Do you have experience with ADHD-1 (inattentive)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for responses so far. I so don't want to hear this. Plus my husband thinks I am ridiculous for thinking anything is off. A few reasons why:

-She is smart and gets great grades - if she is doing well in school, he doesn't see a problem.

-When she wants to focus and get something done - she can (for some reason, racing with her little brother gets her to move quickly, for instance).

-She, herself doesn't think there is a problem.

Does this change anyone's assessment?

No. OP, I sound like your daughter. My issues went undiagnosed until I had children. Look up "2e" - the MCPS website has a great description with lots of material. I would suggest you help her with organizational and focusing strategies and be on the watch out for depression. It is very hard. I can find a solution to a perplexing problem in no time flat, but give me something "simple" to do and I am lost. My mother used to say, "How can someone so smart be so stupid?" I always used to say that it took me longer than anyone else to get stuff done but no one believed me. It is very hard to have IQ with ADD inattentive, but you are lucky to live in a time and place with so many well educated experts and so much online help. Be gentle but firm with your daughter. I'll watch this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My very bright 16-year-old clearly has inattentive ADD, but she's untreated. She spends hours every night on HW (and in the shower!) but she and my DH (who takes meds for his ADD) and I have agreed to keep an eye on things but not seek treatment at this point. She is comfortable with her pace, though it means she gets less sleep than her peers. She can perform well on tests (hyperfocused) and benefits from her high IQ. It is a struggle, but as long as she continues to do well and feel capable, we're keeping an eye on her.

Please try to get her some help if you can. I'm the Mom with the same condition. This really wreaks havoc post-partum and by then you're in no condition to help yourself because of the baby. She may be one of the lucky ones for whom things improve in their 20s, but for me it got worse. Everyone can benefit from some organizational skills training!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP-- i may be an outlier here but I think it is worth recalling that many of these diagnoses are highly subjective. ADHD is diagnosed based on a cluster of behaviors; the signs and symptoms of what we call ADHD, "slow processing speed," anxiety, some mild LDs can all be pretty similar, and even for extremely experienced testers it is often a judgment call. The "correct" diagnosis is whichever one leads to interventions that are helpful. So I would not focus so much on labels: you may need a label to get an IEP or meds, but remember that there is more subjectivity than you might think in those labels.

Also remember: labels notwithstanding, something is only a problem if it's a problem. If you DD is happy and successful, who cares if a tester might label her as ADHD-inattentive? If she is unhappy about how long things take her, there may be many behavior interventions and meds that would help, but I'd be wary of pathologizing her behavior. Some people work faster than others: if it doesn't bother her, so what?

- Spouse of a shrink who does neuropsych testing for kids, and mother of one kid who was diagnosed with ADHD who is bright but struggles in school, and another kid who probably could be diagnosed with ADHD but who does fine and is happy....

Brilliant and helpful post, pp. Signed - mom with ADD inattentive (2e)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So there are a bunch of us! This all makes me wonder -- why do anything about my possibly ADHD-inattentive first grader? She's happy and not disruptive. She's doing well in school (all P's, but I guess that's fine, and reading way ahead of grade level), but I do think she's inattentive. Like if I give her 3 instructions, unless it's something she's interested in, she'll drop one. The teacher says she seems somewhat inattentive, but not unusually so for her age. Anyway, it's kind of a gray area. But part of me feels that her father and I are ADD-inattentive and very bright, and maybe there's some tradeoff there? Like the hyperfocus that's part of the ADD-inattentive is helpful, and I don't want to take that from her. You know?
I know it's an easy call to treat ADD when it's making the kid's life hard or making it hard for them to do well in school. But if it isn't, then maybe there's a benefit to it as well...

Why do anything? You said it yourself..."The teacher says she seems somewhat inattentive, but not unusually so for her age." That is because, in first grade, most 6-7 year olds are distractible so your daughter does not stand out. But as time goes on, her non-neuro-typical brain will become apparent as will her lack of executive functioning skills, working memory, etc. Waiting to help a child is never a good idea. Those with ADHD do not have "hyper focus" they have an inability to regulate their focus, thus making learning difficult. ADHD is also exhausting! Tasks which neuro-typical brain people can do without thinking, takes those with ADHD longer and uses up more energy. As school becomes more intense, ADHD issues become more apparent. Get your child the skills and help to cope sooner than later.

