAreSailing. Dreadful autocorrect there.

DS1 did some of the things on your list. He doesn't have issues with most of the more 'emotional' things on there though, he didn't tantrum, always slept well, did as asked at school/nursery but couldn't sit still or focus - unless he was interested in something like a film or game, then he was hyperfocused. He struggled a lot with making friends/playing with other children (we used to joke he was a 40 year old stuck in a 4 year old's body, he didn't fall out with them at all, he just didn't 'get' other kids at all at that age and thought they were all 'silly' - yet he was the one who couldn't stop twirling round, making silly faces and shouting every word as he lectured his classmates about how nuclear power works...).

He has ADHD and Dyspraxia. I also have Dyspraxia and to be honest, it has only recently been suggested to me by a few people that I may also have ADHD. He was diagnosed at 11, we started the process at 9 after years of being told he would grow out of it, they're all like it at this age, it's because he's a boy... He's doing brilliantly aged almost 13 though and has learned how to adapt to secondary school very well with a bit of extra support and understanding. Aged 10, he finally discovered how to do an 'indoor' voice - but now his voice has broken it makes him sound louder than ever as he has a big deep booming voice now

Interesting re sleep apnoea. I would almost 100% say that isn't the case for DS1 though.