Girls with ADD

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Colonist
I know a ton of people with ADD and ADHD its a joke its a matter of willpower and nothing more.

SORRY GUYS.

I have no willpower.

I just couldn't STOP!

[AXO_MOM_3]

Update - We had her tested with a psychologist. He said she has several traits of inattentive ADD, but does not think they are severe enough to diagnose her with it. I'm still not sure I completely agree, and may go ahead and seek a second opinion. From everything I've read, the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosing girls with ADD needs to be revised. Girls appear to show different symptoms than boys, and often the symptoms do not fully present until they hit middle school - keeping up with six different classes may throw them off kilter, and the symptoms really start showing up at that point. Anyway, we are going to continue to monitor her, and use the suggestions he made to help her at home and at school.

I don't think she needs medication right now - so I'm not sure we really need the label at the moment. I do want to make sure her needs are being met though, and will pursue it further when and if I need to.

The whole testing process was very educational, and I know much more about my daughter and how she learns and processes information!

[Celestia*Shine]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin


SORRY GUYS.

I have no willpower.

I just couldn't STOP!

You too? Gosh, it must be an epidemic!

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by Colonist
I know a ton of people with ADD and ADHD its a joke its a matter of willpower and nothing more.

Its a neurological disorder. Or maybe you have a secret doctorate that you're hiding from us.

[Celestia*Shine]

Originally posted by russellwarshay
Its a neurological disorder. Or maybe you have a secret doctorate that you're hiding from us.

Russell~ I don't know you, but I already love you!

[Lisa Fishman]

ADD in girls and boys is different. I think this is somewhat because girls are more quiet and and more likely to please others than boys. Boys tend to be more on the hyper side than girls. But this is just a difference between boys and girls. It makes it harder to diagnose girls who are NOT hyper with Attention Deficit HYPERACTIVE Disorder. On the flip side it would be just as hard to diagnose a boy because it would be difficult to decifer if he was just hyper or if he has a problem.
I was the type who was quiet and had trouble paying attention, especially in school. I remember the phrases, "Lisa, are you listening?", and "Lisa, this is important, so please stay at your desk." very often from teachers. Medication does wonders for me. There is a new Wellbutrin XL out which works 24 hrs. a day. It's the greatest stuff since sliced bread! Keep us posted about your daughter, AXO Mom.

[AlphaFrog]

I have ADD but I HATED the meds....it made me feel like I was a zombie....

What finally worked for me is coffee...caffiene is a stimulant and can work in the same way as Ritalin or Cylert in a mild dose with less side effects...

P.S. I'm a coffee addict...so I guess it's true I have no willpower

[Dionysus]

Woah! There's a LOT of ADD people on the internet. I've been on forums whenever the subject came up, about 1/4 of the forum confessed to having it. GC is catching up.

@ AXO mom, get a second opinion. The docs and psychs said the same thing about me when I was your daughter's age. I could've done a lot better in school and in life, if I was diagnosed and treated a lot earlier. There's worse labels out there.

@ Whirlwind, if your sister doesn't want to take her meds, I guess there's not much you can do, she's grown. I take mine on and off too. I don't like the side effects and it makes me feel like a zombie too. I'm also scared what it might do to me in long term. Sometimes I just want to be myself. However, your sister should not be using her condition as an excuse to be an ass.

[justamom]

I am so glad you are going to wait a bit. ADD and ADHD are often used when there isn't a quick answer. They did a survey in our town and we had so many kids on Ritalin, we were higher than the National Average!!!

I'm not saying she does or doesn't have it, but if the diagnosis is made and put into her permanent record, it will stick through her entire life, even if it was a misdiagnosis. With the state of healthcare and insurance, I'm not so sure I'd want that information (forget HIPPA) available UNLESS is was 100% accurate.

Kids develop at different rates-self control and learning to focus
are skills that used to be taught and nurtured in kindergarten. Now, parent are pushing and have their children on the verge of reading by that time. What you said about her being bored may very well be the problem. Plus...even though he's a boy...you described my SON!

PLEASE stick with your plan to give it a little more time. There are so many factors that could produce the same symptoms

[juniorgrrl]

Originally posted by AlphaFrog
I have ADD but I HATED the meds....it made me feel like I was a zombie....

What finally worked for me is coffee...caffiene is a stimulant and can work in the same way as Ritalin or Cylert in a mild dose with less side effects...

