Re: personal space (was NPR Talk of the Nation - Deaf Culture)

[Guest guest]

And here I thought it was just a thing....that she feels the need to hug

EVERYONE, and I capitalized that because she does. She use to want to kiss

everyone too, but we've curbed that...thank goodness!

For the longest time I thought maybe because I hug the kids a lot, she thought

that was what she should do to others, but then there is who really

doesn't get that close to people unless they are babies, he loves babies.

is just such a social child. She loves people and being with them.

And if she can be the center of their attention...all the better (not like she

got my theatrical gene ;o) Tonight we went to the open house at our village's

Fire Station. The past two years we had gone, really didn't know anyone

and would stay pretty close to me. Well, this year from the time we arrived til

we left she was talking to all the kids there. I had to keep looking around for

her as she would see a " friend " and she was off to visit. They were giving away

little magentized white boards for your fridge (for emergency notes and numbers)

and she was getting everyones phone numbers. I guess the phone calls can't be

far behind now.

Debbie, mom to , 7, moderate SNHL and , 4, hearing

JillcWood@... wrote:

We actively taught Ian social skills. We talked about what proper and

improper responses were as the situations came up. I had to teach him about

personal space because he was constantly invading people's zone of comfort. He

hugs a lot, which is fine in some circumstances, but as he got older, it seemed

childish. So we intentionally taught him the " guy hug " which is a quick hug

combined with a pat/slap on the back.

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small

Business.

[Guest guest]

Hi. This is the first time I've posted even though I've belonged in

the group for about a month. I am the mom to H.B., who is 7 1/2 and

severely HOH. I just got through his annual IEP and the teacher is

insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis. I guess I

always thought he was just a very active boy. Does everyone here

who has children that are HOH and ADHD have their children on

medication? I am just really nervous about the whole thing. I

would appreciate any input.

Thanks,

> We actively taught Ian social skills. We talked about what

proper and

> improper responses were as the situations came up. I had to teach

him about personal space because he was constantly invading people's

zone of comfort. He hugs a lot, which is fine in some circumstances,

but as he got older, it seemed childish. So we intentionally taught

him the " guy hug " which is a quick hug combined with a pat/slap on

the back.

>

>

>

> Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things

that never were and ask why not. G.B Shaw

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo!

Small Business.

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/16/2006 12:54:38 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

dannyzgurl226@... writes:

and the teacher is

insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis.

First and foremost -- teachers and school personnel (including their

psychologists!) are NOT qualified nor allowed to recommend medicating your

child --

it is actually illegal in some states for them to make this assertion. Here

in NY, telling/recommending that a parent medicate a child can cost a teacher

his/her job, and it should.

So, smile politely at the teacher and let her know that the decision to

medicate your child is way off her job description. Stop listening to that

teacher and start finding yourself doctors you trust. The doctors are the ONLY

ones

who are qualified to make this diagnosis. ADHD meds are serious medications

and, in my opinion, should only be given if you are sure of the diagnosis.

Our son isn't ADD, but the school was insisting that he was. Our son's

teacher kept saying things like: " just medicate him and you'll see we're right. "

To the point that I told her if she used the word " medication " in a sentence

again I would go after her job and she'd get to forgo her lovely retirement

that was only a few years away. She was so wrong that I can't even make this

into an amusing story. Medicating Ian would have been a disaster. (FYI: I am

married to a teacher and come from a family of them.)

Ian doesn't have ADD, but many kids do have both ADD and hearing loss.

Because of the presence of a hearing loss, it's not an easy diagnosis to make.

The

problem is that many of the behavioral issues that show up on the " testing "

that you and the teachers completed can also be attributed to a hearing loss.

I know, because I have been there.

And there are also moms here whose kids have ADD and benefit from

medications. They can tell you how successfully those meds helped their kids and

just

how difficult it is to suss out this diagnosis.

Getting the proper diagnosis is the real trick. Ian doesn't have any form of

ADD, but those observational behavioral " tests " -- which are more like

surveys, indicated that he could have ADD. That He MIGHT have ADD, and that

additional testing and medical professionals needed to be brought in to make

that

determination.

