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Developmental disorders in children - diagnosis, treatment?


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I liked a page on facebook called 'uncensored mama's'..it's kind of unclassy due to all the cussing the mothers do but they post various topics and people debate, complain, post fan questions, rants, etc..

 

Someone posted a few days ago about how her son has ADHD, is about to turn 8 and has been on medicaton for 5 years but cannot find a med to work anymore..that would mean he's been on meds since like what..2 1/2, 3 years old? Some moms were posting how they have their two year olds on ADHD/ADD medications..

 

I'm not bashing medicating children at all, so please don't turn this into a debate..and please, no one be offended by this thread. Everyone has their opinion, all children are different, all disabilities are different, all parents are different..i'm genuinely curious how they can accurately diagnose a toddler [2/3] with things like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder..? and how do they justify medicating a toddler for ADD/ADHD? Like ODD for instance - it's defined as uncooperative, defiant, hostile behaviour toward authoritive figures in one definition I found. My almost 2 year old does that sometimes but I connect it with just being a toddler..I guess I could understand if the child is angry/violet/resentful 24/7 that would be a sign of he/she having an issue.

 

My personal opinion, 2/3 is a tad too young to be accurately diagnosed with certain things..they're so young and developing..finding themselves, their independence, their personalities..and medicating at that age seems like overkill, I feel medication should be a last resort unless the child is a danger to themselves or other people. If my son is ever diagnosed with something like that, medication will be a last resort. BUT keep in mind, like I said..I understand every kid is different. Disabilities and their severity will be different, medication may be vital to one kid but to another kid the mother just may be impatient or the [bad] doctor just wants to get the kid/parents out of his hair and prescribes medication.

 

I can fully understand things such as autism, learning disabilities, aspergers syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, communication disabilities, etc..being diagnosed at that age because that's something that most of the time has signs..like autism - repetitive movement [rocking, head rolling, etc], compulsive behavior, restricted behavior [being obsessed with one toy, tv show, etc], have a daily ritual, etc. I know that isn't the case in everyone..sometimes people aren't diagnosed till much later in life, sometimes people are never diagnosed beause their symptoms aren't severe or even hardly mild..

 

I'm honestly [clearly] not that educated with this matter, which is a point of this thread..I have ADHD myself and take medication for it, I was diagnosed at the age of 20 and I feel the disability is really over-diagnosed in children. My parents were very against medicating me when I was younger and even refused to have me diagnosed even though I struggled very much in school with the ability to focus. My mind literally bounces all over the place, very rarely can I focus on ONE thing for a consistent period of time without my medication. I could never finish anything I started ever and I had no motivation for anything. Finally, I went to the doctor after I had my son and he prescribed me medication which has honestly been the best thing for me. I take it during the work week and it improves my ability to focus, start/finish, increases the amount of work I do and not let my mind wonder.

 

I'm really interested in learning more about these things, experiences from parents with children with disabilities [ages of diagnosis, how they were diagnosed, signs before diagnosis,treatment - diet, alternative education, medication, etc], other people with disabilities like adhd, add, odd and how it affects your daily life.

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I think you've hit on an extremely controversial area of disorders and there isn't really a clear winner as far as "this absolutely works". What is overkill to one parent is a miracle to another. Children react differently to different treatments. And then you have situations where professionals are enamoured by a certain disorder or treatment and diagnoses it everywhere.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you that a 2-5 year old is far too young to be accurately diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. This is also merely my opinion based on what I've observed and the therapists and treatment professionals I've talked to. So many normal behaviors for a toddler get lumped into a "problem" category because parents or others feel that there must be something wrong with a toddler who is hard to manage. Yet it's normal for a toddler to be very hard to manage. It's only if something becomes very significant where you'd start looking to a mental health diagnosis.

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I agree on it being a controversial subject..and lot of parents will be defensive because it's a sensitive subject so I did hesitate when making this thread. I don't want anyone to feel attacked or guilty..everyone, everything, every single situation is different. Just curious. I fully agree with what you say about it being normal for toddlers being hard to manage sometimes, that's why in my eyes it seems so 'soon' I guess for a 2/3/4 year old to be diagnosed and medicated for ADD/ADHD.

