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Original poster

I suspect my ds has ADHD - what do I do?

27 replies

Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 20:26

I met with my ds's teacher and headteacher today to discuss his behaviour. During the discussion the headteacher asked if we had seen the doctor with regards to his behaviour. We then discussed his levels of anxiety and methods of controlling it and his impulsive behaviours.
Due to the comment about discussing it with our GP I have been looking at anxiety in children on the internet and ADHD seems to appear again and again.
Looking through the list of symptoms on these sites he "ticks" the vast majority of traits.
What do I do now?
What are other families' experiences of investigating such symptoms?
What does an ADHD diagnosis mean for my ds?
I have so many questions and don't really know where to start. Sad

OP posts:
IndigoBell · 28/01/2011 20:33

You've come to the right place :)

First thing you do is make an appointment to see the GP and tell him you think DS has ADHD. The GP will refer you either to a paed or to CAMHS, depending on your area...

An ADHD dx means that it'll be easier for you and for school to help him. There is so much you can do to help ADHD, it's really not at all a 'bad' dx to get.

I'd also start with something simple like giving him Omega Fish Oils.

Keep talking here, keep reading, and wait for your appointments to come through...

I'm sure you feel terrible right now. Have a glass of wine and join us on the Friday Night thread :)

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 20:37

Thanks IndigoBell I feel a little less terrified already just hearing that it is not a terrible thing.
We will get some Omega Fish Oils - is there a particular type that you would recommend for effectiveness or palatability?
What is the Friday Night Thread?

OP posts:
Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 20:37

Think I just found the thread Smile

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notapizzaeater · 28/01/2011 20:59

We started giving my DS fish oils a few months ago , whilst not a magic cure - he is much much calmer - we give him a combination of the chewable ones (Boots or Tesco - as he likes the sensation of them popping but they don't contain much oil) and 2 eskimo oil tablets - my DS does not have any problem swallowing tablets and these are quite big ....

The difference in his mood was almost immediate ...

Weare waiting for CAHMS referral and statementing for ADD ...

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 21:03

Thanks pizzaeater - did you get the eskimo tablets from the chemist?

OP posts:
IndigoBell · 28/01/2011 21:09

My secret Fish Oil is Nature's Own

It's a fishy tasting oil - so I pour it over tuna and then DD doesn't know she's having it. She just happens to have a snack of tuna every day :)

It has 495 mg of DHA per teaspoon in it.

Get any brand you want - but I'd recommend getting the one with the most DHA. The amount of DHA and EPA varies enormously between the diff brands.

It's made a huge diff to DD.

notapizzaeater · 28/01/2011 21:11

I got them from here : www.health4youonline.com/health_supplements_nutri_eskimo_kids_nu3306.htm

Though there are lots of online shops selling them.

HTH

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 21:12

This is very encouraging. Ds is a vegetarian so sneaking in fish oil is going to be tricky but at the same time, it is obviously something which may well be lacking in his diet. I will buy small amounts of each type until I find one which I can get into him without a fuss.
Has anyone else made any dietary changes to help their dc behaviour?

OP posts:
notapizzaeater · 28/01/2011 21:15

You can get a veg version (DS is allergic to seafood so was very very wary of using fish oil - though hes been OK)

I just added fish oil to his diet at the end of the summer hols and within a week he was just "nicer" more patience, less stressed and altogether calmer.

notapizzaeater · 28/01/2011 21:19

Boots do one this page

notapizzaeater · 28/01/2011 21:20

I meant Boots do a vegetarioan version ....

dietcokeandwine · 28/01/2011 21:27

carrotsandcelery the other thing you can do is just not refer to them as fish oil at all (presumably if DS is veggie he won't know what fish tastes like anyway). I have a 6 yo DS with ASD (I also suspect he has a bit of ADD in there too) who has also been massively helped by introducing daily fish oils...I use the EyeQ chews which are strawberry flavoured and we just call them his 'strawberry juice'. If I tried to call them fish oils I suspect he'd run a mile rather than happily ingest them Grin

Good luck with the DX and with getting some help for DS.

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 21:32

Thank you once again everyone. My dh informs me that vegetarian "fish" oils are considered to be completely ineffective Hmm
I am trying hard not to think about it and just to do the best I can to help my ds.

OP posts:
IndigoBell · 28/01/2011 21:34

Yes - the Omega Oils that come from plants don't contain any DHA. So I really think you do need to get a high quality fish one.

notapizzaeater · 28/01/2011 21:41

Carrots - we have both the chewable orange ones and the eskimo ones - they can taste funny - my DS for example will not have the EyeQ ones - either the strawberry or the orange but my friends DS whos is ASD will only have the strawberry ones.

If you want I can post you a couple of each to try rather than spending a load of money on them ....

