Is my son hyperactive? Advice needed......

[DebbieKeys]

Hi Im new to Mumsnet and relieved to discover it. Need desperate advice regarding my 5 year old son! He was up at 4am this morning bouncing round the front room and being as loud as possible. This is becoming the norm just lately regardless of when he is put to bed. Have seen GP and Hospital Consultant who have put him on a list to see a Physchatrist, feel such a failure...am sure I can resolve without the help of outsiders but just dont know here to begin......diet is good, additives etc avoided but he is destroying my home, is violent towards twin brother and baby sis and his self esteem is so low its heartbreaking, any advice appreciated. Behaves perfectly at school and we channel his energy with swimming classes, gymnastics etc..at end of tether..

HAve you tried fish oils- something like efalex or eyeQ. They have been shown to work well for dyspraxia, and although there are no reliable studies anectodotal evidence suggests they can somteimes help ADD/ADHD as well (although they woulod take about 6 weeks to see an improvement).

Don't feel a failure- you have other "normal" children including a twin! so its not you. He may act out at home as its a safe place iyswim. Some psychs can be quite good- my son has autism and his clinical psych is sympathetic even if she can't offer that much advice.

Does he go to sleep easily? If not you could look into melatonin, although it won't keep him asleep.

Hi Debbie. We have one like your DS, who is the 3rd of 4. He was diagnosed ADHD/dyspraxia at the age of 7. Sounds like you are doing everything right- it is so hard living with a child like this & I don't think people with "normal" children understand the strain.

Things should improve once you've seen the psychiatrist. My DS went onto anti-depressants first & it was about 3 years before he went onto Ritalin. We were also given a sleeping tablet for him because he wouldn't settle until after midnight & was then up with the lark & I just didn't feel he was safe to be alone while everyone else was sleeping.

It could be worse, mine has behaviour problems at school too!!

Hang in there girl, it will get better.

yep.... know how you feel! DS1 was diagnosed ADHD at 7 and had behaviour issues at school so he's now diagnosed with Asperger's. Debbie- know how frustrating it is when they are fine at school- deep down you're glad ,.... but on the other hand you just want it picked up. I always felt the need to 'pad the way' before he made his enterance anywhere- we were always having to apologise for his mishaps and he was forever trying to kiss other kids...usually ended in tears- it got to the point when he was 7 that noone wanted to come to his party and no one chose to sit next to him at school- the mums avoided me- and i began to avoid going out- it was then we tried EQUASYM (same as ritalin but lower dose available) and we haven't looked back since. He's also taking MELATONIN for sleep- as I suppose for me the lack of sleep was the worst problem as sometimes he would do some pretty dangerous stuff (tied sheets around his neck and bit through his playstation wires) so i could not relax till he was settled.
It is difficult if a child is HYPER but not how 'people' imagine Hyper to be. DS1 could spend hours on one playstation game- yet not even concentrate for longer than 1 minute on a puzzle or worksheet- so i would say his ability to concentrate are a good thing to ask about at school- cos though he maybe 'good at school' they may say he needs help staying on track etc Read my threads from last april/may and you will see many of my descriptions when i was struggling to accept Aspergers-and though annoying...it is good that he is happy and well behaved at school as that will help him maintain some self esteem... DS1 at 7 wanted to leave this country!

Can I ask people when this behaviour typically starts? I notice people are generally talking about children over 4. My daughter's just turned 1 and I'm not sure whether her extreme emotional swings and lack of concentration are normal for her age or a sign of something else. She certainly seems different to other babies her age. Have moms with kids with ADHD etc. noticed anything when their kids were still babies? Thanks.

yes...ds1 aws staning on my lap when others were still enjoting cuddles- he had to face away so he could look around- he slept poorly- 4-6hrs at night max up to 3yrs old and day naps were no more than 30 mins- also din't 'stay on track' with any activity for more than a minute or so from as early as i can remember- by a year i was aware that he 'bored' easily!