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It's a huge controversy. Especially in the foster care world right now. There has been a big tendency to overmedicate children to make them "easier" to deal with. Now awareness is being raised that the issue isn't that the children are hard to manage, it is that they have gone through tremendous trauma in their lives. Issues of trauma and grief can manifest themselves as a whole variety of mental disorders. And naturally it's easier to take pills (or force someone to take pills) then to address the problem using lengthly and expensive therapy.

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I am on the fence about this. My 3 year old son has ADHD as a secondary disability, as well as apraxia and SI disorder...stemming from fragile x syndrome.

 

He very obviously has ADHD. Now....there is NOTHIGN wrong with diagnosing a 3 year old with a specific disorder. ESPECIALLY if it is impacting their regular learning...for example, my son was cognitively delayed partially because he could not pay attention in 1 on 1 therapy.

 

What I DON'T agree with is overmedicating.

 

Theres NO reason that a 3 year old should be on medication. My sons neurologist wanted to put him on an antipsychotic drug. NO WAY.

 

Instead, I opted for more therapy. Changing his diet, and helping him learn to COPE with his disability. Medicating is not coping. Medicating is compensating. What about when my child is 30, and does not know how to live a normal life because he spent his entire life on medication to fix the problem ?

 

My son is 3. On top of PSD, speech, occupational therapy, and PT.....he sees a psychologist 2x a week. We impliment the same strategies at home. We help him learn to live with the fact that his brain works differently and responds to different stimulation. He is aware that when he feels overstimulated he can relax in a small quiet space. He's aware that if he is having trouble coping, I let him take small sips of soda (Caffeine is actually a stimulant as well, although not NEARLY as strong as the medication kind.) These are things you DON'T lean on medication for

 

All medication does is treat the symptoms. Then again, so would sticking your kid in front of a TV all day because it helps keep him calm-- or letting them run wild and just keeping them in your house.

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My son is 3. On top of PSD, speech, occupational therapy, and PT.....he sees a psychologist 2x a week. We impliment the same strategies at home. We help him learn to live with the fact that his brain works differently and responds to different stimulation. He is aware that when he feels overstimulated he can relax in a small quiet space. He's aware that if he is having trouble coping, I let him take small sips of soda (Caffeine is actually a stimulant as well, although not NEARLY as strong as the medication kind.) These are things you DON'T lean on medication for

 

All medication does is treat the symptoms. Then again, so would sticking your kid in front of a TV all day because it helps keep him calm-- or letting them run wild and just keeping them in your house.

 

It's interesting that you mentioned caffeine as way of helping him. On the page I mentioned in the first post, a few mother's posted that they 'medicate' by giving their children coffee. One mom said she gives her 8 year old two cups of coffee before school, one at lunch and one after school for his ADHD symptoms. Funny how caffeine can disrupt a certain person's thinking pattern and then make another person focus better at the same time.

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I would NEVER give him tat much caffeine. That's basically self medicating!!!! It's like giving a person with a mental disorder a couple beers to hep them relax.

 

Sometimes he CAN'T cope, and during those times I let him have a few sips of soda...or a dark-chocolate candy bar. Yesterday, he was off the wall INSANE. He couldn't calm down, and I could tell he was really suffering. I knew he wasn't going to make any progress in that state of mind. Our coping techniques were not helping, and he was starting to shut down.

 

So after he ate his lunch, I gave him half of a dark chocolate candy bar...Just to stimulate him enough to take the edge off so that he could have a progressive day

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From a psychological perspective, many doctors OVER prescribe treatments as it is easier to deal with. Many of these children do not actually have ADHD etc and are given medication rather than try and disern the actual problem. There are many cases where children do have such issues, which in my opinion are better of using therapy over medication, unless the child needs stabalising before being able to fully interact in a theraputic situation. I feel sorry for kids who are put on drugs at a young age.

When I was a toddler I was diagnosed with ADHD and something along the autistic spectrum as I was constantly hyper and would not communicate, later they found out that I wouldn't communicate because I couldn't hear, but it was easier to say it's a mental disorder, just because I was developmentally behind. My mum refused medication for me, which is a good thing, as over the long term, medication can change the young brain synaptic connections and neurons etc. (I think I have the right words...).. Why is none of this related to my revision? haha... Procrastination for the win..