Unfortunately for us parents, medicating ADD kids demonstrates to schools a

quick fix for behavioral issues. That makes some teachers/administrators jump

towards that conclusion -- which is exactly why they are NOT qualified to

diagnose it. It's a medical issue with a medical solution.

I know this post may seem like I am jumping on you ... believe me I'm not.

The part of your post where you said that the teacher insists that he needs to

be medicated for ADD hits a very hot spot for me. That is what I am jumping

on. And I think that this is a dangerous and far too common occurrence. The

Woodcock- behavioral test which is commonly used as a screening for ADD

is based on anecdotal information -- on the teacher's and your observations

of the child's behaviors. And those behaviors can indicated many things, ADD

is only one of them.

My son has a hearing loss, a slowed processing speed and short term memory

issues. Add them together and you can get some very ADD-like behaviors. He

couldn't follow multi-step directions because he couldn't process what was being

asked of him, or remember all the steps. He couldn't keep his eyes on his own

papers/desk because he couldn't hear what the teacher was saying so he was

always checking to see if he was working on the right stuff. All this (and

more) looked very much like a form of ADD, but it wasn't. Medicating Ian, even

as a " test " would have been a disaster for him.

I caution you to not give in to the urgings of the teacher and school, but

to seek out your choice of doctors who really know about ADD and hopefully also

about kids with hearing loss. It's a really tough combination and can be

very difficult to diagnose properly.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

Hi - we've chosen to medicate our son, Tom who was diagosed with

ADHD/inattentive when he was in the first grade. Having two deaf kids

made the diagnosis somewhat easier. I remember watching Tom not be able

to focus and thinking " but he is deaf " but then watching my younger deaf

son focus easily. Sam, our younger son, actually has a greater hearing

loss than Tom so it seemed that Tom's hearing loss wasn't explaining

everything.

I was really nervous about medication too and there really is no magic

bullet. We tried ritalin without many results, then went to concerta

(which is basically long-acting ritalin), then to adderall. Adderall

really helped his focus but for Tom, had bad side effects (primarily

involuntary facial tics). He's been on strattera for awhile now and

it's worked pretty well. We've made it clear to Tom that his meds won't

" fix " him. I loved what someone else said - that meds really help the

kid know what playing field he should be on.

If you have questions, just ask!

Barbara

dannyzgurl226 wrote:

> Hi. This is the first time I've posted even though I've belonged in

> the group for about a month. I am the mom to H.B., who is 7 1/2 and

> severely HOH. I just got through his annual IEP and the teacher is

> insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

> turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

> teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis. I guess I

> always thought he was just a very active boy. Does everyone here

> who has children that are HOH and ADHD have their children on

> medication? I am just really nervous about the whole thing. I

> would appreciate any input.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My son is HOH (moderate, bilateral, with hearing aids) and had

hyperactive-impulsive ADHD. He is on medication to help him control the

ADHD--without it, he is destructive and cannot stay still for more than 5

minutes at a time.

There are lots of med choices available these days, so if he is diagnosed with

ADHD, take time to talk to the doctor about all of the options, rather than just

taking whatever the doctor recommends first. You may also have to try two or

three different medications to see any changes, and it may take a while to get

the correct does. Some mild cases may even respond well to just behavior therapy

without the need for meds at all.

I also belong to a great group for parents of kids with

ADHD--http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ADD-ADHD-Parents/. We spend a lot of

time discussing treatment options, as well as sharing frustrations with each

other. ;-)

Kiminy

dannyzgurl226 dannyzgurl226@...> wrote:

Hi. This is the first time I've posted even though I've belonged in

the group for about a month. I am the mom to H.B., who is 7 1/2 and

severely HOH. I just got through his annual IEP and the teacher is

insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis. I guess I

always thought he was just a very active boy. Does everyone here

who has children that are HOH and ADHD have their children on

medication? I am just really nervous about the whole thing. I

would appreciate any input.

Thanks,

---------------------------------

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+

countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

While I realize that Jill makes many excellent points, and that I agree

with much her post, I think that there is more to the problem of

medicating kids for ADD/ADHD. One of my hearing kids has a diagnosis of

" borderline " ADD. For years we tired various non-medicine resolutions.

