Dual diagnosed ADHD/ODD son but I wonder could it be something else?

[mom2polokids]

I have a 6 year old son, that has been diagnosed adhd/odd his psych is suggesting depression as well however, I can't agree with that. I notice he has anxiety but I don't view him as being depressed. Now that is the first week of school he has already been sent to the office, for being a distraction, and playing with his private parts. He does has meltdowns at home, but he is worst at school. He was doing great, and BOOM school started and the problems began. He is on 27mg of concerta, but it is as if nothing works when he is there. We are day four into school starting and his anxiety, and impulsiveness is up. scared to sleep alone, very whiney, very persistant things are done his way. I nearly lost my job last year for having to leave early everyday because of his behavior, and we are already on the path of that this year. I am at my wits end already he is in counseling, has a mentor, I don't know what to do anymore to help my son

[MomWithOCDSon]

I have a 6 year old son, that has been diagnosed adhd/odd his psych is suggesting depression as well however, I can't agree with that. I notice he has anxiety but I don't view him as being depressed. Now that is the first week of school he has already been sent to the office, for being a distraction, and playing with his private parts. He does has meltdowns at home, but he is worst at school. He was doing great, and BOOM school started and the problems began. He is on 27mg of concerta, but it is as if nothing works when he is there. We are day four into school starting and his anxiety, and impulsiveness is up. scared to sleep alone, very whiney, very persistant things are done his way. I nearly lost my job last year for having to leave early everyday because of his behavior, and we are already on the path of that this year. I am at my wits end already he is in counseling, has a mentor, I don't know what to do anymore to help my son

 

Keeping in mind that I wear PANDAS/PANs-colored glasses, I have to ask you: Have you looked into PANDAS/PANS for your son? Many of us have found that our younger kids for whom a veritable alphabet of diagnoses have been applied due to various comorbid behavior sets are really responding to this autoimmune/inflammatory condition. Thus, in the end, its medical treatment (such as antibiotics) which set them on the road to health and recovery, rather than the prescription pad full of psych meds.

 

I want to be circumspect and not automatically suggest that your son does, in fact, have PANDAS/PANS, but since your gut is telling you something about the diagnoses thus far are not right, I certainly think it's worth looking into. THere's a large forum here to research . . . . worth a look!

[pr40]

I have to second the previous post. Our DS4.5 had similar symptoms before abx. After abx, during the first month, which is where we are now, symptoms became much more manageable. There are days when they are completely gone. I am not sure what the future holds, of course.

[HealthyMom]

We were told that my youngest child had ADD by his second grade teacher. Thankfully, we met with our son's pediatrician and together we decided to wait it out and provide behavioral and learning support to help him focus and stay on task. We also chided it up to "boys just like to play and not necessarily like school". Later on, when he was in high school, his ADD became more troublesome. We took him to physicians who test and use advanced nutrients to correct ADD. From his senior year in high school and throughout college, our son continued to take his nutrients and it helped tremendously. He is now a college graduate applying for admission to further his health career interests. Two sites I would recommend are: www.mensahmedical.com and www.walshinstitute.org. I believe Latitudes publishes some of Dr. Walsh's research.

[qannie47]

hmmmm. sounds like my other ds. His twin has pandas. Does he have a history of strep? Did his symptoms start abruptly? Although, they are now considering slower onsets. I would suggest going back in his medical records and see if you can find a strep history....

 

That being said, I will share my other ds's story. This wonderful child of mine was always intense, low frustration tolerance, stubborn, prone to anger, sensory issue...starting kindergarten was a nightmare. He fell apart as well.

 

My approach: Talk to teacher/school social worker immediately to let them know that you are not in denial with your son. My experience has been that when anybody who knows that you are trying your best with your child is more inclined to work with you...

 

My biggest suggestion: "Transforming the difficult child", by Howard Glaser. This has change life for us when it comes to my son and his odd issues. You can rent the video from library.

 

My mistake, I worked on his behavior, thinking that I would get to the academics later...My newly learned insight, They go hand in hand. If your child is struggling at all with academics, address it now. If he has an intense temperament, school will only just upset the bee's nest.

 

I am removing foods from his diet that contain bht and like preservatives. The are other look alike ones as well. A sensory mom, suggested this to me and said that her son's odd became highly manageable after this was removed from his diet. Check out the Feingold diet. The jury is still out on how the elimination will affect my ds.

 

good luck, I know exactly what you are going through..

[my2sons]

My ds was dx ADHD at 5 yrs. He is now 10. Starting at age 3 he was over the top hyper, had inconsoleable meltdowns. As yhe years progressed he developed sensory issues, night fears, difficulty falling asleep, irratability, Mild OCD, anxiety, social awkwardness, language disability and evetually, tics. We tried meds for a few years with annoying side affects, until he began ticcing. Then we stoped all meds and took him to see an environmental physician. He treated him with nutritional supplementation and diet changes. The biggest changes in his bahavior have come from diet. He no longer needs the supplements. He is on a gluten and dairy free diet, low sugar, no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives diet. He eats about a 80% whole foods diet with a few minimally processed natural food snacks thrown in. It has been 4 months and his tics are at about 97% improvement from where they were, anxiety...gone, social awkwardness...gone, adhd...95% improved, ocd...99% improved, irratability...gone, night fears...98% improved, language problems...about 50% improved. He's happier, more at ease, mor affecionate, and an absolute joy to be around, he listens better, is more agreeable, less argumentative, more respectful. It 's like someone flipped a switch. Now, some of theses behaviors will return if he eats a forbidden good, but ad time goes by, his reactions are less severe and do not last as long.