I dont know if my child has ADHD?

Question

i dont know what to do can any one please tell me what to do? and any ideas of how to get rid of it without being labled because i have read about children when there older getting labled from having ADHD and not being able to find jobs and have problems i dont want my child going through this please help me P{LEASE

Answer 1

M son was the same and sometimes still is, he is on concerta, which is a lot kinder than ritalin. He has outrages of violent behaviour even on the meds, but I have seen a significant change in his behaviour when I cut the colours out of his diet, preservatives and even flavour enhances. But his behaviour still is like a rollercoaster when things have upset him, changes occur or excitiment. When these children mature, they will learn to contain these behaviours, by us parents setting up rules for these children, I know it is difficult as I also think the same thing, but looking at my brother, who also was the same as a child, he has a successful job and people do not look at him any different. Good luck

Answer 2

You can get them tested for it. If they are in school you may ask there teacher's where at to test your child. They wont say your child has ADHD unless they are school age. Well that's what they tell us here, (docs).  You must get them the help they need to take care of it while there younger. So when they are older it may fade and it wont effect there job's or family. I have knowen lot's of friends and family who have had it and are happy as adult's now with great job's. Don't make it as a label for your child. Dont talk about it in front of them ask your doc. or who you talk to about it to not say it in front of your child tell you think they are old enough to know. These are just my Opinion on the subjuct. I am not a doc. Hope this help's.

Answer 3

Ok, first of all, you don't get rid of it.  ADHD can be treated, but there is no magical cure for it.  Sometimes it seems that it gradually disappears as the child gets older.  But more often than not, it continues into adulthood.

You need to calm down.  ADHD is very treatable.  Stop acting like it's the end of the world.  What would you do if he was diagnosed with cancer?  You would treat it, correct?

If you behave as if your son has something "wrong" with him, that is not helping him at all.

The first thing to do is take him to a licensed children's psychiatrist.  Insurance should cover this, if not, there are many low cost options available at your local mental health center.  Also, check out the website for adhd.   www.adhd.com

Get the facts and get informed.  The best thing to do for your son is be there for him.  There is also support for parents of adhd children.  It can be very difficult sometimes, and you need all the help you can get.  I have been there and still am.  

Slow down, take a breath and think about him.  As far as labels and the future go, it will be ok.  THE WORST THING TO DO IS IGNORE THE ADHD.   If you do that, then he probably will have trouble with jobs among other things.

Good luck and remember to breathe, mom.  :-)

Answer 4

If you really feel like your child has ADHD then you need to make an appointment with your pediatrician so they can evaluate your child and possibly refer you to a specialist.

There is less of a stigma now about "special needs" kids and most schools will provide some sort of modifications for kids who have been diagnosed with certain conditions.  If you son does have ADHD, wouldn't it be better to get him the treatment he needs then worry about him getting picked on and having him struggle through school without treatment?

ADHD can continue into adulthood but it is illegal to discriminate against people with it.

Answer 5

Right now its not about what other people think..its about the child.  There are so many programs out there for children with any kind of disability and if started young it will make a huge difference for them in the future.  I have a child with aspergers and bipolar and we found out very young at the age of 4 and things are looking so good right now that in the future I see him holding a stable job, living on his own and having a family.   So just hang in there and start working with the child and don't worry about them being labeled

How old is your child?  And are you sure its ADHD?

I want you to watch out for somethings if she is put on medication for ADHD....Any kind of stimulant if their is any chance that she could be Bipolar will send her off the deep end.   Does she ever show signs of mania or depression ?

Answer 6

Dear Lisa M,

Here is a shortlist of people with ADHD

# Walt Whitman

# Anthony Hopkins

# John D. Rockefeller

# Henry Ford

# Charles Schwab

# Christopher Columbus

# Nelson Rockefeller

# Evel Knievel

# Thomas Edison

Look at how they turned out!

Not suggesting that ADHD is a good thing unmanaged but given the right impetus they can really shine.

Join Dr Handelman's free teleseminar and find out for yourself.

http://adhdgift.com/unwrapadhd

hope this helps

Answer 7

Green Chimneys in Brewster, NY. Is a school that helps kids  regain self-control, and live happy lives, through a therapeutic day program thru animals on a farm (and residential programs available)

http://www.greenchimneys.org

Founded in 1947, Green Chimneys is the nationally renowned, non-profit organization recognized as the leader in restoring possibilities and creating futures for children with emotional, behavioral and learning challenges. Recognized as the worldwide leader in animal-assisted therapy, Green Chimneys operates residential treatment for children and a special education school. Green Chimneys offers specialized treatment and educational and recreational services. Each year, Green Chimneys' restoration system gives hundreds of children and their families the tools that enable them to positively experience their youth, regain a sense of self-worth and create hope for the future as independent, positive and productive adults.

I WENT TO THIS SCHOOL YEARS AGO. I was in the same shoes as your child. Now, a I am a sucessful person.

Look into this school. It made all the difference in my life.

