Friday, September 22, 2006

Reseaching ADHD, PDD's, ODD and BiPolar Disease. It's Gotta be One of Those or Maybe Two.

I spoke to Dominic's teacher a 2nd time yesterday after she talked to the school child psychologist that has been monitoring his progress there. The list of what could be going on is so vague and wide right now. They are thinking ADHD with ODD, possibly BiPolar, and PDD's (Pervasive Developmental Disorders) which are forms of Autism. Dominic acts NOTHING like my Autistic cousin but I think he has a more severe type. So after reading articles on the internet my own self diagnosis would be ADHD with ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) It makes so much more sense than the Autism signs because I really don't feel he's displayed enough to say that is an issue.

These are the PDDs of Autism (I don't think he has this)
Communication problems- we can pretty much understand now what he wants
Language difficulty- it's getting there, still not at a 3 yr old level but better.
Impaired social interaction- he tries to play with other kids but usually is too aggressive
Difficulty relating to people- he loves people and talks up a storm to them
Unusual play-all he plays with is Thomas Trains 24/7. That's it nothing else. But it's his fave toys
Difficulty adapting to changes- He hates change and this is why i didn't want to sell the house now.
Repetitive body movements- none
Repetitive behavior patterns- well yeah his behavior is bad ALOT same things over and over

It's funny because I found this on an article... Research has shown that parents are usually correct about noticing developmental problems, although they may not realize the specific nature or degree of the problem. I've been noticing that he was different ever since he was about 2 but didn't know what the deal was. I'd constantly get out the DVD's of when Alex was a baby and watch her actions compared to him. We had his first Early Intervention appointment 2 days after Damien's birth where they tested him on Speech, OT, Motor, and Hearing. At that time they said they had some concerns but didn't put kids in the program till they were 3 and he was 28 months so we needed to wait and test him again before he turned 3. The 2nd appointment he failed every catagory (except hearing) and they stuck him in about a month and a half before his third birthday. Things had been going pretty good, a few outbursts here and there, some kicking at the teachers or refusing to do things, or wandering off but otherwise really good. I had told his teachers at enrollment that this summer was really hard, actually a nightmare and that I had a hard time with the aggressive behavior and jumping off the walls with energy. She said after about a month she'd come out and observe him if the school routine didn't knock him back into a halfway manageable kid.

It's been a month now and things according to her had just went from ok the first few weeks to rebelling, being agressive, laughing at the teachers when in trouble, wandering off from activities, etc.

These are Traits of an ADHD child. I can relate Dominic on every one of these with how he acts here and at school.


  • The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

    Hyperactive children always seem to be "on the go" or constantly in motion. They dash around touching or playing with whatever is in sight, or talk incessantly. Sitting still at dinner or during a school lesson or story can be a difficult task.

    Impulsive children seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. They will often blurt out inappropriate comments, display their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for the later consequences of their conduct. Their impulsivity may make it hard for them to wait for things they want or to take their turn in games. They may grab a toy from another child or hit when they're upset.

    Children who are inattentive have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. If they are doing something they really enjoy, they have no trouble paying attention.

    Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
    As many as one-third to one-half of all children with ADHD—mostly boys—have another condition, known as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). These children are often defiant, stubborn, non-compliant, have outbursts of temper, or become belligerent. They argue with adults and refuse to obey.

    Bipolar Disorder. - maybe this is where the PMS and freakouts are coming from. Who knows.
    There are no accurate statistics on how many children with ADHD also have bipolar disorder. In its classic form, bipolar disorder is characterized by mood cycling between periods of intense highs and lows. But in children, bipolar disorder often seems to be a rather chronic mood dysregulation with a mixture of elation, depression, and irritability. Furthermore, there are some symptoms that can be present both in ADHD and bipolar disorder, such as a high level of energy and a reduced need for sleep. Of the symptoms differentiating children with ADHD from those with bipolar disorder, elated mood and grandiosity of the bipolar child are distinguishing characteristics.

Our appointment with his Ped that is really reluctant and hesitant with the term ADHD has a consultation set for us on the 27th so we'll see then what he says, then I'll make the appointment with a child psychologist for a 2nd opinion most likely. I think that would be the appropriate thing to do wouldn't it? Get 2 opinions? I just want to know more, get him figured out and move on. I'm also all freaked out that Damien is going to have this happen down the road. If so I'm screwed.

3 comments:

Rhonda said...

Sabrina- You have really taken this well compared to many parents that I have worked with. Doing the research and getting multiple opions is the best thing you can do. Trust your instincts about what is wrong as you have the most information about his behavior. I hope you get this all figured out soon so that you can figure out how to best help him.

Jess said...

Sabrina, you may want to look into Asperberger's Syndrome as well. I nannied for a little boy who had a variation of Asperbergers along with other symptoms that suggested a cross-breeding of sorts of a few of the PPD disorders. Autusim seems to be the most prevalent so gets the most press, but there are others too.

Also, you may want to see if he may have an auditory delay. Meaning he hears something and it takes his brain longer to process what is being said or what he is seeing thus causes problems with learning and creates a great deal of frustration and anger and also what appear to be LD's.

You are doing a great job with your research!

Kristi Ann said...

Hey girl~

Wow....thats a lot of research!! You go girl!! I think it is great that you are taking it upon yourself to find out facts instead of just letting a doctor or the school tell you he has something and settle with that! Sometimes I wonder myself if Samuel could be a little delayed. He isnt talking like I know MOST almost 4 year olds are. And he has an ENDLESS amount of energy! I will be praying for you and your sanity..as I know dealing with being pregnant, keeping a house together, running a daycare AND being a mom, wife, doctor, taxi driver, mediator, cook, teacher..etc all rolled into one has GOT to be taxing!

You are my hero! :)

*hugs*