inattentive ADD-help please

We have a houseful of ADD-Inattentive individuals in our family..LOL I tutor a few more…too. It sure makes life interesting. What you are describing sounds so familiar to me in regards to myself and my kids. I have done some research for into the similarities between CAPD and ADD for one of my classes in speech pathology. The co-morbidity is truly amazing… In our family we have a co-morbidity of both disorders and both are being treated. I would recommend an assistive listening device for both the ADD and CAPD. An Assistive listening device helps a child to focus who has ADD and helps a child hear that has CAPD. Using an Assistive listening device is a win win all the way around.

Greetings marycas,

I would encourage you to check out the website by Dr. Amen, nationally recognized expert in ADD. Through SPECT imaging, he has indentified SIX different types of ADD of which only TWO respond well to Ritalin alone! Scroll down the menu on the left-hand side of the screen and click on “Interactive Amen Brain System Checklist”. This checklist is an invaluable tool to determine if ADD exists and, if so, which type, and it provides the basis for specific effective treatment planning. It’s not unheard-of to score as displaying several different types of ADD. However, it’s important to note that this questionnaire is not meant to provide a diagnosis but it serves as a guide to help people begin to identify problems.

http://www.brainplace.com

Blessings, momo

My older son was dx add/inattentive at age 6 ( he is 12 now)He wasdx capd the same week (mild to moderate) but later school evals don’t specify it they just say slow processing speed. His latest eval also states he has evidence of a learning difference not deficit. Of course my question was, do all the teachers know how to address a learning difference? In his first 3 yrs of school he had a hard time in school.He also was very frustrated, homework was tears and falling out of the chair time, he would put himself down. With schoolwork, he had a hard time learning to read, he would miss math signs or forget how to borrow every other day(the other days he did just fine), his spelling was horrible, we drilled spelling cards( 3 to 5 a day, adding on through the week), I was never sure which words he would get by the end of the week because he would know them on Tues., forget them on Wed. and know almost all on Thurs. 6 out of 10 was usually pretty good after we started using the cards. Writing them each 3 times each day did not work for him, was too frustrating. Most of the spelling exercises assigned by the teachers did not help him learn the words only the cards.

He was qualified for sped in 4th gr., he went to resource for lang.arts, and support for math(couldn’t learn times tables) and was given accommodations for reg. classes, this all through 5th gr. Unbelievably, he has mostly caught up in just that short amount of time in resource.This past yr in 6th gr. he was included in all reg. classes with resource support in most. He has access to an Alpha Smart(came in real handy when he broke his finger :o) ) he is allowed to use a times table chart and a calculator, he gets untimed testing and is allowed to retake tests for grade improvement either with reg. teacher or with sped teacher in resource room. Especially important is untimed, with teacher clarification, on standardized tests taken in resource room. Also writing on the test booklet instead of on bubble sheets.The teacher transfers the answers.

As far as behavior, he is very good for everyone but mom(no surprise),I get lots of compliments from the neighbors, he is very industrious and currently made his own flyers for mowing lawns. I find him to be a bit compulsive about certain things, his room is organized, when he is left alone for a while, he will rearrange the kitchen cupboards, or the bathroom shelves. Once at the docs office he rearranged all the magazines in the waiting room. Those aren’t terrible qualities I know but unusual to go to a friends house and clean the bedroom instead of play.That doesn’t happen all the time though. Mornings can be a chore, he is not a morning person at all(nor am I ), I found it easier when school offered breakfast in 5th gr. to let him ride the bus and eat at school with his friends.He doesn’t like to eat first thing in the morning(I don’t either), so trying to get him to eat something usually ended in arguing. Not to mention, sitting by little brother usually had a conversation going like, quit smacking, don’t look at me, eat somewhere else, Mom he put __ in my cereal bowl. You get the idea.

I love him very much, he is smart and funny, he can also be moody and a pain in the butt. Mostly just a kid who is 12 and just outgrew Mom. I have read some real horror stories about some kids with add/adhd on some other boards, I haven’t had any of those problems with my guys(my youngest is adhd) thank goodness, but I try to have an open mind about how other folks’ lives are, I have seen quite a few kids with add/adhd variations over the yrs and some are easier than others to raise.I know when he was first dx I had no clue about add, I also only pictured the hyper kids. I have learned a lot from this board and I am still learning. The folks here are willing to help out and can answer most questions or point you in the right direction for answers.I hope I have helped you some.Best wishes.

