My 7 year old son just finished with first grade his teacher made a note on his report card that he is working at or just above grade level. He was in a Math enrichment program this year and done very well. My son also have Juvenile Diabetes he is on a neverending rollercoaster ride with his Glucose levels but is still able to pull off excellent grades to above average. He is in the process of being tested for ADHD, the Psychologist thinks he could be boarderline ADHD but is that possible when he is behaving in school and getting great grades?
Cindy :?
Re: Above grade level, possible ADHD
First of all its not that his Diabetes is poorly controlled. I do everything in my power to insure that his Glucose levels are in range but with a type 1 Diabetic it is very unpredictable this disease has a mind of its own. I’m going to talk to his Ped Endo and see what he thinks before I let them Diagnose him with anything. I am having him tested because I don’t want him to have fututre problems with school, If he has it so be it, right now the Psychologist seems to think he is borderline ADHD he goes today for more testing hope to find out soon. Cindy
Re: Above grade level, possible ADHD
It is perfectly possible for kids to be ADHD and do well in school. I have a seven year old just like that, although he has never been officially diagnosed (his brother has so am familiar with ADHD). My sister in law is a pediatrician and her attitude is that if they are doing well at school they should be managed behaviorally.
My first grader does very well at school academically. He had a lot of trouble with impulsive behavior at the beginning of the year but has shaped up. My nephew (mother pediatrician above) also does very well at school. He is 13 now and his behavior is more of an issue than it was when he was 7. He is immature and rather impulsive. They had to move him from a Catholic school where he was constantly in trouble to public, where he has done much better. I think it is a combination of less strict and that he had a reputation in Catholic school.
Beth
Yes, Cindy, it absolutely is possible for a child to have ADHD and still be getting decent grades. Most children with ADHD have average to above average intelligence. Many with ADHD are smart enough to be considered “gifted.” A lot of those very intelligent children can use their strengths to make up for their weaknesses. The result is a very smart kid who produces average to above average work. That is both a good and a bad thing. Obviously it is great that the child can find a way to compensate for his difficulties, but it is not so great when that means ADHD or LD go undiagnosed. The thing is, kids can’t compensate forever. As kids go along in school, more and more is expected of them. At some point, kids whose ADHD or LD has not been dealt with will hit the wall big time. If the problem an be discovered and worked on before that wall appeared, these kids can be spared so much grief.
Having said all that, if my child had poorly controlled diabetes, I would want to be darn sure that his behavior wasn’t the result of wide variations in his blood sugar levels before I accepted an ADHD diagnosis. You should make sure that you are consulting not only with a specialist in diagnosing LD and ADHD but also with a pediatric endocrinologist. Make sure that it is an MD rather than a psychologist who does the ADHD evaluation to make sure you are dealing with someone who has a good understanding of how blood sugar levels can affect human behavior and learning.
Also, kids who “behave” in school can still have ADHD. Not all kids with ADHD are hyperactive or impulsive. Some are quiet, dreamy and deeply inattentive and mentally impulsive. They go off into quiet reveries, lead around by their own internal thoughts and distractions. On the outside, they are quiet and compliant. They are also missing out on a lot of learning in school.
Wait and see is always a bad idea when it comes to considering whether a child has ADHD. While you are waiting and hoping, the kid who really does have a problem is not getting help and is getting further and further behind. Early diagnosis means a better chance for the child to overcome his problems. Early diagnosis means problems don’t even ever have to develop. Early diagnosis means a kid who learns and grows and is happy, rather than a kid who experiences the ever-growing sensation that he must be bad, or lazy, or stupid. Perhaps the evaluation will show that your son does not have ADHD. If so, great! What a relief! If it shows he does have ADHD, then great as well because now you know and can do something about it. No one wants their child to have ADHD, just as no one wants their kid to have diabetes. But, some kids do have these conditions and it is better to find out and deal with them rather than waiting for the crisis.