ADHD, what is the difference between a toddler with ADHD and a 'normal' busy toddler??

[y3dmm]

how is a busy toddler different to a toddler with ADHD??

would also like to know...

Try posting this on the special needs board, lots of wonderful people on there who may some experience,xx

With an ADHD toddler, you tend to be knackered at the end of every day?

lots of tantrums, cant concentrate, may be very thirsty, slow to learn things like tying shoelaces, very clumsy, chaotic.

Thanks nightbynight, but DS is only 17 months, just sooooo busy, tantrums are very short lived max 3 mins, will look at books for some time, is quite obsesive with keys in holes, picture cards, plugs in sockets etc, often for 20mins before he moves on. He has mad moments towards the end of the day, will run around at 100mph, spin on the spotm shout etc, then is totally out like a light!

Are all mums of toddlers exhusted by the end of the day???? I am!

I don't think you can easily diagnose at a young age. NAS Checklist for Autism in Toddlers can help identify children who may be showing Autistic traits, but is just an initial screening tool.

y3dmm - what you posted sounds quite normal to me for a 17 month old. If he didn't sleep and was like how you describe during the night, then that would raise concerns.

Anyone with toddlers is exhausted after an hour!

Don't know any toddlers that can tie shoelaces tbh

Well you just described my 21 month old! He sleeps like a dream at night but he is in high gear all day. He's NEVER still, very very busy and obsessed with keyholes! He loves switching things on and off and fiddling with sockets if I'd let him. He has very frequent tantrums but never last more than 5 mins. I am knackered at the start of the day never mind by the end of it! He is very easily frustrated and seems to have a very very short temper but is not agressive, just cries a lot. I have often wondered if he's mildy autistic or has adhd but to be honest I think a lot of his traits are just toddler tratis. If he's still like it when he's 10 I'd be concerned but they are just babies really.

My DS wasn't dx until 7. His behaviour wasn't much different as a toddler from any other toddler. It was 3-4 years that the differences started to show.

I think most parents of toddlers at some point wonder if their tots have ADHD. I have a friend with a 2 year-old who might have ADHD. He is up at 4 am in the morning,incredibly active and with no fear and very aggressive.

y3dmm - I have wondered this when my DS gets a bit over excited.

My DS is now 3.4mths and he has a pattern of concetrating on some things like thomas and then seemingly just wacky behaviour. But if I step back I know he is much better when the day is structured and I build in one to one time.

He does the thing before bedtime too we call it his mad half hour! I think it is when he gets over tired.

He sounds like a busy normal toddler IMO. I have asked the nursery staff about whether they think my DS is a bit hyper, and they have said he is just a typical little boy who likes physical play.

On play dates his friends are the same.

Have you tried to draw any of these comparisons or talk to HV (if any good).

HTH

y3 - your son sounds like mine, and I have wondered if he has ADHD, but things are slowly getting better as he gets older. (He's 2.9 months now.) He has been highly strung since the day he was born and is very intense. He's recently started to be able to colour, or do jigsaws, and this has been fantastic; I think he's just quite bright and this has always caused him to get very frustrated, he has a lot of physical energy too and finds it difficult to be in situations that mean he's confined for any length of time.

Try this book, I found it sums up DS and am less worried about the ADHD thing now. I also discussed it with the HV who also just thinks it's normal toddler boy behaviour, because he can focus on things that interest him. HTH a bit.

Most children have a mad hour before bed. At least this time of year you can let them dash around the garden wearing out their energy.

As a 4/5 year old I would have tantrums lasting several hours. I think that is one difference... the tantrums last a lot lot longer. I'm not diagnosed, so don't know if I am on the Autistic Spectrum or not, though some parents with children who do have ASD Dx have said that I seem the same as their children!

Boys in general I find are much easier if they have a structure to their day, if they get outdoors as much as possible, if they are not forced to do things they don't want to do. If only life was that simple... we all don't like doing things we don't want to do... but at least when they are toddlers, there isn't really much they HAVE to do.

It's not ADHD, but my neighbour has a very active, sturdy boy, 3.5, so same age as my DS. She NEVER stops giving out to him, always complaining about his active rough play - but they live in the worlds smallest house, the lounge/office/diningroom, is about 2x3 meters, insanely small, so of course he is penned in there and any normal activity looks totally insane on his part. I feel for him, he's just a kid, but gets shouted at all the time..

my son has ADHD i knew from a very young age that he had something wrong he was very slow at doing the normal baby thing like sitting crawling as he got older he was a nightmare he would scream at the shower door while i was trying to have a shower ,he would hide from me at shopping ,i did talk to a doctor but ADHD is not really dignosed until they start schhol my son couldnt concentrate he was always getting into trouble and was sent home eveyday for months he is now on medication and doing great if your child has it you would know something is not right

Hi y3dmm
My 6yo ds is dx ADHD. He has never had any obsessive behaviors. Always slept brilliantly and can sit for hours watching tv or playing computer games. His symptoms never really came to light until he started full time school. Inability to concentrate, pay attention to teacher talking to class, unable to work independently, 100mph in the playground often including 'rough' play, not appearing to hear what was being said to him and leaving his seat to 'wonder'. We had every test possible (including a 2nd private dx) and the final conclusion was mild ADHD. He is not medicated and is currently being helped with behaviour strategies and diet.

You will know in your heart if he is that different from his peers.

Joy76 Can I ask ... how old is your ds? Did his ADHD get worse at any particular age?

ds3 (stepson) has adhd .

At 2 he would not sit still , was very very aggressive , destructive and would not sleep very long.

He was constantly irritating the other children by breaking their stuff. Didnt seem to hear what you would say to him .Even if you asked him to repeat something straight after youd said it he couldnt...it was like he couldnt take anything in. Made trying to teach him anything very very difficult.

He would ask the same question repeatedly ...once we were going to the park as soon as he was in the car he asked are we at the park yet about 50 times in the space of 10 mins. . If he asked a question and he didnt get the answer he wanted hed just ask the question again over and over until you gave in

Always asking for drinks of juice ....seemed to be addicted to orange squash ( now banned from it rhibena , water or milk only here) , sweets and junk food.
Would also have eating problems ...give him his dinner and hed only eat a couple of forkfulls then say he was full....10 mins later hed want something else (usually weetabix) ...was like he even had no concentration for eating.

Would get minor obsessions , and want somthing yesterday.

Would run until sweat was pouring off him , until his hair was wringing wet .

Had no concept of danger , could not be left alone.
Could not sit still at all. even if he managed to sit down he was constantly figiting.

ONCE he was at school he was medicated , and although the side effect scare the shit out of us , he is better on them. He didnt read until after getting the meds.....just couldnt sit still long enough to learn anything.

He is 10 now. And still a bit haywire , but manageable..

His reading age is still a bit low , but hes catching up now... thing is hes quite clever so its not a case of hes not intellegent ...just that the adhd blocks the info getting in !.

His side effects to the meds are ....doesnt eat whilst on them .
When the meds wear off he goes into what we call super-mode ...the adhd come back with a vengance about 4 o`clock ish.
He suffers frequent , painful headaches .
He gets frequent nosebleeds. (doctors not convinced this is side effect)
His little eyes get that delightful "on drugs" look when his pupils go funny and his eyes get a reddish tinge. .

He is on a very high dose for his height/weight , hopefully it can be decreased soon.

I hate ds3 being on the meds at all , but i know he needs them at this time , and he cant function properly without them.

PROS FOR MEDS .... hes learning at school.
his brothers and sisters like him now !
he has made friends .
he can join in playing games with other children and has learned to share , not to hit ect.
Hes not as much of a danger to himself ...