Psych Appointment Today  |
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 My daughter had her school observation yesterday. One to determine whether or not she is ADHD. Let me just start by saying that I'm not impressed. The worker only stayed an hour and a half during the morning. The teacher and I were under the impression she was going to be observing for the full day. So what did she get to see? What she wanted - My daughter unable to start her work because she claims she doesn't understand and wants the teacher's full attention.
What she didn't see in the afternoon was the meltdown I wanted to her witness. The aggression towards the teacher, the screaming her lungs out in the hall. The teacher broke her wrist back in December and is still wearing a cast. My daughter, by her own admission, purposely hit that very same arm to hurt her teacher during her meltdown. This is the behaviour I wanted them to see but they missed it.
Today is the appointment where I will discover her results. I fear she will diagnose ADHD on such a short observation. I know she will strongly suggest I put my daughter on medication again. Since we are having such a hard time with her right now, I'm going to go for it.
My question is... What are my questions? What should I be concerned about? not so concerned about? I hear a lot about side effects however they can't be half as bad as what we go through on a daily basis. I know she suggested Ritalin in the past. I want something that will deal with her moods and meltdowns, her aggression and hate. Is there something else I can suggest? I'm going to research Ritalin and Concerta this morning. What else should I look into?
Thanks to everyone in advance for your input on this one. You don't know how much it means to me!
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| | Available ADHD Treatment Get information about a treatment option for children with ADHD. www.ADHD-Medicine.com
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 MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 8 months ago | Thank you for the link, i'll be looking into it right away. | |
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Available ADHD Treatment Get information about a treatment option for children with ADHD. www.ADHD-Medicine.com | add comment |
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2.  dumblnddzzy (8818) | 8 months ago |  I have ADHD & for my 'meltdown' I take "ABILIFY" you wouldn't believe the results I get from that!!!! NO more screaming NO more fits of aggression,NO more mood swings. I started at 5mg. & worked my way up to 20mg. & thats what I take now ABILIFY is a mood stableizer, it works wonders, No side affects what so ever at least not for me! I KNOW what you're poor daughter is going thru & she CAN'T help it believe me I KNOW!! I wish you & your daughter the best of luck in your quest!!! Oh yeah I also tqake RIRALIN 20mg in the a.m. & at noon 15mg. I take the ABILIFY in the morning. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU!! Lori
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | There is a teacher at the school who is very sympathetic to my daughter and she keep telling everyone, including me, that my daughter didn't ask to be this way, and doesn't do it on purpose. Sometimes some of us forget that! I'd like to look into the abilify, see what kind of medication it is. I honestly didn't think that the screaming and aggression could be due to adhd. | |
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| dumblnddzzy (8818) | 7 months ago | I should have explained myself more. With me it was the 'frustration' of the ADHD that caused my outbursts of anger & temper tantrumxs!! I'm 51 so my friends that really knew me really noticed that I was back to my old self after about 2 weeks of taking abilify.But of course check into it, I did before I started taking it also...Lori | |
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Impression A8+ Lamp $279 Replacement Lamp We Accept PO's + Free Shipping. www.bulbsolutions.com | add comment |
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3.  Nadinest (1394) | 8 months ago |  I think that it is terrible that case workers, pshchologists, etc and etc don't allot the time needed when dealing with people today/ They are soooo understaffed, they don't have time enough for a thorough investigation.
my son was diagnosed with ADD almost 2 years ago now, when he was 9. he is now on Ritalin for lack of concentration etc in school. The Dr doesn't want him on it during the weekends, because of my son not gaining any weight. This is o ne of the side-effects of ritalin.
What I do know from the last few years, is that a lot of times, it is easier for the kid to be on meds instead of trying to live everyday, trying to sit still, hold in outbursts etc without meds. Some times, meds is just a short-term thing...and as the kids grow older, they can learn to manage ADD symptoms by themselves and the need for meds is gone. I hope this is the case for my child and your as well.
If you don't feel comfortable with anything anyone does that concerns your child, don't stop until you are satisfied with the testing, the diagnosis and the medications.
You are a very concerned mother. Good uck to you and your child.
