ADHD can now be diagnosed as young as 4

[Ozzieshunni]

I said that parents might automatically agree if the child has behavior problems at home as well.

 

[BlackBerry25]

There are kids with adhd who make excellent grades(A's and B's) in regular classroom setting. so it is not always learning disability.

Thats very true, ADHD children can be very intelligent, and can achieve to a high level IF given the right support that they need.

A lot of students who are intellectually gifted are misdiagnosed with ADHD because the normal classroom lessons bore them and they need to attend a separate Gifted & Talented program for part of the day.

Again, misdiagnosed...

Actually, it was the opposite for my OH. In the gifted program and never diagnosed.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

It is classified in the DSM-IV as a mental disorder. https://www.ldawe.ca/DSM_IV.html

But again, my PERSONAL belief is that it doesn't exist and is used by school professionals as an excuse for children they cannot handle. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but it is my belief.

But what would they gain? Its a parents decision if they wish to medicate the child, thats even if they get as far as a diagnosis?

here they would gain a statement of Education for that child, meaning they would get more money.

 

[lesleyann]

Not finished reading this again.. But I do believe alot of the cases of "ADHD" are not infact ADHD.. As I said before I was told I have it after meetings, being bad at school... My behaviour infact only settled down when I met my current Oh and then improved again when we moved into our house.. So by that standard it was outside factors making me behave the way I was.. I can proberly pin point exactly what set my "ADHD" off but that would will up a lot of room on the page, however if anyone is intrested as they are researching and looking into other factors feel free to Pm me.

 

[Andypanda6570]

I will say this I don't agree that the diagnosis is just thrown out there for ADHD , years ago maybe it was ,but not now at least I don't see it. I think teachers and the medical profession are very careful to label any kid with having ADHD until it is proven that they do. Like when I was a kid, i am (41 now) even if you did not have a learning problem , but a bit of behavior problem they would place you in the class with the kids that had severe learning disabilities . I do not see that being done at all anymore. My last son is 11 and I was and am very involved in the school and things are not done the way they were done when I was kid. I am from New York by the way. I just feel teachers are very careful to label any kid for fear of retribution.. They (teachers) need to make sure they are right and they dot all their I's and cross all their T's, cause parents are not going to put up with a misdiagnosis

 

[impatient1]

My OH has ADHD, and was diagnosed around the age of 5. He was on the highest prescribed dose of Ritalin in our province because of it, that does not mean that he had a bad upbringing in any way, actually I dare you to tell his mom that you think his diagnosis isn't real and his upbringing was the cause of it. I am already preparing that there is a good chance that my children may have ADHD as well by making myself more knowledgeable. I think that being diagnosed earlier is great as it give you more time to be able to properly deal with the issues with a better knowledge of what is going on. I also don’t think that just because you have ADHD means you have to be on medication for it. Yes there are many cases that need medication but there are also cases that can be dealt with more naturally. In my OH’s case we know that certain foods are triggers for him so he knows to avoid them now.

My OH is incredibly intelligent and can give you information about the most random things but sitting around in a class room setting is not for him. He could do math off the top of his head faster than most other people I know and could spend hours working on a project if it is something that intrigues him.

It scares me how judgemental people can be over dissorders and worries me about what school life could be like for my children. With both a half brother with autism and an OH with ADHD I have seen how people's judgements can be harmful and how the school setting isn't always set up to work well for everyone.

 

[TwoMummies]

I have no idea how it works in other countries but here in the UK it is not easy to get an ADHD diagnosis at all!

My son suffers from Autism, Global Development Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD. He is non-verbal and urinary incontinent.
He is nearly 8 years old.

It took OVER A YEAR to even get a doctor to see him in the first place, by this point he had been suspended from school nearly 20 times and eventually moved to another school. He was called naughty / problem child / attention seeker etc.

One teacher went as far to suggest that he was DELIBERATELY wetting and soiling himself at 5 years old and that he could speak but was being stubborn and refusing to

It then took 6 months in total, involving 4 visits to the clinic, 3 different questionaires for me and school to complete and 2 visits to his school before they gave him a diagnosis.

This has been repeated 3 times since the conditions he has were diagnosed at different ages, independant of each other.

It was bloody hard work and if I had not have been acting in my son's best interest's it would have been SOO much easier to simply give up.

My son could have been diagnosed at 4 years old easily, perhaps even at 3 years old to be honest but I appreciate he is in the extreme and has other co-morbid conditions so it is hard to say what issues are caused by the ADHD rather than one of the other conditions.

I am not sure how I feel on medicating a 4 year old, it would depend on the severity I suppose but it's an emotive subject.

