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What does adhd look like in a 6yo boy?

2 replies

ChittyChittyBoomBoom · 19/04/2019 18:52

I know it’s a big question with no one answer but I’d like to hear your experiences please.

Ds is 6 and is currently being assessed for adhd. He was seen by the community paediatrician in January who thought he has adhd. His teacher and I have both submitted questionnaires so we are just waiting to hear back now.

He’s always been a ‘busy’ boy but um not sure if describe him as hyperactive. Having said that, I have to watch him constantly as he’s always up to something. He has a twin sister who is very calm and sensible in comparison! He is very impulsive though; there just doesn’t seem to be a filter between his brain and him doing something daft. I guess lots of 6yo boys are like that though! He struggles to complete his work at school as he never seems to know what to do. I’d say he’s of average intelligence but is falling behind at school. He finished Reception at the expected level but won’t be by the end of y1 according to his teacher. He LOVES building and plays with his Lego for hours!

If anyone could share their experiences, I’d be really grateful 😊.

OP posts:
MrsMartinRohde · 19/04/2019 21:08

My DS is 9 and currently waiting for full assessment for ADHD; he was originally referred for a neurodevelopmental assessment into ASD and ADHD when he was 6, and diagnosed with ASD at age 7. At the time, because I didn't understand the subtleties of ASD presentation/development, I truly thought he'd be diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, or a mix of that and hyperactive. There's such a huge crossover in symptoms with ASD.

At 6, my son sounds very like yours, he had (and has) his moments of hyperactivity, that relentless, driven by a dynamo, energy, but certainly not always, and not really at school (that is, not really in the classroom, he would in the playground but that wouldn't be seen as deviating too far from the typical 6 year old). What was (and is) much more apparent was how he struggled with school work. Teachers would say he was in his own world. He was in intervention classes for maths and English, but even there the teacher had to have DS sitting by her so she could, as she said, "bring him back". He's seem to be not listening but quite often on questioning him, he could answer. But not always. He was and is working at below expected levels despite being of at least average intelligence. Home learning was what made me go and talk to his teacher, when he was in Y2 and start the ball rolling for assessment. It was always a terrible struggle to get him to do anything, but the one thing that made me realise that there was something more was after they'd had an internet safety day at school and they were asked to make a poster or leaflet, anything they wanted about something they'd learnt. Not only could he not do this, but he couldn't remember even having the special day. There was something about how he told me this that made me realise he wasn't bullshitting me, he truly could not remember. He also could never tell me what hed had for lunch, or what a story was about after we;d read it. At 6, he had started getting into Minecraft and Roblox and would play for hours, with hyper focus. He wouldn't listen to reason, would persist on a line or an argument (and he was argumentative), frustration tolerance was very low, he'd have to be repeatedly redirected back to tasks that were not of his own choosing (he really needed one to one at school to keep him on task). Behaviour wise, again, he'd be relentless and wouldn't stop doing something he'd been asked not to do until I made it impossible, eg, if we were on the bus and he wouldn't stop a certain behaviour, we'd get off the bus and walk, despite warnings up the wazoo (we no longer get buses, I pay for a train season ticket and it's worth every penny).

When he was diagnosed with ASD and not ADHD, I didn't immediately pursue the ADHD diagnosis as I felt school was offering him what they could anyway (classroom/teaching techniques, plus the intervention groups he was in because of his low attainment) and having the extra diagnosis probably wouldn't make a lot of difference in terms of what they could offer. But none of that stuff has made a significant difference to his attention/focus/concentration, whereas he's improved somewhat in terms of stuff that's specifically addressed the social skills side of his ASD, and consequently he's still behind academically. And as expectations are higher in terms of classroom and personal organisation, since he's in Y5, going into Y6 in Sept, and secondary school is very much on the horizon, I have pushed it. The gap between him and his peers is not getting smaller, and also of significance, he is starting to notice and become distressed whereas before he was oblivious/unaware/didn't seem bothered. In the end he was seen by an ed psych (through school, they got her in because of behaviour problems, mostly impulsivity) and she and I talked at length and after her assessment she referred him herself to CAMHS with her report as evidence/the basis.

I hope he gets diagnosed because I want to trial meds. He's got too much potential that's being lost. If anything will help I'll try it.

drspouse · 21/04/2019 21:16

DS was at the top of your Conners scale. He can't sit still, always fidgeting, getting up, running around. Tiny attention span. Won't listen to stories or watch live action TV because he can't follow them. Impulsive, including aggression. Never listens.
He has some ASD features (fairly poor social skills) BUT those can be poor in ADHD anyway and they aren't that obvious compared to his ADHD. He is too unfocused for restricted interests. He gets obsessed with one thing (e.g. a game) but that is also a sign of his anxiety (he feels it will soothe him).

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