HEC0417

New Member
At the age of 4 my son was diagnosed with ADHD, Mixed Developmental D/O, and Adjustment D/O with Mixed Emotional Features. He has tried all the basic ADHD drugs and none worked so his doctor (well thats what his shingle said) decided to try psychotropics Respirdal,and now Abilify. I fell into the trap that the medication will be the cure all. All his doctor visits last all of 5 minutes. We come in, he asks how he's been, then he pulls out the prescription pad and thats it. My son is very hyper and impulsive,he won't stay still for nothing, he follows me all over the house even if I'm going to the kitchen to get something from the fridge. he will ask his Grandma to take to the bathroom, the kitchen, etc. He refuses to do things by himself..... His school work is getting worse....he's having problems focusing.... when the answer is right in front of him he just does not see it..... at times he just shuts down and will not do any more school work. He's acting up in school again..he will not stay still...constant movement, fidgeting, making comments/noises. His behavior has also change..he's being aggresive only to the girls at one time he intentionally tripped one. The school psychologist stated he exhibits some autism traits..... I'm thinking of getting him re-evaluated....Any insights?


HELP!!! :crying:

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son-6 years old , been taking medications since 4 has tried Ritalin, Ritalin SR, ritalin LA straterra, Adderall, Risperdal, Cogentin and now Abilify.

He's an only child, mother not in picture. Its just me and my mother.
 

SuzyfromTexas

New Member
My son is six years old and we thought he was ADHD as well. Hyper, impulsive, competitive, but social. After the neuropsychologist exam we found that he exhibits some characteristics of NonVerbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) (close resemblance to Aspergers). He has a 14 point difference between verbal IQ scores and non-verbal which is significant but not enough for an actual diagnosis of NonVerbal Learning Disorder (NVLD). I'm glad we found this out early as ADHD drugs really would not help him. In fact, in some cases I think drugs can make kids worse who are not truly ADHD.

My impression is that lots of kids are being labeled ADHD when it's more of an autistic spectrum issue. Your son may not be on the autisitic spectrum at all. I don't know. I think my son falls short of a diagnosis but is on the high end of normal if that makes any sense. He thinks differently than other neuro typical kids. School is fine for now. We have more problems in the home.

When your son was evaluated, did he receive an actual neuropsychologist exam? These exams typically include about 10 hours of various tests inlcuding IQ tests, executive functioning tests, social type testing.
 
I agree with Suzy, get a neuropsychologist exam, if you have not already.

In the meantime, read "The Explosive Child". Also not a cure, but gives very good insight as to dealing with our "difficult children" (gifts from God)

Welcome to the board! I hope you find it to be as wonderful a place as I have.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I agree with the others. Also if you don't like the psychiatrist it's time to switch. We used to have a psychiatrist like how you described-we switched and it was the best thing we ever did.
 

branbran

New Member
I also agree. Often times you are going to have to play dr. , you'll end up doing lots of research on your own. The dr spends minutes with you and then claims to know your difficult child. Im sure all of us can relate to that!!! I ended up compiling pages and pages of research, hours and hours of my time, writing down what I felt was pertinent to my situation and brought a list of questions to my dr. I pretty much diagnosed my difficult child before he did. Its very disheartening and frustrating.

My advice: Get a nice cup of joe, a pad, your computer and as much patience as you can muster and go to town!!! lol
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
A neuropsychologist evaluation sounds like a good idea for your son.

And if you don't feel you're getting your money's worth out of your psychiatrist it's probably time for a change.

N had one of the 5 min psychiatrists. Only good thing I can say is he had an awesome therapist who worked with him who filled him in on details before N stepped into his office for those 5 mins and the prescription.

Still it made me uncomfortable. We found a new psychiatrist. I used to believe the other psychiatrist did the 5 min in and out cuz he was so busy. Now I have my doubts. N's current psychiatrist is now the only one serving county mental health. Her patient load is outragious. But she STILL gives each patient a full hour of her time and genuine attention.

Hugs
 
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