Our 7 Year Old Is Going to Drive Us All Crazy!

You say "He is very very smart sometimes too smart."
Then why does he need testing if you think he is so intelligent? I would just go with his brilliance, and let him be himself. Don't try to change him. Good luck.

Rachel,

I know this must be a very difficult situation. My brother (now 29!) grew up with extreme asthma and allegies and was on multiple meds. If he had grown up now he definitely would have been labeled ADHD. I can't speak to some of the meds, but I have personally taken the albuterol. It certainly does it's job, but it also makes you very jittery, hyper and makes your heart race. I don't think I would be able to focus if I was taking it every 4 hours either. If these meds were prescribed by his pedi, try taking him to see an allergist. If all the meds are medically necessary, I don't have any other suggestions other than try to be patient. He will need your help to set up some external structure because he is going to have issues dealing with the side effects of these things. Best of luck.

S.

Hi Rachel,

My youngest son had severe asthma when he was younger. We went through a lot with him - lots of hospital visits (and admittances), etc. We finally realized, however, that despite loving his pediatrician, we were very misinformed about the medications and his doctor simply didn't have the expertise in asthma that we needed.

The final straw actually was involving a particular situation where my son's continued use of Albuterol had made it ineffective when he was having a major episode. When he got to the emergency room, he was in trouble! The doctors were looking at me like I was irresponsible - and he was rushed off with 5-6 doctors at his side! I have never been so scared in my life.

After that, we took him to Boston Children's pulmonolgy department - where his medications were monitored and we really began to understand what was happening.

The red flag that made me write to you is the fact that your son is taking Albuterol every 4 hours. What we came to understand is that Albuterol is a RESCUE drug - and really shouldn't be part of "maintenance" or preventative medication.

It sounds like your son's case is pretty severe - we have the best medical care in the country right in our back yard...if you don't already go to Children's, I'd highly suggest you do. They are awesome and totally got out son's asthma under control. He hasn't had an episode in over 3 years now - and he is completely off meds at this point.

Good luck! My heart breaks to go back in my memories about those days when it was all so out of control! I hope that you will find answers, too.

Some things to consider: supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids, usually found in fish oil form, but if fish oil is a problem, you can use flax seed oil can help with lessening allergy responses, lessen asthma attack severity and help your child focus. The body uses omega 3 fatty acids to make its own anti-inflammation products which is what lessens the asthma and allergy responses and the brain uses it to insulate nerve cells so they work better. Also eliminating all food colorings may help because many of them are made from coal tar and have been shown in research to cause attention problems in children. Find a good family chiropractor near you who treats a lot of children. Removing nerve interference in your children can make an amazing difference in their health. Modern chiropractic is quite gentle and safe for everyone. If you live anywhere near Woburn Mass, there is a good chiropractic neurologist, Dr. Scott Fuller who specializes in treating children like yours and gets great results.

Dr. E

Your situation sounds very similar to mine. I am also a SAHM of two boys. My oldest son is now 9 and he was doing the same thing in first grade. He is also smart, but wasn't able to focus and was easily distracted, not organized. So I also had a hard time getting him core tested at the school, but I typed up a letter and requested it from the Director of Special Ed. He was tested and they didn't find anything. He was just a little figety, but he was tested alone in a room with just the instructor so he didn't have any outside distractions. He had a good 2nd grade teacher who worked with him, she had a special ed background and thought I should have him tested for ADHD. I also didn't think my son had it because he was also able to sit still for a long time and watch tv, play video games, etc. So in the beginning of 3rd grade I had him tested by a Neuropsychologist. (She tested him all day.) She diagnosed him with ADHD. My pediatrician prescribed him with a small dose of Concerta extended release and there was a big change. He is now able to complete tasks at school and his homework. He wasn't able to do that before. I didn't want to put him on medication...but it has definitely helped him. I think it would be mean not to do it if it helps. He is also on a 504, I tried to get him an iep, but the school didn't think he needed that because he was doing well. So he is still a bit distracted and disorganized, so on his 504 it says he can sit in the front of the class, can have headphones to block out outside noise if he wants, can have some little squishy toy to hold to keep his hand occupied if he needs it. I also signed him up for karate, it's supposed to help you with focusing and confidence. I also had him go to a sensory/occupational therapy place for a while. He's doing well. Hope this helps!

I just recently had a conversation with a good friend who told me that when he was 10 he had acupuncture to help with his (then out of control) asthma. He said that it helped tremendously and he eventually stopped all meds. I just wanted to throw it out there as something you could think about trying with your son. Of course this is just one person's story but it's worth looking into since your son seems to be jittery from all his meds. I know I would be too if I had to take Claritin and Albuterol every day. I would probably do some research into natural alternatives to the drugs he is taking to see if you could at least cut back a bit on the meds without compromising his asthma control. Good luck with your son, I wish you the best.

