Can ADHD be mis-diagnosed??? advice please..

[MICHAELSMUM]

Hi this is the first time i have posted on this site,I have posted on the hydro site before because of my other sons probs. Anyway my son Peter is 10 he was diagnosed with Adhd nearly 2 years ago, he has always been hyperactive and very impolsive,it took 2 years for the Drs to say yes he has servere ADHD,he is on colonidine to help which it does a little (not alot).He finds school very hard work he does,nt like being told what to do by any adults,he is now in year 5 but his work level is about that of a year2/3 child.
Most of the staff at his school say that he does,nt present like a typical ADHD child, the OT says he has a lot of sencory problems and she is trying to help with these but she says he is like talking to a brick wall he doesnt seem to take in any thing that is sugested to him an he just looks at her as if she is a mad woman, :confused:His new teacher is trying very hard to help but he also said that peter doesnt come across as adhd he even fells that peter turns in on and off, which i totaly dissagree with, but his teacher also mentioned that he feels that peter shows lots of autistic trates, i also think this but as he has the adhd diagnoses i dont feel that he needs another one. My questions are to any one that can help are,Can ADHD be mis-diagnosed?, is this common? can autisum mimic adhd of can they be present along side each other?. We are going to do some tests to see if peter has autisum as well, but if this is so wouldnt if be more ovious? if any one can answer any of these questions i would be grateful for any advice that could help me get peter the right help he needs.. thankyou Elsena


Mum to Nikki 17, Claire 14 going on 30, Peter ADHD sencory probs and an ace on the guitar, and Michael 8, Hydro,, on shunt#8 dandy walker syndrome, bi-lacteral sub-temporal decompressions, epilepsy, ataxia sight probs and as cheeky as they come..

[Naominjw]

Of course ADHD can be misdiagnosed. My younger daughter was misdiagnosed with ADHD-inattentive type. She had sensory issues, and spacing out. Her mood and attention fluctuated.

Some things commonly misdiagnosed as ADHD are absence seizures, sleep disorders, gluten sensitivity, allergies, hypothalamic dysfunction, pituitary disorders, adrenal disorders, thyroid disorders, sensory processing disorder, emotional problems, food sensitivities, .... you get the picture. So can autistic-spectrum look like "ADHD"? Yes. That, too.

You might want to look into http://www.autism.com, http://www.itsnotmental.com, http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/, http://www.thoughtfulhouse.org/pr/jepson_book.htm, http://booksxyz.com/profile3139148.php

[MICHAELSMUM]

Hi thanks for your answers, I wasnt aware that so many things could lead to the wrong diagnoses of adhd.I will read through the links you sent and start to think what might help peter better. thanks agin. elsena

[Zonulin]

Hi Elsena -

ADHD is just a list of perceived, observed, subjective behaviors - just a list - no science, no lab testing whatsoever! Please see my reply in this thread, in which I have copied the "list" for ADHD: http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showthread.php?t=39084 In my opinion, "ADHD" is a catch-all phrase used by doctors who have no idea which lab tests to order to try to figure out what is REALLY WRONG.

A couple of great books that are probably in your library are Please Don't Label My Child by Scott M. Shannon, MD and Don't Eat This Book by Morgan Spurlock. What does your child eat? What does their poop look like? Do they get outside during the day? Some lab tests you might request are Copper/Zinc ratio (elevated copper causes behavioral problems, and today's water contains 4 times the amount of copper that it did in 1992 due to the ferric chloride in copper plumping), levels of toxic metals such as Mercury and Lead, Selenium levels, Urinary Isoprostanes, levels of Methionine, levels of Glutathione, an Immunoglobulin panel test, levels of Metallothionein, etc.

Dr. Scott Shannon (author, above) writes, "Instead of spending my time diagnosing most kids I see, I try to UNdiagnose them, to free them from the labels that are hurting more than helping them. I work to figure out what leads to the symptoms and the label. Paradoxically, I often have to taper kids off medications to determine what is wrong."

Also: "When a child comes to me labeled with a disorder such as ADHD, depression, or any other kind of mood or behavioral "illness," I immediately assess his diet for key nutritional deficiencies."

Our children are the "canaries in the coal mine" - they are more vulnerable to environmental toxins, poor diet (ahem - the Standard American Diet (SAD) which is very sad indeed), furniture that needs degassing before you can put it in your house (!!), toxic carpet, vinyl, etc. and the chemicals we use to clean those toxic items! It's not just one thing that children are struggling against - it's a host of unhealthy items we have added to our lives that combine to wreak havoc on them.