Ok, but what help and skills are there for a kid who is doing well? We don't even know if she has it at this point. I agree if she seems to be inattentive relative to her peers, an evaluation makes sense and go from there. But so far, she seems to be fine. I notice in attentiveness at home at times, but I'm no expert on the difference between normal 6 and inattentive. The teacher is saying the same thing -- yes, some inattentiveness but nothing unusual. And if it does turn out to be inattentiveness, but only in the degree that her parents had it, and we were very successful academically and happy kids/adults, then what's the harm?
To me, it seems like the mild version of this is kind of just a variation that maybe doesn't need treatment. I'm not belittling the seriousness of it when it isn't mild or when it's having an impact emotionally or academically. At all. But if we are just talking about a kid who is happy and doing well, then what's the point? Extra coaching on executive function stuff seems wise anyway. As does having a clear routine for homework. But otherwise I'm not seeing the point.

We have a similar child, who although doing "fine" in first grade according to teacher started feeling dumb because she wasn't finishing things as fast as others and started saying she did not like school. Behavioral therapy has helped a lot. No mess. Focus of the therapy is "understand your own brain" so identify distractions, identify planning lapses, etc., and learn what to do about them.


Can you share where you go to behavioral therapy for your child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So there are a bunch of us! This all makes me wonder -- why do anything about my possibly ADHD-inattentive first grader? She's happy and not disruptive. She's doing well in school (all P's, but I guess that's fine, and reading way ahead of grade level), but I do think she's inattentive. Like if I give her 3 instructions, unless it's something she's interested in, she'll drop one. The teacher says she seems somewhat inattentive, but not unusually so for her age. Anyway, it's kind of a gray area. But part of me feels that her father and I are ADD-inattentive and very bright, and maybe there's some tradeoff there? Like the hyperfocus that's part of the ADD-inattentive is helpful, and I don't want to take that from her. You know?
I know it's an easy call to treat ADD when it's making the kid's life hard or making it hard for them to do well in school. But if it isn't, then maybe there's a benefit to it as well...

Why do anything? You said it yourself..."The teacher says she seems somewhat inattentive, but not unusually so for her age." That is because, in first grade, most 6-7 year olds are distractible so your daughter does not stand out. But as time goes on, her non-neuro-typical brain will become apparent as will her lack of executive functioning skills, working memory, etc. Waiting to help a child is never a good idea. Those with ADHD do not have "hyper focus" they have an inability to regulate their focus, thus making learning difficult. ADHD is also exhausting! Tasks which neuro-typical brain people can do without thinking, takes those with ADHD longer and uses up more energy. As school becomes more intense, ADHD issues become more apparent. Get your child the skills and help to cope sooner than later.


NP here. Voting in favor of doing something early on, even if first grade feels too early. I was diagnosed as an adult ADD-inattentive. Sailed through elementary, middle and even high school top of the class. But I was so easily distracted that good study habits, focus and organization did not form and I was always cramming at the last minute or pushing out written work the night before it was due. It started getting harder in college and although I did well I can see in retrospect that I would have benefitted from being diagnosed. Law school it started getting really difficult to focus and you can't cram it all in at the end. While I did pretty well, I always felt as if I was scrambling and once I started working I became more and more disorganized, procrastinating, etc. Since the diagnosis and going on med, life has improved significantly. Having support really makes a difference though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So there are a bunch of us! This all makes me wonder -- why do anything about my possibly ADHD-inattentive first grader? She's happy and not disruptive. She's doing well in school (all P's, but I guess that's fine, and reading way ahead of grade level), but I do think she's inattentive. Like if I give her 3 instructions, unless it's something she's interested in, she'll drop one. The teacher says she seems somewhat inattentive, but not unusually so for her age. Anyway, it's kind of a gray area. But part of me feels that her father and I are ADD-inattentive and very bright, and maybe there's some tradeoff there? Like the hyperfocus that's part of the ADD-inattentive is helpful, and I don't want to take that from her. You know?
I know it's an easy call to treat ADD when it's making the kid's life hard or making it hard for them to do well in school. But if it isn't, then maybe there's a benefit to it as well...

