How can you tell if your 3 year is adhd?

LaShonda - posted on 10/21/2009

You can take ur son to see the psychiatrist and the neurologist. They wont diagnosis him with ADHD at this age though. They may give u sum pointers on what to do. I felt the same way about m son who is 2. The psychatrist evaluted him and said that he was just more hyper than the average tow year old. I was not satisfied so I took him to the neurologist and they tested him and everything. The doctor gave me sum tips on how to control some of his behavior. He also stated that my son should go to a school that deals wit behavior. (ABA) So that is wat I am working on now, getting him in the school. Hope this works.

Always trust ur instincts. Sometimes the pediatricians do not always refer you properly.

Tammy - posted on 10/21/2009

I hate to disagree here, but they can tell if a child has ADHD at 3. My son was diagnosed at 3. You need to take your son to his pediatrician and explain his behaviors. Take notes in hand if necessary, because they have a tendency to blow you off. Explain that you are not a new mom and his behaviors are very different than your other children. The pediatrician will give you a referral for a psychologist and they can test him, it is a fairly simple process. To give you ahead start look the criteria up on the internet, there will be a check list for you to answer. Good luck!

Connie - posted on 10/21/2009

The Peditrician told me that they won't even evaluate my son until he is 5. They wait till they are in school and see how they react in class. If the teachers start having problems with him not sitting still or isn't doing well in school, then the school will contact you. I think it is different in every state too. adhd runs in my husbands side of the family and they said he will most likely have it. If you need to calm your child down, give him some caffeine, I give my son a little coffee, which he loves, or some mountain dew. Now I don't give it to him all the time of course, but it does help. My son is 4 by the way

Misty - posted on 10/19/2009

they wont diagnose him that young but i have 4 boys and my oldest has it and looking back i saw it early on but he wasnt properly diagnosed until he was 7. and, it is true that moms know best you are connected to your children so never go against your instinct even when doctors do....:)

Glenda - posted on 10/19/2009

Hi Elizabeth,
My daughter is 10yo & was diagnosed at 9yo with ADHD. I"Trust your instincts" is the best advise I can give. ADHD is completely managable for child & parent with the right diagnosis & information. There is a very good website chadd.org which is very helpful.
Best of luck.

Karen - posted on 10/19/2009

I was told by my pediatrician that ADHA can be diagnosed as early as 5 yrs..but they just wont test before then. It has something to do with the cognitive ability to answer the questions and pay attention. Some things to check for, sleep patterns or sleeplessness, food allergies, or sometimes their attention can be contained just by doing projects, and kinda making them take a couple hours..like making peanutbutter, pinecone birdfeeders then walking to the park to hang them in trees then watching the birds eat them..its fun!

Mandi - posted on 10/18/2009

Actually ADHD can't be diagnosed until between the ages of 11 and 13. Maybe your son is experiencing what my son was experiencing. Not sure if your son is getting the proper amount of rest or not but often times if children don't get the proper amount of rest they will show ADHD-like symptoms and often times children can be misdiagnosed as having ADHD when in reality the problem may just be that they aren't getting enough sleep. If you're still concerned though, some good sites to check out are, Debbie Phelps's Facebook community facebook.com/ADHDMoms, ADDvance.com, CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder), support for all ages, chadd.org. Hope this helps.



Mandi

Donna - posted on 10/17/2009

Have you told the Pediatrician how you feel and what you have experienced? Your child's Pediatrician can help you get that figured out. My son is 7 now but, I had him evaluated and he was fine according to the Psychologist. It was me that needed to check myself.

April - posted on 10/17/2009

It is rare that a psychiatrist or doctor will address ADHD in a 3 year old but I work with 4 different psychiatrists and usually they will start seeing kids about the age of 4. One thing that may help calm him down is giving him unsweetened tea because caffeine (without the sugar) has an opposite effect on children (and adults) who have ADHD.

Bethany - posted on 10/17/2009

They can't tell until there are between the ages of 5-7 if they have ADHD, at 3 years old they just have endless energy and no attention span :-) Hope that helps