ADD in children. we think my daughter has it, teachers are always talking about her attention span. insight.?

Question

we actually just had a meeting with her teachers on friday about this. it has been a long time thing, since kindergarden. i think it is time to look into it better. but i don't know how to go about it.
my husband has it now,he always had it as a child.
she makes great grades, she has a problem with completing work so now her grades are beginning to show that. she is in the 4th grade.
any suggestions?

thank y'all for your help.
being that there is a family history i think there is more to it than boredom.
i had her eyes checked out in august, right before school started. so that isnt the problem.
i assure anyone that i am not one to jump into medicating my daughter first. she has asthma, and takes enough of it anyway.
however if that is what it takes, for her to not fall through the cracks, then so be it.
she is way too smart to see fail.
thanks again.

Answer 1

it is genetic. so take her to a psychiatrist who can give her some basic tests and get information about her from you and your husband to diagnose her. you will see a dramatic improvement in grades and attention. you may have to try out a couple different meds though if you go that route. some cause irritability and some other unwanted to side effects. i also recommend a book called "Driven to Distraction" (sorry I forgot the author)for both your husband and you to better understand what is going on with them and learn ways to deal with ADD. it also includes alternative ways if you decide not to give her medicine.
here's a link......http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Distraction-Recognizing-Attention-Adulthood/dp/0684801280

Answer 2

DO NOT let the school pressure you into medicating her. DO NOT let them make the sole diagnosis. Often, they try to get a child classified ADD because they don't know what to do with them. They're either super bright or just a discipline problem. Case in point: my brother, when he was in first grade, finished all the classwork for first grade and a third of the second grade work by May of that year, and was bored with the teacher talking down to him, so he'd sit in the back of the class with a friend who was also bright, and discussed their theories about the Bermuda Triangle. The teacher told my mom that she thought he had a learning disability. Does that sound like a kid with a learning disability to you? No. She just didn't know what to do with him.

I suggest seeing a pediatric neurologist. They can do a complete workup towards diagnosing ADD. It should include a questionnaire for both parents and the teachers to fill out to get a complete picture of how the child acts in various situations. (I believe they're called Vanderbilt Scales) The neurologist should also do a complete exam of the child.

There are some pediatric neurologists that specialize in working with ADD kids - if you can find one of those, I'd start there.

Some kids don't need to be medicated, they just need to be stimulated intellectually.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

I'm not sure where your from but this is what i had to do ...
The teachers had brought it to my attention that my oldest had little to none for an attention span - at the time i thought they were nuts! He could sit and play board games till the game was over, he enjoyed cards, the computer, T.V. etc. But on the other hand i didn't want to risk his education so i took him into my family Dr and told him what the school had told me. In turn my family Dr referred us to a Pediatrician. Once we had the referral and our first appointment i could make my own appointments. My oldest son it ended up - was not A.D.D. - he was bored. There was no attention span because he knew the work that was being taught and didn't want to pay attention - still passing because he knew it. To this day he doesn't like to put pen to paper but will if he has to - he's in grade 5 this year. When my second son was around the 2 yr mark i took him to the Pead and told him that one of us was brokena nd we needed to be fixed, the sooner the better - explained that all he does is throw temper tantrums - nothing i as mom did was "right" in his eyes. After about ten sessions of observing my active 2yr old he was diagnosed A.D.H.D. and they offered to put him in Ritalin - i refused it. My mind set at that time was - if i can't handle him at two years of age, and he's immune to it come 13 years of age - i could be in for some real trouble. SO i started him on more constructive behaviour rather then the destructive path he set for himself. He's now in grade two - knock on wood - all is going well. He doesn't always get his work completed in school but brings it home to be sure it's completed for morning. I'm waiting for the day that this does start to make a heavy impact on his life and at that time we will have to decide on medications and such.
I guess what i am trying to say is - you won't know until you have a Dr diagnose her. Just make an appointment with your family Dr and tell him/her what is going on - in turn the Dr will take it to the next step. The testing is very basic really and it does not harm anyone!

Answer 4

In my case my son was having problems since 1st grade. The school suggested an "ADD test" which we did, it was basically a big long form that each parent fills out independently as well as the teachers and the doctor. From that they determine if the child has ADD. In our case my son did. We chose not to put him on medicine, there are many other methods that work well, later as the pressures of middle school started to take hold he did start taking medicine and our friendly talkative little person was gone forever. The medicine made him quiet and studious. Grades shot up and he stopped playing soccer, or going over to friends' houses to play. During the summer he was not on medication and by high school we found him flushing the pills down the toilet rather than taking them because of the effects on his social life. 6 months I stood over him as he took the pills. Then the next year we made a deal that as long as the grades stayed up, he did not need to take the medication. His grades did go down, but were still acceptable. He is medication free and works very hard on his own to stay that way.