Both she and I resisted the notion of mediction. Eventually, when she

was struggling as a freshman in high school, which in many ways is very

late in the game, a teacher strongly advocated medication. This teacher

supported my daughter through her initial use of medication when she

felt some side effects which ultimately disappeared. Within 2 weeks, my

daughter became a happy, focused, confident student.

While doctors prescribe this medication, I think it is actually more of

an art than a science. Unfortunately, there is no test for ADD/ADHD

like there is for strep throat or other conditions that require

medicine. Sometimes the only way to know if medication will help a

particular child is to try it (a trial can be just that, planned use of

medication for a given time period with lots of observation and

discussion of it's effects). And sometimes teachers, because of their

experience and the time that they spend with a child in a learning

environment, can give very good advice in this kind of situation.

Re: Re: personal space (was NPR Talk of the Nation

- Deaf Culture)

In a message dated 10/16/2006 12:54:38 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

dannyzgurl226@... writes:

and the teacher is

insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis.

First and foremost -- teachers and school personnel (including their

psychologists!) are NOT qualified nor allowed to recommend medicating

your child --

it is actually illegal in some states for them to make this assertion.

Here

in NY, telling/recommending that a parent medicate a child can cost a

teacher

his/her job, and it should.

So, smile politely at the teacher and let her know that the decision

to

medicate your child is way off her job description. Stop listening to

that

teacher and start finding yourself doctors you trust. The doctors are

the ONLY ones

who are qualified to make this diagnosis. ADHD meds are serious

medications

and, in my opinion, should only be given if you are sure of the

diagnosis.

Our son isn't ADD, but the school was insisting that he was. Our son's

teacher kept saying things like: " just medicate him and you'll see

we're right. "

To the point that I told her if she used the word " medication " in a

sentence

again I would go after her job and she'd get to forgo her lovely

retirement

that was only a few years away. She was so wrong that I can't even

make this

into an amusing story. Medicating Ian would have been a disaster.

(FYI: I am

married to a teacher and come from a family of them.)

Ian doesn't have ADD, but many kids do have both ADD and hearing loss.

Because of the presence of a hearing loss, it's not an easy diagnosis

to make. The

problem is that many of the behavioral issues that show up on the

" testing "

that you and the teachers completed can also be attributed to a

hearing loss.

I know, because I have been there.

And there are also moms here whose kids have ADD and benefit from

medications. They can tell you how successfully those meds helped

their kids and just

how difficult it is to suss out this diagnosis.

Getting the proper diagnosis is the real trick. Ian doesn't have any

form of

ADD, but those observational behavioral " tests " -- which are more like

surveys, indicated that he could have ADD. That He MIGHT have ADD, and

that

additional testing and medical professionals needed to be brought in

to make that

determination.

Unfortunately for us parents, medicating ADD kids demonstrates to

schools a

quick fix for behavioral issues. That makes some

teachers/administrators jump

towards that conclusion -- which is exactly why they are NOT qualified

to

diagnose it. It's a medical issue with a medical solution.

I know this post may seem like I am jumping on you ... believe me I'm

not.

The part of your post where you said that the teacher insists that he

needs to

be medicated for ADD hits a very hot spot for me. That is what I am

jumping

on. And I think that this is a dangerous and far too common

occurrence. The

Woodcock- behavioral test which is commonly used as a screening

for ADD

is based on anecdotal information -- on the teacher's and your

observations

of the child's behaviors. And those behaviors can indicated many

things, ADD

is only one of them.

My son has a hearing loss, a slowed processing speed and short term

memory

issues. Add them together and you can get some very ADD-like

behaviors. He

couldn't follow multi-step directions because he couldn't process what

was being

asked of him, or remember all the steps. He couldn't keep his eyes on

his own

papers/desk because he couldn't hear what the teacher was saying so he

was

always checking to see if he was working on the right stuff. All this

(and

more) looked very much like a form of ADD, but it wasn't. Medicating

Ian, even

as a " test " would have been a disaster for him.

I caution you to not give in to the urgings of the teacher and school,

but

to seek out your choice of doctors who really know about ADD and

hopefully also

about kids with hearing loss. It's a really tough combination and can

be

very difficult to diagnose properly.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

As a former teacher, I am very frustrated that any teacher would insist

that a kid has ADHD. Teachers don't diagnose children; they teach them.

