Suspected ADHD in son

[M2H]

Hi all,

Never posted on here but wanted to get thoughts and opinions from others.

My son is 4, he has diagnosed SPD and theres ADHD in the family. Since he was little he's had over the top meltdowns, can't cope with change and/or too much going on. He's now got to the point that tiny little things spark a major outburst of hitting, kicking, throwing, shouting, screaming and crying. He is on a SEN support plan at nursery and i self referred him at the Drs. for ADHD but at this time they are taking it no further.
The meltdowns had lessened but are now nearly every day and on a 'bad' day multiple times.
Is anyone in the same boat and has any advice? Im open to hear all opinions and thoughts to help understand and improve family life.

Thank you All
M2H

It does sound like there may be something there but by itself that doesn’t shout adhd to me.
Also irrational daily meltdowns at this age can be on the fringes of the normal range of healthy behaviour, so it’s hard to say more based on what you’ve written

The challenge with ADHD is that the behaviours that tend to present are still quite prevalent in lots of children just down to age, ADHD becomes clearer the older they get as they don't grow out of the behaviours at the same rate, or at all. You will always require a second environment to support you in assessment so it'll require nursery and then school to see it too and support the documentation. Best advice is to keep a record of everything, research ADHD so you understand it well and then talk to to the school when he starts so the teacher is keeping a close eye. That would be my approach.

In my local area they will not refer children for an ADHD diagnosis until they are at least six-years-old. A lot of behaviours that could indicate ADHD in an older child such as poor impulse control, difficulty sitting still, distractibility, interrupting when others are talking etc are fairly standard behaviours in young children, the difference is children with ADHD don’t learn to regulate and control these behaviours as they get older like others would. If you suspect ADHD it is likely you will have to wait until your DS is a year or 2 older to pursue this.

Although you say you are concerned about ADHD some of the concerns you e mentioned such as difficulty coping with change, struggling in busy environments and meltdowns are also common in autism. Is this something you have considered?

Autism was not something I had considered until recently. He can be the most loving and inquisitive little boy.

It’s difficult to tell at that age. Our son had huge meltdowns from age 2, often lasting up to 45 minutes. This has lessened as he’s got older, but he still struggles to regulate his emotions now at 6. His ADHD symptoms became more obvious after starting school, and his school starting doing observations on him at the end of reception year. He’s currently on a waiting list for assessment via right to choose, which for most providers is minimum age 6.

Those two things don't mean that he hasn't got ASD, lots of people with ASD can be both loving and inquisitive

Has anyone suggested doing the two Ages and Stages?

The 48 month one is here

And the 48 month Social & Emotional Ages & Stages is here.

I would say try to get support from school rather than the GP, as under 5 it will go through the local authority (health visitor) rather than the NHS (camhs). At least here in England.
Also the GP only sees a snapshot so their screening is very blunt whereas the school nursery see the child through all the situations and can build up a bigger picture.
Our GP said no to autism for our child, but 6 months later the nursery teacher said he needs to be assessed.

Thank you all for your help! I understand he is very young and therefore too early for professionals such as GPs to act on it. I have spoken to nursery and have started EHA to get support. I just want to make sure I am doing my best for him.

Have you found the SN Children section yet too OP. That's usually very supportive and has a few wise MNers in there