Does my 6 year old have ADHD?

Question

My son is very bright. He is in the gifted program at his school. In kindergarten his teacher asked me if I ever had him tested for ADHD. I was insulted. Well, this year in first grade, his teacher asked me the same question. This time, I was questioning it myself. He is a ball of energy. Gets his work done, plays well with others, he just has the wiggles alot. He gets up out of his seat to talk to other kids and basically acts like a class clown. My son has been on immunology treatment for 20 months now, which consists of 3 allergy shots a week and oral medication. I do not want to "medicate" him more. How do I find out if he has ADHD?

Answer 1

He can have ADHD if you want him to.

Just about anyone can be diagnosed with ADHD, its the trend these days.

Of course for thousands of years people have had the same symptoms.... of course back then it was a good thing, because you had to get up early and milk the cows, feed the chickens, eat breakfast, walk to school, walk home, chop some firewood, feed the cows, feed the chickens, do your homework, eat dinner and go to bed. Those hyperactive kids that were bundles of energy could get all that accomplished without breaking a sweat.

In todays world, where sitting in front of a screen getting fat is all the rage, its only normal that people who have energy should be medicated into complacency, and there are plenty of doctors out there who will do it!

Answer 2

I work in a school and no one could possibly answer this by reading your question.

First of all ADHD should not be considered an insult. If a child has ADHD it does not mean that the parent did something wrong or that the child is "bad".

Have a talk with your child's principal and ask that the child be brought up at a "team meeting". Let the professionals decide if there is an issue or not.

Then, understand that by changing the way simple things are done in the classroom, things may be just fine. Simple "chunking" of work - ie. giving your son part of the instructions and when he is done - the 2nd part, so as to not overwhelm him. There are many non-medical ways to handle ADHD if he does indeed have it.

Also, being confirmed by the school as having ADHD merely is an acknowledgement, which later in life may be helpful for your son. He may be allowed extra time to finish tests and he may be allowed in school to use a laptop computer.

Get some answers and don't think this is a horrible label.

With just a bit of accomodation in class, my son went from getting 50's and struggling to getting 75's and 80's and being much happier.

good luck.

Answer 3

If he does or does not really is besides the point right now, you say he is doing well in school, gets his work done ...ect. He may be just a born leader, and very smart, so he is bored and restless. Allergies can also play a factor here, I suggest that you speak to his allergist about this too. From my experience most kids with ADHD have a hard time keeping their focus...it has been described as it their thought process feel like somebody has a remote ans is channel surfing on their brain. Most that have this problem struggle in school. I think it is sad that the ADHD issue is brought up by teachers so easily, kids are not robots that all fall in line exactly as the one before and the one after, they are kids, and individuals! Possibly you and the teacher could work with him on his social skills..but he is only in first grade, so I wouldn't get to worried at this point. Best of luck.

Answer 4

As a teacher, I don't ask parents if their child has been tested unless it's a really severe case. To be honest, there are probably some children in my class this year who could benefit from medication (for ADD, not ADHD), but I'm trying to find other ways to help them simply because I know how parents feel about teachers "pushing" it on them. If you're hearing it from 2 different teachers 2 different years, it's obvious there's at least a problem.

The way to go about having a child tested for ADHD is to first visit your pediatrician. Most of the time diagnosis is determined based on 2 surveys- one filled out by the parents and one filled out by the teachers. The problem has to occur in 2 different settings for it to be considered ADHD (and those 2 settings are typically home and school).

Answer 5

If your child functions well in school and can do his work, he may very well have ADD but I would hesitate to medicate him for it.

My son interestingly, went through a similar progression where they wanted him evalled in Kindergarten and then again in first grade and I did get him medicated.

He was fairly non functional at school however and it did help.

But you should know that he is now 20 and after having gone through many psych drugs and a lot of troubles that I am not convinced might have been brought on by all these powerful drugs he was given for so long, he is off all of them and doing better than ever.

We went through hell and back--at first the ritalin and other drugs they tried seemed like a godsend but then he ended up on depression medication, and later anti-psychotic drugs also for strange and abnormal behavior.

The only conclusion I can safely make is that if your son can function without these powerful medications then go that route.