Does this teacher have extensive experience with children who HOH? That

would be my first question with her. Just because she has dealt with

ADHD kids does not make her an expert on the subject. Maybe your kid

truly does have ADHD on top of the HOH, but I would not take the

teacher's word for it.

I would also see if the doctor that you are seeing has experience with

HOH kids and ADHD and those together. I have, unfortunately, met some

doctors very willing to diagnose ADHD or ADD. They were notorious in

the one community I taught in; these were the doctors who did not bother

to have the teachers fill out paperwork, or even sometimes the parents.

We knew any kid sent to that doctor would soon be medicated.

On the few occasions that we had issues with a child's attentiveness, we

would have a team meeting with the parents and suggest a variety of

check ups, including for eyes and hearing. We also set up plans with

the parent, similar to a 504, but not as formal until any diagnosis was

found. We tried not to suggest any diagnosis to a parent, since we

were not the doctors.

in Manassas, VA

> Hi. This is the first time I've posted even though I've belonged in

> the group for about a month. I am the mom to H.B., who is 7 1/2 and

> severely HOH. I just got through his annual IEP and the teacher is

> insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

> turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

> teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis. I guess I

> always thought he was just a very active boy. Does everyone here

> who has children that are HOH and ADHD have their children on

> medication? I am just really nervous about the whole thing. I

> would appreciate any input.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

> > We actively taught Ian social skills. We talked about what

> proper and

> > improper responses were as the situations came up. I had to teach

> him about personal space because he was constantly invading people's

> zone of comfort. He hugs a lot, which is fine in some circumstances,

> but as he got older, it seemed childish. So we intentionally taught

> him the " guy hug " which is a quick hug combined with a pat/slap on

> the back.

> >

> >

> >

> > Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things

> that never were and ask why not. G.B Shaw

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo!

> Small Business.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

- you're so right! It took awhile to find the right med for Tom

- who very clearly has hearing loss and ADHD - so while it's not a magic

bullet by any means, finding the right med has made a huge difference

for Tom. Of course that decision wasn't made lightly because ADHD meds

are serious medications - but at least for Tom, it was the right way to go.

Barbara

stromms@... wrote:

> While I realize that Jill makes many excellent points, and that I agree

> with much her post, I think that there is more to the problem of

> medicating kids for ADD/ADHD. One of my hearing kids has a diagnosis of

> " borderline " ADD. For years we tired various non-medicine resolutions.

> Both she and I resisted the notion of mediction. Eventually, when she

> was struggling as a freshman in high school, which in many ways is very

> late in the game, a teacher strongly advocated medication. This teacher

> supported my daughter through her initial use of medication when she

> felt some side effects which ultimately disappeared. Within 2 weeks, my

> daughter became a happy, focused, confident student.

>

> While doctors prescribe this medication, I think it is actually more of

> an art than a science. Unfortunately, there is no test for ADD/ADHD

> like there is for strep throat or other conditions that require

> medicine. Sometimes the only way to know if medication will help a

> particular child is to try it (a trial can be just that, planned use of

> medication for a given time period with lots of observation and

> discussion of it's effects). And sometimes teachers, because of their

> experience and the time that they spend with a child in a learning

> environment, can give very good advice in this kind of situation.

>

>

>

> Re: Re: personal space (was NPR Talk of the Nation

> - Deaf Culture)

>

>

> In a message dated 10/16/2006 12:54:38 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> dannyzgurl226@... writes:

>

> and the teacher is

> insistent he has ADHD and wants him on medication. I just finished

> turning in the questionaires the dr. sent home for me and the

> teacher to fill out and we are waiting for his diagnosis.

>

> First and foremost -- teachers and school personnel (including their

> psychologists!) are NOT qualified nor allowed to recommend medicating

> your child --

> it is actually illegal in some states for them to make this assertion.

> Here

> in NY, telling/recommending that a parent medicate a child can cost a

> teacher

> his/her job, and it should.

>

> So, smile politely at the teacher and let her know that the decision

> to

> medicate your child is way off her job description. Stop listening to

> that

> teacher and start finding yourself doctors you trust. The doctors are

> the ONLY ones

> who are qualified to make this diagnosis. ADHD meds are serious

> medications

> and, in my opinion, should only be given if you are sure of the

> diagnosis.