Nadine
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| cotruelove (73) | 8 months ago |  My grandson has severe ADHD and was diagnosed by several psychiatrists at age 5. His grandfather has ADHD and I, his grandmother, have ADD, and neither of us were diagnosed until our mid-50's. I'm divorced because of my ex's ADHD. Our diagnosis came with the benefit of a computerized EEG exam and 4 hours of tests. There was also a standardized questionnaire which was used to assist with diagnosis of the degree of severity and a possible cause. In my ex-husband's case he sustained a brain injury to his brain due to his mother's beginning tuberculosis. Mine appears to be from constant ear infections as a baby and the pressure the infections caused on the brain.
Like your son, my grandson had to quit Ritalin because it was stunting his growth and decreasing his appetite . He has had to be in Alternative schools most of his school life, because he is to distractible for a regular classroom. His memory is terrible, and sitting still isn't an option. He will be 18 in May and still has 18 months of high school ahead of him. He hasn't matured normally.
As for his grandfather, he has spent all his life unable to achieve the things he would have liked to have done because of ADHD and the meds even in his 50's didn't seem to help him much except cause addiction problems. My ADD, has been minimal in comparison to those in my family with ADHD, including my daughter.
My daughter was never diagnosed until her late 20's but it explained a lot of her problems in school and her need to over participate in athletics. The endorphins in the brain were released with the exercise and helped to control her ADHD. However, she also became an alcoholic doing self medication. I did better in school than they did, but then I was raised on tranquilizers because of another health issue which probably helped the ADD.
Any way you wish to look at it, one day, your son and the moderator's daughter will have to learn to live with the problems they have, with or without medication. I wish you well with your son, Nadine, and also to our moderator with her daughter.
There is a definitive book called "Driven to Distraction" written by Hallowell, and it tells you what a person with ADHD/ADD is like from the person who has the problem. It has helped my family to realize the depth of the issue and to recognize the symptoms within each of us. I think anyone with ADHD/ADD or associated with someone who has it, should read the book.
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| Nadinest (1394) | 8 months ago | I have, in fact, read this book. I found it at the library...and I think, as you do, that anyone who is affected with ADD should read it. Thanks for all of the info that you gave us. Good luck to you. Nadine | |
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | At this point, I almost feel like I have to take matters into my own hands and deal with the issues on my own again. That's what I've done for the past 9 years. I don't have a choice. The 'professionals' just can't handle it!
Thank you for recommending that book! I'll have to look into it! | |
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| 4. jillmalitz (2724) | 8 months ago |  Could she be bi-polar? Going from one extreme to the other reminds me of that. I wonder just how much information can be discovered in that short a time. Sounds like the worker was not paying attention. I know that there are somethings that are easy to see but some things need to be observed without the knowledge of the person being observed. People sometimes will be "good" when they know they are being watched. If think I would question the school about that.
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | Bipolar along with ODD is what I've been trying to say all along but no one will listen to me. I don't feel anyone is paying any attention to this matter whatsoever and it's damaging my daughter more and more everyday. | |
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| 5. sid556 (4781) | 8 months ago |  ADHD is the most common thing diagnosed in school kids. If I were you, I would get a 2nd opinion and maybe from someone outside of the school system. Your daughters behavior could be something other than ADHD such as bipolar. If you opt to put her on meds, you want the right ones for her problem or you could be doing her more harm than good. I would not trust an hour's worth of observation in one setting.
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | The funny thing is, the school system doesn't believe my daughter has adhd... only the psych does. Everyone has filled out reports and none of us believe it's adhd. I've come to the conclusion that I can only agree to the meds in order to prove I'm right in the end. | |
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| 6. carolbee (4089) | 8 months ago |  I do know medication will help control your daughter to some extent along with counseling. I am so sorry you're having to go through all this with your little girl.
Our oldest daughter is a psychotherapist but I can't reach her today. She's in private practice and is busy until much later this evening or I'd talk to her about this situation. This same daughter has a boyfriend who has ADHD and he's fine when he's medicated. He has rational thoughts and his behavior is calmer. Without the medication he tends to have a wandering mind and is short of patience.
Can you check with your daughter's doctor and see what he might suggest? Even though his specialty may not be psych meds., he still should be able to offer an opinion.
