Anyone have an ADD/ADHD child? (1 Viewer)

[Pick]

LOL at a school pushing an IEP.

It is a joke. But many teachers at the lower levels get lazy and would rather the special ed folks deal with a kid. Most special ed teachers at the ed level spend their time testing or detering testing from teacher requests.

Being in special ed for ADHD. gets students taken out out of the general ed. classes in your district??? That is weird.

It's not automatic but easily classified under OHI or LD. Not a fan myself.

I understand students can be classified as OHI, but that shouldn't cause them to automatically get taken out of the classes they are already in.

Agreed. I don't know of anywhere that makes it automatic.

Ok, I misinterpreted your statement. A kid with ADHD and certified under OHI is the least likely candidate to be put into a self-contained room.

Ya a lot of misinterpreting going around in this thread. I just said I've seen teachers push for that.

 

[PIK95]

My child has diagnosed ADD but like a previous poster it is without hyperactivity. It just seems like he is off in his own world all the time and it really makes it hard for him in school. I was exactly the same way. No disruptive bhavior, just no focus, no concentration, no ability to get your act together. Never remember your work, your books, nothing. Watching TV is like being on another planet. The medicine in our case was to control the daydreaming/tuning out and allow us to focus on school. It worked wonders for me and seems to be doing wonders for my son.Our situation with ADD is a world away from what so many others are posting dealing with ADHD. Each of you have all my prayers for the best future possible.

This is how I am, not hyper. The drugs made me fall asleep and some made my heart feel like it was gonna blow so I stopped taking them. I do really well when I have a routine and have a tougher time (get mentally drained) when I don't. I have a really high IQ so I was able to coast by in work and school despite the ADD. Structure and Routine is key. My personality is more important to me then getting good grades/impressing bosses so I just said no. Good luck.

 

[igbomb]

I have a 7 year old w/ ADHD in second grade and we have decided to bite the bullet and put him on medication.We have been trying the non-medication route, but with very limited success. It’s been a problem since kindergarten (and the signs were there much earlier), and we’re just not seeing any year over year improvement in his ability to stay on task or handle the basics of classroom behavior. He’s miserable in school, terrible at making friends, and is the teacher’s pet for all of the wrong reasons. His teacher has great intentions, but she doesn’t seem to get ADHD and what it means for him and you can tell she gets frustrated with him. And the school has been less than helpful and just keeps pointing out that he is above grade level in everything so he shouldn’t need any extra services (we have been pushing for behavior therapy). The problem with their thinking is that we have had a comprehensive psych eval to reach the diagnosis and the intelligence testing shows that he is very superior in all of the cognitive measures. But the ADHD only allows him to be above average in his actual achievement. Very frustrating.So he’s starting Adderall this weekend. We were very hesitant, but we did a ton of research, had long talks with his doctor and went to series of CHADD meetings and are very comfortable with our conclusion to start him on meds.We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited that we might see the great results that others have, but also very nervous that he will exhibit some of the side effects, only get small improvements, or in general hate being on the medication.

 

[wazoo11]

I have a 7 year old w/ ADHD in second grade and we have decided to bite the bullet and put him on medication.

We have been trying the non-medication route, but with very limited success. It’s been a problem since kindergarten (and the signs were there much earlier), and we’re just not seeing any year over year improvement in his ability to stay on task or handle the basics of classroom behavior. He’s miserable in school, terrible at making friends, and is the teacher’s pet for all of the wrong reasons.

His teacher has great intentions, but she doesn’t seem to get ADHD and what it means for him and you can tell she gets frustrated with him. And the school has been less than helpful and just keeps pointing out that he is above grade level in everything so he shouldn’t need any extra services (we have been pushing for behavior therapy). The problem with their thinking is that we have had a comprehensive psych eval to reach the diagnosis and the intelligence testing shows that he is very superior in all of the cognitive measures. But the ADHD only allows him to be above average in his actual achievement. Very frustrating.

So he’s starting Adderall this weekend. We were very hesitant, but we did a ton of research, had long talks with his doctor and went to series of CHADD meetings and are very comfortable with our conclusion to start him on meds.

We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited that we might see the great results that others have, but also very nervous that he will exhibit some of the side effects, only get small improvements, or in general hate being on the medication.

Are you sure it's not an anxiety problem and not ADHD?

 

[igbomb]

I have a 7 year old w/ ADHD in second grade and we have decided to bite the bullet and put him on medication.

We have been trying the non-medication route, but with very limited success. It’s been a problem since kindergarten (and the signs were there much earlier), and we’re just not seeing any year over year improvement in his ability to stay on task or handle the basics of classroom behavior. He’s miserable in school, terrible at making friends, and is the teacher’s pet for all of the wrong reasons.

