Please help me help my daughter!?

Question

I have an 8 yr. old daughter who is having trouble. She is having a hard time concentrating on her school work and it takes her about three times longer to do her math than anyone else in her class. But she also likes to chew on stuff, if it isn't her hand, then it is her pencil, or whatever else she has around her. She has moments where she is doing the actions, but isn't really there. Like today, she was suppose to be dumping her lunch tray, but she picked up her chair and took it with her instead. I have had her on meds. for ADD and have had her tested for seizures. Nothing has helped. The teacher is baffled because she hasn't had a child like my daughter before. My husband and I don't know where to look, or what to do next. My daughter is usually a happy go lucky girl. But because she doesn't realize what she is doing, the other kids are starting to aleinate her, and she is starting to become frustrated. If you have any ideas on how we can help her we would love to hear them

Answer 1

I would not allow the Doctors to rule out Epilepsy yet! I have suffered from seizures my whole life but it took them 23 years to diagnose me because my seizures were not showing up on the EEG. I finally received my diagnosis after I went into cardiac arrest after a full blown grand mal seizure. The behavior that your child is displaying is the exact behavior that I had when I was younger. I am begging you to please take her to every Neurologist in your area and demand that they do further testing...........they can do an EEG where they hook her up and send her home and then you go back a few days later. Because it took so long to get a diagnosis I am now 27 and it has been really hard to bring my seizures under control, so I am on full disability. Please do not rule out Epilepsy especially if she is spacing out. Get her to another Doctor.
I pray things work out for You and your Family. May God Bless You through this difficult time and always.

Answer 2

It sounds like it could also be a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum--not to say that she's classically autistic. But, the hand biting and "space cadet" behaviors are on the spectrum. Maybe something to look into? Behavior modification could help with that then. And, if she's 8 and *is* on the spectrum, it would mean that she's mildly delayed--otherwise, it would've been caught much earlier than it is now.

Have you also thought about checking into her diet? Maybe a dietary reaction to gluten or casein?

I would also keep investigating the seizure disorder. It could be somehow epileptic in nature.

Finally, have you looked into her medications? Do you think the medication could be exacerbating the behaviors? Or, maybe a sleep disorder and the chewing/ "space cadet" behaviors are a response to over stimuli/ lack of rest?

I wish you and your daughter the best...

Answer 3

If you have not had her tested by a neuropsychologist, then that is something you should set up. Ask your ped for a referral. The chewing sounds sensory oriented, and it could be a part of the autism spectrum. ADD is commonly a misdiagnosis for ASD because the symptoms can be very similar. At the very least, the neuropsych can give you a great treatment plan as well as the professionals to implement the plan.

Answer 4

she could just be having some blonde moments, some kids are easily distracted but this does sound the extreme. Try putting her on fish oil tablets now (good for concentration, proven medically) then go talk to a paediatrician at a children's hospital about it . At a children's hospital they are a bit more informed and have many resources at their disposal. This way you should end up at the right person to deal with this

Answer 5

Brain fogginess is sometimes caused by food and environmental allergies. Check out www.naet.com. My 7 year old just began treatment and we have seen some improvement. Also check out www.emofree.com. This is something that can help her with the emotional aspect like feeling alienated. We have tried many things and I think there is no one right answer. You have to try different things to find what will work best for your daughter.

Answer 6

There was an article in Dear Abby about a condition that I had never heard of before. It was about convergence insufficiency disorder. It is an eye condition that can cause problems and it is not regularly checked.

Odds are, this is not the problem that you are having but I thought I would mention it just in case.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucda/20070417/lf_ucda/daughtersschoolwoesarecausedbydisorderofsight;_ylt=Asm.PwYW3pEUT0W0LOetay_NbbUC

Answer 7

Have checked for allergies. She could be sensitive to chemicals. Look up symptoms related to Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS).