We Go Friday

[Anna]

Hiya everyone,

We are taking Jenna to be evaluated on Friday. She's going to be nine tomorrow and she's in the third grade. I've wondered for the last three years if she has ADHD, but everyone kept talking me out of getting her tested... and then when my son was diagnosed with EXTREME ADHD, I didn't think Jenna was as bad!

Here's my concerns... On EVERY report card from kindergarten to third grade she has the worst possible grades for not listening in class, not paying attention, not following directions, speaking out of turn, not turning papers in on(until this year she was getting in trouble for getting out of her seat), and she was always listed as immature for her age group...

Her grades aren't bad though, and her teacher this year thinks that Jenna just CHOOSES not to pay attention, and CHOOSES not to turn her papers in...That she's just constantly seeking attention... Which MAY be... *Shrug* Her problem is getting Jenna to listen long enough to hear the instructions to do the work correctly!

Now at home... We are CONSTANTLY having to tell Jenna to do something... Over and over... We can't give her three steps to do and expect her to remember them, unless we tell her at least twice what she'll need to do. She can't sit through an entire meal without getting up and walking around (even in restaurants), if I'm talking to my husband, she'll just right in and start a new conversation in the middle of ours, and she TALKS, TALKS, TALKS!!! She's constantly trying to draw attention to herself at home as well...

So does it sound like ADHD to you? I honestly don't know what it is, but I think I'll feel better if I rule it out...

Anna

[shardstar]

Boy, you sound like you are describing my daughter exactly!!!! She was dx'd last summer.

I think the major reason her teacher asked us to look into her behavior, was because she felt that my daughter was being uncooperative, which she wasn't. She couldn't help it. Her teacher kept saying that she was just stubborn and didn't want to do what was asked of her, but I knew she was wrong! I could see it at home. I would ask her a question and there would be silence, and then I would ask her again maybe two more times and then she would go "what?!" I would ask her to get her pajamas on and she would say okay, and then I would find her doing something completely different. She couldn't sit through dinner and preferred to stand while eating.

I think it's a great thing that you are having Jenna tested. If she does have ADHD, then it is best to find out now, while she is still young and before she has any long term self image problems. She may be seeking the extra attention, not because she is attention craving, but because something is wrong.

Good Luck!!!

[Dad2Brooke]

Anna, it certainly sounds a lot like ADHD to me. Many of the things you described from her report card are hallmarks of ADHD, such as not listening, not paying attention, needing constant direction, speaking out of turn, immaturity etc.

I am glad that you are having her tested. Once you know for sure, you can get her help and that is what is most important.

Also an official diagnosis will help the teachers understand that she isn't CHOOSING anything, she probably can't help it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

You are absolutely doing the right thing for your daughter!!!

[shelli]

Sounds like adhd to me. I think you are headed in the right direction anyway. Good luck and keep us posted. Shelli

[finnmom]

It´s already friday in here, so I just wanted to wish you
GOOD LUCK

It shure does sound a lot like adhd, at least you´re going to know exactly. After information is got, it´s so much easier to cope with these issues!

Good luck, keep us posted!

Marja

[camismom]

Anna said:

So does it sound like ADHD to you?

In a nutsehll, yes! Sounds exactly like my dd who was diagnosed in first grade.

Ditto to everything already said here.

Let us know how it goes today.... .....

[Lin]

This is Anna...I'm using my mom's email account...

Well...Apparently this was the "getting to know you appointment". They took us back to the doctor who basically talked with Jenna and me for about an hour. She would ask Jenna questions, then have to wait between 3-5 minutes for Jenna to give her the long-winded answers, then another three minutes between every question for Jenna to tell her something about our family that the doctor didn't need to know about (Like how little brother pulled his pants down to make the kids laugh once...)

After the first hour, the doctor took Jenna to another room to watch a video while we talked some more... When the doctor came back her eyes were wide open, and she was smiling as she asked, "Is Jenna this personable all the time?" And I replied that "Yes she talks like that ALL THE TIME." And the doctor laughed and said that she is defiantely a fun kid to be around...

We then got down to business and she explained how excessive talking didn't mean that Jenna had ADHD, BUT that the way she talked, combined with the reports from her teachers were leaning her towards THINKING she might have some form of ADHD... She also said that she's concerned with Jenna's reading grade, and wants to rule out any learning disabilities that might be hindering her...

So we go back on May 12th to have the adhd evaluation and the learning disabilities stuff tested... They set us up with an appointment on May 27th to go over the test results... Oh yeah...and they gave us two forms to fill out regarding her behavior before the 12th.

