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Post by momto3wolves on Oct 8, 2005 8:51:42 GMT -5
I'm having some mixed feelings about evaluating my 6 year old, because he's still young. I just don't know what is still considered normal at this age. My older son wasn't like this, so I can't look back at how he was at age 6. I talked to the pediatrician and she said it's largely a temperament issue. He is a risk taker, and I just need to give him more reminders and consequences. The doctors office seems to be dead set against diagnosing ADHD at his age, because a lot of boys his age are still wild. It seems like a lot of 6 year olds would get a diagnosis by filling out one of those behavior tests-connors, etc.
He's not having trouble in school and can be well behaved at times. ;D Maybe we should just let it drop and monitor him for a while?? What do you think??
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Post by Linda on Oct 8, 2005 10:08:57 GMT -5
I would just monitor it. I f he is doing well in school with no behavior issues  I wouldn't worry about it  The peak age for dx ADHD..BTW ....especially boys IS age 6. Besides...what is normal? ;D ;D |
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Post by TexasMom on Oct 8, 2005 10:39:48 GMT -5
Every kid is different. Steven has always been very well behaved. His only issue has been focus and concentration. But if you are concerned (and your insurance can handle it) take him to your nearest university for evaluation.
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Post by momto3wolves on Oct 8, 2005 13:01:27 GMT -5
That's my issue. Not that he's perfect, but hey, he's not far off from his peers right now. Maybe in another year or so, it'll become more obvious. Right now, he's a very busy boy, but gets his stuff done. : )
And the eval is $644! Insurance won't pay for it. Maybe I'll see how he does in 1st grade. Is that reasonable?
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Post by AnneM on Oct 8, 2005 13:05:51 GMT -5
Like TexasMom we never ever had behaviour issues with Sam until he was about 13 and suddenly set himself up as the class clown .... but all those years we DID have focus and concentration problems!!  If ONLY someone (including me!) had recognised it as ADD SOONER!! So I say YES ... monitor it for the moment .... and keep an open mind for the time being .... but don't allow what happened to us to happen to you ... i.e. for things to carry on for too long without intervention ... it caused Sam some huge problems at age 13 ... problems which the psych said could so much have been AVOIDED if he had only been diagnosed and treated earlier!! |
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Post by kstquilter on Oct 8, 2005 15:19:40 GMT -5
i have to agree to not let it go too long. if you feel you want to monitor for awhile, you know your son better than anyone.
i just know that this is supposed to be something our kids are born with. that means he either has it or he doesn't already.
my daughter was diagnosed in 2nd grade which is unusual in a girl. medicine helped her immensely, even at that age.
just don't let it go too long before you look for help.
karen
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Post by amcfanny on Oct 8, 2005 20:31:56 GMT -5
IA with the monitoring for a while. See how he does in first grade and go from there. My kiddo has the focus issue (getting school work done). The first grade teacher spent most of the school year trying every trick in the book to no avail. We both thought the evaluation was best at that point. The ped I had at the time was very holistic and didn't agree with labeling kids and medicating kids so young either. She wanted to try altering his diet. I didn't want to go that route and requested a different pediatrician as his primary care manager - one that I new was all for prescribing medication.
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mothercat
Member Emeritus
With a little luck and a lot of Gods help anything is possible!
