Aspies For Freedom

I've wondered about the connection as well... sayings how I seem to be ADDish also... We have a rather large amount of my cousins that are ADHD. And I'm 90% sure my dad and his clan have a lot of aspies.

I can't say she sits still, she definitely doesn't. Sometimes she gets fidgety and I have to put my hand on her shoulders and look her square in the eye and give her something to do with her hands (a child's rubix cube, a notebook, sometimes I have her trace the print on groceries while at the store...)  It seems to be worse later in the day, in the morning I can get her ready for school rather easily, especially if I set the egg timer. But in the evenings you have to practically sit on her. ("Get your pajamas on, get your pajamas on, that's nice now put your pajamas on!")

When she's sick she can be a real firecracker... like you gave her speed... unless she has a high fever, then she's just sick.

Oh... does that mean she is hyperactive? She can also sit still for some things, she will sit and "write" letters to her family members for hours... though somehow can't write on her homework without an act of god... We started using hubby's belt to keep her seated at dinner. Is that wrong? It seems wrong sometimes, though she likes it, she calls it her seatbelt... and it keeps her in her seat!

She didn't used to be silent and shy. That seems to be a newer trait. She used to talk all the time with perfect strangers. She's been having problems with kids for the last year. I feel somewhat to blame for this because its been hard for me to find friends with kids her age... plus she's so sensitive to other kids that I have to field some kids out, that takes a lot of work.

So you guys think I should do something about this?

I feel dumb about all this. Two sides are fighting against each other, is it better she do this by herself, unlabeled? Or should I get her diagnosed and have her be "that ADHD kid".

Ive got ADD and my kid is under tests for ASD-it seems like its going toward HFA but the testings arent fishished yet.
The diagnoses often changes as the kid grows.
Sometimes the ADHD-girls feel forced or pressured by society to sit still and behave nicely and derfor develop ADD tendences...but they often sit there and move their restless legs even though sitting still otherwice. five minuts later they get up.
Then they sit back down to read homework...suddenly...oh,look,something shiny!

Hi all,

Most people around here know more about me then they'd probably like to, but here's some more...   I am a mom that has AS (unDX) and I have a 5 and 3YO daughters.

I think my oldest has AD/HD... but I know that 4-6 is the age where "everyone" acts like they're AD/HD, so I am all at once trying not to worry about nothing but also to pay attention to what could actually be a problem for her. (Obviously I don't think being differently-minded is a problem, but I want her to learn how to cope with her different mind in a "normal" world.)

Anyway- I don't want to write an obnoxiously long list of symptoms and wierd stories... but she really seems to meet the criteria for both types. I found a site that listed different type of girls with AD/HD. She seems to be the "moody" and the "daydreamer".  (It takes her 30 minutes to put a DRESS on and she cries at the drop of a hat- the short story)

When she was having these same problems last year in school I talked at length to her doctor and she told me to wait until kindergarten and see if these problems were just maturity...

So at what point do I start insisting on testing?

Whatever problem she's having is really seeming to have a problem with her self-confidence. Today we were doing her first homework assignment and she was literally in tears because she couldn't draw in the line. (She doesn't pay close enough attention and doesn't have very good fine motor skills) Apparently her teacher said something to her about staying in the lines and she was SO upset about not being able to do it, despite that I think its fairly normal for five...

I know this isn't an ADD forum, but I know that you moms out there will at least know what road I should take or if I should really wait it out...

please dont fall into this trap like my mom did. it will make your kids resent you. example: me. selfdiagnosing/diagnosing without professional *opinion* is even worse than having the professional do it. Just let your kids be themselves. also in todays society there is a lot of food or other exposures that can make your kids hyperactive/having attention problems. im not trying to preach to you but out of my own experience, and having my brother having been diagnosed ADD and given ritalin at a young age, well that really causes problems later. just a warning, out of my own experience. psychology & psychiatry and their diagnostic specifications are certainly not as scientific as they seem or act. if youve seen statistics for AD/HD its pretty obvious that a lot and i mean a *LOT* of kids have been diagnosed with this. it doesnt make them different. its just quackery.

Amen!

Sarah, let me know if you get "the look" at your conference. At my middle child's kindergarten conference it was implied that his failure to follow some stupid class rule would hinder his academic capacity and I couldn't help giggling at the woman's self-importance. She stopped cold and looked at me, so I explained by saying, with my usual diplomacy, "I'm pretty sure that when it's time to go to college the schools won't be requesting his kindergarten transcripts."  That's when I got "the look."  I had challenged both her authority and her expertise, and there wasn't much more to talk about after that.

Yes, I have been thinking of holding her back too. But then I start worrying about her being too bored... I think that's part of the problem right now, that the work they give is too hard for her physically because of the fine motor skills thing, and that its too easy for her mentally because its the same info over and over.

But yes, that's one of the things floating around in my head right now.   I'm feeling better this morning... thanks to the friends that have responded.  Now I just have to gear up from the conference.

My daughter is also challenged to perform both fine and gross motor tasks. A big reason I brought her home for first grade is that she finds writing extremely frustrating, and there is a lot of writing in first grade (for no good reason; studies have repeatedly shown that this is actually detrimental for most children). Her fingers literally bend both ways, so it is all muscle doing the work.  What's more, she still hasn't decided whether she is right-handed or left-handed.  She crosses the mid-line while performing with either hand so it appears to be genuine ambidexterity, but it certainly complicates things.

The meetings are not so bad if you keep in mind that they work for you. The meeting is actually your meeting, it won't happen if you are not there. What's more, everyone at that meeting wants the same thing -- your child's success.  There may be disagreements about what 'success' means or how to get there, but her success is actually the goal of everyone there. Listen to what they know and know what you  know and make your decisions.  The boss (um, that's you) always gets to make the final decision.