Children with ADHD

[myjoy]

Thank you doc lelet! 

[lovelymaeve]

sisses help please.. nakapag back read na ko and may mga iba na rin akong nabasa baout ADHD pero hindi ko pa din ma-conclude kung may sign or symptom ang anak ko ng ADHD. I will post ng mga ugali niya and magpapasalamat po ako sa mga magbibigay ng opinion if you think na possible sya na may ADHD. By the way, my son is 3 years old:

1. Masyado siyang madaldal..kanta pa ng kanta..as in [textspeak!] "let it go" ng frozen siguro 20 times kong naririnig from 7pm hanggang bago siya matulog w/ interpretation yun ha.

2. Sobrang likot din siya..sampa dito..sampa doon..pero pag pinababa ko naman siya sumusunod naman siya sa akin. pero nakakahiya kasi pag sinasama ko siya sa church, ang kulit kulit..ang likot..maybe mga 10-15mins behave pa siya pero kapag lumampas na sa 15mins...ayun na simula na siya maglikot. samantalang yung mga ibang bata na ka age nya nakaupo lang sila w/ their parents.

3. Kapag humihingi ng dede hindi pwedeng sandali..kasi kapag hindi mo naibigay agad..ulit ulit sya ng "dede na please" hindi mo masabihan na sandali lang ha.

4. Lately kapag pinapagalitan na siya, nakikita ko na deadma na siya lalo na kapag sinisigawan habang sinasabihan...may ugali pa na kapag pinapagalitan, sasabayan ka magsalita na pinapagalitan ka din.one time pa, nagtakip ng tenga nabibingi daw siya. Pero kapag naman pinagsasabihan ko siya na malumanay as in my eye contact, nakikinig naman siya sa akin tapos mag sosorry siya.

5. Nabasa ko yung iba po delayed nakapagsalita mga babies nila na may ADHD..yung anak ko naman sakto lang po sa milestone age nya siya nakapagsalita.

6. Madali siya mag tantrums kapag hindi naibigay ang gusto nya.

7. Napansin ko kapag may bata na nakikipaglaro sa kanya sa bahay...sinasaktan nya...hindi ko alam kung laro sa kanya yun or what. Yung anak ng cousin ko na kalaro nya...bigla na lang pinukpok ng lalagyan ng laruan sa ulo..to think na nananahimik lang yung bata.

8. Infairness naman tumatahimik naman siya kapag nanonood siya ng cartoons or kahit anong palabas na gusto nya. pero madali siya magsawa sa laruan. hindi siya napipirmi sa isang laruan.

9. May ugali din siya na kapag may nakaslubong kami na lolo/lola na kamag anak kapag sinabi ko or ng papa niya na mag-bless ka anak...aayawan mag bless nakakahiya tuloy.


...So far, yan po ang mga attitudes nya na na-observe ko up to this moment.. Please take note na madalas din sabihin ng mother ko na ganyan ganyan din daw naman ako...kaya lang dahil babae ako, madali naman daw ako masabihan. Minsan tuloy feeling ko hindi ako mabuting magulang kasi ang tigas ng ulo ng anak ko..nagmumukha tuloy ako hindi marunong dumisiplina So if may ma susugesst po kayo na pwede kong gawin...ma-aapreciate ko talaga..thanks in advance.

[marose17]

^ Although I am not a developmental pediatrician, I think your child's behavior is not due to ADHD but may be attributed to lack of established boundaries, prolonged exposure to tv and inconsistent discipline at home. 

[sweetsweet]

I agree with sis marose, ganyan din son ko when exposed to cartoons and computer games dati. Now after 2 years of no tv, he just reads books, draws and colors, does paper crafts, and I expose him to more physical activities. His computer games ay educational, Algodoo is the name. Pag weekends minecraft Naman.

Too much violence and bad words nakuha rin dati Ng son ko Sa cartoons. When I made him stop watching tv, he resorted to YouTube. But I was quick on stopping him there, mas grabe kasi dun. May mga malalaswa kasing videos syang napapanood.

Sis lovely maeve, try mo rin to avoid shouting at your son. I was like that too before we had therapy. One of the things we learned is calmness and patience will contribute a lot to the well being of your child.