I keep trying to understand the executive function problems that go along with my daughter’s ADD. She is also not traditionally impulsive or hyperactive, though she can be very fidgety (part of that is anxiety). A few links to places with info on executive function can be found on the nldline.com website, scroll down on the left to the exec. function tab. This might be of use to you.

BTW, my daughter also does “organizing” in unusual ways (not, unfortunately in her own room!) It is a method she uses for calming herself after over stimulation. SHe lacks internal organization, so will need to put other things in order. My favorite example: after the delightful Winnie the Pooh ride at Disney World, one of the many rides in which you exit through the gift shop, she spent 20 minutes at the “name” key chain display, putting them all back on their proper hooks in alphabetical order! She is not really interested in “stuff” didn’t want to buy a thing, but gets lots of pleasure out of this sort of organizing (and doesn’t seem to think it’s odd — we know how useful it is to her, so haven’t dwelled on it as perhaps inappropriate in some settings)

Even in play, she wants to set up a board game by herself, get it all organized, but not necessarily play it. She’s done this for years. She has nonverbal learning disorder, which has some similarities to Aspergers Syndrome, and I discoverd in the autobiography of an Asp. adult a similar description of the pleasure that came, as a child, from the “setting up” of play.

I’m sure there are kids out there who neatly fit into the catagories of ADD or CAPD. But, my son sure does not. There is so much overlap. I find that our pediatrician is just not aware of all the overlapping symptoms of these disorders. Only our son’s neurologist and neuropsychologist seem to understand him. And even they are just making educated guesses.

My son fits about 25% of several ds including ADD/inattentive, CAPD, Aspergers, Language Disorder, Motor Coordination Disorder, etc.. He does not have the hyperactivity or obvious impulsivity behaviors. He just blends in to the background in his class. He is quiet, sweet, and half-way alert to what is going on around him. But he also lives on a fence, teeter totting back and forth between the real world and his own. He seems to get more distracted by his own internal thoughts than by the noises around him. He can think about 3-4 things at once. Usually the school work is the least interesting of the topics he in mulling through at any one time. Novelty and hands-on learning approaches are very effective with him. Drill and practice is Hell. He also has significant problems demonstrating what he has learned because of poor memory and word retrevial problems. It takes a while to recognize that he knows a LOT. He just isn’t terribly interested in performing for adults or demonstrating that he knows the answer much of the time. And he’s very disorganized. He’s a darling child, but he often gives a rather blank stare which gives others the impression that he is not listening. When in fact… he is. Then again, he will quickly forget things, and I mean truly forget like it never happened. We can say, “Honey, go get your shoes and Dad’s keys upstairs.” By the time he reaches the stairs, he has forgotten. Everyone does that some. But, for him it is really disabling at times. I have to write even simple things down for him to remember.

We tried an Assisted Listening Device. His was a fancy easy listener that fit in his ear like a hearing aid - cost $1800 four years ago. In the beginning, we thought it helped him. We wanted to believe that it did. But over time, the teachers didn’t use it much. The slight static or sensation of having it in his ear, seemed to distract him more. Maybe it will help him when he is older and he can ignore the static.

We’ve tried drug therapy. Ritilan in Kindergarten turned him into a zombie. It wasn’t until I observed him AT SCHOOL that we recognized it. His teachers just weren’t in tune to his behavior since he was such a cooperative child. And this was a special school for kids with language disorders! No drugs in 1st when we switched to low-key, nuturing, Catholic school. Stressed out 2nd grade teacher drove us to try drugs again in the Spring. Dexedrine seemed to work better, but the benefits have always been sketchy. I believe now that if his teacher had been more organized, less monotone, and more positive, we would have never tried drugs again. In 3rd grade, we started the year with a much lower dose of dexedrine than the year before. Maybe it helped him? But when we took him off of it later, his teacher said he was much more talkative and frankly not significantly less attentive. We are doing PACE now to help him with processing, attention, and memory skills. I’m hoping our days of drug therapy are over forever. Drugs have just been a band-aid approach for our son. I’m not against their use IF there are real benefits for the child. But, I know we have fallen in to the trap of WANTING something to work SO MUCH that we convinced ourselves that the drugs were helping. It sounds horrible to admit that. And I do feel guilty at times for being gullible or overanxious to see results. But, I’ve always tried to make my decisions using the best information I had at the time. If our son had never tried drug therapy, we wouldn’t know if we were depriving him of something that could really help him. It is such an agonizing decision to make.