I personally choose not to medicate the ADHD, mainly as the other conditions cannot be medicated for and so no matter what he is going to be a severley disabled child. If I thought it would help him live a 'normal' life than I wouldn't even hesitate.

 

[alaskagrown]

I have no idea how it works in other countries but here in the UK it is not easy to get an ADHD diagnosis at all!

My son suffers from Autism, Global Development Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD. He is non-verbal and urinary incontinent.
He is nearly 8 years old.

It took OVER A YEAR to even get a doctor to see him in the first place, by this point he had been suspended from school nearly 20 times and eventually moved to another school. He was called naughty / problem child / attention seeker etc.

One teacher went as far to suggest that he was DELIBERATELY wetting and soiling himself at 5 years old and that he could speak but was being stubborn and refusing to

It then took 6 months in total, involving 4 visits to the clinic, 3 different questionaires for me and school to complete and 2 visits to his school before they gave him a diagnosis.

This has been repeated 3 times since the conditions he has were diagnosed at different ages, independant of each other.

It was bloody hard work and if I had not have been acting in my son's best interest's it would have been SOO much easier to simply give up.

My son could have been diagnosed at 4 years old easily, perhaps even at 3 years old to be honest but I appreciate he is in the extreme and has other co-morbid conditions so it is hard to say what issues are caused by the ADHD rather than one of the other conditions.

I am not sure how I feel on medicating a 4 year old, it would depend on the severity I suppose but it's an emotive subject.

I personally choose not to medicate the ADHD, mainly as the other conditions cannot be medicated for and so no matter what he is going to be a severley disabled child. If I thought it would help him live a 'normal' life than I wouldn't even hesitate.

Sounds like you've got a lot on your shoulders And I'm sorry the teacher accused your son of deliberately wetting and soiling himself, especially if he has autism and such!

In the U.S., it is VERY VERY VERY easy to be diagnosed with ADHD. In fact, any child who meets 8 of the 14 criteria (such as "often inattentive" etc.) which all characteristics would normally pertain to most young children at some point. Also, any just plain old naughty child, legitimately ADHD or not, would also meet the criteria for ADHD. I filled out a 10-minute questionnaire while a psychiatrist watched me when I was a teen and was automatically given Ritalin. Of course, I never stuck to Ritalin because it made me a complete zombie and I knew the idea of me having ADHD was complete rubbish anyways. I was simply going through a defiant teen phase.

I can see how you would see the ease in diagnosing your child at 3 because of all of his other combined conditions must make him quite a challenge!

 

[JackiePed]

Ozzieshunni, former CA teacher here, too...
Although I agree that ADHD and some other disorders are OVER-diagnosed, I thinknit would be arrogant of a teacher to think they can determine whether or not a disorder even exists.
Many disorders are over diagnosed. Depression is over diagnosed, and often used as an excuse, or as an easy-way-out diagnoses. But we also know that genuine depression is a very real, damaging, chemical imbalance.
As teachers, we are professionals. We are even experts...on how to teach children.
We are not experts on mental, personality, or learning disorders.

Unless...of course...you have the schooling, research, and experience under your belt that an expert in child disorders has....

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Ozziezhun, former CA teacher here, too...
Although I agree that ADHD and some other disorders are OVER-diagnosed, I thinknit would be arrogant of a teacher to think they can determine whether or not a disorder even exists.
Many disorders are over diagnosed. Depression is over diagnosed, and often used as an excuse, or as an easy-way-out diagnoses. But we also know that genuine depression is a very real, damaging, chemical imbalance.
As teachers, we are professionals. We are even experts...on how to teach children.
We are not experts on mental, personality, or learning disorders.

Unless...of course...you have the schooling, research, and experience under your belt that an expert in child disorders has....

This is very true. That's what I meant when teachers try to diagnose children. I would never presume to assume that a child has a learning disability or mental condition until the parents told me so.

Like I said, it is MY PERSONAL OPINION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would never ignore a doctor's diagnosis and I would do my best to assist the child to the best of my capabilities. Why don't people get that it's my personal belief and keep bashing me for it? Shit, it's a DEBATE!!!!!!!

 

[JackiePed]

.....
And... Isn't it debating for me to respectfully state that I disagree with the opinion that you gave? No need to flip out. I didn't attack you, call you names, or shame you. I gave MY opinion, as a peer, that teachers aren't qualified to make determinations on whether or not a disorder exists.
Did I break debate protocol here?