[lovelymaeve]

@sweetsweet and @marose17 sisses..thank you so much,,,nung binabasa ko ga sagot nyo parang may mga bagay kasi na nag flashback sa akin...[textspeak!] sa bigla nyang pananakit ng iba,,,naalala ko nung uso pa yang "face to face" na yan from channel 5..yung lola nya na nag aalaga sa kanya..lagi nila yun pinapanood..e di ba puro violence don. isa pa...kapag nakita nya bukas pc kapag nagpunta naman kami sa bahay ng parents ko,,,magpapalaro siya ng zombie daw..yung tipong pinagbababaril mga zombies..hay. and tama kayo sis, kulang din talaga siya sa physical activities,,kahit sa pakikisalamuha sa ibang bata kasi monday to friday doon siya sa lola nya since nag wowork kami ng papa niya..so hindi siya lumalabas ng bahay..wala chance makipaglaro sa ibang bata. about shouting naman..kinausap ko husband ko kanina sinabi ko na huwag na sinisigawan ang anak namin kasi parang balewala na lang sa kanya kapag sinisigawan..mas nakikinig siya kapag nakipag eye to eye contact ka sa kanya..mas natatakot siya kapag hindi sumisigaw pero nakikita nya sa mukha mo na seryoso ka. ayun...so thank you so much to both of you. and sa mga payo nyo salamat ng madami. 

[marose17]

^ The key to effective discipline is consistency.  This should be a joint effort among you, your husband and the lola.  You need to talk among yourselves kung ano ang dapat at hindi dapat, paano makitungo sa bata at paano ang disiplina.  Hindi pwedeng bawal sa bahay ninyo manood ng certain tv show, pero sa bahay ng lola eh okay lang, for example. This is easier said than done. Good luck!

[TowBerryBlue]

Mahirap talaga mag discipline ng bata lalo na andyan ang mga lola at lola sa tuhod. Trust me, ilang beses na ako nag se-sermon sa mga tao dito sa bahay namin about my son's condition. Pero sinusunod na nila ako kasi sinasabi ko sa kanila na pag yan lumaki at ganun pa rin ang ugali, sila sisisihin ko and besides, hindi naman yung bata ang mahihirapan pag lumaki at hindi natama ang ugali eh, kungdi kami. Ayun, they are always sticking sa mga sinasabi ko sa kanila.

[CaraLuisa]

We think our son has adhd. Di pa namin napapacheck.
He's 7 na. Takot siya sa dark and sa loud sounds. He cannot stand watching in movie houses, nagwawala talaga.
Pag may loud sounds cover siya ng ears niya with his hands and curls up in a ball, tas binbounce niya kamay nya sa ears nya.
di rin siya makafocus, di siya maka eye contact pag kinakausap mo siya and pag picture, unless you ask him to look na galit ka na, and pilit yung feeling.
lagi may reklamo teachers niya sa kanya, refuses to do lognotes, refuses to answer seatworks.
Laging tulala. Laging may nilalaro sa utak, imaginary whatevers.
Laging winawala mga gamit. araw araw nawawalan pencil, notebooks, books etc.
kung magsalita singsongy yung voice, and mostly mga napanuod niya sa tv yung mga lines na sinasabi niya.

Kanino kaya ok magpatingin?

[leletmd]

^ I suggest you have him checked by a developmental pediatrician near your place. You can ask a recommendation from your pedia or you can visit the dev ped thread.
From what you wrote, it seems that he has sensory integration issues. A therapy center which specializes in sensory issues like Therabilities might help, but have him checked by a dev ped first so he can be assessed appropriately.
In the meantime, try to lessen TV time and instead, try to interact with him more. You can do activities together like playing puzzles, reading books, etc.

[leletmd]

^ Was the child in a traditional school set up? First time niya ba mag-school? May mga kalaro ba syang bata sa bahay or puro adults kasama niya? Madalas bang naiiwan ang bata sa TV or paglalaro ng gadgets?
Does the child have a regular pedia? Kung may regular pedia kasi, from the well child visits, usually makikita kung may risk for ADHD ang bata or may need for further evaluation and referral to a dev ped.
Yung pagbabang sa walls is a sign of balance incoordination. Sensorial integration pa rin ang kulang. Pag may sensorial problems kasi, pwedeng visual, spatial, hearing, taste or tactile. Kung ang bata hindi sanay lumabas or palaging nasa room lang, parang hindi siya sanay sa open space kaya marami siyang nababangga. Kids with ADHD usually have sensorial integration problems but not all with sensorial integration problems have ADHD. There are those who eventually "outgrow" their sensorial problems.
It is a common reaction for parents and other family members to get mad or angry at anyone who will tell them that there is something wrong with their child. Maybe mali ang delivery ng teacher, but the best thing to do, once magsettle down na ang emotions, is to probably guide the parents/grandparents to maybe ask their pedia first for an evaluation then a referral if there is a need for it. Dapat lang ma-emphasize na it is for the good of the child. Pwede rin namang there is really nothing wrong with him. Pwede kasing kailangan lang machange ang family dynamics or maybe mas magthrithrive siya sa progressive or small school set up. 