Good luck to you. I have a close friend whose son has done very well on Adderall. I can definately appreciate your frustration with others not recognizing your child as ADD. His 2nd grade teacher just thought our son was dumb. Thank the Lord his 3rd grade teacher understood him. She had 2 boys of her own that are ADD. My son blossomed in her class. For us it is, “Which came first: the chicken or the egg” scenario. Which came first CAPD problems which create attention problems, or ADD which creates other learning problems.

- Rosie

Our ds’s sound very much alike, right down to the “sweet” -everyone says that about him-to the point its become annoying-I feel theyre descrbing someone with a severe mental handicap.

I too worry that I’m wanting the meds to work so much its going to be hard to see things clearly-but I guess it’ll have to be one stop on the way to finding some answers-I hope!

Has this PACE helped your son? Or is it too early to tell?

I have a 13 year old son who is ADD inattentive type. His teachers biggest complaint is he is too guite. He is considered a role model student as far as social skills go, but has difficulties that drive his teachers bonkers. He is very unorganized, forgets to turn in homework (even if it is done), does poorly on simple tasks yet can answer the most difficult of questions. I think teachers find students like these to be just as difficult as the hyper ones. They cant see how these kids can be diagnosed with ADHD, they have some skills and only if they would apply themselves, they could so do so much better. They do not realize that just because the child is not hyperactive on the outside does not mean they are not hyperactive on the inside. My son says he sees everything in 3D and his mind is always going. He has a hard time turning off his thoughts, this interferes with paying attention and sleep habits. He is very creative and artistic and some of his teachers dont understand how he can create a story or detailed picture but can’t seem to read or write at grade level. I think more research needs to be done on this type of ADHD.

I strongly suspect that much of my family has the inattentive form of ADD. Twice, I took my daughter to be diagnosed for learning disabilities. I was homeschooling her. She learned how to sound out words at 3 1/2 but could not “read” until she was over 8. But both times she did not test low enough on the acheivement tests to qualify as “ld”. But a very interesting score patten came out on the Weshchler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). She scored in the above 90th percentile range in the verbal part EXCEPT for math which was 50% range. In the performance part she scored 75 % range EXCEPT for the coding subtest which was an astounding 25%. This was a red flag only to me. NObody else thought much of it. Now I am reading up on ADD because her paternal uncle was diagnosed as ADD. I see that ADD people commonly score low on these two subtests. They also score low on the digit span subtest, but I cannot remember my daughter’s score.

We have not gotten an official diagnosis yet. WE are working on that. But I recognize ADD signs in myself, my husband as well as two of our other children, both boys. They are not hyperactive. They are very sweet, but can be hypersensitive. Easily driven to tears. My nine year old son will be very difficult to diagnose. He is one of the youngest students in his class, yet does alright in school. However his handwriting is absolutely atrocious. This led his pediatrician to recommend the child development unit at our local childrens hospital. I did not take him at the time because I though, “he’s not failing, he’
s on grade level.”

But now I see that I went through school as one of the youngest children in my class, and I did “alright”. I did not fail, but I can tell you I went through school in a total fog. I see the types of errors he makes. He can do very well and then he can inexplicitly fail. Spelling great one week, lousy the next. Getting a C on a test because he missed filling out an entire section. Not borrowing or carrying in arithmetic. Does not read much. Plenty of signs but they are very very subtle. I am afraid that the “system” has a crisis mentality. If the kid is failing, exhibiting severe behavioral problems, then sure, he or she will get a diagnosis. But if the kid is like mine, getting along alright then its pat the parent on the back and say “there, there everything is okey dokey”.