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 28/01/2011 21:48

pizza that is so kind of you - thank you. We don't mind buying them though as my dh is fairly sure he also has many of the issues that ds has so he is going to try the fish oils too. He will get all the rejects from ds until we find ones we can get into him. Grin

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Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 29/01/2011 19:58

We got some Omega 3 today. We live in a rural area so all we could get was Haliborange Kids. It has a DHA of 200mg if he takes the recommended dose of 2 capsules. He seemed happy with the taste. I was unsure about the level of DHA though. I assume the Eskimo tablets have a higher level. Can I give more of the Haliborange while I wait for the Eskimo to arrive or should I just be patient?
I also got some Bach's Rescue Remedy. We were considering putting some in his water bottle for school. Has anyone any experience using this? Does it have any effect?
Thanks everyone for being so helpful. I suspect we have a long road ahead of us but it helps to know that others are on it and will offer advice where they can.

OP posts:
IndigoBell · 29/01/2011 20:21

Yes, we've had success with rescue remedy as well. My son uses the one you squirt on your tongue when he's stressed.

If your son will take the omega oil you've bought him, then you're doing well. 200mg of DHA is a good start and a lot more than he was getting. You should be able to double the dose if you want to.

Report back if you can or can't notice any changes :)

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 29/01/2011 20:27

Thanks Indigo - I will report back. How soon should we expect to see a difference and what should we hope to see/look out for?
Ds is ill just now with a nasty cough and fever so I suspect it will be hard to compare behaviours right now.

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notapizzaeater · 29/01/2011 21:35

I noticed within about 1 week with my DS and he got progressivly calmer. I didn't tell My mum and she had DS for a few days and mentioned how much more fun he was, small things were no longer the end of the world. DS has both the eskimo oil and the teswco chewy ones as he likes the "pop" on his tongue. I queried it with my pharmacy and he told me I'd have to give him the whole bottle for him to overdose on it !

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 29/01/2011 22:01

Thanks Pizza - I will give him a bit more until the Eskimo arrives. Small things not being a disaster would be sooooo nice Grin

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Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 31/01/2011 22:20

I saw my GP today who was really lovely but a little Hmm that the school hadn't referred him to the school doctor themselves. He is going to sort out a referral for me though, probably through a visit to the school doctor first.
The school won't allow the Bach's spray but are happy for me to put the drops in ds water bottle.
I have told the school what was going on today and they were pleased so I hadn't misunderstood about the referral. Very odd.
It doesn't matter though as long as it gets done.

OP posts:
IndigoBell · 01/02/2011 10:21

I'm afraid you're now entering the world where you can't trust any professional. Some of them are good and know their job - and a lot don't.

I've never heard of school referring a child to a doctor - or even such a concept as a school doctor. But each LEA is different.

So it is entirely possible that your SENCO should have referred your DS and didn't know that she was meant to. It is also entirely possible that the GP was meant to and she didn't know that....

GPs tend to know nothing about how the education system works, and school's tend to know nothing about how the health system works.

From now on - you have to be the knowledgeable one and keep on top of who should be doing what :)

Original poster
Carrotsandcelery · 01/02/2011 14:01

I am in Scotland Indigo and used to work in a school. I think, from what I have seen, that it is not unusual for a school to refer a pupil for assessment to a school doctor. If the school doctor refers my son it seems I may be sent to a former colleague of mine - how bizarre will that be? Hmm I know he is lovely and good at his job though so I suppose it takes some of the unknowns out of it.
The GP is very experienced and said this is how it has always been.
This is our head's first proper year as a head so it may be that she has never done this before. I fear she will be the weak link in the chain although I may be unfair there.
Now I just play a waiting game.
I think, as you say, I have to research, research, research... Grin

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MadameSin · 01/02/2011 17:15

Carrot I'm in the South East and we only had a 4 month wait to see a paediatrician and obtain a dx for our ds2 who has ADHD. My GP was able to refer him directly to the paediatric behaviour dept of a hospital. (don't understand why your GP can't do this .. what if the issue had not arisen at school ??) After some form filling, some OT input at the assessment and a previous SALT report, the dx was pretty much spot on. Down here, it's usually quicker if the referral is made yourself via the GP as oppose to the school. You also get to take control of the process and stay informed every leg of the 'journey'. Sounds like you may need to keep on top of things. The thought of going through the process is so much worse than the actual process itself. It wasn't a shock when we got the dx and to be honest we were all able to breath a sigh of relief. School have been brilliant and he's much happier now they understand him better. We have given him omega 3,6,&9 for the last 3 years so cannot say if they have really worked, but I'm frightened to stop in case they have .. iyswim Smile He has an additive free diet, well as much as I can possibly do. No artificial sweeteners as send him loopy and sweets/chocolate seriously restricted ... oh, an absolutely no fizzy pops - even bisto gravy is hell on legs in this house Grin The paediatrician we saw was very straight talking about the diet side of treatment .. she felt that it was an important as any medication a child may be prescribed (my ds not on meds by the way).