My Daughter was diagnosed with Attention deficit and Hyperactivity disorder just over a year ago (she is 10years old), she is currently taking ritolin.

I have never been completely comfortable with the diagnosis, but i never really knew why. I recently took her off the medication, and found that the only real difference is she is not so depressed, she is much happier, the medication has not helped her at all, except for in school she is slightly less disruptive, but i still get called in!

She has never played with toys, her favourite 'toy' is her china dolls, which she dusts and keeps perfect and no-one is allowed near, but she has never played with a 'normal' doll.

She never keeps a friend for long as they don't really understand her, you can see on their faces they are tolerating her.

She has been i.q. tested and she scored above average intelligence but in school she is slowly but surely getting further and further behind, despite the medication.

She can not sit still, she is fidgety and restless and she is prone to temper tantrums of most impressive proportions.

She is not very comfortable being cuddled, and hates to be kissed, even by me. She also views the world from an extremely materialistic view point, she does not understand other peoples feelings, although she does react extremely well to our dog!

Please let me know if it is more likely that she is ADHD or if you think i am a mother who is just looking for problems, (i feel i am most of the time.)

-- Bev Pye (bevpye@netscapeonline.co.uk), April 23, 2000

Answers

> I recently took her off the medication, and found that the only > real difference is she is not so depressed, she is much happier..... > She never keeps a friend for long as they don't really understand > her, you can see on their faces they are only tolerating her.

Sounds just like my daughter. She was dx ADHD, then CAPD, but now AS w/Non Verbal Learning Disability. This one is the only one that has ever made enough sense. The other dx were almost right, but none of the strategies to help her made any long term diffence.

I finally think we are on the right track with Asperger's. She is so smart... If we can just teach her all the social rules like we teach math, I know she'll figure it out. The problem is how do you teach things that you and most people get by osmosis?

-- Lyn Woods (Lyn@Woods.ch), June 09, 2000.