Has my child ADHD?

[arkboy]

School are suggesting that my child is on the cusp of ADHD. Came as a shock hence cry of help to mumsnet. He is above his age in reading and maths and his age at writing. He has just started year 2. The big problem is that he cannot seem to work independently and is easily distracted and still shuffles around on the mat in a group situation. He sleeps and eats well. Goes to school on a bowl of porridge and I watch food and tv intake

But he comes out of school chewing his bag or anorak and is generally subdued. He excels at following Lego instructions and has been so excited about recent electricity experiments.

Can anyone help? Anyone experiencing similar thoughts?

From your description, it doesn't necessarily sound like they're right, but they are flagging up behaviours that they might feel warrant investigation. Tbh he sounds a lot like DD (6)'s classmates - an ordinary little boy.

If I were you, I'd probably be shocked too, but pleased that they had flagged a potential problem, rather than not telling me iykwim. Do you think ADHD rings true for him? Have you researched it a bit? Have the school suggested where to go for help? Approach their concerns with an open mind - he may or may not have it - but maybe you can work with the school on how to help him focus in class.

arkboy, I'm no expert and wouldn't like to try and diagnose him. He does sound like he has some ADHD-like behaviours, but that's as far as I could go with it.

Have you been able to speak to the SENCO in his school? S/he should be able to give you more informaion and you can ask if he's been assessed in school, if you should be asking for a referral to a paediatrician, etc. Ask the Senco what they plan to do in school to help him with these issues. I work in year 2 class and we have children like him and children not like him, so I'm thinking he can't be the first they've met and they should, therefore, be able to suggest some strategies they can implement to support him.

I hope you get some more helpful replies from people who've been in your shoes. I can only comment from the outside, as it were.

My ds is gifted and ADHD, so the above average attainment doesn't preclude having an attention deficit disorder. That said, sheer unadultered boredom with the ridiculously narrow and timetabled school curriculum for gifted kids who aren't differentiated for appropriately, can look a lot like ADHD.

First step is to ask the senco to arrange a full assessment by the Ed psych (not just a snap iv tick list, but a full profile, so that you have an accurate picture of where he sits according to wechsler tests etc) and then you can see how bright, and discuss any ADHD testing as well.

If you do find yourself running the gifted/ ADHD gauntlet, a book called misdiagnosis and dual diagnosis of gifted kids might be worth borrowing from the library.

But, you know, he's yr2. Sitting on a mat and listening can be kinda wearying.

Ds1 has always been clever and distractible. It took until yr5 for a teacher to finally suggest formal testing, so push this now.

DS1 hasn't been diagnosed yet as paed refused to diagnose when we went to see them at age 3 and we were told to wait till the school referred him back to them again.

But we're more than certain that he has ADHD. We've always known he is very different from other children, but could never quite pinpoint why as he seems so normal and bright. We borrowed books from the library and did endless internet searches, seeing what 'experts' say what other parents experiences are. No surprise, he fits everything described for ADHD children.

For us we were more relieved than shock to find out why our DS1 is the way he is. It's been a while since I read the books, but I can vaguely remember there are a few aspects to ADHD, so perhaps your DS might have the attention deficit disorder, but not the hyperactivity for example. You would need diagnosis for that in order for school to understand him better and be able to teach him more effectively, presumably.

I agree with GeorgianMum, referral to paediatrician, speak to SENCO.. When DS1 was at nursery, SENCO obvserved him at nursery and made many useful suggestions as to how nursery could cope with him and help with his behavioural and toiletting issues.

Will be watching this with interest as DS1 has just started school and we are still clueless (and really struggling) as to what would happen as the paediatrician had signed us off and we have not had any form of help apart from the nursery SENCO the last year.

It is important to find out how bright he is though. It wouldn't be the first time that bright bored kids were dx ADHD.

A paed will ask school to do snap iv, etc etc, and you. But ADHD behavior can be exactly the same as overexcitabilities etc due to giftedness. So you need to follow both avenues.

