does my son have adhd?
Question:
Thanks
mom of
alexander james 05/06/2003
kaitlyn rose 02/03/2006
Answers:
He MIGHT have ADHD, but its too early to tell now. Lots of the behaviors your describing are normal for his age. That doesnt help you, though. What you really want is a way to get his behavior closer to what you want. Here's how:
1. Remember that kids only change behavior when they are motivated to, and positive motivations are WAY better than negative ones. In other words, you can BRIBE him into pooping the the toilet much easier than you can SCOLD him into it.
2. There is only one surefire way to motivate you child to do something: give him attention when he does it. Unfortunately, sometimes the only attention a kid gets is scolding when he does something "bad"- these kids understandably keep acting "bad". Turn the tables- decide that you will be sure only to give attention to him for the behaviors you want to see more of (like playing nice, eating up, being nice to his sister, peeing in potty). If you promise to give your kid 9 positive messages for every negative one, you will soon have an angel.
3. There is only one way do make the behavior you dont want to see go away: IGNORE IT. Save your energy and dont scold bad behavior- if you pay it no attention it will stop, sooner or later. This is an important fact to understand- prove it to yourself with this experiment. Make yourself NOT REACT AT ALL when he screams or yells. Make sure you react not at all. If he uses a normal voice, repond then. See if in three days your child doesnt yell any more.
ADHD or not, these are the fundamental ways you change a child's behavior for the better. Remember always the goal is to make your child's self esteem better. If he is going to be hyperactive, you want him hyperactive with good self esteem, not hyperactive with a complex. This is the way to be a loving and loved parent.
Other Answers:
Sounds like he might be jealous of his sister. Might need some alone time with mommy only. Sibling rivalry can be tough on the little ones.
Your son is far too young to be diagnosed ADHD at this age. You may be experiencing a normal behavior of the little man who is exploring the world around himself. I wouldn't worry at all, yet.
First of all 3 year olds are naturally hyper - that is why they don't test them until 4 years old. You are trying to push him to learn stuff too early and you are getting impatient. Potty training is a waste of time until they are 3 but a lot of parents try earlier get frustrated and punish the kid. Relax and let him play, play with him and let his personality develop. I am guessing you are overwhelmed with two small children at this time. The little guy is probably trying to get your attention because he is jeaous of his sister. Chill out - hire a sitter for a day and go shopping.
Leave the baby with a grandparent for the afternoon and take Alex to the park for a little one-on-one. You are pushing too hard.
I would get a second opinion on this matter.Your son could have autism or ADHD. Symptoms for ADHD are the first link below.symptoms for autism is the second link. Please get a second opinion.
Source(s):
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm
http://www.neurologychannel.com/autism/symptoms.shtml
He is too young to test for it. He might be acting out of jealousy towards his sister. Kids this age are often times hyper but I consider that normal for a boy. I have two ADHD children (both boys) and it is sometimes hard to determine normal from hyper but neither one of them were diagnosed until after first grade. They do take medication and have gone to therapy but both are extremely bright and have made honor roll throughout their school years. They are now going into seventh and ninth grade. Hang on for another year and get your son tested but for now try and make sure to give him some extra attention which may help alot. It does get easier.
I'm really sorry to tell you, that it sounds like your son had ADHD. The symthomes that you tell your son has, sounds like it.
I did a little study on ADHD, and the symptomes are: No concentration on almost al things. The bad additude is also a symptome, and the fact that he will not listen to you.
The good news is, that when a child so young, gets it, he will grow out of it, but that can take 9 to 10 years. (and there's medication agains ADHD.)
I hope that your sun will get better.
Short attention span and being unruly are two indications of having ADHD. But children at this age, specially with boys, being very active is also normal. However, if you try to put him in one corner and he stays sitted but he keeps moving his hands and his body, and also makes noises, that may be unusual. Also, if you try to talk to him but he either doesn't listen or doesn't look at you, then he could really have a problem. I suggest that you don't give him anything that would make him hyperactive like cola drinks, chocolate, etc. These drinks have caffeine content. Give him milk and something he could be busy with. But don't leave him in front of the TV. Studies have shown that children who are left in front of TV, watching all these cartoon shows are more at risk of having ADHD or even autism. You can also try having him checked by a child psychologist to see if he really has a problem. I don't think you have to wait for him to reach 4 years before he can be checked. If your son does have a problem (but I firmly hope he does not!), the earlier it can be treated, the better.