[leletmd]

^ Maybe it will be better to enroll him in a small school or a play school set up since it is his first time in school para lang masanay siya and matuto din siya mag-socialize with other kids. Sa smaller school kasi mas matutukan siya ng teacher and mas mabilis ma-correct ang behavior niya. I think he needs to interact with other kids in a supervised setting para matuto siya how to behave properly.
Pero, ganoon pa rin, at the end of the day, once emotions have died down, maybe you can ask your husband to make a suggestion na mapatingin ang bata sa dev ped or kahit sa pedia na lang muna. It does not mean naman na you are saying na there is something wrong with him. It just means you care enough to correct bad behavior so he will thrive more in the outside world.

[mistiqshannen]

leletmd, I read about your previous post "I also don't think that ADHD should be diagnosed as early as 3 or 4 years of age since kids that age are naturally active and curious of their surroundings. It used to be that the age of diagnosis was made at 6 to 7 years of age, when the child has already entered school since feedback from educators is also an important part of the diagnosis. "

Yun bunso ko kasi is 3 yrs old now, she attended a pocket class in one school last january 2014 when she was 2 yrs old and 5 months. First time nya yun. Though ang kulit nya at hindi namin talaga mapaupo ng matagal but sumasali naman sya sa mga activities short time lang talaga then gusto na nya magroaming. The thing is sinabi ng teacher samin na when she speaks kasi yun 1st letter wala. So patingin daw namin sa dev pedia. Baka me speech delay. Kaso di namin napatingin.. Then nitong August, she attended her brother's birthday party sa school. Tapos nun kinausap sya ng teacher bigla syang nag roar na parang tiger tapos nun kinausap uli ayaw na tumingin.. Then sinabi samin na wala daw eye contact ang anak ko..

I started observing her, me mga times talaga na yun eyeball nya saan saan natingin pag kinakausap pero kapag kinakausap ko sya sinasabi ko look at me tumatagal naman me time lang talaga na iikot padin sa iba ang mata nya.. She listens naman, nakakapag kwento pa nga sya e me mga words syang buo ang bigkas meron hindi. she follows instruction, nakakapag color sya ng hindi lagpas na, nakakapag count na sya now ng 1-20, she sings she can dance and follow dance steps. Nun nakaraan me practice kasi sila sa day care for kids day mga 2-3 practice ayaw talaga sumayaw. nakatayo lang sa likod umiiyak.
then 2 practice kahapon at nun isang araw sumali na sya she was excited pa nga kanina na ipakita yun video sa cellphone ng sayaw nya. Takot din sya sa kulog pero now na oover come na nya yun fear, napapaupo ko na din sya sa dinning table at nagsusubo sya ng sarili nya, nagliligpit ng sarili nyang pinagkainan (dinadala nya sa sink yun plate at baso nya). She also can poop and wiwi on her own tatawag lang sya pag huhugasan na.. napakalikot lang talaga nya kasi me 2 pa syang kasamang batang lalake sa bahay so nahahawa din sya sa likot.

Sa Feb 2015 pa ang sched namin for dev pedia. HIndi ko alam if possible ADHD ba ito or what. Hindi ko maintindihan yun assessment ng teacher bakit ganun.. hnid naman nya nakasama yun bata at that day ng more than 10 minutes to say no eye contact.

Sa october ipapasok ko sya for ballet. Trial muna to see if nakakasunod sya.
while we wait for Feb 2015.. Inieexpose ko nalang sya on activities like coloring, she can trace pala dotted lines na and writes letters pero kailangan me guide pa.

nun unang pasok pala nya sa day care last june, roaming din sya pero kapag ako ang naghahatid nakaupo sya ng matagal like 1 hour. then after recess nila dun na sya gagala sa classroom nangunguha ng mga toys.. now sabi ng mama ko umuupo na sya ng matagal sa upuan nya.. Me time lang talaga na pumupunta sya sa teacher nya sa harap and gusto nya andun sya nakatayo also.. salamat sa opinion in advance..

