My grandson, age 6 was today diagnosed with ADD.?

Question

This was based on review by his prior teacher, his mother and a behavioral specialist. His mom and dad are divorced and he is physically placed with mom, dad has him e/o weekend. She sees alot more of him. Dad at first was receptive to this meeting today, but now feels that its mostly the moms parenting, and he "Doesnt see" any signs of it".
The specialist wants him and the little boys new teacher this fall to fill out a review too, and they meet again in October.

Seems like a long time, since June, when school was out, the mom has been working on this. Hate to see the little guy miss any more school studies.

Any suggestions on what she can do to help him, the school system has been great and as a grandmother he is the sweetest little boy, just once in awhile, he isnt..............
HELP

Answer 1

This little boy is a bit young to be diagnosed with ADD, particularly with all the issues going on in his life. However, many children his age and younger are quite correctly diagnosed with the disorder. I assume this diagnosis was done by a pediatrician? In our jurisdiction, only a pediatrician, or other medical specialist, can diagnose ADD.

I won't repeat some of the very good suggestions others have given. However, I am also a grandmother of a very active little boy. Try to be a solid support in his life, his haven in a storm, the place he can come for unconditional love and support and understanding when he feels that the rest of the world is upset with him, as he is probably going to need all the love and support you can give him. Be as involved in his school life as you can be, given his custody arrangements. Help his mom establish good routines in his life. If you can, try to act a a liaison between his parents to bring them together on this one. Follow the guidelines and suggestions of the medical personnel. The most important person in all of this is your grandson, so if you can try to bring everyone together to plan what is in his best interests, that is probably the best thing you could do for him - in addition to being his grandmother who loves him no matter what.

Best of luck to you and your family.

Answer 2

As a teacher, I agree with teacherg's comments. 6-year-olds, especially boys, vary widely in their maturity. I have seen parents and teachers both convinced that a little boy was ADD or ADHD, when in fact he was just a somewhat immature, active little guy with a lot of energy and not developmentally ready to sit still as long as was being demanded of him.
It sounds as if inappropriate behaviors are the real issue, and there are plenty of kids with behavior problems who don't have ADD. Usually the link between ADD (or even more likely, ADHD) and behavior is because the child has poor impulse control. He acts before he takes a moment to think about the consequences of his behavior. If that's not the nature of his misbehavior, then chances are that it's not ADD.
It's great that a behavior specialist is involved. I hope that a program is developed to help both parents reinforce, or reward, his appropriate behavior at home, and that the new teacher in the fall is following a similar program in school. As parents and as teachers, we need to be careful that we aren't paying more attention to the children when they are misbehaving than when they are being appropriate, because that teaches the kids that if you want attention, just "be bad." Once they have figured that out, they can be very persistent, creative, and manipulative in getting our attention with their misbehavior.
I know that October seems like a long way away, but I think that your grandson will need to settle into the next class for awhile before the new teacher can get an accurate picture of him. I hope that the behavior specialist is available to give your daughter some support in the meantime.
And I agree with others that the child's misbehavior may well be his response to the situation between the parents. A separation is a great loss to a child, and it's really common for children to react to their frightening emotions by acting out. Let's hope that both parents can put aside their differences and work together on helping this little guy get through this rough time.

Answer 3

As a teacher, I am very leery of a diagnosis of ADD for someone this young. Children will be children and if there are only issues once in awhile then I would be careful about this label. Have behavior modifications (rewarding positive behavior with positive rewards, etc.) been implemented at home and school that are cohesive with each other?

A side note to think about is that kids aren't as oblivious as we would like to think and he may feel that this is putting mom and dad together to spend time and it may help get his family back together or it maybe a response to time away from either parent.


Just some food for thought.

Answer 4

An easy way to see if this really is a physical issue, is to give him some caffienated soda or a little coffee (if he's not already on meds). If he calms down, seems more alert, and focuses better, then he does indeed probably have ADD. If he doesn't, and especially doesn't respond with greater concentration and control after trying a couple of different meds with the doctor, then he does not have ADD, and it is probably environment. It sounds like the little guy sure has been through a lot! He may have an anxiety problem, rather than ADD... which would involve a totally different kind of meds to help him calm down and relearn concentration and positive behaviors.

It could also be diet:

About 5% of kids who are hyperactive are really having a food allergy.