>

> Our son isn't ADD, but the school was insisting that he was. Our son's

> teacher kept saying things like: " just medicate him and you'll see

> we're right. "

> To the point that I told her if she used the word " medication " in a

> sentence

> again I would go after her job and she'd get to forgo her lovely

> retirement

> that was only a few years away. She was so wrong that I can't even

> make this

> into an amusing story. Medicating Ian would have been a disaster.

> (FYI: I am

> married to a teacher and come from a family of them.)

>

> Ian doesn't have ADD, but many kids do have both ADD and hearing loss.

> Because of the presence of a hearing loss, it's not an easy diagnosis

> to make. The

> problem is that many of the behavioral issues that show up on the

> " testing "

> that you and the teachers completed can also be attributed to a

> hearing loss.

> I know, because I have been there.

>

> And there are also moms here whose kids have ADD and benefit from

> medications. They can tell you how successfully those meds helped

> their kids and just

> how difficult it is to suss out this diagnosis.

>

> Getting the proper diagnosis is the real trick. Ian doesn't have any

> form of

> ADD, but those observational behavioral " tests " -- which are more like

> surveys, indicated that he could have ADD. That He MIGHT have ADD, and

> that

> additional testing and medical professionals needed to be brought in

> to make that

> determination.

>

> Unfortunately for us parents, medicating ADD kids demonstrates to

> schools a

> quick fix for behavioral issues. That makes some

> teachers/administrators jump

> towards that conclusion -- which is exactly why they are NOT qualified

> to

> diagnose it. It's a medical issue with a medical solution.

>

> I know this post may seem like I am jumping on you ... believe me I'm

> not.

> The part of your post where you said that the teacher insists that he

> needs to

> be medicated for ADD hits a very hot spot for me. That is what I am

> jumping

> on. And I think that this is a dangerous and far too common

> occurrence. The

> Woodcock- behavioral test which is commonly used as a screening

> for ADD

> is based on anecdotal information -- on the teacher's and your

> observations

> of the child's behaviors. And those behaviors can indicated many

> things, ADD

> is only one of them.

>

> My son has a hearing loss, a slowed processing speed and short term

> memory

> issues. Add them together and you can get some very ADD-like

> behaviors. He

> couldn't follow multi-step directions because he couldn't process what

> was being

> asked of him, or remember all the steps. He couldn't keep his eyes on

> his own

> papers/desk because he couldn't hear what the teacher was saying so he

> was

> always checking to see if he was working on the right stuff. All this

> (and

> more) looked very much like a form of ADD, but it wasn't. Medicating

> Ian, even

> as a " test " would have been a disaster for him.

>

> I caution you to not give in to the urgings of the teacher and school,

> but

> to seek out your choice of doctors who really know about ADD and

> hopefully also

> about kids with hearing loss. It's a really tough combination and can

> be

> very difficult to diagnose properly.

>

> Best -- Jill

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi , I have one child with ADHD and one with hearing loss, two different

kids. But what I've seen is that when a child's listening needs in the

classroom aren't being adequately addressed, the teachers assume it is ADHD. It

looks a lot alike. So does your son have a personal FM system, does the teacher

use it at all times, does it provide adequate clarity of amplification

(audiologist can test this)??? A child with a severe loss NEEDS an FM in a

typical classroom. Often schools will refuse use of an FM or give them an FM

that is staticky (lots of static) or old technology. Do you feel like they have

this base covered?? I've heard teachers moan and groan about how the child is

inattentive and they are incredulous that an FM system can " cure "

inattentiveness. Duh.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/16/2006 5:57:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

semesky@... writes:

Please get to a good psychiatrist who is also good at diagnosis and

pharmacological management. All of the above except hearing loss require trial

and

order on meds.

And then there is the story of my almost 30 year old nephew whose parents

were more comfortable with a diagnosis of depression or bi-polar than ADD

because of the " stigma " attached to it. (what stigma? worse than being

clinically

depressed or bi-polar!?). So they chased those treatments and periodically

had the boy on anti-depressant, which never worked. So he'd secretly stop

taking them because he hated the way they made him feel. The boy couldn't face

more school (college) so he enlisted right out of high school without telling

his parents. And it was the military who finally diagnosed his ADD and properly

medicated him. He's been doing great ever since.

