I just wanted to tell you that it is wonderful that you are such a great advocate for your son. My son is 11 yrs. old and after a HUGE fight, has been on medication since he was 7. After he turned 10, the medicine he was on quit working. Since then, we have been struggling with various medications and dosages. Just to tell you how successful we have been... He's home today because he refused to go to school.... even with losing video game, computer, TV, and going outside privileges. ARGH!!!! I feel bad for him.... BUT, I wanted to tell you that we went through a very similar situation when I was trying to get a diagnosis. I'm sure the laws here are different, but because no one at school would be cooperative with me, I took him to an outside source (psychologist) for an evaluation. Of course, he came up with good intelligence, a learning disability in writing AND ADD. I took the evaluation to the school, and they would not accept it and refused to test him because he 1st grade teacher fought against the fact that there was something wrong. I found out that he could be served under what is called a 504 plan, which basically makes accomodations for him in the classroom. He is so shy that he does not cause problems at school, but often feels left out and behind in school. I had to keep a list of symptoms to take into the Dr. about why I thought my son had ADD. This was after 4-5 years of struggling with him and telling the doctor that I thought he needed medication. He finally agreed to put him on a minimal dose of meds, and we saw an immediate effect. However, he wouldn't "up" the dose or adjust it when it needed to be done. We are on our 3rd doctor, now. Because he was on the 504 plan, when in 4th grade his teacher told me he had an issue with writing; he was able to be tested in the school and they have given him special services. I was told that he was right on the border for special services and if he hadn't had the diagnosis of ADD and had a 504 plan for 2 years, he probably wouldn't have qualified. I'm just telling you this because I want you to hang in there! You are doing the right thing and you are the best advocate for your child. I think it's AWESOME that you are pursuing ALL avenues. (Also, my son came out fine when his motor skills were tested as well, even though doing things like tying shoes, writing was difficult for him). YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! I read an article one time that said if a parent can just stick with ADD child through being a teenager, setting limits and loving him... that things turn out OK in the end! Leeanne

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Judy,

It makes me so sad and angry when someone like your son cannot get a proper diagnosis because of the psychiatrist's lack of understanding of ADHD. Her comment shows she doesn't understand ADHD at all. Individuals with ADHD can be attentive in something they find interesting, novel, or intimidating. They also are more attentive in a one on one situation as opposed to a classroom. My advice would be to try and find a knowledgeable doctor but if that is not possible, I have one other suggestion that might help. Get a list of the current 18 criteria used to diagnose ADHD and get the book, "Driven to Distraction" by Drs. Ed Hallowell and John Ratey. Reading the book will help you to understand the different ways ADHD can be manifested and will give you examples that your son might relate to. Then type up at least two specific examples of each criteria that he fits. He doesn't have to fit all of the criteria. For example, if he has the primarily inattentive type (as I do and my children do), then he only needs to meet 6 out of the 9 inattentive symptoms. He may or may not meet the hyperactive/impulsive symptoms.

My sister and I have found that in dealing with doctors, it helps to be proactive. By documenting how he fits the criteria, you have done most of the work for them. I had to do that myself, not because the doctor didn't believe me but because I had previously said that I didn't have ADHD on my initial visit. I had only recently come to that conclusion (I have a thread here that describes how it came to be) and therefore I had to present him with plenty of documentation. I also typed up a narrative explaining some of the other reasons I believed I had ADHD and how it had negatively impacted my life. I had given him 5 type written pages and he was impressed.

I do hope your son if able to get the right help that he needs.

Elaine

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