Question

Has anyone had their child diagnosed with ADHD at a young age? Were there any particular signs that urged you to get them tested early? My son has always been on the (overly) active side and we've always just sort of dealt with it, but it's now causing issues in preschool and with his peers. I plan on contacting his pediatrician tomorrow, just looking to see if others were/are in a similar situation.  

Answer 1

I’m a sped teacher and signs can be observed early for sure! Doesn’t mean the solution is medication, but an eval will not hurt and is only information you can take in to help make the best decision for your kiddo. There are supports too, the daycare can (or should) provide within reasonable measure to help him be successful.  

Comments

@zinfandel waaah! I miss you! ❤️

Answer 2

We suspected something around age 3/4. The district we lived in at the time observed her at her private preschool but she was limited enough to warrant an IEP or diagnosis. Kindergarten was rough and she was diagnosed at the end of the school year right after she turned 6.  

Answer 3

I would evaluate the preschool program and it’s developmental appropriateness. Soooo many in our area have inappropriate expectations.  

Answer 4

My friend did with her kindergartener. Usually if they are bouncing in place, can’t sit still for any amount of time, can be a sign at an early age. Some behavior is just kids learning.  

Answer 5

The scales are awesome- they are a truly good indicator. Things I never anticipated (his poop being irregular? Has bearings on mental health? It’s crazy! ) we’re easily shown as signs. For DD we chose therapy and strategies until middle school. For DS2 ANXIETY was the culprit- masked as ADD! So it’s all about creating the community of help and getting the tools in place to find success!  

Comments

My DD has ADD that is not hyperactive but inattentive! So the lack of activity isn’t even a sure sign!  

Answer 6

When you call the doctor it may be worth asking the doctor for a script to get an evaluation by an OT. You might be looking at possible sensory processing challenges.  

Comments

@overside yes! I was getting ready to say this.  

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@overside completely agree with this. Pre-school isn’t typically an age that a child would be diagnosed with ADHD. But absolutely an age to look into sensory processing

Answer 7

I suspected it early but didnt start meds until 2nd grade. I avoided sugars even though many said that was folk lore. It really made a difference for us. Wait until your ready. Try the conventional methods first. By the time I asked the dr for meds, he told me "I've seen this for years with him" consult your doctor and teachers. They know what is "normal" and what to look out for. I had the utmost respect for my teachers and my pediatrician so that made my decision so much easier

Answer 8

We noticed early. We limited sugar and red 40. (Which is in soooo much). We started meds in Kinder. I’m happy to share our experience via PM if you’d like  It’s hard but you’re doing great looking for advice and being proactive

Answer 9

Definitely agree with limiting food dyes (especially Red 40) and sugar. We started that at age 2 and saw a dramatic change. Didnt start meds till 5th grade.  

Comments

@talesman sent you a PM

Answer 10

You could also try limiting any/all screen time and increasing sensory supports (essentially creating structured, consistent opportunities to help your child receive the sensory input he/she needs for body to be regulated). I agree with the sugar thing, too. I’ve seen that cause some dramatic impacts for some kids. Visual supports can help, too, depending on what challenges you are seeing - could be a matter of executive functioning deficits vs. true ADHD. There’s just so much to consider! Like @zinfandel said, an evaluation is just a tool to gather more information. Good luck!  

Answer 11

Google pediatric sleep disorders and ADHD. They can be related. I treat children as young as 3- 4yrs old for pediatric sleep disorders and see much improvement once the child can breath and sleep properly. I also agree with many of the above suggestion for no food dye, diet modification, and medications. We did many of those things with both my boys.  

Answer 12

We weren't diagnosed until about 2nd grade but were flagged by teachers as early as preschool. Getting an eval so that we could start addressing associated issues (ex: OT, sensory, etc) was really helpful.  

Answer 13

We had a neuropsychological eval for my son at 4 1/2 because we knew there was something going on and it became more apparent when he started Pre-K. At that age, we were basically told it could be ADHD, XY or Z or he could just be a 4 year old boy. And we were advised to do a repeat eval around 6 or 7. Which we did and he was diagnosed with ADHD. As a mom of an ADHD kid with ADHD myself I can tell you it’s much more than overactivity, but you’re definitely taking the right steps in bringing it up with your pediatrician.  

Answer 14

As far as symptoms or signs that made us question: impulsivity that resulted in behavioral issues, struggles with transitioning from one task to the other, inability to manage emotions, struggles with annunciating, concerns about his hearing because he wouldn’t respond to us when we called him (which we now know is due to hyper focus on preferred tasks), hyperactivity and struggles with social interactions. His struggles weren’t super uncommon for his age at first, but as he got a little older and his peers started to develop skills in these areas and he didn’t, it became more apparent. With all of that said, these aren’t copy and paste symptoms for all kids with ADHD, so please take our experience with a grain of salt. ADHD is reflected in a variety ways in a variety of people.  

Answer 15

In the preschool years it can show up as very impulsive behavior, aggression towards peers, poor emotional regulation, inability to sit for any quiet activity. Lack of social filter due to speech impulsivity. Having a hard time keeping their hands to themselves, and getting into EVERYTHING. Being overly silly and having a hard time calming down after active play. It can be diagnosed as young as 4 now. You don’t want to wait until 2nd/3rd grade when a child finds themselves labeled as the “trouble makers” or “bad kids”. These are bright kids that can really benefit from help in the preschool years.  

Answer 16

I would change eating habits first before allowing any medications. Just me personally. Red dye 40 I believe is associated with disguises itself as ADHD and hyperactivity etc. But its just eliminating it from the child's diet. Just some info I came across recently I wanted to share to a mama

Answer 17

My son was diagnosed at 5. He is on meds and in 5th grade now. Does well

Answer 18

Yes! Diagnosed at age 4 by Lurie’s

Answer 19

Before you do anything, have his ferritin levels checked. When my son was 2, we were having Many issues that would resemble ADHD. I did a ton of research and a lot of kids are misdiagnosed with ADHD and if ends up their iron was low. (The reason ADHD is similar symptoms is because they’re not getting adequate sleep. They can never go into a deep sleep cycle. My son would sleep 12 hours at night and 3 hour naps. It was so confusing why he was so wild/dazed with good sleep. Well he was just overtired) just some advice ! His symptoms anger, behavior issues, emotional regulation issues, dazed, night terrors, regressing, hyper. Yes he was only 2, but they were questioning autism, but it wasn’t matching up. Once we started the iron, per doc, he was a different kid! Dairy stops the absorption of iron , so if your son does lots of dairy, cut it back and offer more iron! Good luck!  

Comments

@plumcot Can I ask what iron supplement you used?  

Answer 20

At Dunham counseling we were trained by Dr Dan amen in 7 ADHD subtypes (got on cover time magazine) and use referrals to holistic approach and ceroset brainwave optimization Jeff lucas 6307990100

Answer 21

Look up medical medium adhd/autism stuff and see if it speaks to you. My son has something but has never been diagnosed. He’s totally dysfunctional in a classroom, so now I homeschool him. We did sleep studies and neurofeedback. Now we are trying the medical medium heavy metal detox smoothie.  

Answer 22

My sons pediatrician is a regular pediatrician as well as a doctor that can do evaluations for ADHD. I see Dr. Douglas Berma in Shorewood.