My kids teacher thinks she has ADHD do you have any advise?

Question

I think that my child is just bored. She is very smart and completes all of her work. However she don't listen to the teacher sometimes and fiddles with her crayons and pencils. She plays during reading time and the teacher has to get on to her multiple times during the day. I am taking her to the doctor tommorrow I just wanted to hear other thoughts...My friend thinks she has OCDC. Anyway what is your opinion?

Oh she is 6 and in Kindergarden...

In addition I do have some problems with her at home she is hard to control at times. I think that is because she misses her daddy. He is Navy. I know that I don't want to put everything on that but I know in some cases that makes a child act out. Oh and I was not planning to drug her. I just want to find a solution. I am planning to have her PCM refer her to a specialist. With the military you have to follow the proper chain of command. :o)

Her teacher thinks she does she hasen't diagnosed her. I would never take a teachers word to be fact.

I just crave information that is why I am posting this question. I want to know everything that I can before I walk into the room with the doctor. Please don't patronize me. I just want opinions not a sermon on how I am a bad parent.

Answer 1

Sounds alot like my situation. I have a 6 year old son and I am having the same problem. He is in the 1st grade and I think the same thing. I've had him tested and he does not have ADHD or OCDC. The school has tried several times to get me to have him on medication for it because the teacher feels that he has a problem focusing in class. He does do all the work and is on the level with the others in his class. I think the teachers now days need to change the mood of things sometimes to make it grasp the attention of the kids. Something they will enjoy doing. Pray about it and make sure they don't try to hold her back because they feel she isn' t learning anything. By the way, no matter what the school says, NEVER PUT HER ON MEDICINE FOR IT. My son still isn't on medication. I;ve seen kids on it an I don't want mine to be out of this world as those kids look. If you find a solution that you think works for you, I'll be willing to try it also with my son. If I find anything more that I feel will help you, Just email me so I can get your email address.

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Put in the subject ADHD

Answer 2

The problem with the world today is that it seems that some people can't grasp that a 5-8 year old just might not want to do things at times. Well I believe that ADD and OCDC and ADHD exist but not near as often is it is thrown out there by anyone having problems with kids. If your child is focused on things regularly why would you think she has a learning disorder. I love to read, I am terrible at math. So my math teachers always thought I had problems concentrating, while my English and writing teachers said how focused I always was. Lesson is kids will be kids, if you look at your daughter and think she has problems concentrating look very carefully, and get YOUR doctors opinion NOT the schools therapists. Good Luck but I don't think you need luck just some time.

Answer 3

There are a number of psychiatric disorders can look like ADD or ADHD.

http://add.about.com/cs/addthebasics/a/isitadd.htm

Your child's teacher, although well meaning, is not a psychiatrist and can't make a diagnosis like that. Taking her to a doctor is a fantastic idea, but be warned in advance, that many pediatricians and family medicine doctors are just as clueless when it comes to mental health. Try finding her a psychiatrist who can make a proper diagnosis.

We struggled for a number of years trying to get an approrpriate diagnosis for my son who is incredibly intelligent, attends a school for Gifted and Talented kids, but had a lot of behavioral and emotional issues in school. After treating him, ineffectively, with ADHD medication for two years, we finally discovered that he has bipolar depression, got him on the right meds and are seeing leaps and bounds of improvement! Good luck!

Answer 4

She might not have ADHD and just might be plain old bored in school. She is really young so I can see her just wanting to do something. Unfortunately, some teachers will say a child is ADHD if the child is causing problems in class and they think that if the child gets medicated then they will behave in class. Be very careful about believing the teacher. I'm glad you're taking her to the doctor for another opinion.

Answer 5

Both of my kids were diagnosed ADHD in kindergarten, while they were in the custody of their previous parents, so I wasn't involved. About ten years later, our younger one was found to have not ADHD, but sensory processing disorder and autism. My older boy has attachment disorder and abuse issues. But, in kindergarten, those things looked like ADHD to the teachers, and to the pediatricians involved.

Lots of things can look like ADHD. Your daughter's teacher sounds like she could be right, but with true ADHD, you're going to see the same symptoms at school, home, the grocery store, church, everywhere. It's not going to be a "school-only" problem, so maybe your child is just bored, or something else is going on.

If your doctor's information doesn't "feel" right, if you're not sure, if other issues sound more likely, if you really think the kid is just bored... you might want to get a referral to a developmental pediatrician, or a child psychiatrist, to get to the bottom of things. And by all means, talk to parents of other kids with a similar diagnosis. Find a support group in your area; it realy helps, sometimes in surprising ways. The first clue I had that something was wrong with my kids' diagnoses, was when I got involved in a support group, and realized that they weren't anything like other kids with supposedly the same issues.

Oh... but be aware... MANY kids with ADHD are insanely smart. I think it's nature's way of giving them some academic strengths, so that they can succeed in spite of their weaknesses. So don't let your daughter's academic prowess blind you to the possibility that she may have some struggles in other areas!

Answer 6

look you shouldn't have to feel like youre a bad parent. i have a step son who they say is ADHD but he acts the same on his meds and he does when he off so whe took him off now that he is in a stable home. see he went through a tough childhood and no one wanted to deal with him so they but him on meds and the school had some to do with that, these day thats how school deal with kids the don't want to take the time to deal with a kid who might need a little more one on one time or like you said who is bored in her class so may be she needs to be in a class that will challange her more so think hard and long before you let the doctors put her on meds. and one thing you can think about to is how well her attentation spand is if she can set in front of a tv for hours with out getting up every 5 sec then she is not ADHD

Answer 7

does your child really have add or adhd or does the teacher just not have enough patience for her student load alot of kids are being mis diagnosed these days because the teachers do not want to take the time with them they would rather have them zombified by add or adhd meds and then that is one less student they have to deal with check with your doctor a teacher is a far cry from a doctor and cannot tell you what is wrong with your child good luck to you

Answer 8

Sounds like normal 6 year old behavior to me. :o)

Even so, it can't hurt to have a full evaluation done by a child psychiatrist. Do not give her medications for ADHD/ADD that are given by her doctor without an evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist. It takes more than an office visit and a note from a teacher for a child to be properly evaluated.

Answer 9

I don't think the teacher is wrong in suggesting that there may a problem. I think most teachers get to see what ADHD is and generally know the warning signs and also what happens to these kids if it goes undiagnosed and untreated. If it turns out that she does have ADHD, medication should remain your last resort. Good Luck!

Answer 10

I would say she is probably bored. Do you have alot of trouble with her? Before you get to far into the adhd thing check out other disorders. My son was diagnosed adhd and really had sensory processing disorder. You know your child better than anyone else, stick with your gut feeling. (But also be willing to accept it if your child does in fact have a condition.) I did and saved my child from years of unneeded medication. His condition is treated with occupational therapy, not meds.