Hi

[BemLmum3]

I introduced myself on the general board but I have 2 difficult child under the age of 6, and one difficult child that is 8yrs old. Technically though his maturity level is low so he can sometimes fit here, lol. He is doing well right now most days though. My difficult child#3 and #2 are more challenging most days. I have been reading older threads and am going to read The Explosive Child. difficult child#2 and difficult child#3 are just 13m apart in age but #2 is delayed so they really are like twins. #3 is like a 2yr old in his behavior but very smart, dev pediatrician tests for lang and cognitive put him a yr and half older than his age. #2 is delayed in speech, cognitive and phys dev. Not by too much, 6 months or so. So most days are very trying around here. I homeschool #1, and going to start kindy with #2 and #3 this fall. #3 just started clonidine and it is helping his hyperactivity so that he will sit and do some computer learning. His brain needs it but his body has not allowed him to sit still so then he gets into more trouble because he is bored. Sound familiar?

I am so happy I found this place. I already feel so much better! I like so many other's here have been feeling like such an awful mom lately. How is it all 3 of my children have issues?? I must be in a nightmare???

 

[BusynMember]

Have you taken any of them to a neuropsychologist? They all sound like they *could* be on the high functioning end of the spectrum, even the really smart one (Asperger's kids tend to be ahead in language and VERY smart). It is commonly misdiagnosed by those who aren't that familiar with the spectrum as ADHD first. You may want to check this out. To me, as a layman mom with a kid on the spectrum, I'm not the expert but they sound like they are more Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-like than just ADHD. That would require extra help. My son's first diagnosis was ADHD/ODD. He has neither, but it took a long time for them to get it right. Take a look at this test. It can be pretty accurate if the answers are given honestly, but you still need a professional assessment. I totally favor NeuroPsychs myself.

If your kids end up with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) diagnosis., that is hereditary, which would explain all three having similar problems. Also, husband has bipolar. To me they don't sound like kids with bipolar, but in bipolar families there is a higher rate of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I have bipolar myself. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids have severe social problems, but often you can't tell when they are very young. Eye contact is often an issue. Strange quirks like lip smacking, hand flapping, throat noises, copying the television's words, bouncing crazily up and down are other things. Sensory issues are big. Anyhoooo...just a suggestion. I found the neuropsychologist better than the Dev. Pediatrician.

http://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html

Welcome to the board!