A paed won't particularly care if he is bright. a psych will.

I reckon that DS2 is at the ADHD end of normal or the normal end of ADHD. School has never flagged it but it's rather obvious to me; I bet he'd get flagged in a different sort of school typical MNer choice, middle class Naice Ofsted=Outstanding Lots of High Achievers competitive mothers pushy SATs factory type school.

It's not end of the world. DS is about average in literacy & probably "gifted" in maths. If school are suggesting it, that means they think they can get him some specialist support which is bound to be a good thing.

I would post on "Special Needs :Children". There are lots of other conditions that could cause similar problems, or it could be that he's bored.....

Speaking as the mum of an ADHD son and a SENCO there is nothing in your post that screams out ADHD (but nothing that excludes the possibility either).

Some children with ADHD react badly to cereal and dairy products so while porridge is an excellent breakfast it could be a trigger.

mrz thats interesting you say that about the triggers.

I have a thread in SN about how I think DD has ADHD, hence my reading on here.

Every morning she gets cereal for breakfast but today she had toast iin the car as we were running late.

Today has been a pretty calm day. No tantrums and she has been listening.

Are there any other foods that can trigger it?

Loads.

A lot of folk eventually Cut out gluten etc. if you are interested in reading, there is a book about the GAPS diet by, erm, Natasha Campbell mcbride, I think.

It's just based on the same type of theories that lead people to recommend adding omegas, zinc and magnesium to the diet to see if it has any positive effect on ADHD type behaviors.

Or you could be really brave and go the whole hog and head for the Tinsley House thread.

None of this is advice particularly, (although ds1's teacher asked me if we'd medicated him after a week on omegas, zinc and Epsom salt baths) but all are worth exploring if you have a concern.

My son was placed on an exclusion diet by a specialist paediatrician (must be done under medical supervision) and basically had only rice, chicken, broccoli and water for a month before other foods were added. In his case bread, cereal, dairy products and citrus were the main triggers (all things you would think of as a healthy diet)
In his case diet was as effective as Ritalin and much less intrusive.

Thanks mad. This is all really new to me right now.

I will look for the books you suggested. I am quite shocked at the difference in her today compared to yesterday. To think I could help her behaviour by diet is definately something to explore!

Mine is on the ADHD spectrum, he had no motor skills etc etc, he seems to be coming good in year 3 and 4 with extra help, he still rushes everything and hand-writing is barely eligible when rushes but he just needs a notch turned down and he is fine, he is like this with everything, up in morning, brushes teeth, jumps into clothes, eats cereal, out door all in 15 minutes!!

Same again when home, out of uniform, into play-clothes, out of door before
I know it, bit like a human whirlwind!

but He comes in and into bath, into pj's and bed and sleeps all night and has done for a few years now. So no ADHD. Just a little bit hyperactive and dyslexic .

We had all the checks as his Nursery flagged it up constantly....

No harm in a check up I guess?

Sleep isn't a go/ no go diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Ds1 has slept fine since 10 mos and has an ADHD dx.

To clarify, it's one of the things that can be affected, but it's perfectly possible to sleep fine and still have ADHD.

Wannabe - GAPS is hardcore, I'm not going to lie! But it would be interesting to read to get a background of the ideas behind the dietary/ behavior links.

Most people don't do full GAPS. There were loads of threads at one point - a year or two ago, maybe? Might be worth trying a few searches. Omegas and zinc/ Epsom salt baths are discussed reasonably frequently on the sn board.

Thanks for that madwomanintheattic, I always thought that wa one of the main things as they kept on about it!! Mine didn't used to sleep until he started school, he started sleeping then, which is good.

He is very hyperactive though. I think I may be a bit hyperactive too though.

Mine has never slept through the night ...ever!

He'll be prime minister, mrz.

Or Jim Carrey.

Heaven help us all.

When mine attempted his first full night I woke him to check he was still breathing! You get used to getting up and down and up and down etc... totally out of habit now thankfully. He started sleeping better at around

5/6 years!