My suggestion to you is to have your daughter tested. Use that test to determine your course of action. My son knew he had ADD and for years us parents tired to control it without drugs. But when the alternative was being on drugs, it then became HIS choice to be drug free and the time we spent not on drugs is paying off now as he has the tools to get the job done.

Taking the test does not mean she has ADD or even needs to be on drugs, it just means you have more information to make your decisions with.

Answer 5

ADD can often be misdiagnosed

Boredom is often the major cause of lack of attention

Kids often find school boring.

No one understands why they need to know history or places or names.

It's boring

Much more fun looking out the window at the squirrel climbing the tree.

Much more fun look at the cute kid in the next row you like.

Now, you going to dope up a kid and ruin their life with Therapy because the cute kid is more interesting than the teacher.

Another problem can be EYES

Have you had her eyes checked.

You have to explore all possiblities and even try talking to her before putting her on some exotic psychotripic that is a distant cousin to LSD at age of 9

Answer 6

Statistics estimate that 2-5 % of the population is affected by ADD. The poster above me is correct when pointing out this is the age that it will start showing. Please keep in mind my son was mis-diagnosed several times with ADHD. Children with ADD show distractibility, forgetfulness, impulse control, and disorganization. It is often misdiagnosed as any learning disability disease, however, pervasive symptoms for six months must be suspected.

Some children need medication and some dont. I refused my son medication and glad I did but, I see where it helps other children to feel normal in class. If left unchecked it could lead to serious self esteem problems with your child who will begin to feel inadequate. Anyway, see the resource below and find out everything you can.

Answer 7

I don't know. I would try different things at home first. When I was in 1st grade the teacher noticed that I would be looking out the window during her teachings. I did not even realize it. So one day she had me stay while the other kids took their lunch break and she started asking me questions about what she was bringing up in class and plans/programs she hadn't started yet. I was able to answer all of her questions and they wound up bringing my parents in and asking if they would mind putting me in the second grade. They then asked me if I wanted to skip a grade (If I knew then what I know now I'd had done it) Instead I stayed in 1st grade in a more advanced class and stopped losing focus.

Answer 8

I would suggest researching ADD. Also, if you really want to know the truth, ask about getting an EEG.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography

Professionals who know what they are doing can distinguish the cause of ADDish behavior from nature vs. nuture sources.

Nature sources would be, for example: genetics.
Nuture sources would be, for example: Diet, personality, experiences

Knowing what is causing the ADD-associated behavior will better equip you for knowing what to do about it.


Note: I am not a certified psychologist and only a professional can guide you with answers to this question properly. For an easy intro consider finding this book @ a bookstore and perusing it
http://www.amazon.com/ADD-Answer-Questionnaires-Family-Centered-Specific/dp/0670033367

Answer 9

We had to hold my 9 yr old son back when he was in second grade. He had a teacher that all but demanded him to be medicated. We had several meetings about his behavior and on several occassions, she gave us names of meds and their known side effects. We went to the dr and we tried the meds. 4 of them to be exact. SHE never noticed!! We figured with her knowing so much about the meds, she would notice if he was taking them. So, after that we decided to hold him back. It turned out that he didnt understand her style of teaching. She was more of a verbal teacher, he is more of a visual and verbal learner. The second time in 2nd grade, we got him with a teacher that taught with both styles of teaching. His grades improved dramaticly, he started talking more about school, telling us what he was doing. Now, his teacher did tell us he had some issues restraining from talking, BUT, he was never affraid to ask a question in this class. And don't we want them to ask questions to help them learn? Work with her on some of her homework, see which works better for you.. Verbal or Visual. She may be more of a hands on child.... She may not need the meds as much as she needs different ways of learning. Adults dont learn the same way, I dont understand why they think children do....Good luck. It will all work its self out.

Answer 10

This is the exact age when it starts showing...they are expected to become more independent. If you take her to a professional, they'll just put her on psychtropic drugs, which is just like speed. Please try an all natural approach first ie balance formula 1 or something like it. Watch her diet, make sure she gets plenty of rest. This all will be an inconvenience especially at first, but i tell you i put my 5 yr old son on meds he was on them for about 8 yrs. and now looking back i almost feel like i was abusing him he has all kinds of physical problems because of them now!!!