I would definately have him tested! Once that is done then you'll either have the relief of knowing or the fear of what's to come. I saw similar signs in my daughter by the age of 3 1/2. She's less hyperactive and more inattentive though. The worst that can come from an assessment by a professional is that they tell you they don't know what is wrong. For some people they dread the diagnosis, I was just relieved to finally have it, although I was expecting ADHD (both my brother and father have it). If he's diagnosed then you can move on, find a treatment plan that works for you wether or not that includes medication is up to you and your doctors. I will say though that for me medication has made a significant improvement in my daughter's academics. She was always a fantastic reader but they had difficulty assessing her because she was always losing track and getting distracted. We'll work at it the rest of her life and that's ok, we love her more than anything, with or without ADHD :)

Good luck

Quote

Thank you for the advice. I finally broke down and called his teacher and she thinks there is something going on with him also. She said she is jas seen many kids through the years in her class with ADHD. She told me even though she is not a health professional that he has all the same characteristics of ADHD and definetly recommends testing. She is more than willing to cooperate with the doctors with documentation in anyway. She even told me that this has been her concern now for the last month and she was glad I called her because in the past when she has suspected other students of having ADD or ADHD and expressed concerns to parents, it made for an unfortable situation. Parents getting offended and getting upset. She is going to call me back today with information on resorces. Me and my husband both work but we are presently uninsured. This is now a big concern. What can I do from this point? I dont have a couple thousand laying around so im praying that there is something in the state of Missouri that can help. I hope there is some kind of funding or state agency that can help. Im not sure even where to start.

Quote

First off, you are in the right place and reading through this web site will definitely help. I went through a similar issue with my son and I knew at the age of 2 when he was throwing knock-down, dragged out, temper tantrums from you know where, that he had ADHD. We sent him to a private daycare/kindergarten where he could get the one on one attention I knew that he was going to need, and that specialized in teaching kids to read early, and he still ended up in 1st grade in a public school with no ability to read! He is now a week shy of his 11th birthday and has been tested as gifted and he cannot write a legible sentence to save his life! And he does the same thing, doesn't turn in homework, hides it, lies to me about it, ect. It's common and very treatable. First I would contact the school in writing and request that he be tested. They have 90 days from the reciept of your letter to test him. Secondly, call your PCP's office and see if they can provide you with referrals or info for a child therapist. There are lots of treatment options that do not include medication such as play therapy, support groups, nutritional support, and talk therapy. There are also a lot of books that are for chldren with ADHD that you can read to him that help him to talk about his feelings. Amazon has quite a few of them. And third, talk to his teachers and see if they can make a few, easy accomodations for him such as allowing him to stand at a table to do his work, or allow him to get up and quitely stretch as his desk every 15 to 20 minutes. You will need to be his biggest fan and advocate right now. And how I have always explained it to my son is that there is nothing 'wrong' with him, it's just that everybody learns differently.

Quote

Your advice certainly gives me a place to start. The teacher is now using a reward system for good behavior with playing on the smart board, which he just loves. I guess now that I think about it he has mostly spiraled out of control in the past month, probley because he hasnt been playing outside due to the cold weather. I have always been able to manage him and help him keep his cool till the this fall hit. He must have tons of energy built up everyday. That could be why this all just spiked to a whole new level. He really needs activity, I think ill bundle him up warmly in his jacket and just let him do what he loves the most and play outside. We had a swimming pool up in the summer and spring and he lived it practicly. He was being so good and easy to manage then. It was a wonderful time for me to have a little me time and get a chance to unwind. When I get a chance to unwind im a better mother and more patient. Latley im not myself and I feel worn down. That also has effect on my daughter. I have been getting short with her when she does nothong really wrong. My daughter is going through it too. My son will not leave her aline for nothing. She is getting frustrated badly. I never thought something as simple as my son playing outside could restore order in our house and bring us back to peace. Im still havimy son tested for sure because I know he needs help without a doubt. But play will definetly take me back to a place where I could manage him again and keep my cool.

