Is it possible for my 20month to show symptoms of ADHD??or is this us jumping on the bandwagon !?

Question

I know every parent with a problem child now thinks there son/daughter has ADHD !!!

But our son ( we think ) has some sort of disorder ??

I got some great advice of people on here before ....(( our 20month old baby has uncontrolable fits (tantrums) that last HOURS !! and is aggressive...we are going mad ))

he seems to get pleasure from physically huting people or making them cry.

He will attack me , his 5yr old brother and my husband.

He is also waking 3-5 times a night screaming ( fits almost )
These can last for up too 4hours.
We have tried everything possible ( removing him , trying to calm him , mimiking him , tappiung his hand , explaining to him , all the usual stuff )

NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK AS HE IS GETTING WORSE EVERY DAY.

ANY ADVICE WILL BE GRATEFULLY REVIEVED AS WE ARE OUR WITS END !!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

You need to seek help - this is not normal behaviour and the sooner you get some help the better for the whole family - your toddler included.

There are many things that could be causing this behaviour and nobody can make any sort of valid diagnosis on here - you need specialist help.

Go to your GP and they will know where to refer you for assistance. One form of assistance should be respite care and I am sure you could all do with that.

One thing I would like to share with you, that I gained from a very good seminar I attended some years ago. All challenging behaviour is caused by a failure to communicate. At first I found this hard to believe, but when I accepted the premise, I found it to be a valid claim.

Answer 2

My sympathies with you. Anyone who has a child with this condition (and it is a long process of identification, although a parent knows straight away that there is an underlying issue) has got to get used to the fact that their lives are going to have to be adjusted. Your child does seem quite young yet to be labelled, but my son followed a similar pattern at about the same age (and he is ADHD, now 11 years old.) Try some simple stuff first..
1. This sounds cheesy but, try and have relaxation music around the house (the whale stuff etc) Don't pacify him with unsupervised tv - esp things like cartoon ntwk or even cbeebies.
2. Watch what you feed him - moreso what nan, grandad, aunts and uncs do.
3. Watch who he plays with - home and elsewhere. It won't be long, if not already, that he is getting blamed for everything. (Just because it usually is him!) and this sh*t sticks forever!
4. (This is hard work) Keep telling him that he's a good boy, even when he's done nothing in particular - just don't tell him that when he's been bad!
5. (Even harder) Try not to go anywhere that he tends to behave consistently bad. (Most parents of ADHD kids inadvertantly become hermits, be it right or wrong.)
6. Don't be afraid of eating humble pie! If you think that your son is going to be a handful wherever you may take him, try and let the relevant people know first.
Try a few of the above first before attending all the req'd health people. Same goes for groups, forums etc. Do the home stuff first.
Good luck to you all, and by the way don't be worried about dumping old mates, colleagues etc because they're always on your case about him - your own family comes first (even when they do really p*** you off!)

Answer 3

Lots of kids this age behave just like your son then turn into pretty normal beings by the time they are 4 or 5. How about getting the "Everything Parents' Guide to Temper Tantrums" by Robin McClure (or have a look on Amazon for a similar book) and reading that before you go rushing off to the child psychologist or your GP(as I imagine other posters here will advise you to do).

I have found homeopathy useful for treating the worst excesses if these tantrums but you need to see a professional as every kid is different.

Answer 4

i used to work in a speacial need school and from what you are saying it is possible for him to have it as when the child is about 2 that is when the symptoms really start to come out also ADHD is most common in boys. when he is a bit older or if he understands now what he is feeling try having a quiet area for him so when he feels like he is getting angry (when he wants to attack) he can go and sit on his own it doesnt matter where he goes if its under that table let him go there the main thing is let HIM control it he will choose a place where he feels safe and that will help him calm down. untill he is old enough to do that im afraid i dont no anything to suggest to help now.
if i was you tho i would go to your doctor and explain what is going on maybe if you have a video camra you could set it up for a few days and just leave it running so you can then look back on it and see if theres anything you are doing that is making him worse but then also it wil be proof of his behavoir so when you go to the doctors he cant just fob you off.
also just a thought he around 2years so it might just be the terrible 2's but try the video camra idea as you will bebale to look back and you might see that in the heat of the moment theres things you ae doing that are making him worse.
good luck.

