Does it run in your family?

[Kbugsmom]

Heck yes, although I have never been officially diagnosed. We are still in the early stages of getting help for DD as she has not actually been diagnosed yet. Our pediatrician has told me that the Connor's evaluations we have provided strongly suggest a classic ADD w/o other variances. Our first child psychologist appt. is this Thursday with a follow up appt. to the pediatrician's office in early May. If DD is diagnosed, I may look into dx and tx for myself as well. My mother has told me that she felt that my father also had ADD/ADHD. Dad was definitely the absent-minded professor type and I see it in myself as well.

[lllex]

It doesn't run in our family. I was floored when his teacher suggested he had ADD. I've asked my parents, dh's parents, brothers and sisters, etc., and I can't find a single person in our family who sounds like they may have had ADD. I keep wondering where the heck this came from and I keep thinking it's some kind of mistake .

Am I the only one where it doesn't run in the family?

Laura

[songwriter]

illex-
There are other factors which can create or mimic ADHD symptoms. Brain trauma from an accident, exposure to lead, lack of oxygen are some that I remember reading about. What are some of the symtoms he has again? Have you visited a phychiatrist? Maybe another professional opion wouldn't be a bad idea. Have you tried looking for offending foods in his diet? Some people are hugely affected by artificial colors or other food allergies.
Keep searching for answers, let us know
songwriter

[lllex]

Hey songwriter,

He hasn't had any brain trauma. He was tested for lead when he was 1 or 2 and that was ok, but his ADD symptoms didn't show up until he was 7, maybe I should have him tested again. His birth was a little difficult, they were worried about his heart rate a few times and used a suction cup to pull him out - could that have caused the brain trauma? Maybe he was deprived of oxygen during birth and that caused the low heart rate? He was fine when he was born - not blue or anything.

As for his symptoms - he has trouble focussing/paying attention at school. He's forgetful, he loses things. That's about it - he's not hyper or spacey. It doesn't sould like much of a problem, but his teacher has an awful time keeping him on task, she says some weeks he pretty much needs an adult supervising him constantly.

We are on the Fiengold diet - so we've eliminated the artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors. I haven't found that it's helped much - I think it helps with kids that are hyper more than with focus issues.

I think getting another professional opinion is a great idea! His pediatrician has been less than helpful. I told her I wanted to save medicine as a last option, that I wanted to try other things first. Well she told me that my options were medicine and behavior therapy and that behavior therapy doesn't work without the medicine - in other words my only option is medicine. She didn't recommend anyone else for me to go to for help and she didn't tell me anything about the behavior therapy. Argghhh.

What would a psychiatrist do to help? What other type professional could I go to see?

Thanks for you help,

Laura

[Kbugsmom]

Hi Laura, DD was initially thought to have an auditory processing delay. She attends speech for this, but the teacher and DH & I feel that there is either more going on or something completely different is going on. This and suspicious family history are the factors leading us towards an ADHD diagnosis. As a side note, our ped. is having DD seen by a child psychologist because she doesn't want to make a diagnosis based off of ours and the teacher's observations alone, and she shouldn't and neither should yours. I certainly don't want to start treating DD for something she doesn't have.
I am assuming that vision problems and hearing problems have been ruled out. The speech pathologist at his school may be able to pinpoint his strengths and weaknesses, possibly leading to an entirely different problem. Songwriter is right, there are many different conditions or disabilities that can mimic ADD. Let us know what happens. Good luck.

[lllex]

Thanks Kbugsmom. I'll see about finding a child psychologist. Hopefully I'll be able to find a good one

Laura

[AnneM]

Oh definitely YES !... DH definitely has ADD just like Sam (son) has .... although his (dh) is undiagnosed ... but oh yes.... a definite case of "chip off the old block"....

I don't have it and there doesn't appear to be any trace in my own family ... BUT then again never say never ... sometimes I think there is a little add/adhd in ALL of us to a greater or lesser degree!...

[sierra]

ADHD has to be either hereditary or contagious if my family's typical. I vote for hereditary.

