Hi
I am new to the forum and and about going round the twist with my seven year old son Max.
He displays signs of adhd to the whole family and yet the pyschologist will not listen and just keeps tellin us we need to attend some sort of parenting classes as Max is getting off with ruling the family. I seem to have done a not too bad job raising my other 2 boys however, and take offence at what she is suggesting. Her attitude is that he can behave perfectly well in her office without jumping around and when she sat in his school class for a whole 45 minutes he was fine, maybe a little inattentive she said.
Well i just been to parents evening at school and teacher says he does not concentrate in class and kicks his feet under the table and tries to annoy others, infact the only time he concentrates is when she does some one on one work with him - well what does that say to you??
He also is very impulsive and has terrrible mood swings which are very frequent and can be because of simple silly things like i gave him the wrong juice. He often reduces me to tears then he gets very upset with himself for upsetting me!
He has hardly any freinds because he cannot control himself if they upset him and often tells me he hates me if i reprimand him, and has also began the very emotional upset of saying he want to die infact threatened to open car door as we were driving. I know deep down he wont do it becasue he would be too scared to but it is very distressing to hear it.
He does not sleep well and is often still awake after 11pm and the teacher says he gets very tired in class. On top of all that he is scared to be in his room once his brother falls asleep so he does everything to wake him up then i have 2 to contend with.
He gets on famously with younger children and does not gert aggressive with them, just with the rest of the world. Yet he can be very loving and cuddly too!! He also does not shut up, continuously making motorbike noises all over the place which is so darn annoying.
does this sound like an adhd child to you
Michelle

Honestly?

Get a new doctor.

I would skip the doctor entirely and read up on it yourself first... then go back to another doctor, as Wheel suggested. The trouble today is that the majority of professionals who are supposed to help you with this sort of thing are still untrained in it.

Go to a proper doctor - a psychologist is not a proper doctor and in my experience they're too 'normal' to be able to see what's right in front of them.

I'd say the ADD is a good possibility. He doesn't sound hyperactive, which is probably why the psychologist is saying what she's saying. He sounds very much like I behaved when at that age - 32 years ago. I wasn't diagnosed properly and lived with teachers calling me lazy and irresponsible for the next dozen years - not recommended if healthy self-esteem is what you are after. Find an expert in your area or go to another city if you can't find one in your area, but have an expert in ADD/ADHD look at your son - and read as many books as you can!
Good luck.
Greg

thanx greg for your reply
I will say too tho that he is hyperactive, he just does not stop moving all day. he watches tv whilst whistling, then jumps up and does a few handstands then sits down again for 10 secs then back up to run down the hall then back to tv again makes me tired just watching him, but i am no better i cannot sit still either!! i wiggle in chairs and need to movea all the time too so maybe i am adhd too, i also cannot concentrate or sleep and my job is as an aerobics instructor cos i could not just sit at a desk any more!!
i have terrible memory but yet can remember all the gym members membership numbers in myhead (but cannot remember their names lol) I can add numbers very quickly in my head yet i did not do too good at school and was always told off for chatting or daydreaming!! Just cannot remember where i put things or appointments even when i write it in my diary. the amount of dentist appointments my kids have missed!!
My son does not take no for an answer with anything i mean anything he just goes on and on andon........
he is impulsive and aggressive yet kind and sweet, he is a huge bag of contradicitions but then maybe so am i ... people think i am not shy because of my job but i am soooo shy that i end up sayin stupid things to try to make converstation, yet when i teach i am so confident and approachable like an actor on stage.
well here i go again rambling on boring u to tears - sorry about that was just replying to say i think he is hyper too lol
sorry
michelle

He also is very impulsive and has terrrible mood swings which are very frequent and can be because of simple silly things like i gave him the wrong juice. My 5 year old does the exact same thing, in fact, just about everything that you've mentioned (((((Michelle)))))) When he started school this past fall, he was put in a class with about 25 other kids & on the first day, he was put in the special ed class because the teacher couldn't handle him.

Your son does sound like he is ADHD... I'm still new to this too & I too, have always had trouble with concentration & all the other symptoms of ADD myself most of my life. But, I would go to another doctor after doing my own research. ((((((Michelle))))))

WELL AT LONG LAST.... a diagnosis

My son has at last been diagnosed with mild adhd and also ODD which i dont think he actually has (ODD) but... i am no expert!
He has been on ritalin for 2 weeks so faar and we have jsut had the dose increased from 5mg twice a day to now 10mg twice a day, and he is definately takin more in at school as he told me today how a water cycle works... evaporation and everything!!
He also surprised me by saying he cant wait to go to school tomorrow!!!! pick me off the floor!!
At appt today he got his homework out and did it - another surprise.. He also got prescribed melotonin today as he does not sleep, and u know wot?? he was sleepin like a baby by 9pm wey hey think i need some of that myself.
It is just such a releif to now be listened to and have some positive action being taken to help him, and if he gets the sleep he needs then hopefully he can cope all day without gettin quite so angry over least thing.
Lepordess i thank u for ur posting and hope all is well in your household and that u are coping with it all. I too feel that i am infact ADD as i have all the syptoms although i have always gotten on with life and coped with my bad memory, disorganisation, moodiness, anger etc. but learning about the disorder to help your child certainly opens your eyes to how you yourself behaves and makes you question whether the disorder is in fact coming from your genes doesnt it??
anyways good luck with your wee lad hope you manage to get all the help you can for yourself and him
Goodnite
Michelle

I am so glad you finally got a diagnoses. My son too was the same way at that age and still is. I have had concerns about this since he was age 7 but could not get anyone to listen to me. He is 11 now and was just diagnosed last month. He is on concerta and doing great now. It was like a miricle for him. He forgot to take his medication yesterday before school and he called home crying because he needed it. He is doing so much better and getting his work done and happier since we started him on meds. I was so relieved when he was finaly diagnosed. I knew I was doing nothing wrong then.

Well good luck
Tawny