Answer 8

First of all, you can't "get rid" of ADHD. If your child, in fact, has ADHD, then they're going to be ADHD for life, even if the symptoms seem to go away later in life.

You need to take your child to his/her pediatrician for an evaluation. They will have you fill out forms on your child's day-to-day behaviors, as well as having their teacher fill out forms.

Second of all, ADHD is a label, like it or not. It's a medical diagnosis. Just because a person has ADHD doesn't mean that they can't receive effective treatment and learn how to behave acceptably.

My 7½ yr. old son has ADHD. We waited until this year to talk to his doctor about the issues we'd been having, because we wanted to see if he would "outgrow" the hyperactivity and become better adjusted to school-settings with his attention problems.

But he didn't outgrow it and this schoolyear it became a huge issue with his work. We spoke to his teachers, first, getting their point of view, since they have him for 8 hours a day. Then we spoke with his pediatrician and we filled out all the forms, as did his teachers. He is a true case of ADHD. He is now on a low dose of Concerta and he has done a total turn-around. He's a completely different child when on his meds. It's unreal the changes he's made at school! He went from being in Reading Recovery program because he couldn't hardly read or write, to excelling in the program, and actually going above his grade level in reading! All within 3 months of being on the Concerta.

ADHD isn't a bad thing. Or it doesn't have to be. Your child CAN overcome it, with proper treatments. Treatment for your child may mean medication and therapy, or just medication alone, or just therapy, focusing on behavior modification. It just depends on what you're willing to try.

So stop looking at it like it's a horrible disease. It's not. There ARE worse things in life than being ADHD. Embrace it, and overcome it.

Answer 9

You can take your child to the doctor to find out if she had ADHD. You should read a book that is very helpful called: "Allergies and the Hyperactive Child", by Dr. Doris Rapp. You will learn a lot by reading this book, all the way through - it is a rather small but informative book - used booksites online, small blue book. Look online, for: ADHD and candida, ADHD and food sensitivities and ADHD and leaky gut. You will need to learn all you can about how your child's diet may effect her. I found that my son might be very silly, and then have a tantrum for no apparant reason. After I had him tested for food sensitivities, I saw a very real connection to different foods, depending upon what he had eaten that day, or a particular part of the day. If you learn as much as you can about these things, you may be able to make a difference in your daughter's life. You can also read, "Gut Solutions".

Answer 10

If your child is showing signs of possible ADHD first thing I would recommend is watching sugar intake (make sure they aren't eating large amounts) this includes sweets like snack cakes and stuff and monitor candy.  Also take away caffine and as much artificial sweetners as you can.  Another problem is red dye as it causes chemical imbalances in the brain especially in young children which can cause ADHD like symptoms.  Make sure your child is getting a balanced diet, getting plenty of sleep (10-12 hrs at night) and isn't going to bed hungry.  Make sure your child eats a good breakfast because if glucose/insulin levels drop they can act out as well.  This is a way to find out if it is your childs diet that may be the problem.  Also look for any other factors such as a big change in his/her life (such as moving, new school, new sibling, new stepparent, death of a loved one...) as this can cause ADHD like problems as well.  Find out how they are doing at school.  You can also do councling and they can't medicated, it takes a psychiatrist to actually label a child and offer medications so therefor councling isn't a problem because they can help you find the problem and maybe fix it with out medications.  Goodluck.

Answer 11

Well they do not have to be labeled just helped. My son has been labeled in daycare because he was not on medication before he went. So now even though he is on medication and does normal 4 year old things they always have to point out to me, he took a toy from another kid today, he pushed another kid down. Don't get me wrong i do not condone my son's behavior by any means. I can tell you what his symptoms were and hope that this helps.

He was very defiant with the rules, and no matter how much he got in trouble he would keep on doing it, he would bounce off the walls with so much energy it would make me tired watching him. He was very destructing with things, and like to hit other people when he didn't get his way. I took my son to a child physiologist and he is high end ADHD. Now that he is on medication he is a normal child, don't get me wrong you know it right away when he is not on his medication, but when he is you wouldn't be able to tell he apart from any other kid in the daycare. =)

Answer 12

A persons education and abilities are built on layers.  Paying attention, leads to learning to read and do math, which leads to knowing more which leads to working in groups, and so on and so on.  Paying attention is the CORE thing to learning and when a child can't do that given how much they have to learn at this age, it will be harder when they are expected to know something to learn more advanced stuff.

Don't worry about school either.  Teachers label kids ADHD when they are not behaved and have untreated symptoms.  The stigma is spread by the child's bad behavior not the meds they take.  If you child is appropriately treated then they will better learn, be socially more acceptable to their friends and family, and will stop disrupting the teachers job to teach class and the teacher will be able to use their time better to teach and not scold your child.  I'm not telling you what that treatment is as you need to work with your doctor on that.

ADHD doesn't go on the resume and 1/3 of my interviews have led to job offers.  These days, I don't hide it anymore because I'm tired of tiptoeing and it helps people set expectations and they know what I'm good at and bad at (they don't ask me to take meeting notes for the group anymore).  We ADHD can be successful...but is easier when we have help.