Kids with ADD & ADHD - when they were toddlers....

[goddessofdawn]

Just wondering if any mums who have kids diagnosed with ADD/ADHD can tell me if they noticed any specific worrisome behaviours when their kids were toddlers...

I know it is impossible to diagnose ADD/ADHD at 2 years old or even before the age of 5 because 99% of toddlers are naturally rambunctious etc.

My 2.5 year old DD's behaviour is making me depressed and a little worried.
She's not super hyperactive, but she is a climber and climbs furniture of all kinds, and she is easily distracted at times... She can play quietly by herself for a few minutes, like 3 or 4 minutes before running off. She had her first toddler gym class today and kept running off from the group, although I guess it was her first class so she was interested in all the new things she saw...

She also has a strange habit which she has had since probably around 15-16 months old. She has moments where she'll get "rampant" as we call it - it's like a strange pent-up energy where she kind of bares her teeth and sort of shakes/vibrates and does something "violent" for a split-second (maximum 2-3 seconds), normally pulling my hair or whacking something, and then she goes back to normal. It's hard to describe in words but I hope someone knows what I'm talking about! She gets these episodes a few times every day.
It just comes out of the blue & I can't pinpoint any sort of trigger for it. It happens a lot when she's sitting with me or on my lap. I"m not sure whether to be worried about this or not?? She is otherwise a very loving and sweet little girl - she hugs, kisses, and tells me she loves me.

I guess the main reason I am worried is because she has always watched a lot of TV. I never thought I'd let my kids watch TV at all, but then I had PND for a long time, and she has always been very hard for me to handle. TV was a way for me to cope and helped calm her down.
I read on a website called A-Ha Parenting that allowing her to watch TV has "re-wired" her brain and now she has an increased chance (30%) of getting ADD/ADHD. I was obviously devastated to read this, I had no idea that TV could be that harmful. I knew it was not ideal but didn't realize it could actually cause harm.

I feel so guilty and wonder if perhaps I am reading into her behaviour because I'm worrying so much about it. I did feel a bit better when I read that it could actually be the other way around, i.e. Children who have ADD/ADHD tend to watch a lot of TV because it calms them, not because it is the cause.

[~Trish~]

Please don't stress about the TV watching, I reckon it's more the other way round like you said - that TV calms them down.

Your DD is still very young and a lot of her behaviour sounds normal. Do you or your DH/DP have ADD/ADHD or think you may have? A lot of the time it is genetic.

My DS1 possibly has ADHD, his teacher and the school principal seem to think so, we're just waiting to get in to see a paed to find out if he does or not. He certainly ticks a lot of the boxes! He has more of the hyperactivity and inattention side of it. When he was a toddler he was a big climber (but so are LOTS of toddlers!), he'd scale our 6ft fence and chat to the neighbours all the time lol! To this day, if you can't find him in a crowded park, just look up and he'll be at the top of the highest thing there . He also had a very short attention span as a toddler, he'd only sit for a few seconds for a story and was pretty much outside all day long climbing, exploring, running, etc. I was so disappointed that he wouldn't sit down and read with me or do craft with me!

On the plus side, he is an awesome kid, full of energy and good humour. He is really popular and great at most sports because he's always been active and learnt co-ordination at an early age. He's loveable, thoughtful and kind. So it's not a horrible life sentence or anything if he is diagnosed with ADHD. We'll just find ways to help him manage his behaviour at school in the classroom.

If you're really worried, you could always chat with your GP or even your MCHN just for peace of mind?

[nothing2lose]

My DD has ADHD and there were no indications at all when she was a toddler.

Please don't blame yourself. I've never heard about the tv theory but it sounds like a whole lot of crappola to me, otherwise every kid and most adults would have it.

Hope things work out for you

[~clover~]

My DD2 is ADD/ADHD, but also has sensory issues which affect day to day life.

Paed diagnised ADHD, but I really don't think she is. I think she's ADD with the SPD, which is backed up by OT diagnosis. Her sensory issues are vestibular & tactile. Movement & touch. She's a seeker, so she seeks to stimulate her senses all the time, which explains the ADHD diagnosis (very similar).

TBH she was a different baby from birth. But its the SPD I now know was shining through. The need to be held/rocked/walked & constantly have noise around her. I knew way back then that something was different, but I'd never heard of Sensory Processing Disorder.

I was told by a paed that if the symptoms you are seeing now continue beyond the age of about 6, then there's a possibility of ADD/ADHD because its typical normal behaviour for younger children to be easily distracted & on the go as they are simply exploring everything around them. My DD can watch movies... but it always gradually gets louder & she is often rocking or something while watching

[goddessofdawn]

Your DD is still very young and a lot of her behaviour sounds normal. Do you or your DH/DP have ADD/ADHD or think you may have? A lot of the time it is genetic.