Like I told the doctor...I'll be more than happy with a diagnosis that says that she's perfectly normal!! But if there is a problem, I'd like to get it taken care of now, before school gets any harder...

I'll keep you all informed...

anna

[TexasMom]

Everything you say was my son in the third grade, except it was the teachers telling me there was something wrong. Steven is extremely intelligent (attested to by iq tests) but always had problems with reading and spelling. He got a iep for those problems but I got tired of the teachers telling me that they thought he had adhd. So I took him to the doctor to prove him wrong.

Boy did I have a revolation! It turned out that his intelligence was compensating for his attention problems until the third grade.

It took only one dose of medication to show a huge improvement. He still only takes medication on school days.

[Kbugsmom]

This sounds every bit like my DD who hasn't been diagnosed yet, but goes for an all-day evaluation with the psychologist on Tues. Her ped. is ready to start meds. as soon as we get an official report from the psychologist.
It is great that you are looking into this now as it sounds like her relationships at school and at home either have been or could be affected. I had all of the same signs you have listed and was never diagnosed. Most of my teachers had concluded that I was a behavioral and willful child who refused to do her work. This, in turn, led to great strain on my relationship with my parents. Everyone seemed to think I was causing myself all of these problems on purpose. This is what has led me to aggressively follow up with my DD and has fueled my decision to deal with the possibility that I probably also have ADHD. I cannot understand why people would tell you not to have your DD tested. Think of the relief of knowing and being able to get help if it is needed.
Let us know what hapens today.

[Anna]

Well we went back to the doctor yesterday for Jenna's testing. She was in there for over four hours!!! I wasn't allowed to watch or listen in, but Jenna came out once to tell me she had already done English, comprehension, reading, spelling, and math work... They were going to do memory and computer work after her break...

Well near the end of the testing, her doctor comes out and sits beside me (Jenna is still working on a test in another room)... She says that she can DEFINATELY see what the teacher's are seeing regarding Jenna's attention span and need to blurt out information not related to the test... She said that Jenna is very anxious about a possible diagnosis, and that they talked a few minutes about her fears...

The doctor went on to tell me that she feels Jenna has ADD (without the hyperness) at this stage...She wasn't 100% sure that was going to be her diagnosis...that she would have to review all of Jenna's test results before making a concrete diagnosis...

SO...we go back on the 27th to find out what they think...

*sigh* You know..in my heart I was hoping they would come out and say that nothing was wrong, that it wasjust in my head...

Anna

[shardstar]

I'm sorry. I wish that it HAD come out that way, but I guess you'll see when you get the final diagnosis. If it does turn out to be ADHD/inattentative then it won't be the end of the world. You'll still have the same girl that you always had and loved. You'll just have the diagnosis so that you can help her get through life more easily. You'll be able to know what's going on so that you can advocate and support her better. What you did, having her tested, was a great thing! It's so much better to know and be able to help her, than to wonder all her life!

[camismom]

I know that was a disapointing thing to hear... I understand your wishing to hear different........ but try to look at it like this if it does turn out that way: at least you now know you aren't crazy and there is a problem. You now know that this problem can be treated, and with your help along the way and your advocating for her in the future, she will make it through! I can't tell you it will always be easy, but nothing in life ever is. There will be bumps in the road.. there will be stressful times...but with a strong will and desire, they will pass. I wish you luck for the future and remember you always have support here!

You're a great mom.....don't forget it!!!

[Anna]

Thanks guys for your support! My son Conner is already diagnosed with extreme ADHD (on the VERY hyper-side!) was adopted from Ukraine in 2000....So this doctor knows my family well from seeing Conner. She smiled encouragingly to me and said "How funny will it be if it turns out that you have two children, from two entirely different backgrounds with two entirely different forms of ADHD."

Funny...yeah right! *rofl*

Anna

[AnneM]

Hi Anna ! My son also has the non-hyperactive "add" which you think Jenna may have ... I gather that there is good news and bad news with this typce -vs- those with adHd ...

Good news being obviously the lack of hyperactivity ... also behaviour problems are not normally so apparent ... less likely to have ODD ... condition is generally less "obvious". Social difficulties are generally not a problem.

However, bad news being that they are more likely to have learning difficulties. Also more likely to suffer from depression (watch out for that particularly in the teenage years) ... More likely to be less energetic than their adHd counterparts... (that one could be considered a plus or a minus!) ... generally later in diagnosis (due to above!) ...

Good luck with the diagnosis of Jenna ... and as others have already said .. Forewarned is forearmed so you are "one step ahead" with a diagnosis!