Posts: 1,468
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Post by mothercat on Oct 8, 2005 21:45:54 GMT -5
That's my issue. Not that he's perfect, but hey, he's not far off from his peers right now. Maybe in another year or so, it'll become more obvious. Right now, he's a very busy boy, but gets his stuff done. : ) And the eval is $644! Insurance won't pay for it. Maybe I'll see how he does in 1st grade. Is that reasonable? I dont know about your sons peers..but when judging whether or not Jared was adhd..looking at the peers wasnt much help..they all had more letters in their diagnosis than he did. (I did cub scouts and kept track of all their medical cards and they all were adhd plus other things) If it affects his focus at school or his education then the doctor or school should step up to the plate and check into it. If he is doing great in school and you never get phone calls or behavior slips..then I wouldnt worry yet BUT 6 is the peak age for diagnosis. They waited longer on Jared and we have been playing catch up ever since.  |
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Post by momto3wolves on Oct 9, 2005 10:22:07 GMT -5
Sigh...I don't know. He does get some behavior notes at school, but it's usually 'not listening' or goofing off. Part of the problem there, I think, is that he's rushing through his work (it's all correct) and then he's bored. That isn't helping the situation... At home, he is better, but we do need to keep an eye on him! (as my husband will attest) I have to admit, the money plays a part! Our roof is leaking, our washer is leaking, medical bills, etc. I wish the insurance co. would pay! My other issue is this: I don't want to do meds right away, but I feel like the drs. are going to push meds, and I don't want to look like the bad mommy. From the doctor's POV, are they going to think, "Okay, well why did you bring him here if you don't want to put him on meds?" Am I wrong about this? Can you tell I analyze every detail? This is why I can't make decisions!   |
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Post by Linda on Oct 9, 2005 10:33:01 GMT -5
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MEDS RIGHT AWAY OR AT ALL!!! THAT IS A PERSONAL DECISION If you think your Doctor is going to try and push meds....find another Doctor!!  You don't have to do meds at all !!! It is a personal decision. It was very hard for us to make that decision with Paul. He could not focus...had tons of behavior issues!!! We did decide to do the meds....and we didn't look back!!! His self-esteem soared....he was able to focus better and he was able to "Put the brakes on" as far as his behavior. |
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Post by Amsmom on Oct 9, 2005 10:41:25 GMT -5
imho, your ds sounds like a typical 6 yr old boy! you say he is busy, but gets things done---that says a lot. many of our adhd'ers (mine included, big time!!!) cant finish what they start!!!
if and when you do decide to have the dr evaluate him, dont ever worry that he/she will say "if you dont want meds, why did you bring him?" any dr that would say that should be reported! any good dr could also recommend therapy, behavior mod and/or diet change.
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Post by amcfanny on Oct 9, 2005 14:10:16 GMT -5
If you feel you need an excuse on evaluating him - which you shouldn't - just say you need a diagnosis for school. Everyone is different and there's nothing wrong with the behavior mod/diet route. My peds first suggestion was to eliminate milk from his diet at the end of first grade and come back at second grade if that didn't work. We did eliminate milk from the diet cuz he's definately allergic to it but had no bearing on his focusing. Meds haven't been any magic wand for us either. We've tried two kinds so far and are still having problems. This summer we've added in the omega 3's and magnesium etc.
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mothercat
Member Emeritus
With a little luck and a lot of Gods help anything is possible!
Posts: 1,468
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Post by mothercat on Oct 9, 2005 19:23:44 GMT -5
I think the Dr's will have more answers than just meds..they are knowledgable in more than ways than that and if your doctor wont listen then find a new one.
They can help alot with the behavioral end of things and they know alot about the natural aspect too. You wont learn anything unless you take the first step towards diagnosis. Just be really honest with the doctor he will either appreciate it and help or refer you to someone who can. Tell him you cant afford the eval...Doctors can pull strings and they know alot about the free programs and stuff that could help. good luck..
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Post by Kaiti on Oct 10, 2005 4:48:57 GMT -5
Diet and behavior mods work for us. Mikey isn't an angel, but it has helped tremendously with eliminating artificials. Having said that, I think that age has a big thing to do with it. Alot of the kids at our program are very active, and have a lot going on. They can be like night and day. Some are constantly on teh go, others just want to sit and do nothing, the quiet type ;DBoy I don't know what that is.........it's almost 6 am adn Mikey has been up for an hour already ;D Go with our gut and don't let anyone pressure you into anything you aren't comfortable with |
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Post by sweety on Oct 10, 2005 10:07:32 GMT -5
I had a psychiatrist once tell me that "normal" was boring. Most 6 year old boys I have known are wild and wooly anyway. Wait, moniter, have the teacher watch etc. Do what you think is best for your child. When my daughter told me she felt better and was doing better in school on the meds, I knew I had made the right decision. Every kid is different.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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