His teacher has great intentions, but she doesn’t seem to get ADHD and what it means for him and you can tell she gets frustrated with him. And the school has been less than helpful and just keeps pointing out that he is above grade level in everything so he shouldn’t need any extra services (we have been pushing for behavior therapy). The problem with their thinking is that we have had a comprehensive psych eval to reach the diagnosis and the intelligence testing shows that he is very superior in all of the cognitive measures. But the ADHD only allows him to be above average in his actual achievement. Very frustrating.

So he’s starting Adderall this weekend. We were very hesitant, but we did a ton of research, had long talks with his doctor and went to series of CHADD meetings and are very comfortable with our conclusion to start him on meds.

We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited that we might see the great results that others have, but also very nervous that he will exhibit some of the side effects, only get small improvements, or in general hate being on the medication.

Are you sure it's not an anxiety problem and not ADHD?

He had a slew of testing done and they all consistently pointed towards ADHD. We've questioned whether he also has anxiety issues (they are very comorbid) but the psychologist didn't see strong enough evidence to diagnose. She did diagnose him with Developmental Coordination Disorder as well, but didn't recommend anything beyond the ADHD medication. In fact, she didn't recommend any medication at first, but agreed that we weren't seeing quantifiable improvement without it.We actually started this by having him tested at an autism center at the school's urging. I hear stories of off the cuff diagnoses that don't justify meds, but we have really done our background work on this one.

 

[sho nuff]

I have a 7 year old w/ ADHD in second grade and we have decided to bite the bullet and put him on medication.We have been trying the non-medication route, but with very limited success. It’s been a problem since kindergarten (and the signs were there much earlier), and we’re just not seeing any year over year improvement in his ability to stay on task or handle the basics of classroom behavior. He’s miserable in school, terrible at making friends, and is the teacher’s pet for all of the wrong reasons. His teacher has great intentions, but she doesn’t seem to get ADHD and what it means for him and you can tell she gets frustrated with him. And the school has been less than helpful and just keeps pointing out that he is above grade level in everything so he shouldn’t need any extra services (we have been pushing for behavior therapy). The problem with their thinking is that we have had a comprehensive psych eval to reach the diagnosis and the intelligence testing shows that he is very superior in all of the cognitive measures. But the ADHD only allows him to be above average in his actual achievement. Very frustrating.So he’s starting Adderall this weekend. We were very hesitant, but we did a ton of research, had long talks with his doctor and went to series of CHADD meetings and are very comfortable with our conclusion to start him on meds.We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited that we might see the great results that others have, but also very nervous that he will exhibit some of the side effects, only get small improvements, or in general hate being on the medication.

Good luck.My niece was on Adderall and it simply was not for her. Not sure what she takes now but it has been a big help.My son is going on 2 years now on Focalin and done well. You can definitely tell the days he does not have his medicine or when it "wears off" in the afternoons.But his improvement at school in terms of behavior has been huge.We did the similar research and the main thing going forward is to keep monitoring and your child's doctor will continue that. We only get 3 months of prescriptions at a time...can't just call in a refill. But have to take the prescription to the pharmacy each month.Meet with the doctor every three where he talks with us and him and makes sure our dosage is still right for him and everything is going well.

 

[scrumptrulescent]

Hope none of you have guns in the house.TIA

 

[Foosball God]

Both my kids are on IEPs at school and the determination (without actually being a "real" determination) is they are exhibiting symptoms of ADD/ADHD. They did a few classroom observation of my daughter and saw that she was on task only 35% of the time.I need to get them to a doctor to run tests but frankly I'm concerned that ADD is over diagnosed, and that putting them on some kind of medication will totally alter their personalities. I don't want to turn my kid into a zombie, but I also don't want them to struggle with school if there is a way to help them focus.

 

[igbomb]

Both my kids are on IEPs at school and the determination (without actually being a "real" determination) is they are exhibiting symptoms of ADD/ADHD. They did a few classroom observation of my daughter and saw that she was on task only 35% of the time.I need to get them to a doctor to run tests but frankly I'm concerned that ADD is over diagnosed, and that putting them on some kind of medication will totally alter their personalities. I don't want to turn my kid into a zombie, but I also don't want them to struggle with school if there is a way to help them focus.

We were nervous about the zombie effect as well, but as our doctor pointed out, the loss of personality is an undesirable side effect like any of the other ones we are looking out for. If it occurs, then we will simply pull him off of it and try something else. In other words, the loss of personality is not the outcome of a successful medication. It is a sign of an unsuccessful one. We don't stop until we find the one that doesn't generate that feeling.And on the diagnosis side, ADHD is a physical difference, asynchronous development in the brain. If there is a physical impediment for my kid, I want to know about it. That's why we had comprehensive testing done, so that we could be confident that he actually has this condition. It's a lot easier (though still difficult) to not lose my mind when he ignores me all day long if I know he has something beyond bad behavior.