Please see the webpages for more details on Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001551.htm
Not to worry.This Lil' guy is like any other growing child, an incredible appetite for knowledge keeps him moving and learning. Let him explore EVERYTHING, he'll eventually wear himself out. Give him time to settle down before you give up and take him to be analyzed and categorized. Ever hear of terrible twos? Check out some famous people that are considered to be ADHD. His mind is just a vacuum for information. Be careful he just may grow up to invent something incredibly wonderful. Take time off for yourself, let him go wild with someone else, they will love his energy. Then they will get tired of trying to control him and send him back to mom. You both get a vacation.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 5, i am a single mother of 3 ( girls ages 4,5, and 7) and i also work in trauma icu..
it is impossible to test children at age 3-their attention span is naturally short and they are little balls of energy.
having a baby sister in the house will cause some acting out as well. the baby requires more of your attention and little man is probably used to having all of your attention as it was BEFORE the baby came-this is common.
as for potty training-most children when learning have a fear of bowel movements b/c they feel like they are going to lose part of their body into the tiolet-the diaper/pullup sat closer to their bottom than the open tiolet now does. don't force it on him-he'll just rebel and take longer to train. keep in mind that he might regress to needing diapers again altogether ( my oldest did this after her sister was born) as a way to get attention from you b/c the baby gets attention while getting her diapers changed.
changes in his behavior might show up as well-regression to acting like a baby again-this is also another way of taking attention off of the new sister and directing it his way.
best thing to do w/these situations is to ignore it-explain to him that he is a big boy and if he wants something from you-he needs to ask for it or behave in a "big boy" way. he will eventually outgrow it.
toddlers need to be constantly stimulated by nature-giving him small,simple activities throughout the day will help give him structure and possibly calm the acting out. things such as coloring with crayons or markers, putting together a simple puzzle, making a necklace out of pasta and string, and/or reading an easy book together while the baby is napping are great ways to not only teach him things but help keep him occupied while getting some of mommy's attention too!!
ADHD tends to be genetic so if someone in your family hasn't had it-the chances of him getting it are slim. u can most certaintly have him tested when he's old enough but to me it sounds like he just a normal,energizer bunny type toddler and keeping you on your toes is part of the job : )
I don't think anyone on this site can arrive at a diagnosis such as this. This condition is often overdiagnosed. The presence of a young sister might mean he is striving for more attention.
Doesn't sound like ADHD if he can concentrate on the cars for that long and that he has learned to say his abc's,etc. He may be experiencing stress from the new baby since pregnancy and letting it out by the pooping(I'm your baby!)or he may not be getting a set daily routine since you were preg and now are busy with the baby. Could be a combination of two or all three. Please for your saniity and his future, get him on a routine, rules with consequence and stick to it. Tell him the consequence if he yells,take away his cars for the afternoon,etc., and when he gets them back and yells or has a bad attitude, take them away again for the whole day. He will soon get it. Don't freak out now!! I know that you get some relief time when he is playing cars but I am talking about a long term solution so just grin and bear it and you can make it through a week or so, if that long. If you don't get him under control now you will be having the little one learn from him and then you will really have problems! If he is on a routine she will naturally work into it without problems. Believe it or not but I would think she is already learning some and is crying to get your attention! He will be much happier as a result and so will she. He needs to learn this before school or he will be in the office more than class and not learning as he should.When he does go by the rules, make sure to praise him and give him hugs,not rewards, or that will set him up for only doing things for rewards and not for the self gratification. Keep up the love and caring for them and remember that your job is not to keep the kids happy but that you are training them to be good students and productive adults! With the potty training make a big deal and praise him if he does poop in the potty(do a parade around the house with homemade pom poms that are just for the potty training and also hit a pan with a wooden spoon) and if he poops his pants just tell him that you know he is trying and you know he will get it soon because he is your big boy!Don't scold him just talk about something else as you clean him. The parade will do the trick because it is a celebration and fun. Get the baby involved sometimes and he will see that the baby is happy that he is a big boy too! Of course the baby will just be reacting to the fun, but he will not know that!
Source(s):
Mom,Gramby,teacher,and lots of kid experience!
He's only three years old, so it's still too early to tell. He may just want some attention. If you really think he has ADHD, get him tested by his doctor.
my son was treated for ADHD..short attention span..not able to make decisions on his own like how to clean bedroom..not able to do his homework,,not able to concentrate in school.easily aggravated,,but every child is different..the school didn't want to work with him so i took him out of school and took him off his med so he could have more one on one time.i put him in a home school program where his teacher was able to help out more.he went from F's to BS in about 6 months time..the teachers and doctors are vey quick to give meds please becarefull..it makes them sick and not hungry..and he just layed around all the time..hes still young.start more one on one time with him.
He is only 3, give him plenty of outlets for his energy. At 3, my son took swimming lessons and skating lessons. Both the skating and swimming were structured activities that used his energy. He got a feeling of accomplishment from learning something ( May help in the potty training area), a big boy goes swimming and uses the toilet ( but I think you have been at him too long on the potty training, you started to early) and learned to deal with other people, good discipline.
Give him some individual attention, leave little sis with a sitter or grandma and give him your undivided attention.
My son was not diagnosed ADHD until he was 8 or 9.
Let him be 3, praise his good activites, ignore his bad. See what happens.
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