 

Dang, next time, ask about something I can revise with

 

Also, if you think your little one has ADHD or is showing symptoms, try not to over stimulate him, try to keep his sugar intake down (including natural sugars) other than in the mornings. From some studies that has been found to help.

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My son was not diagnosed till he went to school and they often absolutely refuse to consider diagnosing until they are put into a school setting. I would have a longer talk Dang but I am going out of town in an hour. I will write something when I return. Have an awesome Mother's Day.

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I am on the fence about this. My 3 year old son has ADHD as a secondary disability, as well as apraxia and SI disorder...stemming from fragile x syndrome.

 

Allie..what is apraxia, the SI disorder, fragile x syndrome and what is his secondary disability if you don't mind me asking? What did you change in his diet? When did you notice something was 'different', what were the symptoms? How has he responded to the therapy and does he 'act out' frequently..what does he struggle with?

 

Sorry if I have too many questions or if they're too personal, i'm genuinely curious and want to be well informed. My sister heavily medicated my nephew almost immediately with the diagnois of ADHD/ADD/ODD and I feel it was because she wasn't aware of other options. I also feel from experience i've had with my ADHD medications that the side effects aren't all that awesome..heart palpitations, no appetite, etc..especially for a child to endure. I know everyone's different and not everyone experiences those effects but apparently they're extremely common.

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My son was not diagnosed till he went to school and they often absolutely refuse to consider diagnosing until they are put into a school setting. I would have a longer talk Dang but I am going out of town in an hour. I will write something when I return. Have an awesome Mother's Day.

 

Thanks, vic. You too, you deserve it! I'm looking forward to your response.

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^ My son was medicated to the hilt but after a while I found that was SO detrimental to him. It had so many bad side affects on my son. He and I discussed it when he turned 12. We also discussed it with the dr and I now refuse to medicate my son and he handles school just fine.

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Also, if you think your little one has ADHD or is showing symptoms, try not to over stimulate him, try to keep his sugar intake down (including natural sugars) other than in the mornings. From some studies that has been found to help.

 

thanks for your input, butterfly. I don't think my son is showing symptoms of anything other than being a toddler..he throws typical tantrums, doesn't listen, ignores me, etc but I feel it's 100% normal at his age. Like I mentioned, I have ADHD and his father had very significant ADHD/ADD as a child and was medicated..so while there's a chance he could, I feel like i'm a ways off from having to address it.

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Actually...with adhd you DO want to overstimulate your child. I'm a little confused as to why someone would say overstimulating causes adhd symptoms, when adhd is shown to be caused by UNDERstimulation. Sugar is bad...but it doesn't change your brain pattern. If anything, I'd think reducing sugar would help parents of hyper kids who DON'T have adhd! (Although sugar really isn't GOOD for anyone). I will be glad to explain everything that you asked. I just ask for a few minutes, bc I'm on my phone, not my laptop

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I don't think that Dangs son has ADHD hence the suggestion. I'm not fully qualified to give advise on children who obviously ARE ADHD (that comes when I do my PHD, possibley when I take psychopharmacology from september) wait now I'm not sure who you're talking to

It isn't the sugar that changes the brain patterns though, it's the actual drugs, as during the young childhood and teenage years, medications can change the brain as it is still developing.

Also, from psychological studies I've looked at for psychology, over stimulation DOES cause ADHD symptoms, then again, every child is different but psychologists like to see things as black and white... (unless your a social psychologist.... but I won't get into those as thats a whole other ballgame) Oh wait had another look, seems to be a conflict from studies. Different children need different types of stimulation, which may be why some need stimulating and others get worse with extra stimulation...

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Yeah, like in my case I get kind of confused..without medication I feel like my mind is 'over-stimulated'..sometimes it's like my mind can't and won't slow down enough to focus on anything so I accomplish nothing..other times I almost feel like my brain is sluggish and I have no motivation to focus, do anything or even attempt to think. With my medicine, a stimulant, it motivates me to recognize what I need to do, helps me do it, accomplish it and move on to my next task..whereas I use to just sit at work and see tasks piling up around me but I would just ignore and continue to procrastinate...or I would start to do something and then just lose interest and push it to the side.

 

and unfortunately I do depend on my meds to work.