[leletmd]

^ Lack of eye contact may be a symptom of ADHD and other behavioral disorders such as ASD, sensory integration disorders, etc. Usually, with ADHD it is related to social anxiety or discomfort.
How is she with her classmates in day care? Does she play with her classmates or with her brother? Or she likes to play alone or alongside her brother but not together (parallel play)? Was it her first time to encounter your son's teacher? How is she with strangers? Does she readily say hi to other people or does she ignore them?
Does she play with gadgets like tablets or Ipad? How many hours a day does she spend watching tv?
To help encourage eye contact, you have to go down to the child's eye level when talking to him/her. It would also help to spend some floor time with the child instead of letting her play alone or with gadgets.
Below is a CDC checklist that you can create/download to see if the symptoms fit your child:
(You can also ask the day care teacher to answer the check list)

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/widget/checklist/index.html

It would still be best to have her seen by a developmental pedia. You can try Dr. Rita Villadolid of Manila Doctors Hospital Neurodev section. Baka they may have an earlier schedule available. You can still keep the Feb 2015 sked in case you want another opinion. Your child is still young so you can still help modify her behavior with early intervention.

[hayne22]

I want to seek help from you Mommies, my son is turning 4 y.o this November. Nag pa check na kami kay Dr. Planta sa Medmom and he advise us to go on a ST and OT. So naka enroll si son ko sa core skills under OT t.fredd. Naka 3 sesh na kami. wala pang ST kasi sabi ni t.fredd he'll work on his behavior first bago sa ST.I know its too early pero wala pa ring improvements and worst just the other day, nanakit anak ko sa school..kinalmot nya 2 classmates nya, 1 each day. Ang sakit marinig from other moms na ang anak ko ang pinaka makulit, alam ko naman yun e.. kaso lang iba pa rin pag naririnig mo sa ibang tao..

Feeling ko walang improvement sa kanya, pero still its too early. He's taking therapy 1x a week. Now i'm thinking na mag ABA therapy sya..do you think its helpful?

hindi na sya masyado nag ipad, actually tinago na namin yung ipad nya..tv naman, 1 movie a day na lang sya..most of the time he plays by himself with his toy car, or kart or with our dog..im a WHAM pero i admit hindi ko sya nalalaro..i admit, nasisigawan namin sya mag asawa everyday sa sobrang kulit nya  .. hirap kami gumawa ng assignment kasi lagi nyang sinasabi na hindi nya kaya and bigla na lang syang iiyak..sa school ganon din, kaya hindi sya maiwan ni teacher pag nag test sila..he's super active din..kami pagod na from the byahe pero sya may energy pa mag ta- tatakbo sa house..hindi din sya mapakali pag nasa kotse kami, lagi syang nag sabi ng "ang tagal.." "asan na tayo" mga ganon..ntatakot akong maging worse sya pag laki..alam ko we should start from ourselves..pero hindi ko minsan maiwasan..please help us...

[mistiqshannen]

leletmd I will call Dr. Rita bukas to check if me mas maagang schedule sila. Yun therapy naman pede kahit saan diba kasi from cavite pako. Me 2 therapy center kasi malapit samin. Mas prefer ko na dun kasi pumapasok din sa school ang anak ko. Yan bang mga therapy ilang months or taon? continuous ba?
 
How is she with her classmates in day care?
=>She plays with them she also talks with them, join them when playing

Does she play with her classmates or with her brother? Or she likes to play alone or alongside her brother but not together (parallel play)?
=> She plays with her brother, with other kids in the neighborhood. She also would follow yun habulan then bigla stop or uupo with othe rolder kids kahit di nya naiintindihan yun rules ng games. Nakikipag karera din sya sa bike with kids. Sya pa nga ang lumapalit to play.

Was it her first time to encounter your son's teacher?
==> Nope. Naging teacher nya sa pocket class for 6 session yun teacher pero that was last January pa.

How is she with strangers? Does she readily say hi to other people or does she ignore them?
==> Kapag di kilala she would hide. Pero pag kilala na she would say hi and interact. pag adults yan. Pero kapag bata kahit di kilala nilalapitan nya.

Does she play with gadgets like tablets or Ipad? How many hours a day does she spend watching tv?
==> She play mga 1 hr a day pero hindi araw araw.
she also watch TV sa lunch at bandang dinner.

[iwannabeasupermodel]

leletmd, I read about your previous post "I also don't think that ADHD should be diagnosed as early as 3 or 4 years of age since kids that age are naturally active and curious of their surroundings. It used to be that the age of diagnosis was made at 6 to 7 years of age, when the child has already entered school since feedback from educators is also an important part of the diagnosis. "

Yun bunso ko kasi is 3 yrs old now, she attended a pocket class in one school last january 2014 when she was 2 yrs old and 5 months. First time nya yun. Though ang kulit nya at hindi namin talaga mapaupo ng matagal but sumasali naman sya sa mga activities short time lang talaga then gusto na nya magroaming. The thing is sinabi ng teacher samin na when she speaks kasi yun 1st letter wala. So patingin daw namin sa dev pedia. Baka me speech delay. Kaso di namin napatingin.. Then nitong August, she attended her brother's birthday party sa school. Tapos nun kinausap sya ng teacher bigla syang nag roar na parang tiger tapos nun kinausap uli ayaw na tumingin.. Then sinabi samin na wala daw eye contact ang anak ko..

