How the heck do u know if a kid as adhd at 3 years old? and medicate him?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AimmotIjkqJRAMdM9qA8A1_sy6IX?qid=20070324220146AAy13VC&show=7#profile-info-AA11679060

click on the link. someone's kid has adhd and the kid is 3.

Answer 1

Ok, to all of you, listen up.

I HAVE ADD, and I also know for a fact, that ADHD is real. I didn't have they hyperactivity part of it, and I'm glad.

Here's the truth about ADHD and ADD.

ADHD can be diagnosed very early. And while it is hit and miss with children of that young age, there are big signs of it.

1.) ADHD means ATTENTION DEFEICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. Now, did everybody get that? Good.

ADHD and ADD are caused by chemical imballances in the brain. This means that the receptors for attention, or endorphine production and release are not getting enough of one enzyme or getting too much of another.

In most cases it's both.

Also this also means you must decide for yourself how you wish to handle it. There are tons of non-medicated remedies. And there are tons of medications you can use, it's your decision.

This means that the child is at least 30% more hyper than the average child. And it can be very destructive. Mainly because they don't understand it, and you don't understand it.

Many parents approach the problem with discipline. And while I think that in alot of cases it helps, in some of them, the child is just as scared as the adult, and it just makes matters worse.

2.) ADD is the lesser of the family. It does not include the Hyperactivity gene. This means that your child is vastly more easily distracted than children his\her age.

3.) Both ADHD and ADD are GENETICALLY passed down by the parents. So, 80% of the time, the parents have this also, and either have grown out of it, or have it and are in denial, or have adapted to it.

4.) Medications while they can be helpfull, can also be damaging. You and your PSYCOLOGIST (yes only a psycologist can accurately diagnose this disease. A family doctor can only GUESS and make educated guesses) should look into what you BOTH think would be better for your child.

5.) ADHD in very many cases can cause distress for the child, or teenager, or even adult. It can lead to Manic Depressive Dissorder. It can lead to not beliving in themselves. and can lead to very confused issues.

6.) ADHD and ADD are LEGAL dissabilities. These two disseases have been deemed by the general public to be potentialy very dissabling diseases. But these are in the most extreme cases.

7.) In most cases children will outgrow ADD by the age of 14, and in rare cases of ADHD also.

It is likely that a child with ADD will outgrow it.

8.) ADHD and ADD are not just for children. It can also affect Adults. Yes, it is very likely since you or your spouse passed it on to your child, you could suffer from this as well.

If you think you might, ask your Psycologist that your child sees, and look up info about it. The best thing to do is be educated about such a disease if you think you or a family member may have this.

In most cases of ADD and ADHD medication is administered to see if the child would benefit from it. And while I am against medicating any child under the age of 5 for anything less than a fatal disease, it CAN help.

But there are also ORGANIC remedies for this disease. Doctors have found that there are several natural herbs that can help the chemical imballance. And there are a few that can help adults that may suffer from this too.

ADHD and ADD can be a difficult situation, or it can be a way to help your child. Or yourself. But you need to consider all the alternatives. Don't make assumptions. Doing so could end up screwing your child up.

Find out what is right for you, or your child. Don't assume you know what is going on till you know the facts.

Thank you, and I hope this helps

Answer 2

About the medication NO WAY. Medication is not the resolution to problems that lead you to think the child is ADHD.

I doubt a kid is ADHD at three because all three year old have the energy of the Energizer Bunny. You probably need to read up on "positive behavior support" to help you help your child.

If this is your child, you may want to go see a licensed child psychologist who will be able to help you learn ways to help your child to slow down and relax when it is important. This would include quiet time at the same time every day for child and parent.

Answer 3

At this age it may not be appropriate to use medication for ADD/ADHD. It is much more appropriate to observe his or her behavior and to work with the parents to work on a program to modify any inappropriate behaviors.

This can take place with a private counselor/psychologist. Social skills training programs can also be helpful. As far as knowing if he/she has add/ADHD. It is difficult at this age, because developmentally they are all very active at this age, this is normal for this age. But, a red flag is if they have certain behavioral tendencies across all environments (home,school, grandma's).

I give these suggestions both as a professional (counselor,former teacher) as well as having treated ADD in myself in the past and knowing firsthand the long-term downside of these medications. I have seen older children than yours who have clearly benefited. However, for most we want to try other methods before going to medication and when we use medication we also want to teach skills so that hopefully in the future they will not need medication or for those who do, can combine other treatments Behavioral, psychological, social, etc.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

No child should be medicated for adhd. It is an obscenity to tranquilize a child because they are more active than other children. They simply need more individualized attention. Give them projects that are age appropriate and spend lots of quality time reading or doing constructive activities, bearing in mind that they have naturally short attention spans at that age.
Any parent who medicates a toddler or a pre-schooler for adhd should be pistol whipped.
There is no such thing as adhd. Just parents who don't want to be bothered with having a child around.

Answer 5

My son was diagnosed with ADD. There is no simple answer unfortunately. I asked myself, everyone I knew, many people I didn't know, and what seems like 100 different doctors the same question. What was so horrible was the fact that several different well-respected doctors, as well as many, many people, whom I have always respected, came up with a different answer. I felt like a basket case, always second-guessing everyone, especially myself. Finally, we first tried Stratera since it is the only non-narcotic. I might have worked for a while, but not very long, and not without sever headaches and stomach pain. I kept taking my son back to the doctor and they kept telling me just to hang in there because the pain wouldn't last forever (they were short-term side effects I guess). But that was easy for them to say, because they weren't the ones administering a pill to their child every day knowing that it was going to make that child miserable, nor did they have to look at that poor baby and see the mistrust in his eyes! But, they were right, and after a while they did go away but, it wasn't too long after that that the medication lost it's effect...so we did the dosage dance for a while but then ended up putting him of Concerta. With the new medication there were no painful side effects other than the fight every night at bedtime when he wasn't tired! But eventually, it also started loosing its effectiveness. We also started seeing some signs of depression, and that scared me! So we had to decide...up his dose.....or take him off of all medication completely. After weighing all odds and hear all horror stories on both sides, we decided to take him off of everything. That was about 6 months ago, and he's doing better than ever!
My father also had ADD. Do you know, ADD or ADHD, autism, and genius are all so extremely close to each other that sometimes they cannot be distinguished? My son, much like his late grandfather is extremely intelligent!!!!! He's. also like his grandfather is just a little different, kinda like he's off in his own little worked sometimes. I honestly believe that they are very gifted and often time creative or artistic, and that instead of spending so much time trying to make them be like everyone else, it would much better benefit them by feeding into their originality and creativity. You never know, you might have another Einstein, or Bach or the man who discovers the cure for Cancer, right there in your living room with you every night!

Answer 6

Don't blame the mother in that case,doctors diagnose at early ages now. ADHD is caused by a chemical imbalance. He might out grow it, he may not. I wasn't diagnosed until I was an Adult. I can tell the difference now between how I was before med and how I am now

Answer 7

Something you need to know - nearly all 3yr olds are loud, move quickly, and would rather run than listen. Even if the child truly was hyperactive, Medication at this age would probably be a mistake.
Children don't have self-control until you teach it to them.

Answer 8

I think unless you know more information that you do, you were a little harsh on Morris1408. You probably are not an expert in ADHD evaluation.

Answer 9

3 years is way too young to be medicated for Adhd, just get him tested and then see if he has adhd. But please hold off giving him meds for a couple more years.

Answer 10

If he has been properly tested you know if he for sure has ADD or ADHD. Meds is another story and very personal choice so I'll stay out of that one.