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Turbo-charged toddler



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 3rd 03, 03:28 AM
Leigh Menconi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Turbo-charged toddler

My oldest, now 8, was officially diagnosed with ADHD at age 6 although I
pretty much knew before that. He requires *much* closer supervision than
my other kids because he doesn't think about the consequences of things
before he does them (like swinging a baseball bat without looking around to
see if anyone might be standing nearby or running into the street after a
ball) nor can he really "entertain himself". He was active in-utero and was
never a great sleeper, he really fought going to bed or down for a nap.
Once asleep, he was fine but he was (and still is) up at the crack of dawn.
I was reluctant to put him on medication but it has made such a big
difference in being around him. He's not talking incessantly, nagging us
for attention or pinballing off the walls. And the medication has actually
improved his appetite even though one of the side effects is having a
reduced appetite -- I think this is because he sits still enough to actually
finish meals and not talk constantly (we used to have a rule that if he
fell out of his chair more than twice during a meal, it was over -- if you
have to have a rule like that, you KNOW there's a problem).

I'm not sure of the statistics, but children of parents who have ADHD/ADD
have a *much* higher incidence of having it as well. I was diagnosed in the
past year myself. Often, with women, it presents as depression but after
some research I've discovered that the depression was caused by my
frustration with how disorganized I am that I can't get anything done.

Leigh in raLeigh


"mountainspring" wrote in message
...
My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought
that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for
his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of
others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive,
even among toddlers.

Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find
information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed
with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't
really found anything meaningful.

I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I
realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not
looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is
something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would
like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies
to help us both cope better.

I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have.....

Thanks in advance,
Kate

--
reply to
mountainspring at softhome dot net



  #2  
Old August 3rd 03, 06:24 AM
dejablues
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Turbo-charged toddler

Our OS was officially diagnosed with ADHD in 1st grade, however, looking
back, it was readily apparent in preschool. His 2nd year preschool teacher
called me in to observe him (he was 4 at the time) . I think she was fed up
with him, her exact words were "I am at my wits end ! " (she was an older
50-something lady) and unable to deal with him, whereas his first preschool
teacher was a young energetic woman fresh out of college, who got on with
him quite well. His little classmates were all sitting at some activity or
another while my son was running about the room bugging people and touching
things in the room and making noise and talking non-stop. He was our first
child so we had nothing to judge him against, but after having two other
sons after him, it was plain to see that he was way more energetic and
on-the-go. He was not a "handful" in the sense that he was hard to deal
with, he was always a very happy child and was never grouchy or fussy. He
slept well and ate well, but when he was awake, he was constantly into
everything. It was like he had a motor inside him , driving him to go go go
.. He also had a hard time making friends because he was always in everyones
face, very touchy-feely , wanted lots of hugs (we are a very physically
affectionate family) , but this tended to put a lot of other children off.
Now, he is 13 ( almost 14) , and had lost all of the hyperness, but is still
easily distracted, and if he has to do a task that involves more than 3 or 4
steps, has to have them specifically laid out for him and needs monitoring
to make sure he gets it all done. He is in Honors classes at school but
needs help to stay organized and make sure he gets everything done in a
timely and neat manner...the clock and calendar mean nothing to him. He was
on medication for several years but chose not to use it for the past two, it
is more work for him but he seems to prefer it that way.
There are a lot of resources on the web for ADD and ADHD.
Good luck to you and yours.


"mountainspring" wrote in message
...
My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought
that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for
his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of
others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive,
even among toddlers.

Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find
information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed
with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't
really found anything meaningful.

I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I
realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not
looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is
something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would
like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies
to help us both cope better.

I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have.....

Thanks in advance,
Kate

--
reply to
mountainspring at softhome dot net



  #3  
Old August 3rd 03, 06:35 AM
Sue
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Turbo-charged toddler

I won't get into it all, but just wanted to let you know that I knew my
nephew at age two had ADD/ADHD and when he got into first grade he was
officially diagnosed. So three is not too early. If he is truly ADD/ADHD,
then you will know at three.
--
Sue
mom to three girls

mountainspring wrote in message
...
My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought
that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for
his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of
others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive,
even among toddlers.

Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find
information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed
with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't
really found anything meaningful.

I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I
realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not
looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is
something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would
like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies
to help us both cope better.

I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have.....

Thanks in advance,
Kate

--
reply to
mountainspring at softhome dot net



  #4  
Old August 3rd 03, 08:33 AM
Brandy Kurtz
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Turbo-charged toddler

Wow Leigh, just had to say that I could have written your post word
for word from my own experience.
To the OP I say Yes, you can absolutely know at age 3 if a child
has/will have ADHD, if you know what to look for. What kindof behavior
has your son been showing?

BRandy


"Leigh Menconi" wrote in message link.net...
My oldest, now 8, was officially diagnosed with ADHD at age 6 although I
pretty much knew before that. He requires *much* closer supervision than
my other kids because he doesn't think about the consequences of things
before he does them (like swinging a baseball bat without looking around to
see if anyone might be standing nearby or running into the street after a
ball) nor can he really "entertain himself". He was active in-utero and was
never a great sleeper, he really fought going to bed or down for a nap.
Once asleep, he was fine but he was (and still is) up at the crack of dawn.
I was reluctant to put him on medication but it has made such a big
difference in being around him. He's not talking incessantly, nagging us
for attention or pinballing off the walls. And the medication has actually
improved his appetite even though one of the side effects is having a
reduced appetite -- I think this is because he sits still enough to actually
finish meals and not talk constantly (we used to have a rule that if he
fell out of his chair more than twice during a meal, it was over -- if you
have to have a rule like that, you KNOW there's a problem).

