I don't post to much but thought you may be able to help. My DS is in 2nd grade, he is 7 and has a difficult time staying on task and paying attention. He has had this problem since K. His K teacher said it was probally because was one of the young 5yr olds and suggested us to hold him back that year, but we didn't. 1st grade came along and still no attention span or ability to stay on task, follow directions..etc. We just figured it was because he was one of the younger kids in class. He always seems to do better the last semester. He is now in 2nd grade havingthe same problems, I have had many conferences with his teacher and she has tried other things in class to keep him on task. They worked but she discontinued doing them after a few weeks. Now he is back to not paying attention, not staying on task, no organization. She says he is very smart but this is holding him back. He is not hyper and doesnt act out on impulse or anything in that sort. Is this just him being 7yrs old or should I think about ADD/ADHD. Any imput would be helpful.

By Cat on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 06:45 pm:

Technically for ADD/ADHD to be diagnosed, it must be present in two or more environments. How is his ability to focus at home? I'm not talking about attention span, I'm talking about distractability. If he's doing one thing, and something else distracts him, can he finish the first thing he started? Does he flit from one activity to another? If you truely think he could be ADD, ask your ped for an evaluation or referall to have an evaluation done. Also, check out the special needs board. There are lots of posts over there about ADD/ADHD. It really could be he's just young, and attention and focus may come with time. Go with your gut. Good luck and keep us posted. You can also email any time. I have lots of experience with ADHD. cathyliz @ bigfoot.com (no spaces)

By Kaye on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 06:53 pm:

For more info do a search on a conner's scale. This is what most docs do to dx ADD. My dd was just dxed last year. For us I noticed that even in her room you saw one started play thing and then another, she really didn't finish anything, except books, then she would just sit and read all night long and forget to sleep.

By Jann on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 06:56 pm:

The school needs to be consistant about helping him. Have you had a STAT? (that's usually the first intervention meeting before an official IEP). Ask for one. It's usually with the teacher, assistant principal or counselor. A game plan is written out on how he will be taught. Set up controls for the classroom, ie: he sits near the center of instruction. Can he take tests in a different room to cut down on distraction? What kind of checks and balances does the teacher offer that you can follow up with at home?

By Feonad on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 07:13 am:

There are side effect to these medicines. Children should take them unless they can't function. Research side effects what every adhd medicine you want to name. Manic depression is a side effect. I have two nephew who got manic depression and other problems perhaps because they were on ritalin.


I would hold the child back before trying medication. He is young anyway.
There is always home school too...

Also there are ot things to try. Fidgets to hold... Heavy objects placed on the lap. Heavy vests. Why try medication before trying ot measures? occupational therapy to help with add. My son seems to have some symptons of add but he

uses

Heavy vest
heavy turtle(five pounds)
Fidgets
Constant reminders of expected behavior.

otvest.com sells the vest I got my son. It isn't too noticable being denim.

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 08:17 am:

Info and AD/HD support groups here:

CHADD.org

By Beth on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 10:01 am:

I posted almost this same thing about a month ago. My ds has the same problems and he is the youngest in the class. I went as far as seeing the doctor and he suggested Strattera but I am holding off for now. Medicating is such a hard decision. Because like you said my ds kicks it in gear the second semester. I would really like to hold him back and let him gain that maturity but my dh is not for that and thus far the school either. It is so very frustrating. I guess all I can say is good luck and let you know your not alone!

By Alberobello on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 07:11 pm:

I'm not sure if this would help as i know almost nothing about ADD or ADHD. I'm sure you will be given better advice from other mums here. Anyway, i know boys can be more restless than girls and find it hard to stay on task (not always).

I too have a son, he's six and he is very active. I never worried about ADD or ADHD because i never knew what they were. However, i was ver worried about his lack of ability to play imaginative games (which IMO are very important for learning) so talking to my dh we decided to cut tv to a minimum. It has been about three weeks and i have really noticed a big change in him. He has been playing with his toys like never before, has been talking to us lot more (and not just moaning as he used to do before) and we can talk to him and not shout all the time (before i had to tell him to do something -like put your shoes on- about 10 times; now it only takes me about three or even one) and his reading AND writing have improved a lot.

I found this website which talks about ADD and ADHD and their relationship with television. I thought it was interesting. Of course it cannot be the only thing that affects behaviour, but in our case i think it played a major part. Here's the address:

http://www.limitv.org/health.htm

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

In the 1970s, the late researcher Professor Werner Halperin suggested that the rapid changes of sounds and images on TV may overwhelm the neurological system of a young child and cause attention problems that shows up at a later date.

Around the same period, Dr. Mathew Dumont of the Harvard Medical School suggested that the rapid changes of TV sounds and images may stimulate a child to mimic that dynamic behavior. That is, what we call ADHD may simply result from the child subconsciously copying the frenetic pace of TV programs. We now have a study that brings us solid findings about ADHD.

