Should I ask my son's doc?

April - posted on 11/12/2009

Yes! Ask his Dr....any doctor worth his salt will send him for tests or a referral to see a pediatrician.He should be tested for Celiac disease...and sensitivity to preservitives and dyes. Our son is & and has ADHD,but my Mom has Celiac disease and what a difference when we took him off gluten products.He is a new kid...we also looked into the Feingold Programme because we saw reactions to 'red' foods...remove the foods with dyes and he can focus and speak calmly...it has been a trip and I won't say it will be easy,cause I know that it already isn't easy.Good luck.

Mira - posted on 11/11/2009

Definately ask. My husband was very reluctant also. He was never diagnosed but I always hear my son is just like he was at a young age. We started hearing from the teachers in preschool and my husband would say, it is a boy thing. I started doing all my research and slipping in bits of info about how our son matched those descriptions. Finally, after school (kindergarten) wouldn't help with diagnosis, I just insisted that we go to a private therapist to see. I called the pediatrician, got a name and made an appointment. I simply told my husband that we were going for testing. And, in the meantime, I took all the advice from books, web sites and message boards and started instituting methods to help my son control himself. One thing I have discovered is that most things that help kids with ADHD also help kids without ADHD. Using the methods can not hurt - behavior modification charts, that sort of thing.

Also, we started using the Feingold Diet and it has helped a lot. It is basically eating healthy foods (nothing crazy), eliminating preservatives, food coloring and artificial sweeteners and the like. WOW! No more crazy outbursts!

Good luck but I will tell ya, the sooner you have a diagnosis, the sooner you can get working on helping your child cope with the things that make him/her act out. In the meantime, do what you can, stay as patient as you can, and always ask for help if you need it - we all do!

Christina - posted on 11/06/2009

I have two boys ages 11 and 4. My 11 yr old was diagnised at 4 with ADHD, and at 10 with ODD and a mood disorder. He was and still is a quiet child, he was always happy and calm no matter where you were. Once he started school we began to see the classic signs, they may have been there before but he was never in an environment that needed him still and quiet for longer periods of time. He would/does do silly things that are not considered age appropriate. He has never been able to get himself dressed and ready without someone standing over him and reminding him what he needs to be doing, he has no organizational skills, and bad hygine. My 4 yr old has been wide open from day one, he runs, plays nonstop, and talks loud all the time. this seems to be normal behavior for a child this age. Not to say that he will not be diagnosed later but for now he's a "normal" 4 yr old and untill teachers start questioning it I will not bother to have him tested. If you feel that there is an issue you should talk to your dr, there are many treatment options out there other than meds. Education is the key...knowledge is power. I hope everything works out

Justine - posted on 11/04/2009

I agree that you need to ask about it. There is the theory of "it's a boy thing" with the high energy and talking loudly. However, if you, like I did, notice that your son is just a little more active, more talkative and more busy than other kids his age definitely have it looked at.
It's great that you're looking at this behavior and thinking, "hmm, what might this be and what might be the explanation." My son started showing signs of ADHD early and when in preschool he was officially diagnosed. If he is ADHD you will help him tremendously by getting him evaluated and if needed medication started before he goes to school.
When we got the first comments about our boy's behavior my husband took it personally. He didn't want to have "that kid". Is your husband feeling guilty that your son is showing signs of the same issue he had? I've got ADHD myself as well as other issues that could be potentially handed off to my kids. I went through a period that I was angry and guilty about being the source of his difficulty. I asked my therapist about this and found out it's normal part of the process when something like this happens. I don't know if that info helps or not regarding your husband's behavior and harsh comments when you try to talk to him about it.

Hope some of this helps.

Alice - posted on 11/01/2009

I have to agree if you are concerned ask. Without asking you will never know and the worrying with make it harder for you to deal with him. My son was always active as a toddler and it never came to mind that there might be a problem until we had to take him to deal with his speech problems and they pointed out that he was always moving. to me that was just they way he was. He was a lot like yours where he was nonstop morning to night. there are still times when i will be awake at 2am and he is still up. One bit of advice you need to make sure that your husband stands with you. I have found that having my husbands support helps me a great deal. It isn't easy dealing with a child with ADHD, the mood swings I have to say is the worse. I have days where one minute he is yelling at me, then its like a switch is thrown and he is crying that i don't love him and he hates me. then changes again to hugs and kisses. If you don't have someone who is there willing and able to give you a break it will end up making you feel like you are going crazy. Im very lucky that on days when im at the end of my rope my husband is there to remove the load from my shoulders.

Paula - posted on 10/30/2009

If you are concerned then talk to the doctor. I would keep an eye on it seeing as how there is some genetic ties associated with ADHD. However be prepared. I was told that they don't like to diagnose that young. The only reason my son was diagnosed at the age of five was because they thought it might have been autism. But, like I said, if you are worried about it...ask your doctor!

Stacey - posted on 10/30/2009

Definitely if you are concerned! My husband has ADHD and my daughter started showing the signs of it when she was around 2 or 3 so I took her to a psychiatrist and had her diagnosed. She definitely has it....and has been on Adderall now for about 2 to 3 yrs. She is now almost 7. It helps her......she is the one to be concerned about more then how we feel. It helps her to sit and be able to concentrate on something for a longer period of time and enjoy it instead of bouncing around and being bored or getting into trouble.