Just introducing myself

[eliz603]

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I've been looking for a community where I can get more information about the issues our family faces daily, as well as just find a good support source!

Here's what we have going on over here:

*My 10 year old DS has ADHD inattentive with comorbid anxiety. He is on a low level of Focalin, and he has an IEP in place at school. Right now, we're trying to decide if we need to up his treatment, including returning to the psychologist for his anxiety. He also has undiagnosed GI issues and has had them since he was 2. His pediatrician thinks that he is just a person who isn't as, well, regular as a 'normal' person, but after DS convinced 6 physicians that he had appendicitis back in October but didn't, the surgeon thinks there's more going on. So back to the GI for him.

*My 2 yr old DS has issues with wheat, tree nuts and peanuts. We made the wheat connection on our own before the nuts. He tolerated peanuts at first, but last month had a very obvious allergic reaction to chips that were cooked in peanut oil (they were just potatoes, salt and peanut oil) that almost resulted in pulling out the epi pen for the first time. He also has broken out in hives immediately after eating tree nuts. Wheat flares up his eczema. His allergy tests have come back negative, but he's too young for a food challenge. So despite all the reactions, the allergist won't classify it officially as an allergy yet. He's hoping he'll grow out of it, but reactions are getting worse and not better.

So there you have it. Nothing severe, but still our own little frustrations and concerns. All of this is new in our family - I have other family members with ADHD but who weren't diagnosed until adulthood. However, living with food allergies is scary and new.

Hope to get to know you all better!!

 

[kylmac]

Welcome! We are a nice bunch and you will get fantastic information from members on this board. Our son is autistic and has a severe peanut allergy. We just found this out again right before Christmas as he snuck a cookie from the classroom that he thought was just chocolate chip (turns out it had peanut butter in it). It only touched his tongue and he spit it out, but he ended up with the epipen in his leg and a ride to the hospital in an ambulance! No fun! He had hives all over his body and his tongue swelled up. Scary! He was released later that day but he definately saw what even just touching peanut butter to his lips did. Hopefully, he will never sneak another cookie again! Keep on the doctors about the allergies-sometimes they do go away on their own but sometimes they stick with kiddos for a long time.
Elizabeth

 

[bookwormde]

First welcome,

For your older child one of the first things to figure out is if it is ADHD or ADD, since they are treated differently. Remember while medicine in a useful tool, it provides no direct benefit for the underlying condition and should be thought of as a bridge until more permanent supports and skills can be developed.

You also want to be looking for any sensory atypicalites, which could account for the "appendicitis" presentation (although he should have had a very high fever also).

You should also be looking closely a his social skills and any atypicalities there since in children this is the most common source of clinical levels of anxiety, after trauma.

These 2 or 3 sets of these characteristics are commonly seen together and can make figuring things our more complicated. For example sometimes social perception differences are confused with hyperactivity.

Looks for these characteristics in your extended family as they are genetically based

 

[WheeledTraveler]

First welcome,

For your older child one of the first things to figure out is if it is ADHD or ADD, since they are treated differently.

ADHD and ADD are not named as separate conditions anymore. There is now ADHD - hyperactive type and ADHD - inattentive type. (I think it's silly that they used "ADHD" rather than "ADD" before the types, but that's me.)

Unless you're talking about ADHD vs. ASD? (I only question because it would be very unusual for you to have put "ADD" rather than "ASD".)

 

[eliz603]

ADHD and ADD are not named as separate conditions anymore. There is now ADHD - hyperactive type and ADHD - inattentive type. (I think it's silly that they used "ADHD" rather than "ADD" before the types, but that's me.)

Unless you're talking about ADHD vs. ASD? (I only question because it would be very unusual for you to have put "ADD" rather than "ASD".)

Yep! Clinically, there's no more ADD. Ten years ago, that would have been his diagnosis. But now there's ADHD inattentive, ADHD hyperactive and ADHD combined (those who have both). I'm thankful that he's only the inattentuve type, even though there are co-morbid issues (which is typical).

Thank you for the information. He has made strides in making his own personal modifications over the past two years. For example, he has figured out that a but of noise while he's trying to concentrate is better than being in a totally quiet room. We have him on a very low level of medication that deals only with the inattentiveness, and it thankfully has been a good thing. His anxiety has been on and off for several years, and his psychologist really helped him prior. Its thankfully not crippling, just things that get to him that he discusses with us. It's certainly a long and winding road.

 

[bookwormde]

ADHD and ADD are not named as separate conditions anymore. There is now ADHD - hyperactive type and ADHD - inattentive type. (I think it's silly that they used "ADHD" rather than "ADD" before the types, but that's me.)

Unless you're talking about ADHD vs. ASD? (I only question because it would be very unusual for you to have put "ADD" rather than "ASD".)

Many clinician still use the terminology to differentiate even though it does have a formal ADHD inattentive classification. This is because it is very confusing for parents to accept ADHD diagnosis when their child does not have any of the diagnostic H symptomology.

The change was not done for clinical reasons, but rather related to the issue with ADD kids qualifying for the legal protections and supports and the confusion and challenges.

It is understood that many of individual that have the 2 "types" of ADHD come from different clinical sources and need completely different treatment regimes and supports

This is because so may kids who did not have the "true" hyperactivity were and are being diagnosed as ADHD and treated as if they were hyperactive. ADD is really an EF neurological differential. It can be completely separate from ASD since it often occurs in isolation from specific genetics. Yes these genetics are part of the ASD grouping, but this in no way means that most individuals with the ADD EF set have high probability of significant ASD grouping genetics unless they are exhibiting characteristics.

ADD will still be used as the descriptive form for ADHD inattentive since ADHD inattentive is a confusing misnomer not derived from clinical descriptiveness. we have a similar situation with Tier 1 ASD and Asperger's continuing to be the common descriptor although now not clinically up to date although in that case it has more clinical validity.

 

[bookwormde]

Yep! Clinically, there's no more ADD. Ten years ago, that would have been his diagnosis. But now there's ADHD inattentive, ADHD hyperactive and ADHD combined (those who have both). I'm thankful that he's only the inattentuve type, even though there are co-morbid issues (which is typical).

Thank you for the information. He has made strides in making his own personal modifications over the past two years. For example, he has figured out that a but of noise while he's trying to concentrate is better than being in a totally quiet room. We have him on a very low level of medication that deals only with the inattentiveness, and it thankfully has been a good thing. His anxiety has been on and off for several years, and his psychologist really helped him prior. Its thankfully not crippling, just things that get to him that he discusses with us. It's certainly a long and winding road.

Just a note of caution not to accept manifestations as comorbid to ADD when they may be coincident without doing the formal investigation. This may certainly be the case, but if is not, it can delay necessary beneficial support and treatment. Good news if that we are only a couple of years from genomic scanning to determine this so you will have scientifically derived information rather than the observational derived information that we have to rely on now, which has one of the highest levels of inaccuracies in clinical practice.