We've also known many kids without ADD who have, at some point, been thought

to have ADD only to have it be one of those other very common alternatives.

My sister's son, for instance, was misdiagnosed by one of the infamous local

docs who are known to be very quick to medicate. Combine his advice with the

urging of their school, and the boy was medicated. He had terribly side

effects. My sister pulled him off the meds and they went looking for other

doctors. (no, I never said " I told you so " but I really did have the urge)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-ADD. But I've seen so many rushed and wrong

diagnosis that I just want to urge caution. We had a pediatrician, clinical

psychologist, psychiatrist, audiologist, neurologist and several others all

involved with figuring out just what Ian had going on. And honestly, for a

while it really did seem to be ADD without the hyperactivity component. But it

wasn't and our pediatrician was very careful about coordinating the

information provided by all those other docs and sending us on to new and

different

specialists when it just didn't add up. As he put it, ADD just didn't feel

right

to him. And it didn't feel right to us either.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/16/2006 5:57:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

semesky@... writes:

Please get to a good psychiatrist who is also good at diagnosis and

pharmacological management. All of the above except hearing loss require trial

and

order on meds.

And then there is the story of my almost 30 year old nephew whose parents

were more comfortable with a diagnosis of depression or bi-polar than ADD

because of the " stigma " attached to it. (what stigma? worse than being

clinically

depressed or bi-polar!?). So they chased those treatments and periodically

had the boy on anti-depressant, which never worked. So he'd secretly stop

taking them because he hated the way they made him feel. The boy couldn't face

more school (college) so he enlisted right out of high school without telling

his parents. And it was the military who finally diagnosed his ADD and properly

medicated him. He's been doing great ever since.

We've also known many kids without ADD who have, at some point, been thought

to have ADD only to have it be one of those other very common alternatives.

My sister's son, for instance, was misdiagnosed by one of the infamous local

docs who are known to be very quick to medicate. Combine his advice with the

urging of their school, and the boy was medicated. He had terribly side

effects. My sister pulled him off the meds and they went looking for other

doctors. (no, I never said " I told you so " but I really did have the urge)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-ADD. But I've seen so many rushed and wrong

diagnosis that I just want to urge caution. We had a pediatrician, clinical

psychologist, psychiatrist, audiologist, neurologist and several others all

involved with figuring out just what Ian had going on. And honestly, for a

while it really did seem to be ADD without the hyperactivity component. But it

wasn't and our pediatrician was very careful about coordinating the

information provided by all those other docs and sending us on to new and

different

specialists when it just didn't add up. As he put it, ADD just didn't feel

right

to him. And it didn't feel right to us either.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

I would seek evaluation by someone with experience with hearing impaired

children. Your ds's teacher isn't qualified to make that evaluation, nor is

it their place. I wouldn't medicate based solely on the opinion of a

medical doctor that has no experience with how being HOH figures into the

mix. Just MHO. There are a lot of ways in which other issues, such as

being HOH, can mimic ADHD. Find someone that knows the difference.

[Guest guest]

LIST OF DIAGNOSES THAT CAUSE ADHD SYMPTOMS:

1- Hearing Loss

2- ADHD/ADD

3- Depression

4- Bipolar Disorder

Not in order of priority. Alot of kids suffering from depression/bipolar

disorder are diagnosed with ADHD and while the medicines help alot of them

somewhat, it can exacerbate the bipolar disorder. Please get to a good

psychiatrist who is also good at diagnosis and pharmacological management. All

of the above except hearing loss require trial and order on meds.

[Guest guest]

LIST OF DIAGNOSES THAT CAUSE ADHD SYMPTOMS:

1- Hearing Loss

2- ADHD/ADD

3- Depression

4- Bipolar Disorder

Not in order of priority. Alot of kids suffering from depression/bipolar

disorder are diagnosed with ADHD and while the medicines help alot of them

somewhat, it can exacerbate the bipolar disorder. Please get to a good

psychiatrist who is also good at diagnosis and pharmacological management. All

of the above except hearing loss require trial and order on meds.

