My 4 year old DS is going through some evaluations. We've been trying to get him evaluated since July and we're just now making progress. We saw a dr. this week who said that he shows signs of ADHD and referred us for speech and OT evaluations. What age does ADHD typically show up? Can it be diagnosed before a child enters formal school?

By Cat on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 02:59 pm:

Technically, for ADHD to be diagnosed it has to be present in two or more setting, such as home and school. We have our now 13yo ds evaluated when he was 4 (preschool) and were told while he probabaly was ADHD they would not formally diagnose him at that time. He was dx'ed when he was in 1st grade (6 1/2yo) and then was dx'ed bipolar when he was in 5th grade in addition to the ADHD. All docs are different, though and some will make an official dx before they're in school full time. I've been an ADHD mom for over 7 years now and if you have any specific questions I'd be more than happy to try and answer them. Either post them here or email me. cathylizme at falcon broad band dot net

By Jjb on Sunday, January 7, 2007 - 10:59 pm:

He doesn't seem to have problems in preschool now (although last year he did). He sat through an entire church service this morning reading some books and coloring. Is that typical for a child with ADHD?

By Mommmie on Monday, January 8, 2007 - 12:02 am:

I think in the official diagnosis the symptoms show up before age 7. Or it used to be that way.

By Cat on Monday, January 8, 2007 - 08:59 am:

My understanding is that it's not that the child has NO attention span--it's more of an unusual attention span. When Robin was little he could sit and play with legos or cars for hours. There were certain movies he could sit through over and over (Lion King ). However, a regular television show or dinner, forget it. Robin also had trouble in preschool. Kindy wasn't as bad. First grade it really started to come out. I watched him once (he didn't know I was there). While he was listening, boy was he fidgiting! The counsilor said that's what he was like all the time. It drove his teacher nuts! A good doc can help you out. Who's doing your ds's evaluations? A psycologist or ped?

By Jjb on Monday, January 8, 2007 - 10:27 am:

He can sit through certain movies and play for long periods of time....but he can't stand still or sit still when it's required of him. Dinner, shopping, reading books, and waiting for his older brother's bus are always very challenging. We're seeing a psychologist. This Friday he's getting a speech eval. and at the end of the month OT.

By Cat on Monday, January 8, 2007 - 10:58 am:

Sounds like you're on the right track and doing all the right things. Good job, Mom. You'll get through this. We're here if you need us. Hugs

By Mommmie on Monday, January 8, 2007 - 05:23 pm:

My son really loved and benefitted from OT. He got no benefit from years of speech therapy.

By Tarable on Monday, January 8, 2007 - 11:09 pm:

I don't know much about early dx of ADHD but I do know that there are different types of ADHD and they show in VERY different ways.

My oldest is extremely hyper and can't sit still for anything even when she wants to, yet my younger DD still has more energy than needed if she is interested in something (a movie, coloring, whatever interests her) she can sit still for hours on end.

Good luck with your evals and I hope you find the answers you are needing to help him.

By Deneen1 on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - 11:41 pm:

My daughter was diagnosed at the age of 7. She is not the hyperactive but has a short attention span for things that are not in her interest area. I took her to OT and she learned several strategies to make learning easier for her. She learned "tricks" to help her focus on the lesson. I refused to put her on meds. In third grade, she was doing very poorly, and I finally gave in to the dr and put her on Meds. Her grades went through the roof. For the first time in her life she made honor role. She was always in regular classes and the teachers have never given her any break. She is now in 8th grade and continues to do well. She knows now how important it is to take her meds daily. She has just started recognizing that she fights with friends more, talks back to us her parents and teachers when she doesn't take it. She told me today, "I can't help what I say shen I forget my meds- those bad words come flying out of my mouth before I have time to realize what I was even thinking." I am proud of her for the hard work she has done to get herself in a place where she feels successful.

I would recommend that you find a dr. you trust. I think you are on the right track. I know it is difficult, but the rewards are great with these kids too. Every accomplishment with my daughter was a reason to celebrate. She worked hard so that she could have the praise and rewards.

By Rayelle on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 06:19 pm:

My son was diagnosed at the age of 7. The signs for him began the end of first grade and he was diagnosed near winter break of second grade. The time in between was stressful and frustrating to say the least for both him and me. I assumed I was making discipline mistakes. His doctor is wonderful and he is doing great. His teacher told me he is her model student this year and he is in the gifted program. He is on concerta.
I hope if your child does have adhd you have a solution that works for you quickly. If you choose to try meds sometimes that can be a trial and error process.