ADD Inatentative type?

[Anonymous]

I suspect that my daughter has ADD inattentive type. She is currently 10 years old in fourth grade. She has a lot of trouble with forgetfulness, disorganization, sloppiness, and what appears to be laziness. She has also recently been lying a great deal in order to cover her lack of work. I'm not really sure what to do next. She recently had an IQ test with no score is below average but a pretty wide gap between processing speed/working memory and her reasoning ability. I've looked at a few websites but I'm not really sure I know what I'm looking for. Is there a book that someone can recommend to help get me on the right track?

I am not opposed to a full evaluation but she has no major trouble in either school, socially, or at home. I am not convinced she would be diagnosed with anything. That said, I find her exhausting to parent and I realize that there could well be something wrong. I'm not really sure what I am looking for, but I guess the main thing would be some book suggestions. If she is a mild case, maybe there are things I can do to support her.

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of kids who meandered along with ADHD inattentive type until they were teenagers. When they finally got meds, it changed their lives. Don't wait so long to find out the problem.

As the mom of an ADHD combined type kid, I can tell you that waiting was not an option in our case.

[Anonymous]

How is there no major trouble in school if she isn't doing her work?

You will hear a chorus from those of us who have been there done that that the big problems will come in middle school. I wish I hadn't waited until it got too crisis because I was pretty sure my DD had adhd starting at age 6.

ADHD kids can have social issues and self esteem issues as well, it's not just about schoolwork. I totally get how exhausting it is to parent as well. Get her evaluated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I suspect that my daughter has ADD inattentive type. She is currently 10 years old in fourth grade. She has a lot of trouble with forgetfulness, disorganization, sloppiness, and what appears to be laziness. She has also recently been lying a great deal in order to cover her lack of work. I'm not really sure what to do next. She recently had an IQ test with no score is below average but a pretty wide gap between processing speed/working memory and her reasoning ability. I've looked at a few websites but I'm not really sure I know what I'm looking for. Is there a book that someone can recommend to help get me on the right track?

I am not opposed to a full evaluation but she has no major trouble in either school, socially, or at home. I am not convinced she would be diagnosed with anything. That said, I find her exhausting to parent and I realize that there could well be something wrong. I'm not really sure what I am looking for, but I guess the main thing would be some book suggestions. If she is a mild case, maybe there are things I can do to support her.

Holy shit. Did I just write this post? I swear, you and I are living parallel lives, except my daughter is 11 and in 5th grade. Get an evaluation done, stat. We'd been living with the EXACT SAME situation as what you describe above for year and finally got an evaluation done in February. Like you, I was worried that she wouldn't be diagnosed with anything and it would all be for naught. But she was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type, and executive functioning disorder. We recently started her on meds (recently, as in last Thursday) and not seeing any dramatic improvement so I think we're going to increase the dosage a bit. But it feels so much better to be actively doing something so I really encourage you to move forward with an evaluation. Goodness. Your line about her being exhausting to parent is my life exactly. I'm sitting here right now wishing my daughter would stop whining about how she can't do anything because she's too tired, when the truth is she can't figure out how to entertain herself because of her ADHD and EFD. It's not easy. Sending you lots of strength.

[Anonymous]

There are lots of books on ADHD, but I think the best place to start is with this website
www.additudemag.com


Here is a short test you can use to screen your child
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd-web/article/554.html

As the others said, do get your child evaluated. ADHD can be worse that it appears, especially in girls, because some kids learn how to cover up the extent of their problems.

[Anonymous]

She's been getting along because she's in Montessori school, well above grade level, and not a behavior problem. There is no homework, little accountability, and she's well-liked by teachers and students.

I was expecting to get laughed out of the board, so I'm surprised to see the reactions above. Where do I go now? Her PCP? Where she got her WISC-5? Which was at TLC in Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Holy shit. Did I just write this post? I swear, you and I are living parallel lives, except my daughter is 11 and in 5th grade. Get an evaluation done, stat. We'd been living with the EXACT SAME situation as what you describe above for year and finally got an evaluation done in February. Like you, I was worried that she wouldn't be diagnosed with anything and it would all be for naught. But she was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type, and executive functioning disorder. We recently started her on meds (recently, as in last Thursday) and not seeing any dramatic improvement so I think we're going to increase the dosage a bit. But it feels so much better to be actively doing something so I really encourage you to move forward with an evaluation. Goodness. Your line about her being exhausting to parent is my life exactly. I'm sitting here right now wishing my daughter would stop whining about how she can't do anything because she's too tired, when the truth is she can't figure out how to entertain herself because of her ADHD and EFD. It's not easy. Sending you lots of strength.