 

[igbomb]

My child has diagnosed ADD but like a previous poster it is without hyperactivity. It just seems like he is off in his own world all the time and it really makes it hard for him in school. I was exactly the same way. No disruptive bhavior, just no focus, no concentration, no ability to get your act together. Never remember your work, your books, nothing. Watching TV is like being on another planet. The medicine in our case was to control the daydreaming/tuning out and allow us to focus on school. It worked wonders for me and seems to be doing wonders for my son.Our situation with ADD is a world away from what so many others are posting dealing with ADHD. Each of you have all my prayers for the best future possible.

I know this post is more than a year old, but this is exactly my kid. When he was young, everyone marveled at how young he learned to read and how advanced he was. And we thought it was great, too. But now all he wants to do is read. He gets busted in class all the time sneaking a book out of his desk instead of writing or paying attention. He simply can't control himself. So yeah, he reads at a high school level, but he's completely oblivious of the world around him most of the time.

 

[bigbottom]

I have a 7 year old w/ ADHD in second grade and we have decided to bite the bullet and put him on medication.We have been trying the non-medication route, but with very limited success. It’s been a problem since kindergarten (and the signs were there much earlier), and we’re just not seeing any year over year improvement in his ability to stay on task or handle the basics of classroom behavior. He’s miserable in school, terrible at making friends, and is the teacher’s pet for all of the wrong reasons. His teacher has great intentions, but she doesn’t seem to get ADHD and what it means for him and you can tell she gets frustrated with him. And the school has been less than helpful and just keeps pointing out that he is above grade level in everything so he shouldn’t need any extra services (we have been pushing for behavior therapy). The problem with their thinking is that we have had a comprehensive psych eval to reach the diagnosis and the intelligence testing shows that he is very superior in all of the cognitive measures. But the ADHD only allows him to be above average in his actual achievement. Very frustrating.So he’s starting Adderall this weekend. We were very hesitant, but we did a ton of research, had long talks with his doctor and went to series of CHADD meetings and are very comfortable with our conclusion to start him on meds.We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited that we might see the great results that others have, but also very nervous that he will exhibit some of the side effects, only get small improvements, or in general hate being on the medication.

Best of luck. It sounds like this was a very difficult decision and I truly hope that it works out for your family.

 

[Polish Hammer]

My son is in first grade and will be turning 7 in May. He started ADHD meds about last April and we had been having him utilize other therapies (non-medication) for over a year prior to the meds. I have to say that his behavior has seen a dramatic improvement with the meds, and he is actually happier. We started him on Concerta and it worked very well, but he had extreme difficulty taking the actual pill (can't chew/crush it). After struggling with that the first few months we switched him to an extended release form of Ritalin that we can sprinkle on applesauce and he takes it like a champ. He has told us that he feels more relaxed on his meds and has flat out said "my head isn't so crazy with thinking about too many things." Once he was able to tell us that we felt much better about the choice. His teachers and his therapists also agree that they have been a tremendous help. It took a little time to get the dosage to a level where it was effective without inhibiting his personality, but we have gotten there for now. Every day isn't perfect, but when we think back to how things used to be, it is so much better. Our family has far less stress and more enjoyable time together. He is a tremendously smart kid and loves learning and this has enabled him to enjoy the school day more.He also has other issues (Aspergers, anxiety, sensory, etc) but at least we can keep some of the ADHD symptoms down to help work on the other areas. Bottom line, to the parents that are considering this route, I only suggest that you don't dismiss it out of hand. I was personally against meds for a long time, but without them we could only get so far in helping him. Know that if you are vexing over the decision, you are already a good parent because you care enough to worry. Talk it over with your spouse and your child and make the decision knowing that you always have the freedom to change your mind. You'll know in your heart what is right.Best of luck.

 

[shader]

My son is three and I'm concerned he has one of these. Is this too early to worry about it? It could just be that he's 3. I certainly won't be considering meds this early. But I am concerned that perhaps he has this.

 

[igbomb]

My son is three and I'm concerned he has one of these. Is this too early to worry about it? It could just be that he's 3. I certainly won't be considering meds this early. But I am concerned that perhaps he has this.

It's not too early, but I've been told that the hardest part of diagnosing ADHD in young kids is that every young kid has ADHD symptoms. Normal 3 year old behavior and ADHD are awfully hard to distinguish. It's the fact that my seven year old still acts like a three year old with regards to impulsivity, etc. that led to the diagnosis.So by all means discuss it with your doctor, but it could also just be normal behavior.

