ADHD in 4 year old

My 4 year old had been showing some signs of inattentive ADHD.

He shows no interest in any kind of learning, and therefore, has very low retention for the basics - numbers, letters, shapes, colors, etc. He can give you detailed life stories of every superhero and star wars character, but if you ask him to identify a circle he'll stare at you with a blank look on his face. If something interests him, he can focus on it, but he gets bored easily and then the focus goes out the window. He's very forgetful and can't tell me anything about his day because he doesn't know what he did at school other than that he played.

We had him evaluated for speech recently because he's hard to understand, and the evaluator suggested that his speech while low is fine when he takes his time, but she thinks he has another issue that is causing his communication issues and she definitely hinted towards ADHD, which is what made me look it up and realize he fits a lot of the symptoms.

I've also realized I have a lot of the symptoms, and when I mentioned it my mom, she said most of her family has been diagnosed with it, which has never been mentioned to me before. So I kind of feel like my eyes have been opened to this whole new possibility that I'm not just a procrastinator who forgets things.

Any way, back to the kid, I think just being aware that he may be having these issues is helpful and being prepared to act when he enters school if he's struggling will be important, but is there any actual value to getting him diagnosed now. I've seen people say both ways, but the primary value to having a diagnosis young seems to just be that you're aware the kid may be having a hard time and you can help them cope with it. If I'm already aware of a the potential issue, will have an Dr. confirm it do anything?

ADHD in 4 year old

Is he turning 5 this year and going to K in September? If so then I would absolutely get him evaluated ASAP so if he requires any services, he will get them in school and it will all be worked out on day 1 instead of trying to work it out mid year.

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

Does anyone know what kind of services they would provide at such a young age? So much of the information about ADHD is about medication, so I'm just curious what else can be done to help.

ADHD in 4 year old

My son has ADHD. He was diagnosed when he was five. He was diagnosed with a pragmatic speech delay when he was three and a half. Contact the school district and have him evaluated. He may be put in an integrated preschool setting to help him develop strategies to focus.
.

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

I agree w/ contacting the school district for an evaluation. It can't hurt to get services that may help.

Another thing you can do is make an appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician. Often the waits are very long so you can always make one and cancel if need be. I love our doctor however she does have a very long wait (Last I heard she was booking into next January). They won't give meds at that age, but are able to if needed in the future.

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

First, I would look to see where/if there are any underlying issues that may be causing behavior that mimics ADHD.

If he doesn't seem interested in the basics like letters, shapes, colors... Bring him for a "COMPREHENSIVE" eye exam. It's much more in depth than a regular eye exam from an optometrist. This exam will let you know how he is visually processing information with his brain and eyes.
Keep in mind you can have 20/20 vision and still not be processing what you see.

https://locate.covd.org/


Is he a sensory seeking kid? Does he like to crash into things, jump off the couch, breaks toys easily/often?
Google retained primitive reflexes.

Re: ADHD in 4 year old

the neurologist I saw would not diagnose ADHD before 6 and i agree with her. i decided before even knowing this if they told me it was ADHD i would not give any medicine because i would not be confident that it was really ADHD. I am not sure how one can tell if a kid is truly ADHD or just immature. I feel like know a days everyone gets diagnosed with ADHD.

I saw a neurologist with recommendation for my school district to rule anything out but my son was already receiving services for speech, OT and had other issues. i personally did it to rule out autism. he was fine. If i feel after 6 he still isn't focusing i will take him back to be reevaluated again.

You can contact the school for an evaluation but they will not diagnose him themselves with ADHD.

ADHD in 4 year old

They won’t diagnose adhd before 6 typically. Have the school district evaluate him. He may qualify for OT or other services and if there are any learning delays you will be aware. They may do a psych evaluation as well....

ADHD in 4 year old

Dd was diagnosed at 4. She struggled in PreK but besides adhd there were many other factors at play. We had her evaluated by cpse and while in PreK she received OT and speech. She is flourishing in kindergarten without medication but her teacher has adhd so knows how to keep her on point. Her developmental pediatrician said not to medicate till it’s affecting her socially or educationally. Most developmental pediatricians have a 6-8 month wait so it’s good to make the appt now and to start the ball rolling with the district.