Why do anything? You said it yourself..."The teacher says she seems somewhat inattentive, but not unusually so for her age." That is because, in first grade, most 6-7 year olds are distractible so your daughter does not stand out. But as time goes on, her non-neuro-typical brain will become apparent as will her lack of executive functioning skills, working memory, etc. Waiting to help a child is never a good idea. Those with ADHD do not have "hyper focus" they have an inability to regulate their focus, thus making learning difficult. ADHD is also exhausting! Tasks which neuro-typical brain people can do without thinking, takes those with ADHD longer and uses up more energy. As school becomes more intense, ADHD issues become more apparent. Get your child the skills and help to cope sooner than later.

We have a similar child, who although doing "fine" in first grade according to teacher started feeling dumb because she wasn't finishing things as fast as others and started saying she did not like school. Behavioral therapy has helped a lot. No mess. Focus of the therapy is "understand your own brain" so identify distractions, identify planning lapses, etc., and learn what to do about them.

Can you share where you go to behavioral therapy for your child?

Bumping this thread. Looking for behavioral therapist to work with DC on the above issues.

[Anonymous]

Also bumping thread to ask for any other book recommendations for understanding ADHD inattentive type of web resources? My 8 year old son's counselor thinks this is what he has and we are scheduled to see his ped for a consult - his counselor says that if his ped agrees with this diagnosis, that will help with getting the schools to do a 504 plan. His teacher has already helped a lot in the classroom but his grades have started to slip this year and we're thinking he needs a formal plan to get ore time for tests and shorter assignments.

Also, we were seeing the counselor for emotional issues - anger outbursts at home, difficulty following directions, self esteem issues. And then we noticed his grades dropped and his teacher spoke to us about him not handing in classroom assignments and having difficulty staying on task. We'd like to address this with behavioral interventions as much as possible for now. Anyone experience these emotional symptoms and have advice for how we can help address/support him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also bumping thread to ask for any other book recommendations for understanding ADHD inattentive type of web resources? My 8 year old son's counselor thinks this is what he has and we are scheduled to see his ped for a consult - his counselor says that if his ped agrees with this diagnosis, that will help with getting the schools to do a 504 plan. His teacher has already helped a lot in the classroom but his grades have started to slip this year and we're thinking he needs a formal plan to get ore time for tests and shorter assignments.

Also, we were seeing the counselor for emotional issues - anger outbursts at home, difficulty following directions, self esteem issues. And then we noticed his grades dropped and his teacher spoke to us about him not handing in classroom assignments and having difficulty staying on task. We'd like to address this with behavioral interventions as much as possible for now. Anyone experience these emotional symptoms and have advice for how we can help address/support him?

I'd suggest you start your own thread. I think you'll get better responses that way.

Most people here will recommend a full neuropsych evaluation instead of just going to a pediatrician. A full evaluation will give you a more comprehensive picture of your DC's strengths and challenges.

As for books, Smart but Scattered is a good one. I also liked Driven to Distraction. For the emotional issues, read The Explosive Child by Ross Greene and the Kazdin Method by Dr. Kazdin. Unfortunately angry outbursts are really common with ADHD because emotional regulation is part of executive function. When you say difficulty following directions, do you mean refusal or do you mean he spaces out and forgets? Spacing out in the middle of a sequence is really, really, really, really common for ADHD-I. Unfortunately, short of stimulant medication, your strategies revolve around simplifying directions, building a rigid routine, and providing visual prompts to help him stay on task. If it's refusal, I would suggest looking into taking a class like Unstuck and On Target. As for school, a 504 can include help with organizing assignments and turning in homework as well as seating near the teacher to help reduce distractions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also bumping thread to ask for any other book recommendations for understanding ADHD inattentive type of web resources? My 8 year old son's counselor thinks this is what he has and we are scheduled to see his ped for a consult - his counselor says that if his ped agrees with this diagnosis, that will help with getting the schools to do a 504 plan. His teacher has already helped a lot in the classroom but his grades have started to slip this year and we're thinking he needs a formal plan to get ore time for tests and shorter assignments.

