Forum Index
»
Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities
Hyperactivity
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
My son is 4 and a half year old. He is studying in pre-K in a private school. Prior to that he was in a "developmental" center for a year. On and off, sometimes once a month sometimes less and occaissionally more, his teachers have complained that he doesn't listen. They have all said that he is very smart, but that he has difficulty following direction and wants to do what he wants. Things have improved a lot. He stands in line now, he raises his hands to ask a quesiton and he sits still in circle time. At home however, he's very good. he does his homework (twice a week), he engages in activity (which he does in school as well). Most people who meet him love him because he is very social and friendly. Anyways, the biggest issue is not listening, and being disruptive at times in class. He also speaks loudly. On the other hand, he has no problems with play dates and he has friends.
The thing is one of the teachers said he maybe hyperactive. this was not an official statement but just a casual BTW remark! initially I was upset because I thought this should not be a casual remark. But now I am worried and don't know what to do. I love him to death, and I want him to succeed, which academically he is and socially it seems in most settings, but sometimes not in school. What is other parents advice? Should I ignore her remark? Should I wait another year since he his only 4? Any parents who have had similar experience where things became worse or got better? Would he survive in a public school system is my biggest worry! Thank you. |
Anonymous
| From what you said, he will absolutely survive in a public setting. Schools make accomodations for children with ADHD all the time. Keep an eye on his behavior and track any problems teachers experience. Wait a year before having him evaluated b.c. you may see developmental changes in the next year or so. He may simply be a child that needs a teacher/setting with increased structure, but does not meet the criteria for ADHD. A diagnosis of ADHD requires there be an impairment in functioning in more than one setting. Keep this in mind, especially if you decide to have him evaluated as there are many psychologists who give a diagnosis without fully meeting this criteria. |
Anonymous
| how can I avoid a psychologist who may make an incorrect diagnosis? what accomodations would schools make? Currently they are not making any accomodations, because academically he is doing very well, so if he persists to do well academcially, what kind of accomodations can a school make. thanks. |
Anonymous
| I want to add that he can play by himself in his room with his toys for a long time. he plays with the pirate ship or draws a lot, he also loves for me to read to him. There must be something that I am missing? |
Anonymous
| This sounds like my son of a year ago. For us, it did not get better with time, so we did seek an evaluation at age 5. While we did not have big issues at home or other non-school places, I did find that my feedback for him "scored" in the mild range of impairment (with the school a higher score). Ours was a pretty thorough process wtih a school visit, teacher eval, home visit on several occasions, parent eval, etc. and we were in agreement with the outcome. We also sought a second opinion from a dev. specialist to confirm. |
bai
Member Offline
Member Offline
| What can I try doing at home until his evaluation which would probably be next year if this behavior persists. I guess I want to give myself a chance to see if this is because he is the only child and "spoilt" or that he truly has hyperactivity, in which case it will show up on evaluation. However, even with a child with ADHD, there must be things one can do to make things improve. |
Anonymous
| My son is just turning 3 and I'm almost 100% sure he has ADHD. I don't have a doc's diagnosis, but a mom's (my own) diagnosis based on all the traits/characteristics of ADHD. You are starting earlier and doing all the right things by posting your questions. I'm just starting to do research on line....just came across a herbal remedy for ADHD, for example. I would just continue to ensure that you child is getting the best care and attention possible. My son is in a FCPS special education program and his teachers are trained to deal with children like him. He was in a Montessori school which was awful for him since it was the wrong fit. He is a happy boy, but I know I have a long road ahead--not to mention he keeps me very busy b/c of his energy level. The upside is that I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight!! |
bai
Member Offline
Member Offline
| I am interested to know why you thought montessori was the wrong fit. We were going to try to get DS into a montessori for this year! |
Anonymous
| They say they are not rigid, but they are within certain parameters. At least this particular school was. My son probably has ADHD and their teachers are dealing with many children and not trained to deal with children with special needs. I'm at least grateful that they "flagged" him as a child with special needs and brought it to me attention. This probably wouldn't have happened if we continued at a regular day care. |
Anonymous
|
I am a child psychologist. I don't usuaully post on these forums, but feel I should say a little something. Yes, it is still early developmentally, but early intervention is the key to success as long as you go to a credible psychologist, who will conduct a thorough evaluation. The average age of ADHD diagnosis is 6.5, but there are some children who can be identified earlier if it is impacting/interfering with academic or behavioral success. Also, the first posting made an accurate point that it has to be impacting his daily functioning. Your son will be fine in the public school realm. Once he receives a diagnosis, he will qualify for a 504 plan or IEP, IEP preferably b.c. some schools don't take 504 plans seriously. There are lots of environmental strategies you can put in place. Specficially, an environment with high structure is a key for success. An author I recommend to all my parents is Russell Barkley. A good starting point is "Your defiant Child", by Russell Barkley. Don't be scared away the title.
|
bai
Member Offline
Member Offline
|
PP: I appreciate your posting on this forum. I know it's difficult to give an opionion as a specialist on a forum. I am looking into an evaluation for him, as soon as we move to DC (we haven't yet). My personal feeling is that he just needs consistency, and structure, but ofcourse I cannot ignore the complains from school even though it's J-K.
He is the youngest in his class, and there has been improvement these last few days. I see him doing some things spontaneously, without the "reward bribe". I will definitely look into the book you recommended. Currently reading a book by "Jacob Azerrad", any information on this Psychologist? |
Anonymous
|
OP -- some options to look into. Braingym.org may help -- get the teacher's edition. OT -- I really like Lynne Israel and Associates in DC. Also, the most important thing if you haven't done this already is to make sure you have routines at home and stick to them -- regular bedtime, wake-up time, proper eating habits. (I am always amazed at my friends whose children are diagnosed with ADHD and the parents are letting their kids sleep at 11 pm adn take them out to dinner at around 8 pm on a school night. What are these people thinking? These children especially need a regular routine rather than being overtired and over stimulated.)
Cut out the soda and other fake foods as well as sugar. Enroll your son in karate (I think there is some research out there that looks at the impact over one year of self-control and karate -- and it helps). Re. nutrition, give your child fish oil tablets regularly. There are some chewable ones out there (Wholefoods carries them.) Also, make sure you are establishing rules and that your son follows them the first time. If the teacher mentioned this I bet she asked your son to stop doing something and he didn't respond until a second reminder. Make sure you teach him to listen the first time -- this will lessen these types of comments. You may want to read "Smart moves" by Carla Hannaford. Hope this helps. I agree with the psy. that posted. Do something sooner rather than later if you are at all concerned. |
Anonymous
| I forgot to mention. Don't let your son watch TV. 1 - 2 hours on the weekend is plenty. |
bai
Member Offline
Member Offline
| TV...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I wish I could throw it outI actually stopped it for a whole 10 days, lying to him that it's not working. He is allowed to watch one 20 min program on a school nite, provided there are no complains from the teacher. This is suppose to be his reward! previously he was watching 2 shows regardless. on weekends, he is allowed 2 shows only, totalling 40 mins per day. Is the TV show reward not right? He is getting more involved in playing and reading since we cut down the time, but it is this one reward he does look forward too. he brings a book to us to read every day now. I am working on the bedtime ritual...he has so much energy though, even the nites he is in bed by 9 he doesn't sleep till ten! |
Anonymous
|
To OP (I assume that was you who just posted) on TV issue.
Are you the parent or is he? If you are and you don't want the TV, you need to tell your son that is what you've decided and that is how it is goign to be. Don't let him run the show. I'm saying this because for an ADHD child it is essential that he learns to listen. You are the first traiing ground. Help him otherwise it will spillover. |