P.S. I'm a coffee addict...so I guess it's true I have no willpower

My mom swears she has ADD, and displays many of the symptoms. She takes 1/2 a Sudafed and she says it helps her focus. I guess because its a stimulant like caffiene.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by Lisa Fishman
ADD in girls and boys is different. I think this is somewhat because girls are more quiet and and more likely to please others than boys. Boys tend to be more on the hyper side than girls. But this is just a difference between boys and girls. It makes it harder to diagnose girls who are NOT hyper with Attention Deficit HYPERACTIVE Disorder. On the flip side it would be just as hard to diagnose a boy because it would be difficult to decifer if he was just hyper or if he has a problem.
I was the type who was quiet and had trouble paying attention, especially in school. I remember the phrases, "Lisa, are you listening?", and "Lisa, this is important, so please stay at your desk." very often from teachers. Medication does wonders for me. There is a new Wellbutrin XL out which works 24 hrs. a day. It's the greatest stuff since white bread! Keep us posted about your daughter, AXO Mom.

ADD is when there is an inadequate amount of glucose uptake in the frontal lobe of the brain. This impairs executive functions, and makes it very dificult to switch from a current activity to another, especially when the current activity is stimulating and the next activity isn't. Stimulants are used to increase the glucose uptake in the frontal lobe, and, counterintuitively, have a calming effect.

The brains of boys and girls are wired differently. It is reasonable to expect that a neurological disorder will manifest itself differently in boys and girls.

[Munchkin03]

I know that if I had been even 2 years younger, I would have, without a doubt, been diagnosed as being ADD. I was pretty calm as a kid, and I did well enough that any problems were overlooked or brought to my parents' attention as soon as possible. Most women my age who have it were diagnosed in college, when the strain of classes added to the change of support system threw them off.

I worry about children being overmedicated, especially with Ritalin. My kindergarten class was full of boys who were prescribed Ritalin, and they changed. They were just as rambunctious as some of the other boys, but when they started taking Ritalin, they were practically zombies.

On another, totally unrelated note, teaching kids to read in kindergarten and preschool is pointless (unless they teach themselves). It's more a way for the daycare or school to show what they can do. There's a school here that teaches kindergarteners cursive. WTF?!

[PM_Mama00]

Originally posted by Colonist
I know a ton of people with ADD and ADHD its a joke its a matter of willpower and nothing more.

Are you kidding me?

[AXO_MOM_3]

Thanks everyone! We are setting up a meeting with her teachers next week, and I am curious as to how they will react. I think one will work with her as much as possible, and I hate to say it, but I think the other will probably blow the report and suggestions off. I think that is the main reason I don't want the label quite yet. I'm worried that some people will automatically will react the same way as "Colonist" did, and make a biased judgement without ever meeting my child. Those of you with ADD, what have been the responses of teachers, schools, etc? Were most willing to work with you, or did you find some just looked at you as having no "willpower?"

JAM - you are so right, as usual! I do want to make sure we are 100% on target before getting and sharing a diagnosis. We are still learning about ADD and how it affects our girl, so I think taking our time would be most judicious at this point!

Lisa - I constantly have to repeat myself to my daughter to make sure that she hears me! Now that I know the source, I have become much more tolerant of her - I make her look at me now when I talk to her so she can focus on what I'm saying - LOL!

[decadence]

Originally posted by PhiPsiRuss:
ADD is when there is an inadequate amount of glucose uptake in the frontal lobe of the brain. This impairs executive functions, and makes it very dificult to switch from a current activity to another, especially when the current activity is stimulating and the next activity isn't. Stimulants are used to increase the glucose uptake in the frontal lobe, and, counterintuitively, have a calming effect.

I'd thought it was a problem with norephineprine (a neurochemical) and/or its precursor dopa /dopamine? The general points tally with what I'd heard; apart from the glucose issue.

Originally posted by Munchkin03:
I worry about children being overmedicated, especially with Ritalin. My kindergarten class was full of boys who were prescribed Ritalin, and they changed. They were just as rambunctious as some of the other boys, but when they started taking Ritalin, they were practically zombies.

Then their dosage was probably wrong, presuming a correct diagnosis. There may be overdiagnosis of ADHD as there may be underdiagnosis. But this does not affect the validity of a diagnosis which is done correctly.