adhd

[bubbles1784]

i think my 6 year old daughter has got adhd. does any one know the first signs of it?

[barbsy]

Hi!
Our five year old daughter has ADHD - we read once that living with someone with the condition is like living in a jam jar with a wasp and that is not far off!! Her general 'symptoms' are complete inability to sit still and the fact that she never stops. Even though she is on the go all day, she doesn't shut off at night and frequently doesn't go to sleep till about ten despite being up at six. Her concentration is very poor and she is very flightly, being unable to concentrate on any play activity or anything else for any length of time. As soon as she has a toy set up, she will get bored with it and want to move onto the next thing. Another major thing is that she is very very impulsive and doesn't think before she acts. If ever you tell her to stop doing something she always has to do 'one more' impulsively, which is really dangerous sometimes (last week she stuck her finger in the plug hole again when I told her to stop but luckily it was turned off!) She is also very poorly coordinated and finds writing very difficult and also very disorganised (but that could be down to me!!)

One thing to be very aware of, if your child does have ADHD, is that because they are always getting reprimanded for their behaviour, many children with ADHD have poor self esteem. Very important to stress that the action that they did was naughty, not the child themselves.

I know that many people think that ADHD is purely an excuse for badly behaved children, but when your child has actually got this condition you really know it!

Hope that this helps. If you are unsure whether your daughter has the condition then go to your GP and ask for an assessment.

Good Luck!

[barbsy]

Have a look at this link - you might find it useful

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/adhd .htm

[ganesh]

My daughter has ADD (now 17 yrs old) and hasn't got all those symptoms,probably because she is the inattentive type rather than hyper,and she was always well-behaved. She wasn't diagnosed until 14 because the symptoms of poor concentration and organisation often don't show until the demands of secondary education come up, though looking back now we maybe should have spotted it. She was a daydreamer although extremely intelligent.
I must admit it sounds like your daughter has it,but a lot of 5 year olds are also like that.
It's important to remember that nothing you have done has caused it if she has it,and that it is more of a physical, genetic brain condition rather than a behavioral thing, so don't blame it on bad parenting.
In my experience.GPs are useless, and I am still trying to ger medication for my daughter after 4 years,whereas in America she would have had something straight away.
Although bright, she has had many difficulties with life including as you say self-esteem and relationship problems.
If your daughter has adHd ,rather than ADD it might actually be easier to help. Your teachers will soon tell you if she needs an assesment.

[ganesh]

sorry, I read the first answer as part of the question! See where my daughter gets it from?