Answer 6

My answer to your question is an unpopular opinion these days. ALL children need fresh air, the security of routine, a balanced diet, no pop or candy except on special occasions. Limited electronic entertainment (tv, phone, puter, ipod, etc.). Stability and appropriate stimulus promote healthy growth in children. Kids are active,energetic, curious and playful people. They are in tune with their imaginations and thrive when in their "natural" environment.

Forcing kids to behave for hours on end is stressssssssful. Kids wiggle. Its ok. The teachers must enforce strict rules to keep from being outnumbered by the little energizer bunnies they are trying to teach. The curriculum is boring!

My son is also gifted, allergic and diagnosed with ADHD. I disagree completely with it but his father insists he take about 8 different medications every day.

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Answer 7

to be honest, If he has a hard time sitting then have them send him out to run and loose that energy. We have the same problem with all three of our four sons tow are about the same age. The other son is now in high school and plays football, then basketball, then runs track. And i might add he is on first string of all of them. He also cares a 3.5 grade average. We were told about his ADHD. but never put him on Meds. We told them that they just need to wear off that energy. Also we have limited the sugar intake. I am a firm believer that meds are not the answer. Back in my day we had several recesses and lunch, ect. now day they get lunch and one recess. Where are they gone to put all that energy. So from that aspect Meds in my opinion is not the answer.

Answer 8

You can ask his ped, but a big sign of ADHD is distractibility..If he cannot get his work done because he is too busy watching others and gets distracted, there might be a problem..Some kids are just high energy..He probably has been since birth, eh? There is a book I am reading right now, and it's my last ditch effort with my son called The Spirited Child...It sounds corny but it really is good...Might want to pick it up..I got a used copy on the net for $1.50 plus shipping...

Answer 9

You may dismiss me as a "nut" but I suggest elimination of computer (unless absolutely necessary for homework) and television (for the whole family) along with a switch to a whole (unprocessed) foods diet with few or no sweeteners, either natural or artificial.

Elimination of electronic stimuli will get your son back into the natural rhythms of the natural world, out of the hyper-stimulated rhythms of TV and computer content. Yes, he be one bored, frustrated, willful child for a few months, but in many cases children told to amuse themselves in the backyard for an hour with no toys, no entertainment resource except for their own body and mind, will teach themselves to focus on and find interest things that had been "too slow and boring" compared to TV -- things like an anthill, a leaf, the clouds. Start weekly one hour visits to the library in which his options are to entertain himself quietly with library materials or sit on lobby bench holding your hand and doing nothing. Set a good family example by setting aside a half hour each evening for family reading. If he isn't proficient enough to do this on his own, go somewhere quiet and read to him, pointing to each word as you say it and discussing that story, the characters, the illustrations. Encourage him to take up some active hobby that involves physical exertion with a goal, but with an emphasis on self control -- something like GOOD martial arts or gymnastics instructor. If he has interest in art or music, get him the needed supplies and praise his efforts. Have a weekly family board game or card game night, with games like Parchisi or Five Crowns where the element of luck gives him a good chance of winning sometimes. Remind him frequently to keep his mind on the game, and resist distractions.

The food part is to normalize his blood glucose ("sugar") levels. Some people, especially children, can be very sensitive to processed foods, yoyo-ing between hyperglycemia (too much glucose, to much energy) and hypoglycemia (too little glucose, cranky and problems with concentration). It's hard to be calm and stable when your body's chemicals are taking you on this kind of roller coaster ride all day every day.

If you stick to this regimen for a full year and don't see improvement in his concentration skills (yes, focusing your attention a learned skill, something you have to teach your child -- it doesn't come naturally) then consider ADHD meds as a last resort. I know my suggestions involve a lot more work for parents than handing your kid a pill, but I think you might like the changes in your family dynamics when the TV disappears for a year and everyone reads and plays together.

Answer 10

The teacher is a jerk and prefers to have your son zombie-ized on drugs so she doesn't have to do her job. She has no right to even ask you that, and certainly not twice. Your son is perfectly normal for his age. He is bright and active, like all 6 yr olds; I cannot believe how many people who should know better, e.g., the teacher, freely advocate drugs for a disorder that doesn't even exist.
ADD/ADHD are "disorders" created by greedy pharmaceutical companies to sell more drugs and prescribed by greedier doctors who get kickbacks from the drug companies and don't hahve to trouble themselves with a real diagnosis.