So tell me about your experiences with your child's diagnosis. I have a 10 year old that has really been struggling this year. Up until this year she had all a's, now she is failing two subjects. We have had a lot of on our plates and we let it slide until now. So we started with going to a couselor. She felt like she was very clearly add. We filled out all of the forms, conner, amen and a couple of random others. She referred us then to get a med dx. Our ped wouldn't see us without having us write another book. so we saw a psych, I brought my paper work in, he asked a handful of questions, you know the ones on that check list. He didn't really ask any back ground info, etc. No weight check, no check up. Is this normal? He did send her for blood work. I guess I know she is, but am worried about putting her on speed if it is something else. Could this be depression, could this be bipolar, etc. Yes she has organizational issues, I don't know that these are caused from inattention or behavior. Anyway, ugh....I hate this! So what are your stories...did you just KNOW? WEre you relieved to hear this? I am a bit stressed out, if you can't tell!

By Cat on Sunday, May 2, 2004 - 03:57 pm:

Kaye, I guess I'd wonder why after so many years of all "A's" her grades are now all of a sudden dropping. Is she in 5th grade, or 4th? I know the work gets harder and the teachers start expecting the kids to do a lot more on their own about those grades. What has her teacher said? When Robin was offically dx'd back in 1st grade, the pdoc saw him for 20 minutes, asked me a bunch of questions and said, "Yep, he's most certainly ADHD, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's ODD, too." I remember thinking--all that in just 20 minutes with my son??? We had already had him evaluated when he was 4yo and the pdoc then said he probably was, but wouldn't dx him. Of course at the age of 6, most of his problems were hyperactivity and impulsivity. Not so much organization problems, but he was only in 1st grade. He was put on Dexadrine and at the time it was a God send. The phone calls from the school stopped! (I was getting at least 3 a week--I'd cringe every time the phone rang) About a month later I did get a call from the school--from his music teacher, no less (one class he had LOTS of trouble in) and she had called to say what a joy he was to have in class! I almost dropped the phone. lol I know the stimulants and meds are scary, but they do work for lots of kids. There an ADHD med now called Strattera that isn't a stimulant. Ask your dd's doc about it. My son is on it and the only side effect we saw was nausea if he took it in the morning. So he takes it at night before bed with no trouble.

Could there be something depressing her? Has anything changed at school? Is something stressing her out? Is she having trouble with friends? Is there a possibility of a formerly dx'd learning disorder? I'm not suggesting any of these things, I'm just asking what I'd ask if it were my child. I certainly wouldn't jump to a bipolar dx. If that were the case, you'd be having more problems than just poor grades. If you want to check it out anyway, the best site I've found is BPKids There's SO much info there. Also, is it possible she's starting puberty (I know--no parent wants to hear that! lol)? Just trying to brainstorm with you.

A dx is a double edged sword. I know for me it was, anyway. You're relieved to finally know what's going on, but at the same time aprehensive about what the future holds. I so understand you being stressed out about this. If you ever want to chat, email me (or post here--I'm on this site a LOT! lol). cathyliz@bigfoot.com You're not alone. {{{{{Kaye}}}}}

By Lauram on Sunday, May 2, 2004 - 06:25 pm:

I've gotta say, that doesn't sound like ADHD to me at all. It sounds like something is happening... I'd look into that more perhaps. You don't really want to know my story right now. We're in a tail-spin. My son has multiple diagnosis and his ADHD is being questioned at the moment. He meets all the DSM-IV criteria for it, and also meets it for Tourette's, OCD and GAD. It's WHY he's meeting it is the question. Kind of a nightmare....

By Kaye on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:41 am:

Her grades have all fallen this year, I guess hwat both the psych and the counselor said was at 4th here is when it happens. The teacher no longer checks on them and what happens happens. Her grades are low because of zeros, not turned in work. If you take the zeros away her averages are upper 90's. For the past 3-4 years I have had teachers say, she is a toughie, very smart, but won't do anything she doesn't "have" to do. She willfully chooses to not do some work. Writing is her first subject, she just can't seem to get started, her stories just don't flow, so then she gets frustrated and doesn't finish them. As far as home behavior, we spent anywhere from 2-4 hours doing homework. HOmework mostly consists of writing spelling words three times each, and a quickie work sheet. Now if I sit with her while she is doing it she can finish in about 30 mintues, but if I am trying to do something she will just sit there and it just hardly gets done. She loves to read, but she reads three books at a time, she will read a bit in this one, and then in that one, etc, drives me crazy. Her biggest behavior that bothers me at home is she loves to play board games, but she never finishes one and never picks them up. Really my 6 year old does better than this! All of those things scream add to me, definetly has some organization issues, concentration issues. But the rest of the picture that I feel got left out is, we had three deaths this year, oct, nov, dec...YIKES! We just moved here in June of last year, the last death was her closest grandmother who more or less lived with us as she was dying of brain cancer. She is also just difficult. For example, on sunday we were having dinner and she was messing with her straw and ended up squirting her brother with coke. No biggie, I said tell him you are sorry, she refused. We took her drink away and said, you can have it back when you are sorry. She never caved, she never got her drink. This was before we got any food, I mean geesh. She has a real issue with saying I am sorry. She is also physically agressive. When she loses her temper, gets in trouble etc, she slaps, hits, kicks etc. She is a big fit thrower, last summer I recall having to stop the car, she had done something and we ended up going home instead of the fun place we were going, she was screaming and kicking the seat, throwing things at me. I had to stop and physically remove her from the car, with the promise that, she would not ride with me and behave like this. She has always been very head strong, but very moody. When she is bad, beware, she is uncontrollable, but when she is good she is the sweetest, best behaved, best mannered child, it truely is like two different children. Anyway, I have gone through the list, I don't know. So far day one with meds went really well, she is on cloud nine about how well things went, how much easier it was etc. She might be that kid that the placebo would work on too though, only time will tell!

By Cat on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 11:11 am:

Wow, Kaye. There's a lot going on. I've always said about Robin he's either REALLY good or REALLY bad, too. Keep working with the docs and therapist. What med did they put her on? {{{{{Kaye}}}}} Post or email me anytime.

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:43 pm:

Kaye, that sounds like such a rough thing to deal with. She sounds alot like my niece who was dx with ADD, then ADHD, then nothing wrong just control issues, and finally bipolar. She has been on these meds for about 3 years and she is a really different kid. Of course, her environment was a mess and that has changed also. I don't know much about any of it butI know how hard it was for her to verbalize her frustration and that led to a lot of the temper and hardheaded behaviors. Good luck, sorry I wasn't more help. {{{hugs}}} and ^^^prayers^^^