I have 2 boys age 9 and 11 with ADHD, is it possible that my twin daughter
By meholl
@meholl (510)
United States
September 23, 2007 1:39pm CST
are also ADHD? Or are they just picking up on behaviors that my boys display? I know younger children learn from example, so it is possible that they are reacting to the enviroment. But how do you tell if that is the case? I certainly hope that I don't have 4 kids with ADHD. It is hard enough with 2 kids having ADHD
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4 responses
@Dee351972 (743)
•
12 Oct 07
it could be either. You have to take them to the doc or if they are in school they know some of the sighns. I knows i have one kid adhd and one add it is hard. Hope u find out soon.
@meholl (510)
• United States
12 Oct 07
They are totally different at pre-school. Very quiet, don't interact much with the other classmates, play independent of each other and all other students.
Maybe it really is the home enviroment that is affecting them. boy, now how do I go about changing the home enviroment..
The boys are a handful and it is always hard to keep things normal when you have 4 kids. By the way, both the boys do take medication, but that only works for so late into the day.
Thanks for the response
@MrsFrizzle (1963)
• United States
27 Sep 07
It is harder to tell if girls have ADHD because almost always they usably just have ADD. The hyperactivity is much more common in boys then it is in girls. Girls may show hyperactivity in talking a lot but that is really it. They are not normally bouncing off the walls like some boys tend to do. They often have a hard time in school and that is how you can tell. I know because I had it for a long time before we ever realized what it was.
@meholl (510)
• United States
27 Sep 07
In pre-school, the girls are don't play with others much and mainly play together. They are quiet and well behaved, and they absolutely love school. So, with the information you have handed me, I would say it is safe to say that they are just reacting to behaviors seen at home
@speedy1279 (2665)
• United States
26 Sep 07
I have done a little research on ADD/ADHD. I can't remember the exact statistics without going and looking them up again. But as far as I can remember. Men who have ADHD have a 70 to 80 percent chance of having a child that is ADHD. And, boys are 10 times more likely to get ADHD than girls are. Researchers are not sure why but boys are more likely to get it than girls are. So I guess from that stand point, you may have a good chance that your daughters aren't ADHD and are just copying what your sons are doing.
I have a son who is almost 5 and has been showing signs of being ADHD for almost two years now. His father and my brother are both ADHD. So since ADHD is genetic there is a good chance that my son has it. He just went and saw a Psychiatrist on Monday. After observing my son that doctor said that he definitly is not acting like a typical child for his age and that there is something definitly not right. So they are going to go on ahead and test him since he only has 4 more months until he is 5. I also have a daughter that is a year younger. I don't think she has ADHD but when my son starts getting really hyper she will also just because my son is.
So, I wish you the best of luck and the best advice I could give you is just go have them tested. Then you will know for sure. God Bless!
@meholl (510)
• United States
27 Sep 07
I spoke with my childs' psychiatrist last night about this issue. He did say that it is genetic, but then if the girls are seeing the behavior, and seeing the attention given to a child for that behavior, that they would in turn do the same just to get some of the attention.
We try to give each child equal amounts of attention, but when dealing with a child that suffers from ADHD, it seems that the other children do get less attention.
The psychiatrist also suggested that we just start taking notes on the behavior, when they are occurring, how they react to the attention given. Basically define the behavior as their own or if it is being mimiced for attention.
@bellafleur (10)
• United States
1 Oct 07
It could be possible, but typically girls are diganosed with ADHD at a much older age than boys. Girls can usually mask their symptoms much easier, especially when it comes to their schoolwork performance. I was not diagnosed until I was 18 years old. Does anyone in your family have ADHD (uncles, cousins, aunts)? It is a highly genetic disorder. My doctor told me that there is an 80% chance that if I have kids, they will have ADHD. How do your daughters act when they are not around their brothers?