Interesting to read about the “organizing” episodes in these other children. My daughter (age 13) likes to stay up at night and clean and organize things. My son also likes to “get organized” though not always. These attributes led me not to suspect ADD. Also my children love to listen to me read to them, though they are fidgety. My daughter is a voracious reader. I had always thought of ADD children as hyperactive, disorganized, etc. Now I see that that need not be the case.

I hope this helps. By the way, what is CAPD that you are talking about? I have never heard of it.

Your description of your son speaks to some of the classic signs of ADD inattentive type. In my experience, I have some children have a positive response to medication and perhaps your son will as well.

Usually the psychologist speaks to the manifestation of signs of ADD in the conclusions of their report. ADD hits “across the board” in testing and your son’s IQ might well be higher than the testing shows as his inattention will take away from his ability to do well on the test. You don’t say which test he was given to determine his IQ.

As a teacher and the parent of two ADD children, I have seen children get better as they grow and mature. I have seen children whose attention spans and coping mechanisms improve even without medication.

What can be helpful is matching your son with the right teachers. It can help to keep your ear to the ground in your school community to figure out which teacher in the grade to come works best with ADD kids and request that teacher for your son. A little good teaching can go a long way.

Good luck.

CAPD is Central Auditory Processing Disorder. People with this do not process verbal language correctly and therefore do not “hear” exactly what you say. I emphasize hear because they hear perfectly, the brain just does not process what they hear correctly, basically in a sense, dyslexic hearing (a professor once explained it that way).

ADHD kids are known to score lower on the performance part of an IQ test than on the verbal. The performance test involves a deadline. The verbal test can be given until it is done. However, ADHD alone will not cause a large discrepancy in numbers. My son has ADHD and his VIQ is 154 and his PIQ is 102. The PIQ was retested giving a TCS instead of a WISC (a year after the WISC) but his score was still 102. The WISC was given without meds and the TCS was given with meds. This finally led everyone to realize he has an LD in addition to ADHD. In his case it was finally diagnosed as VPD (visual rather than auditory). I was told by his Developmental Optometrist that this was the largest span he had ever seen.

My advice is to keep questioning. I have the luck to have a friend who is a School Psychologist foranother district. I have her do the test and then submit it to the CST. This saves me from a lot of arguing.

Thanks for the info! I have long suspected that my daughter has a visual processing disorder. She had intermittent exotropia (eye wandering) that was really bad. Eye patching, surgery and then vision therapy have cleared up the physical aspects, but I have always suspected that her brain does not process visual information in a fast or efficient way. I have suspected this for years, but am at a loss as to how to help her.

Neither my son or my daughter has CAPD. Their auditory processing is excellent. It seems to be the visual processing, especially with my daughter that is the problem. Where do I go to learn more about visual processing disorder? Any good books to recommend?

Lizb

Your school CST can test for this. The tesing is usually done by an OT. The testing can also be done by a Devlopmental Optometrist (for around $225). The way I went was to have the testing done by the school, who found him inelligible for services as I had expected, and those results were sent to the Developmental Optometrist and I saved the $225.

The book I read on the subject was “20/20 is not enough”. I read another while I was at the DO’s office but I cannot remember the name. If you have already dealt with a DO in Vision Therapy you may be able to get those books from him (or her). The DO can do the therapy involved, or with a little pushing may be willing to sell you a home version of the computer program that he will use in his office (for about $125). I found that my son’s Reading Comprehension went up after Vision Therpay for the Eye Teaming but was still not where it should be (especially with word analysis).

Unfortunately like I said, the district found him inelleigible for services. This is a child with a high IQ even after the low PIQ is averaged in and attends Accelerated Math so he is bright enough to have learned to compensate in other areas-his Reading grade for the semester always managed to end up a “B” even though his “Comprehension” tests had always been in the 55-70 range. It is a little tough to get services when it has not effected shcool performance in a measurable manner. I got services privately and learned that most insurance companies who turn it down as an “uncovered diagnosis” when called by the DO, end up paying it when submitted under Major Medical!!

Good Luck.