Hi there, you sound like my year last year. My 1st grader was having the same problems with organization and handwriting and some of the allergy/asthma problems too. My son did not tolerate the singular well and was much better mood and clear thikning wise when I took him off of it. However I did have some problems managing his allergies after that but we managed it without extra meds. My biggest concern was handwriting and pencil grip. You might want him evaluated by a private OT practice. My son also could not hold a pencil and his writing and drawing was awful. He had low muscle tone in his upper body, core, arms and hands which mad eholding a pencil too hard for him. He also couldn't focus because he was so tired from holding himself up all day at a desk. Unfortunately the schools do not have the facilities to correct these problems. He also had balance issues which made riding a bike, obstacle courses and a lot of everyday things too hard for him to do. He has been doing OT for this since September and what a difference! The schools see an improvement but it the "body awareness" (balance) part of it doesn't "impact education" so they do not offer his any services. Of course getting that under control and the muscle tone under control all impacts fine motor control which is the handwriting aspect of it. Keep looking out for your kid and do what you can. Going outside the school si expensive but worth every penny for the improvements my son has had this year. Good luck!

Hi,

I am a Special Education Teacher and I am a bit concerned by the school's response to your child's needs. You need to also have him evaluated by a professional outside of the school system. Ask your Pediatrician for a referal.I can also offer a bit of an eval if you would like. I just opened my own place in Norwood called Let's Motor! and I would be happy to take a look at your son free of charge. Our number is ###-###-#### and our web address is www.letsmotorskills.com. There is a lot that can be done for him even if he tests normal on the IQ tests. And in general, put every request or concern in writing when communicating with the school so that you have a record of everything the school had done or not done. Give me a call and we can chat in detail if you would like.
Good Luck,
M.

This has been going on all year his asthma also flared up a lot this year so they changed meds, doses, etc to symbicort twice a day, singulair once a day, albuterol every 4 hours clariten once a day. I'm not sure if its all the meds that are causing the problem or if its something... on Flovent but he was crazy, moody, ups and downs, shakey, couldn't sleep it was terrible. He has recently started the not sleeping well something else. because when not on all the albuterol he has no problem
----------------------------------------------------------
Rachel,

WOW........thats a lot of meds. I took parts of what you wrote and I don't understand why he is on so much stuff.
I think all this would put me in another world. What does his Dr. say about all this. No wonder he can't sit in school and concentrate.....I would really check this with his Dr.
Good luck
D.

Hi Rachel,

Here's my two cents:

I was always disorganized because no one taught me how to be organized.

Alleries and asthma are also food related - it's not just what's around you, it's also what you put in you. The closer to nature, the better.

Good luck,
: ) Maureen

Hi Rachel

Sorry for your long year, but have you even enquired to as why all the drugs, his little body can't process all that. Has the kids been tested for pet allegies, you have 2 dogs and a cat try doing the elemination things (remove things one at a time)and some meds see if that makes a differnces for you kids sake.

J.

Sounds like a combination of the meds is to blame - that's a lot of chemicals in the child's brain, and many can cause agitation. I understand the need for meds, in moderation, in some cases, but this sounds like a tremendous load. I have many friends and colleagues who have had great success with Reliv products - they are totally safe, no warning labels required, and they provide balanced nutrition in a highly absorbable form (so a lot of bang for your buck, you know?) - many friends have kids whose asthma is totally cleared up. I'd be happy to have to speak with them. You could lose those drug copayments AND give your child great nutrition. If his body stabilizes, then maybe the coordination with the pencil would improve. There are also grips you can get to put on the pencil that help to mold the hand into a better position - my son had this condition pretty badly but the grips helped. Once you stabilize him in other ways, you can work on the handwriting if it doesn't resolve itself. Let me know - I'd love to share.

I would try tackling things environmentally and biologically first - it sounds like he really is on a lot of meds -but I understand, my son is as well. My son has ADHD and is on the autism spectrum and also has asthma and allergies. His asthma is really not very bad at all but he is on Singulair which I think works wonders for him. When we couldn't afford it for a while he was so horribly stuffed up... BUT there has been some stuff in the news lately (like 6 mths or so ago) that Singulair could cause some behavioral issues. Also - I have noticed that allergies and asthma tend to be highly comorbid with children with other difficulties such as ADHD or learning disabilities. I just did a report on dyspraxia and a lot of what you were saying about your son was familiar with things I learned about that. Has your son had allergy tests to find out what he is allergic to? I know it would be difficult - but if he is found to be allergic to dogs and cats an option would be to get rid of the animals. Allergies themselves can cause ADHD-like symptoms also...

sorry I am kind of rambling here... but those are my thoughts...I would be really interested to find out what you find out from the school!