Does this sound like ADHD to you?

[belcantwait]

Ds2 (5) has AS. he is also extremely , for want of a better word, hyper. he is v fidgety in class and cannot stay still at home, never sits properly at the dinner table for eg. i think he manages it at school as is expected. he is like a coiled spring. we have always joked that he is like a dog who needs to go for a run all the time. i have yet to find an activity that wears him out . despite this however he sleeps really well at night, no probs getting him to go to bed or stay in bed (phew!!!).
the main concern is since he was one he has broken everything, usually on purpose . he draws on walls, dug holes in the wall by his bed (hmm maybe thats why he is so quiet at bedtime lol!), you name it he does it. not just his stuff, toys etc but also other peoples.
today has just about finished me off as was called to see his teacher, and turns out he has somehow managed to smash the sink in the boys toilets. the thing is smashed in half and only half of it remains on the wall. hwhen i was waiting for teacher i asked him if anything had happened today or if he had got into trouble he said no and he couldnt remember.
so we are waiting for a conners (sp) questionaire from consultant that both we and the school have to fill in.
just wondered really if this rings true with any of you with adhd dc and what might come of it in terms of school or whatever. he is currently not statemented.

i should add also this is the 4th or 5th time i have been called back at school this term. its getting a bit embarassing now 9ds1 never did anything like this!)

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oh and he continuously helps himself to food and snacks, taking massive chunks out of the cheese and stuff like that. that may not be related. i dont know.

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Hi belcantwait

My ds(8) has a dx of AS and ADHD and behaves in a similar way. Its hard to know if this sort of behaviour is ADHD if your child is on the autistic spectrum as sometimes the hyperactivity is to do with their level of anxiety and agitation caused by the ASD/AS than. I initially thought this was the case with ds but have come to realise that he has ADHD as well. Apparently lots of children are misdiagnosed with ADHD and then later go on to get a dx of ASD/AS instead. Ds also sleeps well and always has.

I know its hard but try not to let being called in by the school embarrass you - in the end your child has a disability and if he is acting out at school then that shows that they are not meeting his needs.

Have the school mentioned requesting a statement? If not then I think you should ask them whether they think he needs one and also ring the LA and ask them to do a statutory assessment. Apparently its better if you request this as a parent than if the school do it as you have more room for appeal if the LA says no.

DS snacks a lot but then he used a lot of energy. I don't think this in itself would be a problem unless your ds was eating foods with a high sugar content or artificial colours but sometimes food allergies can cause this sort of behaviour so it might be worth getting him tested for that. We did this 4 years ago when ds first started having problems and found that he shouldn't have refined sugars, artificial colours or certain preservatives. Cutting these out of his diet took a while to make an effect but certainly now he is clear of them we see a very quick reaction if he happens to eat some.

Ds is also very destructive! Have you applied for DLA? If not then I recommend you also do that - the gudies on the cerebra website are really helpful when it comes to filling out the dreaded froms.

hi dustystar, thanks for replying. was beginning to think i might actually be invisible lol

he has been tested for allergies in the past and all it came up with was mild dairy intolerance (which was causing v loose poo- nice). he def has sensitivity to certain foods which i try to avoid. he will literally gorge on anything.

the school have always maintained there is no need for a statement but i guess if things like this keep on happeneing they may soon change their minds! the trouble is he is v academically able so that seems to be a bit of a barrier sadly.

no trouble at all like this from older ds who also has AS so its a whole new thing for me. the wilfull destruction is getting me down i must admit but until now it has been confined to the home.

oops cross posts

yes we get dla, just reapplied. its a bloody nightmare isnt it? god how i loathe that form i really dont see how its necessary to go through the whole thing agin every couple of yrs, they should just ask YOU TO STATE IF AND WHAT HAS CHANGED. oops ds2 put caps lock on

Well I'm guessing if he's only 5 thats he's only recently started school or has just gone up to year 1. Either could be enough to be too much for him to cope with. Ds was always lively and challengin but we had no idea that there was a problem until he started schhol (and my mums a senco!)

I think the mere fact you have been called so many times this term shows that the school are not coping or meeting his needs. You don't need their agreement to request a statement - although obviously it will help.

lol I reapplied this year for ds and thought that I might have less to write but actually there was more because although he has got better at some things the gap between him and his peers has widened. He now gets higher rate care and lower rate mobility (cos he needs so much supervision). He used to just get middle rate care so it was worth the effort but I hate having to do it.

Hi! Some familiar things in your post! Obviously I dont know if your ds has adhd but he sounds a little like mine.
My son needs to run off his energy just like a dog needs exercise - and is much less jittery with regular runs! School send him out for a run around the playground! Ds is 8 (nearly 9) and has a Dx of ADHD and ASD, and sounds a bit like your son - although Ds has LD also. He pulled the basin off the wall several times and it is cracked now! This is not deliberate damage but impulsive behaviour. Everything is screwed to the wall because he isnt able to think ahead and seems to have a poor working knowledge of physics . He also takes food although now he tends to remember to ask before the first bite! His doing is ahead of his thinking IYKWIM! Unlike many kids with adhd he sleeps well, although he wakes very early.
Ds has got more in control of his impulsiveness - so there may be light ahead!

belcanwait

Some schools do trot out this line about "no need for a statement" and tbh its a load of old crap.

You're better off applying for it now that he is 5 rather than waiting till he gets to Junior school (where its a whole different ball game). Do not leave this, apply for the statement yourself asap.

Many children with AS/ADHD need statements to get through the school years. Without a Statement in place many such children flounder badly in school (have seen this at first hand in Juniors particularly).

Statements are also for children who have social needs too. I would write to the Chief Education Officer of your LEA asap and give these people six weeks to reply. You are in a far better position than school would ever be (you can appeal for a start if the LEA say no, school cannot).

If you're wondering what to write IPSEA have model letters you can use:-

www.ipsea.org.uk

You are your child's best - and only - advocate.

wow more replies! sorry didnt check last night.

to all of you, all your children mixed togather sounds like ds2!
re statementing we have an appt next week with his teacher so i think i will bring it up then with them and say i am going to apply. as presumeably the school need to support my aplication???
do you know if you can get a statement for private schools (where ds1 is due to not being able to cope in the playground of his state school- where ds2 is now!)?

You do not need school's permission to apply for a Statement but it is helpful to have their tacit approval. Even if you don't have their approval I would apply for such a document asap.