No, neither myself or DH have it..

My DD sounds exactly like your son, Trish .... She loves being outside, she'd live outside if she could!! lol
Obviously that alone isn't a symptom though lol. She does like reading books and doing crafts though
We've just started Play Group so that's giving me a good chance to scrutinise her behaviour with things...
I guess it's pointless for me to jump to any conclusions. She's a really smart kid & her memory and capacity for learning amazes me..... So you are right, if it turns out she does have ADD/ADHD it isn't the end of the world & we will get through it.

Thanks so much for your replies. I think I just needed someone to talk to.

[FabFiona]

I say this with love - stop reading the websites. My toddler (who is the same age) would have every disorder in the book if I read them all.

He sounds the same as yours, right down to the "rampant" episodes. We now say "is there a lion here" as he does a roar. That immediately diffuses the situation and rather than remember what he was frustrated about, he thinks he is a lion which is great fun.

Try and cut down the TV if it is worrying you but I wouldn't stress about it too much.

[goddessofdawn]

Clover - Just saw your comments, thank you.

My DD is similar as she also had to be constantly rocked etc. She used to sit in her bouncer nearly all day as a baby, while I rocked her with my foot! She was never one of those babies who would just chill and sit there.
I just found a SPD website with a checklist, but she doesn't really tick any of the boxes.... She doesn't like getting her hair brushed, but that's because it always has knots in it
She was always a fidgety breastfeeder though, and still loves fiddling with my hair at bedtime etc, like a comforting thing.
I think that's probably more a quirky habit sort of thing... She was like that from birth though - I remember her grabbing my nightie and rubbing the material between her fingers when she was only a couple of days old!

I wasn't aware of SPD. It's good to be informed, thank you.

[goddessofdawn]

Thanks FabFiona You are right about websites - normally I don't look at them but this one was recommended by a friend because it had good advice on discipline & is by a child psychologist etc.... But yes, it didn't help in this case lol

We actually went "cold turkey" with NO TV and no iPad for 6 days straight - she stopped asking for it but it was very tough!
I wanted to continue without it for longer, but then her sleep turned to poo, and combined with her thrice-nightly waking and 5.30am starts to the day, the TV is back again... Not as much as before, though.

[Astrolady]

At the age of 2 I knew there wasn't something right with Lachlan. At the age of 2 he got told of for something, so he reached a ball point pen and stabbed all our vinyl kitchen chairs.
At the age of 2 he got a toy plastic hammer and smashed his dads laptop screen. There was other stuff as well, and being my 2nd I knew it wasn't normal "terrible two" behaviour, it never relented during the years 3 4 5 etc etc either.

3 days before Christmas in 2010 (aged 6) I had enough, and got referred to a paediatrician. We were told he was gifted. 2/3 yrs above his normal age. Got told to see a child pysch but the one she wanted me to go to was an hours drive away and around $120 a session and we needed at least 12 sessions. We couldn't afford it. I spent January ringing around places and nobody was willing to help us out.

Fast forward to this year, and a lot of his ADD tendencies have become paramount. ADD and giftedness apparently go hand in hand, but this year he is starting to slacken of in school work, where as before he was always excelling. I have really struggled to cope with him at home as well. So 2 weeks ago I saw another paediatrician and by the sounds of it he will classed as having ADD. We go back tomorrow for the official diagnosis. I watched a video last night "Understanding ADD" and it was Lachlan down to a tee.

We see someone from the Child and Adolescent Mental Heath Services on the 22nd.

[Shades]

Can't talk about the ADHD etc side of it but my son had those little episodes... Used to look like he was gritting his teeth so hard he would shake then he'd go spacco and hit us viciously or throw
something, then it'd be like it never happened. I googled it and found we were feeding him a lot of foods with this natural food colour in it that was linked to head-banging etc... I decided to cut it out just in case and it was like a switch had flipped.. Once it was out of his system, about two days later. It's called 'anatto' or colour 160b and it's in some yoghurts, muesli/fruit bars, Kraft cheeses, some custards etc. Can't hurt to look into.

[goddessofdawn]

Thanks Astrolady and Shades.

Yes Shades, that's exactly it, the behaviour you described.
It is very interesting to read about 160b. I have just looked into it and found the "Fed Up" website - Shades, if you have any advice on the easiest ways to cut out 160b I'd love to know.
e.g. "safe" products without 160b etc
And also - Was 160b the only additive you cut out? DD rarely has artificial colours & flavours. Obviously she has 160b quite a bit because it is a natural colour... scary.

[Shades]

There are alternative 160b-free brands for most things - I just obsessively checked labels until I figured out which were safe. And yes it was the only one I cut out.
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