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1. ANY add is caused by an understimulated brain. If overstimulation causes add/adhd symptoms, then your child does NOT have add/adhd.

 

2. Stimulants Are the TREATMENT for add/adhd. Receny, there have been treatments shown to be additionally effective. They're usually used in correlation with stimulant medications.

 

3. Sugar is NOT a stimulant BECAUSE it does not change brain pattern. People with add/adhd rely on being stimulated to help them concentrate/think (basically, add is a lack of impulse control)

 

4. My son has a primary diagnosis of fragile x, a genetic disorder. It causes his secondary issues apraxia(motor planning disorder), adhd(impulse control/hyperactivity), and SI disorder(sensory related. Sensitive to textures, new experiences, sounds)

 

5. We noticed something off around 15 months old.

 

6. We too an all natural casein/gluten free no preservatives approach.

 

7. He is very well behaved, just impulsive. If. We say "ryan don't touch the lights" he will immediate have to flip the swotch 10 times. Its a struggle. The acting out has slowed down with therapy. He has managed to control his impulses to a degree, as well as self-regulate. At 3, most people self regulate naturally.. He can't. We have a whole list of ways to "help" and we use them daily.

 

8. The therapy has helped tremendously. They havyte not only worked with him-they taught us. To be parents to a child with a different way of thinking. With all disabled kids (or kids in general) your parenting approach has to fit your childs needs. That's diffcult to do....even for children without special. Needs

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Ps: your mind feels overstimulated but is actually UNDER stimulated. That brain-racing feeling is because your mind is not "working" hard enough to concentrate on one thing. It might FEEL like your brain is actually all over the map, but its your mind being unable to zoom in on one thing. Similar to being over-tired. You get REALLY hyper, but your brain is still jelly That's why the stimulants help so much. They "turn on" your brain.

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1. ANY add is caused by an understimulated brain. If overstimulation causes add/adhd symptoms, then your child does NOT have add/adhd.

 

2. Stimulants Are the TREATMENT for add/adhd. Receny, there have been treatments shown to be additionally effective. They're usually used in correlation with stimulant medications.

 

3. Sugar is NOT a stimulant BECAUSE it does not change brain pattern. People with add/adhd rely on being stimulated to help them concentrate/think (basically, add is a lack of impulse control)

 

No not always, I'm studying this in psychology and have been for the past two years under psychologists who specialise in childhood illnesses such as ADHD. There is NO one cause. Yes children with ADHD can be over stimulated. Sorry but it's true.

Yes stimulants are used for treatment, ritalin for example, CALMS some children down with ADHD and others it stimulates them/motivates them, thats the beauty of such treatments.

Sugar is a stimulant. Nowhere have I said that SUGAR changes brain chemicals DRUGS do. I thought I had clarified that.

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I agree with you Dang. I think there are kids who genuinely have ADD or ADHD and medication does help them - but in today's world of Doctor Google I believe most parents BELIEVE their child is ADD/ADHD because they exhibit certain symptons (which, like you I think 8/10 times is just normal childhood behaviour) and the parents almost thrust that upon their children unknowingly. 'My child isn't like x's child, could something be wrong with him?' honestly I didn't think ADD/ADHD could be diagnosed outside the school level. My brother and sister were diagnosed with it and IMHO neither of them had it, they were just little kids going through a lot and just didn't want to pay attention in school.

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I'm AWARE that sugar does not "CHANGE BRAIN CHEMICALS" which is why I said it is not referred to a "STIMULANT" in this particular discussion.

 

When you refer to a "stimulant", I was referring to stimulants that affect the branis natural chemistry.... which is why I told you that in THIS case, SUGAR does NOT count as a stimulant

 

Overstimulation is fairly rare, only occurring in what? 10% of ADD cases? For the sake of argument, I will say "inconsistent external stimuli". However, in MOST cases ADD is understimulation of the frontal brain. Very VERY rarely is it overstimulation...and in those cases, I really do believe it was caused by external stimuli to begin with. For example... a child who watches TONS of TV can develop ADHD symptoms because excessive tv eventually changes your brain pattern. While that IS ADHD (since ADHD is not a disorder, it really is jsut a set of criteria), it really doesn't fit into the same treatment that ADD/ADHD traditionally uses

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