Hello all,

I am a 33yr old mother diagnosed combined ADHD,
with a 9yr old daughter diagnosed combined ADHD,
and also have a 3yr old DD
and a 5mo old DD.

My question is this.

My 3yo is very much a handful and I see so much of my 9yo
at the same age in her.
Life with her is not impossible by any means, yet it is most certainly not easy.
My only friend tells me not to worry, that she is probably just acting like any 3yo, however is it *normal* to have to feel like you have to have a safety hold on your child any time you are anywhere near where a car might pass?

Is there testing for children this young, and if so is it better to wait until the children are school age before considering medicating them?
Is it *normal* to not trust your child to not hurt the smaller baby? I don't neccesarily mean that I think that she would intentionally harm the baby, just that she might make some impulsive decision to oh say pick up the baby or something like that even though she has been told that that is not okay.
When she is not getting the attention she wants from her older sibling she resorts to hitting and breaking things.
How do you decide what is *normal* and what is not?

I would consider both my 9yo DD and I to be at the very least moderately severe ADHD.

The 3yo as well as 9yo DD both seem to *need* constant attention focused on them.

Look at me look at me look at me look at me....

The 3yo repeats what she says over and over and over until I make it VERY clear that I have heard what she says.

I see other people with their well behaved children and wonder if it's my child rearing (I'm sure that has something to do with it as I am just now treating my own ADHD, but...) ....

Okay I seem to have lost my train of thought unfurtunately I do not have time to read or post when my meds are working so probably most of my posting will be fairly rambling but that doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary here...
Okay, I'll shush now....

Hope to hear some thoughts on this and thanks in advance for any replies, this is a *wonderful* place!

Laura

Laura, she sounds like a typical 3yold. I'd certainly be very alert with her progress though.

Good Luck, and I am sure you are doing a great job!!

Laura,

Sounds to me like a typical 3 year old as well but by all means if you and ur other daughter are ADHD I would be concerned as well.I know that where i am from they will start testing at age 5 but it varies i believe on where u are from.I wish you the best of luck and please know i will help u with any thing i can help with as far as advice or even looking for doctors.


Sandra

Sounds like a typical "active" 3 year old to me. But, as the other posters have suggested, it might pay to keep your eyes open. Where I live they generally don't start testing until 6 years old, or when your child is in kindergarten. My psych told me its because its so hard to tell an adhd child from a just plain active one before that age.

I'm in the same boat as you with my youngest in terms of the fear of the kids running away when a car is passing by. I finally gave in and got a harness. I get some really rude looks sometimes, but I feel so much safer.

my 4yo is EXTREMELY hyperactive and life with her can be quite hellish. there are many days it is unsafe to have her outside the house (urban area, busy street). at this point, we are just starting to work toward eliminating anything medical (allergy etc) or neurological (epilepsy, etc; entire family suffers with severe neurological disabilities). i am not willing to medicate a rapidly growing 4yo but will certainly consider it when she's older school age in hopes of avoiding dislike for learning and helping her succeed.