I started observing her, me mga times talaga na yun eyeball nya saan saan natingin pag kinakausap pero kapag kinakausap ko sya sinasabi ko look at me tumatagal naman me time lang talaga na iikot padin sa iba ang mata nya.. She listens naman, nakakapag kwento pa nga sya e me mga words syang buo ang bigkas meron hindi. she follows instruction, nakakapag color sya ng hindi lagpas na, nakakapag count na sya now ng 1-20, she sings she can dance and follow dance steps. Nun nakaraan me practice kasi sila sa day care for kids day mga 2-3 practice ayaw talaga sumayaw. nakatayo lang sa likod umiiyak.
then 2 practice kahapon at nun isang araw sumali na sya she was excited pa nga kanina na ipakita yun video sa cellphone ng sayaw nya. Takot din sya sa kulog pero now na oover come na nya yun fear, napapaupo ko na din sya sa dinning table at nagsusubo sya ng sarili nya, nagliligpit ng sarili nyang pinagkainan (dinadala nya sa sink yun plate at baso nya). She also can poop and wiwi on her own tatawag lang sya pag huhugasan na.. napakalikot lang talaga nya kasi me 2 pa syang kasamang batang lalake sa bahay so nahahawa din sya sa likot.

Sa Feb 2015 pa ang sched namin for dev pedia. HIndi ko alam if possible ADHD ba ito or what. Hindi ko maintindihan yun assessment ng teacher bakit ganun.. hnid naman nya nakasama yun bata at that day ng more than 10 minutes to say no eye contact.

Sa october ipapasok ko sya for ballet. Trial muna to see if nakakasunod sya.
while we wait for Feb 2015.. Inieexpose ko nalang sya on activities like coloring, she can trace pala dotted lines na and writes letters pero kailangan me guide pa.

nun unang pasok pala nya sa day care last june, roaming din sya pero kapag ako ang naghahatid nakaupo sya ng matagal like 1 hour. then after recess nila dun na sya gagala sa classroom nangunguha ng mga toys.. now sabi ng mama ko umuupo na sya ng matagal sa upuan nya.. Me time lang talaga na pumupunta sya sa teacher nya sa harap and gusto nya andun sya nakatayo also.. salamat sa opinion in advance..

Medyo red flag yung missing first letter.

[leletmd]

@hayne22:
Instead of doing ABA, hindi ba raw pwede na ma-increase ang number of OT sessions niya per week? You won't really see much of an improvement if he is only doing OT 1x a week. Also, tama ang OT na dapat mauna muna ang OT before speech therapy kasi dapat nakaka-follow na siya, nakaka-sit still na siya and nalessen na ang frustration tolerance before doing speech therapy.
Aside from Dr. Planta's evaluation, did the OT do his own assessment prior to starting therapy? Nakapag-usap ba kayo regarding what goals you want fulfilled for your son? Does the OT discuss what they do during the session and how your son responded to the tasks? Nabibigyan ba kayo ng assignment/tasks to do at home para ma-reinforce ang natutunan ng anak mo during the OT session? Dapat kasi, even at home, may tasks pa rin siya.
As to the school, is he enrolled in a traditional school or in a progressive school? Baka kasi better that he is enrolled in an inclusive progressive or integrated school.

@mistiqshannen:
Just tell Dr. Villadolid that you are from Cavite so that she can suggest therapy centers near your area. I had a patient from Batangas go to her last summer for evaluation and she was able to suggest therapy centers in Lipa.
The fact that your daughter can initiate playing with other kids is a good sign. She seems ok with regards to social interactions as long as from her own age group though she may have some anxiety with adults. She may also have a higher level of energy compared to her peers. It would still be best to have her evaluated by the dev ped so that if there is a need to correct certain behaviors, you can intervene as early as now (early intervention) rather than later when she is in a bigger class.

[iwannabeasupermodel]

^ wow sis you're a dev ped ba?

[leletmd]

^ Nope, different subspecialty (allergy - immunology) but I have a lot of patients with behavioral problems. Recent studies have shown a link between allergy predisposition and ADHD.

[iwannabeasupermodel]

^ wow! Okay din sa pedia allergy/immuno daw kasi konti palang kayo dito sa pinas. So nice naman haha!