I hope you can find a pediatrician who is "willing" to order some real lab tests for you. Dr. William Walsh of the Pfeiffer Clinic told us in a day-long seminar that all "mental illness" is caused by some type of environmental insult and the body's inability to handle it. It is a huge PAIN to have to insist on decent medical treatment for our children (so many doctors are notoriously pompous and have lost their ability to listen), but our children are well WORTH IT!! We had to see 22 doctors over 2 years to find out my why son (at 9) was constantly nauseated (I usually post on the Gluten Sensitivity forum) - he was given a laughable label of "Specific Phobia" because he had to have his bowl with him to catch his frequent VOMIT, and they thought it was odd. Maybe they would have preferred that he vomit on THEM (not a bad idea, in retrospect). Well - once the nausea went away, the bowl went away :rolleyes: I have to question the deep stupidity and lack of common sense of people who use lists of behavior ("OFTEN loses pencils") to "diagnose" their patients...

Karen (Check the poop check the poop check the poop)

Translations:
Metallothionein - binds to zinc, copper, selenium, cadmium, and mercury and detoxifies mercury and heavy metals by binding to the metal before it can cause harm - does the primary filtering for mercury, lead, and other metal toxins at the intestinal and brain-blood barrier.
Glutathione - (GSH) - an antioxidant that protects cells from toxins such as free radicals.
Isoprostanes - formed from free-radical catalyzed peroxidation of essential fatty acids, and a marker of oxidative stress.
Methionine - sulfur-containing amino acid

[Keggy]

I would look into getting a neuropsychological evalution done if possible. This can determine what other evals or testing are needed. your son could have ppd (autism spectrum) and other issues as well.
The medication isn't helping him most likely because he does not have adhd.

[Kara]

He may just be developmentally delayed, he may also have some mild form of epilepsy like your other child, or he may have a higher-functioning form of autism. The possibilities are endless. I say this as a person with ADHD, possible Aspergers Syndrome, and mild epilepsy. And if there are co-morbid disorders, it is difficult to tell where one lets up and the other begins. If he is functioning poorly in school, I can almost guarantee he is average to above-average intelligence and it is his disorder that is holding him back.

I would recommend you take him to a neurologist and have an MRI and EEG scheduled, to see if there are any obvious problems in the brain. My MRI was normal, but both EEGs showed abnormal electrical activity in the left temporal lobe. This explains the epilepsy but doesn't necessarily address any other issues he may have. It's worth a shot, though.

I also think it might be time to try a different medication. I do well on Adderall. It hasn't influenced my seizures in any way and it has improved my social skills, speech, and focus on work. I still get fidgety in meetings when they go off topic and have no relevance to me, while I have a stack of work on my desk I need to be doing instead! It doesn't fix everything, but a stimulant medication like mine may be something to look into. It may actually calm his mind, as it has mine. I am still physically hyperactive, but am functioning a lot better.

You may also want to have his hearing evaluated. Find out if he is experiencing sensory-overload, which distracts him (there is a lawnmower going outside or a lot of noise in the hall and he can't tune those out while the teacher is speaking). If so, get him into piano lessons ASAP! He could have perfect pitch and a lot of gifts that go with acute hearing, plus he would have something he enjoyed, potentially, which might improve his behavior. You mentioned one of your children is musical, so there is the possibility his acute hearing would benefit him, if he were interested in music. I say this as a person who has perfect pitch and did very well on the piano. I had one of those little toy pianos when I was four--the kind where only the white keys work and the black keys were ornamental. My mother told me I banged around on it for awhile, then looked up in frustration and said, "Mama, this piano won't do right!!" I subsequently came downstairs one morning and said I'd "dreamed a song" and I played it--in C major, since there were no black keys! (It definitely couldn't compare to a 3-year-old Mozart piece, but it was pretty good!) Your child could very well be gifted. My mother put me in piano lessons in first grade and by third grade, I was winning awards for songs I had written. If this is a possibility for him, give it to him. Children with disabilities and deficits are quite aware of the fact they have them--and their teachers and peers never let them forget it! So, he needs SOMETHING that makes him stand out in a good way. Find out what that "something" is, and pursue it big time.

He could be on the other end of the spectrum and have hearing deficits that are amplified by a lot of other noise around him. I think there is another disorder--and I don't know what it is called--where people hear sentences, but have a difficult time processing them. It's like dyslexia for hearing rather than the written word.

Did you have difficult births with any of your children? My mother had eclampsia and when I finally recently got up the nerve to tell her about my being epileptic, she said it might have been due to her having severe eclampsia during my birth.

[MICHAELSMUM]

Hi Kara, thanks for your reply.I have been in touch with his ADHD team and they are going to do more assesments. the OT says he has a lot of sencory isues and has made a few suggestions to his teacher and these seem to be working. As for medication he tryed ritalin for a while which is a stimulant but he reacted very badly to this he became very aggresive and seemed out of control of himself so thats why we are trying the slow release colonidine, it has a small affect on him but not much. He has a lot of trouble sleeping he just cant switch off. I had a very easy pregnancy with him no probs at all, he was a few days late and then arrived very quickly at home in the bath room which wasnt the plan. He had a very bad stammer when he was about 3 but only stammers nowif he is in a hurry and just can get the words out. Peter loves music he likes all the old stuff and he loves the shadows he started playing the guitar about a year ago and hes is just so good people do not think that he is only 10 when he plays this is his GIFT. the one thing he is good at and it helps his focus and sit still if he is upset or fed up he just picks up his guitar and plays his teachers say he if a star in the making, he has purfect timing so this could be something like you were saying about his hearing.He is on you tube thanks again for you reply i will post again if i find out any thing usefull from the assesments.. elsena
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6p6D0e2OV0 .a link to watch peter play his guitar..