I'm not sure of the statistics, but children of parents who have ADHD/ADD
have a *much* higher incidence of having it as well. I was diagnosed in the
past year myself. Often, with women, it presents as depression but after
some research I've discovered that the depression was caused by my
frustration with how disorganized I am that I can't get anything done.

Leigh in raLeigh


"mountainspring" wrote in message
...
My son is almost 3 and has always been a "handful". I've always thought
that it was just because he is a toddler and that it was "normal" for
his age. However, after some recent experiences with him in groups of
others his age, I'm beginning to think that his behavior is excessive,
even among toddlers.

Could his behavior be a precursor to ADHD? I have been trying to find
information as to whether this is typical for children later diagnosed
with ADHD or whether there is no correlation whatsoever, but haven't
really found anything meaningful.

I'm especially concerned as my husband was diagnosed with ADD. I
realize my son is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD and I'm not
looking for a diagnosis much less treatment yet. However, if ADHD is
something I'm likely to have to be dealing with in a few years, I would
like to prepare myself as much as possible now and learn some strategies
to help us both cope better.

I appreciate any help or suggestions anybody might have.....

Thanks in advance,
Kate

--
reply to
mountainspring at softhome dot net

  #5  
Old August 5th 03, 06:15 AM
Sue
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Turbo-charged toddler

Hi Kate,

I know it's hard to except when there might be something wrong. I am dealing
with this with my youngest. I suspect that there is something wrong with
her. She too, is not taking the social cues that should have been learned a
long time ago and a myrid of other things that she is doing/not doing makes
me suspicious. Since my nephew has ADD/ADHD, I am well aware of the signs
and she shows a lot of them. C.H.A.D.D. is a support group and really good
website for ADD/ADHD that probably would be very helpful to you. Instead of
sifting through all of the sites, do a web search on those letters and it
will take you to a legimate site. Good luck Kate and if you need to talk,
email me anytime. )
--
Sue
mom to three girls

mountainspring wrote in message
...
Sue wrote:

I won't get into it all, but just wanted to let you know that I knew my
nephew at age two had ADD/ADHD and when he got into first grade he was
officially diagnosed. So three is not too early. If he is truly

ADD/ADHD,
then you will know at three.
--
Sue
mom to three girls


Thanks, Sue. I have a strong suspicion at this point, and some of the
stories of others who have replied to my post only support my fears. I
plan to talk to his doctor about it at his next check up.

While I'm sorry that dealing with ADHD may be in my son's (and my)
future, I'm also sort of relieved to know that some of his behavior has
a reason that I can identify, and that its not just a result of "bad
parenting". Knowing that it likely may be ADHD allows me to be a little
more proactive in how I deal with him now while its still relatively
early which may, hopefully, help him in the long run.

Take care,
Kate


--
reply to
mountainspring at softhome dot net



  #6  
Old August 5th 03, 03:28 PM
llama mama
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Turbo-charged toddler

(mountainspring) wrote in
:


Basic toddler behavior, only on a scale about 10 times what I see in
other kids his age. His activity/energy level just seems extreme to
me; he is constantly in motion and can *not* sit still, even for story
time at the library when everybody else was able to. He also seems to
have very poor impulse control--that has improved somewhat, but it
still poses a serious problem, IMO. He requires constant
supervision--if I can't see him, or at least hear him (and often, even
if I can) he is likely to be climbing on something he shouldn't be or
doing something else that he shouldn't be doing or that poses a risk
to him. Its exhausting trying to keep up with him.....


before you start thinking ADD/ADHD, take a look at Sensory Integration
Disorder.

http://www.sinetwork.org/whatisdsi.htm

What does DSI look like?
DSI and Sensory Seeking

These children have nervous systems that do not always process that
sensory input is "coming in" to the brain. They are under-responsive
to sensation. As a result, they seek out more intense or longer
duration sensory experiences. Some behaviors that can be observed a

* Hyper-activity as they seek more and more movement input
* Unawareness of touch or pain, or touching others too often or
too hard (may seem aggressive) * Engaging in unsafe behaviors,
such as climbing too high
* Enjoying sounds that are too loud, such as TV or radio volume

DSI and Sensory Avoiding

These children have nervous systems that feel sensation too easily or
too much. They are overly responsive to sensation. As a result, they
may have "fight or flight" responses to sensation, a condition called
"sensory defensiveness." Some behaviors that can be observed a

* Responding to being touched with aggression or withdrawal
* Afraid of, or becomes sick with movement and heights
* Very cautious and unwilling to take risks or try new things
* Uncomfortable in loud or busy environments such as sports
events, malls
* Very picky eater and/or overly sensitive to food smells

DSI and Dyspraxia

These children are clumsy and awkward. They have particular problems
with new motor skills and activities. Some behaviors that can be
observed a

* Very poor fine motor skills such as handwriting
* Very poor gross motor skills such as kicking, catching, throwing
balls * Difficulty imitating movements such as "Simon Says"
* Trouble with balance, sequences of movements and bilateral
coordination


my 3 year old has a combo of sensory seeking & sensory avoiding, with
apraxia & minor dyspraxia.
are there things that you've observed that seem the opposite of how a
'normal' toddler reacts? for instance, my son will spin or wobble (toss
himself rather violently back & forth) to calm himself down. when he
was pre-verbal (he started speech therapy at 26 months. he did not use
any words & rarely made sounds) we found that spinning him when we
needed him to pay attention to something worked. also roughhousing
immediately before bed helped him fall asleep, rather than winding him
up, like most kids.
lee
--
It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate
between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital
connection between them. -Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998)
 




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