Years ago recall reading a book about inattentive ADHD with an unusual title, How to Cure Hyperactivity - an ADHD autobiography (1981) by C. Thomas Wild and Anita Uhl Brothers, M.D., of Berkeley, California. It reported several FDA approved medicines (special caffeine compounds) which created a very real, temporary improvement in the ability to focus and pay attention working better than Ritalin. The book was available through the non-profit Learning Disabilities Association of America. The book was clearly about inattentive ADHD where there was almost zero hyperactivity and zero impulsivity. Apparently the positive response to caffeine was viewed as quite rare but not completely unique. Most children or adults with ADHD seem to require much stronger medicines than caffeine to sustain attention, for example, Ritalin, Dexedrine, or Adderall. It’s the only book I recall which directly addressed the idea of ADHD inattentive (distractibility, inattention, short attention span). Best wishes.

Hi!

I have a daughter who I am convinced is ADD. The doctors seem to think that she has more emotional problems than attention problems. This may be true, but I think that the attention problems are hindering her progress at school.

You wrote: <>

This describes my daughter to the “t.” She also has extreme difficulty with writing tasks. She was in 4th grade this year and didn’t have to do much writing. Next year in 5th grade, writing will be emphasized because there is a state standardized test in writing.

A child can definitely be ADD with hyperactivity. I have read this in several places. Sometimes I’ve seen all types of attention problems lumped under the ADHD label.

My daughter was on Ritalin and then Adderall and then taken off of them because she wasn’t sleeping. I’ve changed doctors and this one has put her on Zoloft. I amazed that she’s still having sleep problems, because Zoloft is an antidepressant. I’m not going to give up, though. I’m hoping it helps with her emotional outbursts (maybe even her frustration??).

This year she did receive some services, but I’m not sure how much they helped. At her last IEP meeting I told them that I have a lot of difficulty working with her myself. I also told them that I hope they will work with her on the writing. Then perhaps they will see just how difficult writing is for her.

Anyway, good luck and keep posting. These boards are a great source of information — and support!

Margo

boy do i know how you feel
we went the therapy route first
it’s helping me more than anything
our therapist doesn’t beilieve in meds
our neurologist didn’t either
i have to constantly remind myself
it’s harder on her than me
my daughter is 8
our therapist seems to think my 5 year
old is also adhd lucky me
she asked me some questions once
20 to be exact-well i had 18
symtoms of the disorder
they say it’s inhereted
well i can believe they are both just like me according to my husband
luckily our third child is neg.
the sad part is she will probably have a child with the disorder
just read so material on adhd
found it helpful
positive encouragement enjoy them their our children
play more work less
they grow up fast
the dishes will wait so will the laundry and other
chores spend time playing more with them
it seems the more i do with her the better she isgees didn’t know i wrote so much
god bless and good luck

Our 15 year old son has just been diagnosed with ADHA/inattentive type. He is very bright/creative/sensitive/social—which explains why the diagnosis took so long. What I need now is information as to what types of accommodations work best with such a student at high school level. There is a lot of stuff at the elementary level but almost nothing for high school.

Any words of wisdom?

Ellen

Greetings Ellen,

Classroom accomodations are directly linked to the problems your teen is experiencing with his education in the classroom. Does he have learning problems as a result of his ADD? If so, what areas in particular? If not, how is his ADD adversely affecting his classroom time? Are you only looking for accomodations or remediation? A little more info would better direct me in how to give you a helpful response.

Blessings, momo

Check out the CEC Council for Exceptional Children web site www.cec.sped.org They have some great books available like Taking Charge of ADHD by Russel Barkley and ADD/ADHD Childen by Sandra Rief I think they also have Teaching the Tiger and Tough to Reach, Tough to Teach which are excellent. Good Luck

What a surprise! I just stumbled upon your website through additude mag. today and finally found families that have children just like mine. My son (13 yrs.) was diagnosed with Innatentive ADD a year ago. He says it was the worst thing and the best thing that has ever happened to him.

We all struggle daily with disorganization, innattention, procrastination etc. But are also amazed by his sensitivity, creativity, generosity, and sheer courage that it takes to be “so different” in a crucial time in his life.

I was interested to read that many people are also struggling with dual learning disorders. Recently he was tested for learning disorders and we found out that he has an auditory processing problem and severe sequencing problem as well. Anyone have any info on good software programs that strengthen sequencing skills for a junior higher? What about auditory processing?