Quote

I just went through all of this with my 8 yo daughter and I'm now noticing the same traits with my 5yo son. Don't stop with just ADHD testing as most of it is by observation and questionnaires in which in my opinion does not help. The questionnaires and observations are in the person observing them opinion. As I've learned (the very hard and expensive way) that depending who you ask it will vary greatly. I am a parent with ADD innattentive type and knew there was more than ADD/ADHD with my daughter. I was told told by a DEV. Peditrician she had AD/HD combined type and put her on meds. After 2 months of different med trials (all made no difference and made her high) I took her off and had a meeting with her teacher who then told me that (before the meds) she couldn't believe my daughter had AD/HD b/c most of the time she would be the only one paying atttention! She had been seeing a child Psychologist who diagnosed her with anxiety. I knew my daughter was frustrated but always though it was "secondary" and a result of something else. From there I went on a mission and wrote down all the "symptoms" that my daughter had, even the most "minor" symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety,frustration were broken down into "when" and "why's". Sleep monitioring, educational monitoring (my daughters teacher is awesome),playground observations (by me) etc. This went on for a long time until my frustration got the best of me. Finally I asked her what she thought. Surprising what an 8 yo can tell you if you ask. Her answers (I will randomly put them out for you to not make this too long). She said the everything was too "loud all the time", that "it's easier when I write down" the questions that I ask her, that she can't "concentrate with all the noise", that everyone needs to "slow down" and not rush her answers when she is asked questions. Her speech was filled with "um's, and aa's". Her handwriting with constant intervention would not improve (write past the margins, messy).She was still reversing db, pq, etc. but would sometimes catch herself doing it. She has always had sleep issues as well. The BIG issues was a new one that we saw this past Spring, she suddenly thought the birds were talking to her, which tore open a hole in my heart. It wasn't just a "child" playing and imagining, she TRULY believed it. At this point, I though there my be some hallucinations happening. This one point of "birds talking to her" is truly what set us up for the "correct" testing, Auditory. The "frequencies" that my daughter hears and does not hear came into play. We learned she could hear "higher and Lower" frequentcies than the rest of us and sometimes couldn't hear certain frequencies at all. Being the "bird chips" drownded out all other noises she truly thought that they were speaking to her.

Then I looked at her "positives" which when put under observation looked like "coping skills". It turns out she has CAPD or Central Auditory Processing Disorder along with Hypersensitive hearing. All of which effects many parts of her daily life, motor skills, processing, brain hearing etc. We learned all of this through Dr.'s and clinicians who had no "opinion" and looked for "facts". We did a full psychoeducational eval, brain mapping, TOVA, IOVA, and plain out listened to her, her friends, our friends, teachers, and followed my own instincts. We are currently trying AIT training and and just "chilling out" on expectations. I fully explained the whole situation to my sweet girl who proudly tells her new friends (when she doesn't quite get the games they are playing or misses what they say) "can you repeat that" or "can you show me inteading of telling me", "because sometimes my brain can't hear". She has moved to the top of her class and has many, many friends now. What I am getting at is that if a teacher/doctor/etc. says something to you about your child and you feel like it just doesn't "fit", don't stop there and treat for what they say. You must be their advocate. There a is a big difference between "denial" and "instincts". What I've noticed in the past year is that when kids think "out of the box" they tend to get "labeled". Some kids need to "stand, jump, lay down, hop, sing, hum, close their eyes, etc." when they are learning. Some need to "ask many questions" that do not seem on topic to the person being asked but never "label" the kids who "question". Almost all great inventors, scholars, etc. were "out of the box" thinkers and paved our way to great intellegence. Think about what our world would be like if we medicated all of these people just on that basis? I have ADD myself and take Adderal daily, I am a big believer in my meds, for me. Sometimes the answer for some kids is accomadation, a "disc" to sit on for movment, a "squishy" pencil for movement, eye contact from the teacher, extra time and rewards from the parents for what they have achived instead of what they have not. I do know that meds eventually (most of the time) burn out and you will find yourself switching from one to another. My meds do take my "creativity" away while they are in my system as well. I make sure I remember to Exercise my creativity so I do not lose it. What I am trying to get at is the quest for answers is long and emotional. The saying "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it most likely a duck" doesn't really matter. It's "yes it is a duck but WHAT KIND of duck?" I wish you luck and pray for you as I know EXACTLY how you feel. Do not give up b/c no one will love your child like you will. :)

Quote