 

[Andypanda6570]

My OH has ADHD, and was diagnosed around the age of 5. He was on the highest prescribed dose of Ritalin in our province because of it, that does not mean that he had a bad upbringing in any way, actually I dare you to tell his mom that you think his diagnosis isn't real and his upbringing was the cause of it. I am already preparing that there is a good chance that my children may have ADHD as well by making myself more knowledgeable. I think that being diagnosed earlier is great as it give you more time to be able to properly deal with the issues with a better knowledge of what is going on. I also don’t think that just because you have ADHD means you have to be on medication for it. Yes there are many cases that need medication but there are also cases that can be dealt with more naturally. In my OH’s case we know that certain foods are triggers for him so he knows to avoid them now.

My OH is incredibly intelligent and can give you information about the most random things but sitting around in a class room setting is not for him. He could do math off the top of his head faster than most other people I know and could spend hours working on a project if it is something that intrigues him.

It scares me how judgemental people can be over dissorders and worries me about what school life could be like for my children. With both a half brother with autism and an OH with ADHD I have seen how people's judgements can be harmful and how the school setting isn't always set up to work well for everyone.

I totally agree with you, upbringing has NOTHING to do with ADHD, that was a rude and hurtful thing to say and not true..

 

[alaskagrown]

I think that a poor upbringing can easily lead to a child being misdiagnosed with ADHD. And unfortunately, I think these cases outweigh the legitimate cases.

 

[Andypanda6570]

I think that a poor upbringing can easily lead to a child being misdiagnosed with ADHD. And unfortunately, I think these cases outweigh the legitimate cases.

Poor upbringing also leads to children becoming doctors, lawyers, social workers, school teachers, judges, actors, flight attendants and so on. That is a ridiculous statement. Any person who would come to a conclusion because a child has a poor upbringing can be misdiagnosed with any disorder is preposterous. Money has nothing to do with it, your life is what you make of it. You are what you are money does not define any person or misdiagnose them .. JMO

 

[alaskagrown]

I think that a poor upbringing can easily lead to a child being misdiagnosed with ADHD. And unfortunately, I think these cases outweigh the legitimate cases.

Poor upbringing also leads to children becoming doctors, lawyers, social workers, school teachers, judges, actors, flight attendants and so on. That is a ridiculous statement. Any person who would come to a conclusion because a child has a poor upbringing can be misdiagnosed with any disorder is preposterous. Money has nothing to do with it, your life is what you make of it. You are what you are money does not define any person or misdiagnose them .. JMO

When I said poor, I did not mean it monetarily poor. I meant it as "unideal." E.g., neglect, arguing parents, poor nutrition, parents using the television for mental stimulation rather than play, basically uninvolved parents.

I apologize, I should have chosen a different word than "poor" since it has more than one meaning.

 

[JASMAK]

I think that a poor upbringing can easily lead to a child being misdiagnosed with ADHD. And unfortunately, I think these cases outweigh the legitimate cases.

Poor upbringing also leads to children becoming doctors, lawyers, social workers, school teachers, judges, actors, flight attendants and so on. That is a ridiculous statement. Any person who would come to a conclusion because a child has a poor upbringing can be misdiagnosed with any disorder is preposterous. Money has nothing to do with it, your life is what you make of it. You are what you are money does not define any person or misdiagnose them .. JMO

When I said poor, I did not mean it monetarily poor. I meant it as "unideal." E.g., neglect, arguing parents, poor nutrition, parents using the television for mental stimulation rather than play, basically uninvolved parents.

I apologize, I should have chosen a different word than "poor" since it has more than one meaning.

I grew up poor, and poor...in both ways. I have never been diagnosed with a behaviour issue, I went to university and have a moderate paying career. I think that is a poor excuse for anyone to say that poor kids get misdiagnosed. There is plenty kids with good parents with behaviour issues...and there is kids that have inadequate parenting and substandard living, such as I...who are fine...and some who truly do have ADHD, like my brother...through no fault of his own, nor related to his upbringing. If anything...I would think it had to do with the fact he was born with a big gaping hole in his head! I think this is the stigma that many people with dissabilities face...generalizations and assumptions based on ignorant people with their own inadequate information.

 

[alaskagrown]

I think that a poor upbringing can easily lead to a child being misdiagnosed with ADHD. And unfortunately, I think these cases outweigh the legitimate cases.

Poor upbringing also leads to children becoming doctors, lawyers, social workers, school teachers, judges, actors, flight attendants and so on. That is a ridiculous statement. Any person who would come to a conclusion because a child has a poor upbringing can be misdiagnosed with any disorder is preposterous. Money has nothing to do with it, your life is what you make of it. You are what you are money does not define any person or misdiagnose them .. JMO

When I said poor, I did not mean it monetarily poor. I meant it as "unideal." E.g., neglect, arguing parents, poor nutrition, parents using the television for mental stimulation rather than play, basically uninvolved parents.