Answer 5

Please, please, please get some help for you and your son. I have a son who is almost 2 1/2 years old, very rambunctious, wild, out of control, etc. and I know how frustrating it can be. If you feel like the situation is out of control you could snap, and nobody wants that to happen.

There is support out there for you. First, like others have mentioned, go to your pediatrician. She/He will be able to recommnend help for you and him. Second, whatever they say, know that it will be okay. Of course every situation is different, but I have 3 kids and they are all very different. My first was a lot like your son, she would through tantrums and wake up screaming in the middle of the night. She also had colic. Many times kids like this are very smart and have a hard time expressing themselves when they are little so they get angry. My daughter is now 13 and a straight A student in honors classes.
My second daughter was a perfect baby and kid, no problems whatsoever. My last one is my 2 1/2 year old son who is totally different. He is just starting to verbalize. At 20 months he had a very limited vocabulary only 1 word at a time like car, mom, dad, but that was it. We took him to speech therapy and the very new very young therapist mentioned autism because he doesn't listen is very hyper, etc. I freaked out, but she didn't know what she was talking about.

Let me just say this, I never had boys so I didn't realize how different they can be. They are 100% testosterone. My son makes me nervous, he doesn't listen at all, he's the type of kid you have to watch 24/7 unlike my daughters. Your son is probably fine, boys are just so much work because they are less verbal than girls, they are doer''s. At the same time, your concerns are valid that is why you must talk to your pediatrician and stay on top of things.

Just relax, it will get better. My son has improved a lot in the last 6 months. He isn't where my daughter's were at his age, but that's okay. I hear they catch up later.

Good Luck

Answer 6

How bout some good old fashioned time out? Or when he starts the naughty behavior take away a favorite toy or treat until the child conditions themself for better behavior?

The child is more than likely doing it to get attention.. when he acts badly.. does he seem to get more attention then rather than the attention he gets the rest of the day?

Maybe try tylenol at night before bed, could possibly be having growing pains at night since that is when we do most of our growing.. at night.

I hope this helps ! Good luck!

Answer 7

hi gosh I feel really sorry for you. My 38yr old hubby has ADHD(inattention) and was only diagnosed about 5yrs ago. We have a 4yr old who doesn't show signs yet. It is hereditary and mainly in boys. We have taken to hospital specialist who is not concerned - she basically said cos he was playing with toys and lstening to conversations and wasn't sitting quietly in the cornor sucking his thumb- and therefore he was o.k. Yours in slightly different cos its the Hyperactivity side which I have no particular experience with. I would raise concerns with Health Visitor or get an appt with Paediatrician or Child Pyschiatrist. If all else fails get in touch with Super Nanny lol! Bigs hugs and good luck.

Answer 8

I feel for you children's tantrums are difficult to deal with at the best of times, my 3 year old son has very violent tantrums and at the moment we are going through a assessment to see what is wrong he has had ears tested and eyes tested etc and on going assessments. all i can say is your his parents and if you feel something is not quite right with you son then shout at your health visitor at you GP and keep going until you get the help you need for your son. good luck

Answer 9

I don't think there is such a condition its usually behavioural. Get a referral to a psychologist or psych. ADHD is a fairly new thing it was unheard of 50 years ago. These are conditions of affluence, how many cases are there in the very poor countries?

Answer 10

Hi

First thing would be to review his diet. Remove all processed snacks he may have (ie junk food). Don't give him squash (chemicals) or juice (high sugar). Stick to milk, water.. lots of wholegrain carbs, natural foods...

Then check the way you treat him. Does he mainly get attention when naughty? Do you praise when he's good.. give him attention then. Distract him. Have you tried a sticker chart for when he's good?

If you've tried all this for a few weeks and he's still "bad" then check with a docs. Last thing you want to do is risk having him drugged up.

Good luck!