Take care and have a good day,
carolbee
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | I have been trying to get a hold of him for 3 days now. We keep missing each other so I'm just going to make an appointment and cry my eyes out in his office. He's an awesome doc! | |
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| carolbee (4089) | 7 months ago | Sometimes that's just what you have to do. Make an appointment and go in even if it's without your daughter. Doctor's have a way of listening better when it involves payment. Maybe that's not nice to say but I found it to be true. | |
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| 7. AmbiePam (10214) | 8 months ago |  Wow, how scary. Putting a child on medication so early is usually frowned upon because the side effects are so unclear, and it often causes even more problems. Whatever medication she ends up on, she needs therapy with it. If they just put her on medication and say that is that, I strongly recommend to fight for the therapy. I'm probably not telling you something you don't know. I'm not talking out of my rear, I've been a young child who needed therapy. At that time, medicine would not have helped me. But cognitive behavior skills, coping mechanisms, and therapy would have been very beneficial. I am bipolar, but was never violent. However, I could have easily been but I kept it bottled up inside. I hope something works, I will be praying!
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | I have been fighting for everything you just mentioned for the past 7 years. Only now, are*some* people listening. I'm very grateful I have the school on my side this time! | |
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| 8. GalaxyProtector (6) | 8 months ago |  I am sorry that your daughter has or might have ADHD. What you should do is Ask God for help. He helps us with all of our problems. He will help you and your daughter get through this easier. He is never to busy to help someone.
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| 9. girlgonefishing (1213) | 8 months ago |  Well, if you haven't read my blog on adopting my two boys, I suggest you go there and read about my struggle to get the oldest one off all of the drugs. He is a totally different boy now and he is much better off without them. If you haven't already read it, go to the adoption blog in my profile.
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | Hun, I've read your story but I'm going to read it again. I know meds aren't always the solution. I've been fighting for this child to get some help for 7 years and just now are they realizing there is a problem. Now they don't have the right diagnosis but at least they are acknowledging that it's not my parenting style, there is something wrong with this child's fuse! I don't want her on Ritalin, I really don't but right now I feel like it's the only thing I can do to prove to them they are wrong! | |
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10.  qbranchltd (113) | 8 months ago |  I worked with children in a mental health facility for thirty years. You are not describing ADHD. How long can your child sit still? Can she attend to a task for thirty minutes? The aggression that you describe is not ADHD. Ritalin will help a child focus on her school work - that is what it was developed for. It has been mis-used in many ways by those who do not understand the disorder. In my experience Ritalin causes no problems when properly prescribed and monitored - but properly prescribed means an evaluation by a Board Certified Pediatric Psychiatrist. It should never be prescribed by a school doctor or a family physician. There must be follow up evaluations and continued monitoring of the child on medication with communication between the teacher, the school, the parent, and the doctor.
There are many disorders that result in children's behavior such as you describe - often mis-diagnosed as ADHD. If the school tells you that your child has ADHD take your child to a pediatric psychiatrist and have your child properly evaluated. Perhaps the psychiatrist will agree that it is ADHD or perhaps will give a proper diagnosis.
Attention seeking is not attention deficit. What about the afternoon causes your child to change behavior? Does this happen after lunch? What is she eatting for lunch? There are so many things that need to be considered.
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| MommaOfAllTrades (351) | 7 months ago | Thank you for your input! I really appreciate it! I also don't believe she is ADHD. She can sit still, she can attend to a task for longer than thirty minutes BUT only if she wants to. The only time she can't really sit still is when she's eating... she has to keep herself busy! But I'm the same way! I read or talk or craft or play on the computer...
She's been diagnosed with adhd by a psychiatrist, not by the school (they don't agree with adhd either), nor a family physician (he didn't want her to have the diagnosis)
Because my daughter also have pulmonary valve stenosis, I refused the Ritalin but the psych call the family doc and now my daughter is going through all sorts of cardiology testing to see if Ritalin would be safe for her.
I've considered her diet to be the cause of her behaviour and up until today, nothing really made sense. However she had a really good day today - but didn't have breakfast (toast with jam) Could the jam be the culprit?? Something to experiment with!! | |
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