[sweety]

;D 4th generation that I know of. My great grandfather and his sister both had children that showed the signs of ADHD. My great grandfather came from a long line of pioneers/adventurers with 2 or 3 jobs, lots of kids, history of practical jokes and doing the "what ifs" (what if I climb to the top of the windmill?, what if I dress up the squires pig like a king? What if I ride around on my friends shoulders all day?) I look at my daughter and I can hear my grandmother say"My God, she's just another one of those high strung Wallace kids." ;D ;D ;D

[spedmom]

I vote YES!!! I was w/ ds last year during his eval, and he kept telling the dr. "that's you mom". Well she did the DSMIV on me and said, well you qualify as ADD. It sure explained a lot. I have an older brother who is ADHD and bipolar. My dad probably was ADD although undiagnosed. He was brilliant, but usually WAY OUT there!!! I don't know about grandparents. I know several of my cousins are. I would be willing to bet that one of dh's sisters is. She actually tried to walk home w/ one of those big huge carts from Home Depot a few months ago (whatever she had on it wouldn't fit in her car, so she thought she'd just walk the 5 miles home pushing it). (hubby was at home and easily would've come and got her) - LOL!!

~teri

[rosyred45]

OMG TERI THAT IS TOO FUNNY..... I'm sure she would have returned it, it's not like they are just floating around.

Ac ouple miles away they have a grocery cart truck that scours the city and returns the cart to the apporpriate store

I thought it was quite funny, but people just take em and NOT return them. My concience would get me.
Kaiti

[spedmom]

yeah but it's even funnier b/c we aren't talking about just a regular grocery cart, but one of those flat bottom carts that you stack big stuff on. LOL!!!

~Teri

[rosyred45]

Even more reason to return it ;D

Not sure how big they are since I've never stepped foot in home depot or anything, but I imagine they are bigger that the BJ's flat bottom carts, right?

[MomX2]

I strongly believe that ADHD or else some type of mood disorders (probably a little of both) runs in my family and my husbands. I've often thought his mother wouldn't be able to do well on her own if she didn't have her husband to support her. She doesn't know it and no one else in his family realizes it either but she has multiple behaviors of ADHD and it's pretty obvious. Everyone in her family (all the kids) say she is difficult but they think she is "just that way". I know her father and one of her sister's has some serious problems but were never officially diagnosed with anything.

I also suspect there is some adhd in my family, I may even have some tendency toward ADHD. It makes more sense to me when it's described as a spectrum disorder with many family members who have traits but some seem more severely affected than others. Some seem to show more severe behaviors in one way or another such as some seem to have more severe anger/impulsive reactions while others seem more inattentive or have a very low frustration tolerance. It's hard to figure out in what way it affects my family or my husbands though. Most in both of our families have very successful careers with college educations and some own businesses. I have only 1 relative who is a recovered alcoholic with a mild criminal history and even he has overcome a great deal. He's managed to turn his life around for the most part though he hurt himself so bad early on that he will always have to struggle. Sometimes I feel bad for him because he grew up in a peaceful neighborhood with kids to play with and the streets were lined with the most brilliant Maples. My grandmother had no way of knowing that a drug dealer was selling to him two blocks over when he was only a teen. I wonder if he would have been more successful had he not been exposed to those circumstances.

[eaccae]

Let's see . . . like father like son - DS & DH are exactly alike with their ADHD, I'm ADD, my half sister is ADHD, (my full sister escaped it and doesn't get it at all - wants to know what is wrong with us), my half sister is pretty sure my mother was ADHD (she died when I was 3 days old so I couldn't tell you), my father inlaw is ADHD, DH's cousin is ADHD, his uncle and one of his cousin's children. I'm sure that it can be traced back to his grandfather and farther as well.

Can't really tell you my side of the family past my mother - 3 out of 4 of my uncles died an early death, the other one has been incapacitated due to a stroke, my aunt severed ties with the family before I was born, my grandfather died before my sisters were born and my grandmother died two years after I was born, I've never met my cousins as they are half way around the world and don't speak English. But just from hearing the descriptions of one of my uncles - it *sounds* like he was ADHD as well.