You may want to try removing different foods for a period of time to see if there are any changes. Here's a few links to help you with this.
http://www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/nutritional.htm
http://www.nutramed.com/Foodallergy/fachildren.htm
http://www.nutramed.com/children/hyperactivity.htm
http://www.healingwell.com/library/allergies/kaemmerer6.asp

The school should also make a referral to an Occupational Therapist for Sensory Integration screening. See this site for more information:
http://www.sensoryint.com/

Other sites to review and consider:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/02/000204073858.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1998-11/SU-DIBF-231198.php

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/adhd.htm
http://www.genetics.ucla.edu/labs/nelson/adhd.htm
http://www.chadd.org/
http://www.adhd.com/family/index.jsp

Answer 5

Look in your area for an organization that deals specifically with behavioral and/or emotional concerns in children (ADD and ADHD fall into that category). They can provide actual testing procedures to diagnose him correctly. If the problem were just parenting skills, the child wouldn't display ADD behavior in both the home and the school (especially at that age). They would misbehave only at home where discipline was inconsistent. ADD is not a serious problem for students. If the teacher is aware of his diagnosis, she can pay extra attention to him when he's working to be sure he stays focused. There are several new non-stimulant medications (Straterra and Concerta) that are very effective in low doses. Some studies have actually shown that a change in diet can also improve attention skills. Help him stay organized in school - that helps!

Answer 6

If it's just once in a while, and his dad doesn't see it, I bet he isn't ADD. Some techniques for working with ADD children may help, though.

He may have difficulty obeying females, but that isn't ADD. His mom can put together a pretty well organized schedule for him and work with him to follow the schedule instead of telling him what to do directly. This can work wonders with real ADD kids, who have trouble following ANYBODY's directions, but it is helpful for kids (usually boys) who ignore their mamas and female teachers by giving them a visual cue (the schedule itself) and a way to help organize and manage themselves. It makes it easier for them to remember to do the correct things at the right time, and allows them to prepare for transitions (getting ready for school, getting ready for bed, cleaning up, etc.) which is an art not easily mastered by small, busily engaged boys.

For example, the schedule is a grid on the wall or a wipe-off board. Get him to help make the schedule, and have treats and stickers, rewards and fun events among the requirements. Strict adherence to mealtimes, bedtimes, quiet times and clean-up time for a few weeks may seem like boot camp to poor mama, but it is well worth it for the change in behavior that will take place.

Some children don't do well with a casual, permissive, sweet style of direction. Having a schedule to support the softer parent can make all the difference. Dad will love the schedule too.

Answer 7

Children do express their feelings through their behavior. What happened to his parents might be what he is trying to say through his behavior.

Perhaps build a good friendship with him so he can talk about his feelings. Pay attention to the feeling underneath the behavior. The behavior is only the symptom.

Sorry it does affect the people that loves him like yourself, but your grandson is hurting. That's if his behavior pattern changed after the parents separated.

The father sounds like he needs help himself. To accuse another parent for the child's situation does not help your grandson. It will only affect him more. He loves both of his parents, and to hear accusation towards each other will not help him.

This a normal situation with a lot of children who face a divorce issue. Although not all the children express themselves like your grandson.

But with love, explain to him in a simple language, that even adult sometimes have problem that needs fixing. And part of that is to live separate life, and does not meant they do not love him. The good thing he will have more house to enjoy.

All the best.

Answer 8

i imagine you need to get a second opinion. I grew up round many diverse circumstances of bipolar ailment and performance in no way heard of such an early prognosis. actually, in accordance to authorized psychologists, the indicators of BPD develop into maximum obvious at about 20-25 years of age. there are an outstanding style of issues and developmental disabilities that percentage some indications of bipolar ailment, you need to tutor your self about those issues or maybe if or not they retain on with for your toddler. you may also want to question the self-discipline difficulty contained in the toddler's domicile and faculty. once you're dealing with slightly one or small toddler with a developmental disability or ailment, you need to shelter a depending surroundings and continuously be consistant. otherwise habit and emotional issues could get up. moms and dads and instructors could no longer use a prognosis as an excuse to allow undesirable habit. Their maximum substantial interest is to assist that child have a common existence, which ability they ought to have similar expectancies for this toddler as they could have for any accepted toddler. i comprehend how determined it makes someone sense to no longer comprehend what's incorrect with their toddler, highly once you get a prognosis that you won't be able to settle for. Youchronic your self loopy attempting to study each thing you are able to about the prognosis. One minute you sense certain that it truly is sweet, and an instantaneous later you assure your self that it truly is incorrect. My toddler changed into clinically determined with autism 2 years in the past and that i nonetheless warfare with the psychological tug-of-warfare that you're experiencing. the instantaneous my toddler began showing odd habit and give up assembly devepmental milestones, my existence replaced continuously. It took a lengthy time period for me to settle for it. quicker or later it only made sense; it truly is what I signed on for. we do not ever comprehend what we can get after we see both blue lines look. you've a tricky street ahead, yet your grandson is fortunate to have a supportive grandmother. The family participants help gadget is the most needed area of accepting and overcoming a toddler's disability. reliable success.