In April 2004, Dr. Dimitri Christakis and colleagues reported in the journal Pediatrics that early TV viewing (ages 1 and 3 were studied) is associated with attentional problems (ADHD) at a later age (age 7). The children studied watched a mean of 2.2 hours per day at age 1 and 3.6 hours per day at age 3.

Specifically, Christakis reports that watching about five hours of TV per day at age 1 is associated with a 28% increase in the likelihood of having attentional problems at age 7. A similar 28% increase at age 7 shows up for 3-year olds who watch about five hours of TV per day. Alternatively, each additional hour of TV watched above the mean at ages 1 and 3 increases the likelihood of attentional problems at age 7 by about 10%.

The authors include the following cautionary notes: (1) the determination of attentional problems (ADHD) was based on established checklists of behavior, not on a clinical diagnosis; (2) the authors relied on reports by parents to determine the amount of TV viewed - no direct monitoring of daily TV watching was done; and (3), the researchers had no data on the content of the TV programs watched.

Christakis and colleagues recommend that additional research be undertaken, and LimiTV strongly supports that. We also know, however, that each parent must make decisions based on what is currently known.

The steep rise in the number of children with ADD/ADHD, and the accompanying increase in the use of medications to treat these children (e.g., Ritalin), suggest that the problem is real and is being caused by something which is an inherent part of everyday life for American children.

Current findings suggest that TV watching in the early years may contribute to this behavioral problem. Therefore, LimiTV recommends minimal TV and video watching during the preschool years.

Doctors sometimes refer to the enormous brain development that occurs in the first few years of life as a 'wiring' of the brain, i.e., making connections between the billions of neurons with which we are born. TV watching in these crucial early years may affect this wiring. That is, if the hours of TV watched exceed a certain level, a child's brain may be wired to respond more to the TV environment (rapid changes of sounds and images) than the natural environment. That level has not yet been determined, but since the AAP recommends no TV watching for the first two years of life, we could assume the level is quite low. It is for this reason as well that LimiTV recommends little-to-no TV through age 4.

By Lauram on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 11:38 am:

Ditto- what Cat said. Had to be present in more than one situation. If it is ONLY happening at school (hard to tell from your post), I would look into other issues- like learning, processing, etc...

By Feona on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 04:07 pm:

ACtually the doctor would have prescribed it for ds even though ds has no problems with attention at home (only in noisy environments.) We don't want the med now anyway.... Seems like the doctor here prescribes if the school asks for it... He is a pretty good doctor so I don't know if they all are like that.

By Lauram on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 08:40 am:

I just wanted to add something about the TV research. ADHD is NOT an American phenomenon. This is a cross-cultural problem. Attributing it to American culture is dead-wrong. This is very old research, too. IMHO the increase in medication is due more to awareness of the disorder than anything else. Certainly I agree it is overdiagnosed- but it is also a very real disorder. We suffer from it's effects daily- and my ds DOES take meds for it.... They help significantly.

By Lauram on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 08:53 am:

I'm more likely to believe this:

This study did not look at different kinds of programs, and certainly does not tell us what caused what. Perhaps kids who already had short attention spans were more drawn to TV. Or their parents were more likely to need the TV for relief.

This quote is from: http://www.drgreene.com/21_1783.html

By Meltonmom on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 10:50 am:

I don't know either but I do think that perhaps I would try some "natural" alternatives first, like diet (no sugar, food dyes, caffeine) possibly more soccer, less TV but I do not mean to imply that you have not tried these things, I am just trying to imagine what I would do in your situation. Maybe health food stores have something natural you could try in place of prescription medications??

I will pray for you, though. Really, I will because I know what it is like to have issues with our precious little people. M&M

By Lauram on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 12:15 pm:

Definitely try alternative first! I don't think the OP mentioned meds at all.... Meds are a last resort (IMHO)- one which my son very much needs. I worry more about depression and suicide with him not on the meds than I do with the side effects of the stimulants. It's a tough choice- but a necessary evil in our case.

By Feona on Saturday, March 12, 2005 - 04:57 am:

http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9606.Burgess.html

fatty acids and adhd... fish oil...

By Unschoolmom on Saturday, March 12, 2005 - 06:42 am:

I personally think medication shouldn't always be the last resort. It was really helpful to me as an ADD teenager...BUT, even with meds, you still need other strategies. Meds can help neurological shortcomings but they can't create a structure or routine or form habits.

Never had any side effects BTW

By Lauram on Saturday, March 12, 2005 - 09:24 am:

Absolutely, meds are not a cure-all. Believe me, we live with this issue daily. What I meant was that before going the med route, I think it is important to explore all options (behavioral intervention, diet, OT, etc....) It's also important to have a multidisciplinary evaluation to be sure it is ADHD and not something else. A lot of problems can look like ADHD and be really something else. Once you know that it truly is ADHD, though, I do feel that the only effective intervention is meds and behavioral intervention/therapy.