Thank you thank you thank you. I feel so alone with everyone else seeing their kids grow up and be more independent. And mine just isn't. Mine still seeks me out every second and cannot be left alone. The best way to get her to bed is still to go upstairs myself because 100% sure she will follow me straight away. I never get a break. Sometimes work is easier than being at home. And she is a wonderful, bright kid who is my light.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's been getting along because she's in Montessori school, well above grade level, and not a behavior problem. There is no homework, little accountability, and she's well-liked by teachers and students.

I was expecting to get laughed out of the board, so I'm surprised to see the reactions above. Where do I go now? Her PCP? Where she got her WISC-5? Which was at TLC in Rockville.

TLC should be able to help you, they do ADHD testing. If you suspect problems beyond that you probably want to go somewhere else for full neuropsych testing. Neuropsych testing is expensive, so don't do it if you don't need it.

[Anonymous]

What is TLC?

[Anonymous]

The Treatment and Learning Center
http://ttlc.org/

[Anonymous]

I scheduled her for an evaluation at TLC and told her about it. She's really scared and saying she can "get better," but we've been trying for years now. She picks her skin until it bleeds, cannot stay on task without constant supervision, cannot play alone, and cannot relax at the end of the day. I am so worried for her, but I suppose I need to turn my worry into action.

Thanks for all the support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I scheduled her for an evaluation at TLC and told her about it. She's really scared and saying she can "get better," but we've been trying for years now. She picks her skin until it bleeds, cannot stay on task without constant supervision, cannot play alone, and cannot relax at the end of the day. I am so worried for her, but I suppose I need to turn my worry into action.

Thanks for all the support.

Some of this sounds more like anxiety than ADHD. They often occur together. Be sure they test for both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I scheduled her for an evaluation at TLC and told her about it. She's really scared and saying she can "get better," but we've been trying for years now. She picks her skin until it bleeds, cannot stay on task without constant supervision, cannot play alone, and cannot relax at the end of the day. I am so worried for her, but I suppose I need to turn my worry into action.

Thanks for all the support.

My child has ADHD and whenever she gets a cut, she will pick at it constantly. Please reassure her that having ADHD isn't something to be scared about. I'm sure you probably have, but tell her you want more information about how her brain works so that you can work together to help her function better. I also tell my dd about famous people that have ADHD and point to their accomplishments. Channing Tatum, Michael Phelps, Justin Timberlake to name a few.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I scheduled her for an evaluation at TLC and told her about it. She's really scared and saying she can "get better," but we've been trying for years now. She picks her skin until it bleeds, cannot stay on task without constant supervision, cannot play alone, and cannot relax at the end of the day. I am so worried for her, but I suppose I need to turn my worry into action.

Thanks for all the support.

My child has ADHD and whenever she gets a cut, she will pick at it constantly. Please reassure her that having ADHD isn't something to be scared about. I'm sure you probably have, but tell her you want more information about how her brain works so that you can work together to help her function better. I also tell my dd about famous people that have ADHD and point to their accomplishments. Channing Tatum, Michael Phelps, Justin Timberlake to name a few.

I'm the 15:29 PP above and totally agree with the tact of telling your DD that the eval is about helping you and her understand how her mind works. Since my DD is starting middle school next year, I used that for context too. My DD also has anxiety but she did fine during the evaluation. I was worried she'd put up a fight about going back on the second day (the place we went breaks it up over two days) but she was fine. And she's been fine with the meds too (which, for better or worse, I've been referring to as vitamins). Good luck OP. Let us know how it goes.

[Anonymous]

DD goes for her first 3 hour testing session Tuesday. I will say she did a dance performance recently and it was the first time I've ever seen her focus on her own dancing and not spend the entire time looking at other people. I asked her if she was thinking about that, but she said no. Maybe she's finally maturing a bit? I'm starting to suspect she has more anxiety and Executive Function Disorder, but I guess the testing will help point us in the right direction. She does great with lots of structure. Lots and lots and lots of structure.