Also, we were seeing the counselor for emotional issues - anger outbursts at home, difficulty following directions, self esteem issues. And then we noticed his grades dropped and his teacher spoke to us about him not handing in classroom assignments and having difficulty staying on task. We'd like to address this with behavioral interventions as much as possible for now. Anyone experience these emotional symptoms and have advice for how we can help address/support him?

I'd suggest you start your own thread. I think you'll get better responses that way.

Most people here will recommend a full neuropsych evaluation instead of just going to a pediatrician. A full evaluation will give you a more comprehensive picture of your DC's strengths and challenges.

As for books, Smart but Scattered is a good one. I also liked Driven to Distraction. For the emotional issues, read The Explosive Child by Ross Greene and the Kazdin Method by Dr. Kazdin. Unfortunately angry outbursts are really common with ADHD because emotional regulation is part of executive function. When you say difficulty following directions, do you mean refusal or do you mean he spaces out and forgets? Spacing out in the middle of a sequence is really, really, really, really common for ADHD-I. Unfortunately, short of stimulant medication, your strategies revolve around simplifying directions, building a rigid routine, and providing visual prompts to help him stay on task. If it's refusal, I would suggest looking into taking a class like Unstuck and On Target. As for school, a 504 can include help with organizing assignments and turning in homework as well as seating near the teacher to help reduce distractions.

Thank you for all this. I hadn't considered a neuropsych eval (it was his psychologist that first diagnosed him, but told us to go to the ped for diagnosis for 504 purposes) but will talk with our practitioners about this. In terms of following directions, it's both. Sometimes he just refuses to do what is asked, other times it's like he just doesn't hear us, other times we have to ask over and over and over again. He's an 8 year old boy - so the tantrums, the not listening, the distractibility, all these issues we've been dealing with since he was a toddler and wondering if it was just typical kid behavior or not. I feel like crying now because it's some validation to know that we're not crazy for thinking that his behavior seemed just seemed More somehow and now we understand why. I feel some hope that we may find some techniques for helping him and us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP - I've raised two kids with ADHD-inattentive. You are not going to want to hear this but our daughter sounds exactly what you posted (down to even taking hours to take a shower) got misdiagnosed ("exec functioning disorder" "slow processing" "ADHD-inattentive" "Depression" "Generalized Anxiety disorder) at least four times. We didn't find out until she was 16 that she actually had Asperger's/now "on the spectrum". As an adult, it is very obvious now that she has Asperger's. I wish I had received correct testing results early on so I could have provided more intervention but we followed what the pediatrician ("perfectly NT - no issues"), private schools, five testers, three shrinks and two therapists told us. We started therapy and testing at four an no one got it right until age 16. I wish you only the best of luck and want to remind you to keep retesting every three years.

TIme management issues, etc... seems very exec. functioning - can you tell me more about your daughter and what lead to the spectrum dx?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for responses so far. I so don't want to hear this. Plus my husband thinks I am ridiculous for thinking anything is off. A few reasons why:

-She is smart and gets great grades - if she is doing well in school, he doesn't see a problem.

-When she wants to focus and get something done - she can (for some reason, racing with her little brother gets her to move quickly, for instance).

-She, herself doesn't think there is a problem.

Does this change anyone's assessment?

If she's doing well in school, but using every available minute in 9th grade, what will she do when the workload increases substantially as it generally does in 11th/12th? Or when she decides she wants to add a part time job, or a leadership role in an extracurricular?

Kids with ADHD can focus, they just can't choose what they focus on. So, a kid who is interested in something, or has a short term motivation that is meaningful to them (like beating her brother) can focus for short periods, but that doesn't carry over to work.