Mum to Nikki 17, Claire 15, Peter 10 adhd secsory probs and an ace on the guitar.and Michael 9 Hydro on shunt #8,Dandy walker syndrome,slit vents ,bi-lacteral sub- temperol de comppressions, epilepsy, ataxia, sight probs and as cheky as they come..

[Daisy]

Sadly ADHD has become one of our "catch basins" for kids with behavior problems that we don't have other labels or understandings for and often instead of really working through to push towards a diagnosis for kids who really don't fit the profile of ADHD, it stops there.

I had a SPED teacher accuse me once of not believing in ADHD and that was far from the truth. I have had several family members on the spectrum of ADD to the far end of ADHD, however I saw far too many children who came into my classroom with other issues that were being ignored once the school and the parents had wrestled to an agreement of ADHD and then it was done. I still think about one student I had in my first year and based on all I've learned since then and I really believe while his behaviors were severe that it was the H part of the ADHD, there was in fact something else at work that I just didn't have a name for and others had just stopped looking for. I have prayed for him for years, that someone with far more experience in the field found answers for him because while I've since had some insight not being a doctor I have no way of knowing if my suspicions were right.

So what I always say to family and friends going through this is take time, have patience, and don't surrender to a diagnosis. If it is ADHD then work with it. If you just have that gut feeling that there is something else, don't surrender until you figure out what it is and don't wait on the schools to find out for you. You are going to have to be the advocate for your child perhaps seek outside resources to get a solid diagnosis. The medical diagnosis never comes from the school side as much as they have their suspicions. That always has to be from the medical community so keep working that side as well.

Keep journals that document what you see because often patterns are there that you don't see until you start to record them. If you start to see things at home, think about creating a check list for the teacher to look for the same kinds of behaviors at school. I find the easier you make it for a teacher to observe the more compliance you get. Checklists are easy to make and easy for teachers to fill out. A blank sheet often stays blank.

[Zonulin]

ADHD is exposed in this opinion from Wall Street Journal editor Tunku Varadarajan: http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/tvaradarajan/?id=95000997

Varadarajan believes most children's behavior is misdiagnosed as being "ADD/ADHD," but I think unusual behavior can also be caused by just being alive in today's world - the average adult in the U.S. is harboring over 700 chemicals, pesticides and other toxins - the cord blood of newborns contains from 250 - 300!!! Our children are eating mostly processed foods, they now live in a highly-toxic world, and that they are expected to sit all day and then come home and sit some more. Our way of life is responsible for the entire autism spectrum (ADHD --> Aspberger's --> Autism). I think the more toxic metals/pesticides a child is exposed to, the more problems they will have (autism). But there is this bizarre gap between mental and physical health that ensures no child will ever get the help they need.

Because mental illness is "diagnosed" (labeled, actually) using the DSM - a dictionary-sized manual containing lists of perceived, observed, subjective behaviors. And physical illness is diagnosed using symptoms, lab tests and (sometimes) exploratory methods, such as endoscopies, biopsies, surgery, etc. Since there are no lab tests for mental illness (with the ONE exception of Alzheimer's), it's a matter of assigning a label and drugging accordingly. I recently heard testimony from a pediatrician who said he tries various medications (psych drugs) in various strengths "until something works." Sort of like painting a wall using handfuls of paint...let's see what sticks!

Doctors need to WAKE UP and start testing how a child's body handles toxic metals (Metallothionein test), see whether they are producing sufficient enzymes to digest their food (Acetylcholine test), review WHAT they're eating, determine whether there are food intolerances going on (ELISA test), find out if they're absorbing any nutrients from their food (lactulose-to-mannitol urine test), ask (or see) what the POOP looks like, check whether the child is getting any exercise, look at how their immune systems are coping (Immunoglobulin Panel test), etc. It is too awful to think that these children could be so easily helped with just a few simple lab tests...instead they're given amphetamine drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine (ALL adversely affecting the cardiac system, among other things). And Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, etc (ALL adversely affecting the cardiac system, among other things). They need drugs to perform during the day and drugs to sleep at night - we are raising Judy Garlands! Ritalin remains a Schedule II drug, classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (the DEA) as a potent and potentially addictive substance, along with other abused drugs like morphine and cocaine. One of the most popular antidepressants in Europe, Tianeptine, is a Serotonin Reuptake Enhancer, with the opposite effect of the SSRIs, allowing LESS serotonin to flow between synapses. Go figure!

Karen