sorry my typing is so bad, rather upset today.

A friend of mine is an occupational therapist who works with young children with all sorts of disabilities. Her daughter is having lots of focus problems at school and I just want to blurt out, "Have her checked for ADHD!" But I don't want to offend her by suggesting she's overlooking this possibility.

I think it's one thing to see signs in others' kids but an entirely different thing when it's your own. Your daughter is so young and you're catching this early. Don't beat yourself up over this. You're taking all the right steps now to get her on the right track and, as you know, early intervention is so critical.

Personally, I'm happy with the label for our son. It sure beats the "bad kid" one he was given by others in preschool. The medication choice is definitely a stressful one but we made the leap of faith and it was wonderful! People don't even know our son has ADHD now; they just see how smart and creative he is.

Best of luck to you as you start this journey!

Hi there,
I think some of us have felt that way too. I know I did. Why didn't or How could we not see it sooner, but the reality is there sometimes is no way we could have known. My daughter is 6 and my husband and I look back at things she would do even when she was a baby that we just never put together. She was always ahead of herself. She was so hyper she would trip all the time. Accident prone for sure. She never really crawled, just kind of started walking and very soon after you could not get her to sit. She coudn't sit still long enough to watch a video, but we thought she was just not interested in TV. She cried just about every night from birth to age 2, stopped for about a year, and then again from 3 on. Right before her diagnosis I felt so ovewhelmed and just so inadequate for not knowing how to make things better for her or the rest of us. It is still difficult at times, but knowing what I know now is what helps me to keep going. I have a nephew and a niece with similar issues, but I never understood it until it was my own daughter. Stay strong and just know you are not alone. The past is gone and it is what we do from here on out that will help us to help our children be the best they can. And yes...these children are so smart and creative. It is no wonder they are always so full of life and energy. :)

Thanks for your kind responses. My 3 blessings-my daughter sounds just like yours as a baby. She was called colic and never semmed at peace. She did not crawel and just took off walking. She has always been on the go. It is true how creative and smart these kids are. I see it at school and at home. My daughter is in ballet class and she just loves to dance. I have also put her in swimming lessons. I will be talking to her doctor today about possible meds. This is a big decision for us.

I undersrand. I have my daughter on Clonidine at night .1mg only because prior to this, it seemed she never slept. She has an appt with Psychiatrist Wednesday and we need to see if she needs an additional daytime med. While she is a lot more focused and school is not a problem, after about 3pm she just cannot sit still. It has been like this for a while and we do all we can to keep her busy, she is evenin soccer now, but her little body just seems so anxious. God bless and i know He will show you the best route to go with your daughter. I still dont like giving her any meds, but for her own peace it is well worth it, :)

Hi, im kerry, 29 just diagnosed 8 months ago with ADD. I have been in therapy since i was 7.My advice, is do everything you can to learn about ADD, and the medications. It may seem scary at first, but the more informed you are, the more power you have over the situation. I have done poorly in college, i have a hard time holding a normal part time job, even interacting with other people can be difficult, bc what we mean to say and what comes out of our mouths is not always the same. My suggestion is if you are considering medication, either choose a controlled release or a nonstimulant.(i have not tried a nonstimulant, but i can put myself in your shoes and not want my child "on drugs" I take concerta, and I like it, when I took it , it was like putting glasses on for the first time. There are ADD coaches out there and I definatly recommend therapy. You can even find self help books for ADD online or at barnes and nobles. But don't look at it as if your child is damaged, she just needs a little tweaking. :) I wish I was diagnosed earlier, and she was like you reaching out to others trying to understand.

Medication can buy you time if that is what you need right now.

Skipping most or part of the crawling stage can limit the activation/development of the neural connections between the hemispheres. This reality can be the primary reason that a child/adult has limited attention.

Most therapies including meds, will not fully connect the hemispheres if at all.

There are therapies that require movement exercises over time to more fully activate the hemispheres. Some can take 12 weeks to 18 mos. You can also buy books that walk you through the exercises.

Other facilitated approaches are much quicker (10+ hours). The book 'Breaking the Learning Barrier' is excellent.