All About ADHD : Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

[MrsKiasu]

not in the gifted category is very normal, zac’s mum…like another parent says, only a small percentage belongs to gifted… being talkative is better than keeping all to himself…at least you know what he is thinking… but from your sample size of observation, you probably have the better gauge, just go pay a visit… meantime yr ds is still yr baobei ok.

[doodbug]

Hi Zac’s Mom,

A person’s development is not linear. There can be moments of acceleration, delay, stagnation, whether it be intellectual, social abilities, cognitive abilities etc. My son (now in Sec 2), started life with GDD, speech therapy, occupational therapy. That was the diagnosis by both KKH and US pediatricians. But he eventually ‘caught up’.

[Pinkfluff]

Hi Zac’s mum,


You can try Dr Penny Tok. She has a private psychology practice and is able to diagnose for ADHD. I’ve seen her before as my older boy has autism. She is approachable, frank and professional. You can check up on her website, http://www.drpennytok.com . Hope this helps.

It is hard to determine whether a kid has ADHD as several criterias need to be fulfilled so best is to seek a professional’s advice. Because of my older boy’s condition, I thought I’ve seen it all since I’m in and out of therapy centers, sped schools since he was very young. So when my younger girl’s kindy classmate’s mum told me her girl has ADHD, I couldn’t believe it at first. She looked so normal like any other kids. The mum said you need to observe closely to see the signs. I did and I notice that the girl does seem to go on n on about a topic and can’t seem to control her emotions very well at times.. her focus is an issue as well resulting in inconsistent results. So for her case, she was diagnosed with mild adhd and mum knows her issues now and able to give her better support.

[entei17]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"1940110\" time=\"1570420572\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=1940110 time=1570420572 user_id=53606]
I have volunteered in a boys school before, and I also still have regular interactions with lower and upper primary boys, coaching them or just chatting with them. So I thought I could accurately observe and gauge what is “normal” boy behavior (and what is not). For example I have seen ADHD behaviour, and I have seen GDD behaviour. If I ever thought my son was either of these, it was never as extreme or clear cut as those examples I saw.

The reason why I’m troubled now, is because I thought (maybe my own delusional thinking) that my son’s high energy and talkativeness were signs of giftedness. Other adults around us have also told me they observe he is astute, mature and intelligent (from chatting with him). But now that I look at the classic signs of giftedness, I realize that he did not fulfill a major sign, which is started reading earlier than his peers. The GEP test confirms to me that he is not gifted as I suspected. So now I am trying to accept that I was wrong, absolutely wrong in my intuition, just my stupid reasoning. I should not delude myself anymore and I should really find out what causes his inattention. Otherwise he will continue missing out on important points during lessons, continue getting on other people’s nerves with his incessant chatter.[/quote]

It's always good to consult the professional. But you can do the following self assessment and ask the teachers to do the same to see whether they see the same things as you. Likely that different people who interact with the child see different things as the child has different affinity with them. Once again, consult the professional to confirm.

The NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scales are used by healthcare professionals to help diagnose ADHD in children between the ages of 6 and 12.

https://www.nichq.org/resource/nichq-vanderbilt-assessment-scales

https://www.nichq.org/sites/default/files/resource-file/NICHQ_Vanderbilt_Assessment_Scales.pdf. Page 10 gives you the interpretations for sub-categories of ADHD.

[laughingcat]

ZM, I do hope everything turns out fine for you. I understand where you are going through. Some frz and folks commented my DS2 is very mature in terms of thinking and communication. But there are also series of complaints from the teachers. I thought I seem to see signs of \"something just not quite gel\" but I brushed it one side, refused to go for diagnostic. Thinking boys will be boys. DS2 is never quite the same as DS1 who is more calm. Was thinking if change to another school due to GEP might help to stop this incessant complaints from the teachers. I even introduced active sports on a daily basis, thinking all these activities will tire his mind. I was so wrong, it became worse, DS2 became brain overload and requested for more. Yes I was in a denial. It was only late last year, when I bumped into this French-visiting-therapist that advised me otherwise and even offered his help. To be honest, sometime I feel annoyed by DS2 action, being overactive and acting without thinking. But thankfully none of his actions jeopardise the academic. In fact this year was pretty bad. At times when DS2 completes the paper too fast and just walk out of the class to play. He doesn't understand the concept of time and waiting. So no choice we tried medication only when close to exam. It helps alot. The extra help did help me though I was super sad that I have to resort to medication. In the meantime, I am still trying to find a way to handle it without the use of medication. Coz I am missing his incessant talking.

[zac's mum]

LC, thanks for sharing.


I read this article in today’s TODAY. The pain & joy, the struggles, the ups & downs that we go through with our boys, sounds so similar:

https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/why-i-gave-being-chill-mom

[CatMoon]

Thanks zac's mum for sharing this.


Reading this story brought back so many bittersweet memories of my journey with my older girl!
I also started out trying to be a chill mum of a happy-go-lucky girl in P1 and ended up being a helicopter mum going through PSLE, N-levels, O-levels and now A-levels. So stressful!
Bridgette's story also reminded me of so many caring and patient teachers/tutors who supported my girl and helped us navigate through the school system. And her psychiatrist's comments about how the meds would “lift the fog” from her son’s mind was so touche - I remembered how (after taking the meds for a week), my girl came home from school one day and said to me: \"Mummy, now I know what is going on in class today.\" I cannot forget how shocked I was to realise that she must have been in a \"fog\" all those years.

It is a meaningful read.

[Specialkids]

My DS went through the same fog. While he was doing his P3 work, teacher would call for homework to be handed in. He had done it, but he would just pass the ones from pupils behind him to the front, never adding his in, because he didn't hear the teacher say to hand it in.


Yesterday, he was telling me about his NS experience. Now he is on the other end of the spectrum, observing things that others do not think important. To him, 2h waiting for his commando to finish lunch is a complete waste of time. To me, my ADHD mind has taught me to over connect. While in the waiting, what is in it for a 2SPF ST pte who has to learn to wait for suspects to turn up, do their stuff etc? 🙃

[zac's mum]

Just wanted to share this chapter. Friend wanted to borrow this book “Bringing Up Boys” by Dr James Dobson, so I took the chance to read it again (the last time was >2 years ago).


I’m waiting till after the SA2 results and PTM chat with teachers to suss out whether any behavioural/inattention issues. Then see whether want to go for ADHD assessment. DH is like: “He takes after me lah. I was a typical active boy who hated sitting down doing worksheets in the classroom!” 🙄

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[zac's mum]

This has been my bedtime reading last few weeks. Very interesting perspective. Seeing ADHD not as a disability but as a unique advantage in the way the always-buzzing brain works. Plenty of leaders capitalize on this (and their super high physical stamina & energy level) to brainstorm ideas & build startups. Then outsource the drudgery & paperwork aspect of the business to hirelings lol.


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