[Guest guest]

LIST OF DIAGNOSES THAT CAUSE ADHD SYMPTOMS:

1- Hearing Loss

2- ADHD/ADD

3- Depression

4- Bipolar Disorder

Not in order of priority. Alot of kids suffering from depression/bipolar

disorder are diagnosed with ADHD and while the medicines help alot of them

somewhat, it can exacerbate the bipolar disorder. Please get to a good

psychiatrist who is also good at diagnosis and pharmacological management. All

of the above except hearing loss require trial and order on meds.

[Guest guest]

,

I agree that the teacher's input about the behaviors witnessed at school

should also be taken into account,when diagnosing ADD. However, I also know of

some teachers who want to " diagnois " any child they feel is disruptive in class.

The meds are, a way to " fix " those kids in these teacher's minds. It certainly

isnt' right...but it happens.

Debbie

stromms@... wrote:

And sometimes teachers, because of their experience and the time that they

spend with a child in a learning environment, can give very good advice in this

kind of situation.

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com

[Guest guest]

,

I agree that the teacher's input about the behaviors witnessed at school

should also be taken into account,when diagnosing ADD. However, I also know of

some teachers who want to " diagnois " any child they feel is disruptive in class.

The meds are, a way to " fix " those kids in these teacher's minds. It certainly

isnt' right...but it happens.

Debbie

stromms@... wrote:

And sometimes teachers, because of their experience and the time that they

spend with a child in a learning environment, can give very good advice in this

kind of situation.

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com

[Guest guest]

,

I agree that the teacher's input about the behaviors witnessed at school

should also be taken into account,when diagnosing ADD. However, I also know of

some teachers who want to " diagnois " any child they feel is disruptive in class.

The meds are, a way to " fix " those kids in these teacher's minds. It certainly

isnt' right...but it happens.

Debbie

stromms@... wrote:

And sometimes teachers, because of their experience and the time that they

spend with a child in a learning environment, can give very good advice in this

kind of situation.

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com

[Guest guest]

It's not limited to that either. There are auditory, vision, and memory

processing issues that can appear to be attention issues. A great book on

this is A Mind at a Time, by Mel Levine.

> LIST OF DIAGNOSES THAT CAUSE ADHD SYMPTOMS:

> 1- Hearing Loss

> 2- ADHD/ADD

> 3- Depression

> 4- Bipolar Disorder

>

[Guest guest]

There's also a great website: 50 things that can mimic ADHD

(http://adhdparentssupportgroup.homestead.com/50conditionsmimicingADHD.html)

Kiminy

P baytoven@...> wrote:

It's not limited to that either. There are auditory, vision, and memory

processing issues that can appear to be attention issues. A great book on

this is A Mind at a Time, by Mel Levine.

> LIST OF DIAGNOSES THAT CAUSE ADHD SYMPTOMS:

> 1- Hearing Loss

> 2- ADHD/ADD

> 3- Depression

> 4- Bipolar Disorder

---------------------------------

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+

countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

<<3.(! 3.) Learning disabilities: If the primary place of behavior problems

is at school, learning disabilities may be the cause of ill behavior. ... And

many times when a child's self-esteem is at jeopardy they try to make up for

it in other sometimes-nonproductive ways such as acting out, bullying, or

becoming the class clown.>>

And this specific example is why I've counseled several parents to INSIST on

the school doing the initial diagnostic testing on kids they have

" suggested " have ADD, and then to follow through with specialists. One child has

CAPD,

another is quite dyslexic, and another has OCD. The initial " diagnosis " from

the school was ADD for all of them. ADD is such a hard thing to diagnose ...

more of a ruling out of everything else instead of a test for ADD itself.

And it sometimes takes a lot of effort and chasing shadows from doctor to

doctor to get to the right diagnosis. When I asked our pediatrician if he

recommended " just trying " the medication on Ian, he absolutely ruled it out.

Ian

was a quiet child to start with, the doc said the meds would have him even

more so -- " a walking zombie " were the words one of them used. For 6 months we

chased ADD and a form of epilepsy (benign focal) and when we finally learned

Ian's real hearing loss levels, it all clicked into place.

Best -- Jill