I apologize, I should have chosen a different word than "poor" since it has more than one meaning.

I grew up poor, and poor...in both ways. I have never been diagnosed with a behaviour issue, I went to university and have a moderate paying career. I think that is a poor excuse for anyone to say that poor kids get misdiagnosed. There is plenty kids with good parents with behaviour issues...and there is kids that have inadequate parenting and substandard living, such as I...who are fine...and some who truly do have ADHD, like my brother...through no fault of his own, nor related to his upbringing. If anything...I would think it had to do with the fact he was born with a big gaping hole in his head! I think this is the stigma that many people with dissabilities face...generalizations and assumptions based on ignorant people with their own inadequate information.

Well I would say you're an exceptional case. I think that there is a undeniable correlation between a a child's home life and his or her success in the classroom. Of course like I said, there will always be exceptions.

I also believe the number one culprit to misbehaved misdiagnosed ADHD children is lax parenting, which is also on the rise more than ever....coincidentally? If a child does not have a structurally sound foundation with consistent rules and discipline, he or she is being set up to fail in the classroom (but of course... there are some exceptions).

If a non-ADHD child is simply a misbehaved child, they could meet all the criteria for ADHD and be given Ritalin. Parents who "do not have time or energy" to give parenting the full 100% can see Ritalin as an easy way out. And Ritalin would indeed make any worn-out parent's life easier, but it's not always the right choice.

If you think I'm accusing you of having a misdiagnosed child, I'm certainly not. I feel like many of you think I'm accusing your child of not legitimately learning disabled. I'm simply talking about all the children who are misdiagnosed with ADHD in America, which is probably more than half of the recorded cases.

 

[Andypanda6570]

I think that a poor upbringing can easily lead to a child being misdiagnosed with ADHD. And unfortunately, I think these cases outweigh the legitimate cases.

Poor upbringing also leads to children becoming doctors, lawyers, social workers, school teachers, judges, actors, flight attendants and so on. That is a ridiculous statement. Any person who would come to a conclusion because a child has a poor upbringing can be misdiagnosed with any disorder is preposterous. Money has nothing to do with it, your life is what you make of it. You are what you are money does not define any person or misdiagnose them .. JMO

When I said poor, I did not mean it monetarily poor. I meant it as "unideal." E.g., neglect, arguing parents, poor nutrition, parents using the television for mental stimulation rather than play, basically uninvolved parents.

I apologize, I should have chosen a different word than "poor" since it has more than one meaning.

I grew up poor, and poor...in both ways. I have never been diagnosed with a behaviour issue, I went to university and have a moderate paying career. I think that is a poor excuse for anyone to say that poor kids get misdiagnosed. There is plenty kids with good parents with behaviour issues...and there is kids that have inadequate parenting and substandard living, such as I...who are fine...and some who truly do have ADHD, like my brother...through no fault of his own, nor related to his upbringing. If anything...I would think it had to do with the fact he was born with a big gaping hole in his head! I think this is the stigma that many people with dissabilities face...generalizations and assumptions based on ignorant people with their own inadequate information.

Well I would say you're an exceptional case. I think that there is a undeniable correlation between a a child's home life and his or her success in the classroom. Of course like I said, there will always be exceptions.

I also believe the number one culprit to misbehaved misdiagnosed ADHD children is lax parenting, which is also on the rise more than ever....coincidentally? If a child does not have a structurally sound foundation with consistent rules and discipline, he or she is being set up to fail in the classroom (but of course... there are some exceptions).

If a non-ADHD child is simply a misbehaved child, they could meet all the criteria for ADHD and be given Ritalin. Parents who "do not have time or energy" to give parenting the full 100% can see Ritalin as an easy way out. And Ritalin would indeed make any worn-out parent's life easier, but it's not always the right choice.

If you think I'm accusing you of having a misdiagnosed child, I'm certainly not. I feel like many of you think I'm accusing your child of not legitimately learning disabled. I'm simply talking about all the children who are misdiagnosed with ADHD in America, which is probably more than half of the recorded cases.

You have the right to your opinion, I just can't and wont agree with it. I don't believe that for one minute at all.
I do appreciate you be very nice and respectful. We just say we disagree

 

[Eve]

I think a lot of people are talking out of their ass with no real experiences with adhd... And no, a teacher is not qualified in the slightest to self diagnose in any way.

My brother and I didnt have an easy life and he is a scientist who has been published numerous times. There are many "exceptional" cases out there.

 

[Eve]

I would also like to say that within the past few weeks I have had a few ppl I know have their childs teacher tell them their child HAS add/adhd. I think teachers should request help for children but leave medical terms to those qualified.

By the way, i love teachers and have loads of respect for what they do and put up with.