 

[Workhorse]

My 6 year old son in first grade was just diagnosed as ADHD Inattentive yesterday. We're not going with medication for the time being. He's very bright and we certainly don't want to change his personality through drugs. We've developed a system of charts that he can check off daily activities at school and at home to keep himself on track and it's helping quite a bit. He's ultra-competitive so setting up systems where he's able to measure and track his own success/failure has been working.

 

[igbomb]

I have a 7 year old w/ ADHD in second grade and we have decided to bite the bullet and put him on medication.We have been trying the non-medication route, but with very limited success. It’s been a problem since kindergarten (and the signs were there much earlier), and we’re just not seeing any year over year improvement in his ability to stay on task or handle the basics of classroom behavior. He’s miserable in school, terrible at making friends, and is the teacher’s pet for all of the wrong reasons. His teacher has great intentions, but she doesn’t seem to get ADHD and what it means for him and you can tell she gets frustrated with him. And the school has been less than helpful and just keeps pointing out that he is above grade level in everything so he shouldn’t need any extra services (we have been pushing for behavior therapy). The problem with their thinking is that we have had a comprehensive psych eval to reach the diagnosis and the intelligence testing shows that he is very superior in all of the cognitive measures. But the ADHD only allows him to be above average in his actual achievement. Very frustrating.So he’s starting Adderall this weekend. We were very hesitant, but we did a ton of research, had long talks with his doctor and went to series of CHADD meetings and are very comfortable with our conclusion to start him on meds.We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited that we might see the great results that others have, but also very nervous that he will exhibit some of the side effects, only get small improvements, or in general hate being on the medication.

So we're nearly three weeks into medication for my son now. All in all, we've seen dramatic improvement in a lot of areas. His teacher raves about the changes in the class. He reacts to his name the first time, he stays on task for the most part, and he is a little writing machine. In the past, he would struggle for thirty minutes to settle on an idea to write about, now he has pen to paper almost immediately and writes the whole time. He still has his idiosyncracies like reading at every opportunity, but the teacher says that he at least finishes his work before heading off to do his own thing. Because he is so bright, he has more down time than the other kids and heads to the bookshelves every time. I must have the only boy that likes indoor recess more than being outside.He's better at home too. He listens far better. He's still pretty immature, but he hasn't been able to learn all of those social and behavior skills in the past so it will take some catching up. And he has always had some finger fidgets, especially with reading, and those are at least as bad and maybe worse. But they aren't anything that causes problems for him.I'm a believer.

 

[The Duff Man]

Does anyone have experience with the impulsive version of ADHD, i think it is HI? My daughter just got diagnosed, got the call while on vacation so I havent got to meet with the doctor about it yet.She is 7 and doesnt have many of the inattentive or hyperactive symptoms really, but hits all of the ones in the impulsive group. Cant wait for anything! Not hyperactive really, just impatient.I struggle wondering how much of that is personality and immaturity versus something she will need medication for. Hasnt effected school (yet)

 

[modogg]

I have to admit that before I had kids I always thought "ADHD" was code for "I'm a spolied brat with bad parents" but I can assure you it isn't.

Do you think there is a percentage of "I'm a spoiled brat with bad parents" cases where medication is being prescribed? If so, what percentage is it?

It can be objectively tested AND analyzed. We had about 20 hours of testing done by Children's Hospital & another 20 hours of testing by the SSD. Then another 2 weeks, spread over 2 months, of observation at school.

There is no test. This isn't like diabetes, cancer, or high blood pressure. An objective test doesn't exist. There is however giant pharmaceutical corporations out there that have some pull with regard how children are being assessed, who is doing the assessments, and how treatments are being prescribed.Again, this is controversial stuff, and unless the OP states he wants to hear dissenting opinions I won't post again in this thread.

To answer your first question, I honestly know. I don't have any friends or family (other than myself at my son's age) that have kids diagnosed with ADHD.Your second statement , yeah, there is. Are you really saying only blood tests are valid tests? Do you test your students or just DNA test their hair?

look up the research on frontal lobe development and ADHD diagnosis. there are plenty of theories and research out there and the diagnosis is still being explored. Hooper needs to realize that yes the pharm. companies have their hand in things, but to suggest that the mental/behavioral health field is a slave to the industry is a crime, and a shame. dissenting opinions i'm sure are fine, but you should be better informed before making such declarative statements.

 

[igbomb]

My 6 year old son in first grade was just diagnosed as ADHD Inattentive yesterday. We're not going with medication for the time being. He's very bright and we certainly don't want to change his personality through drugs. We've developed a system of charts that he can check off daily activities at school and at home to keep himself on track and it's helping quite a bit. He's ultra-competitive so setting up systems where he's able to measure and track his own success/failure has been working.

We tried the same route you are going down. It worked to the extent that he didn't really fall behind academically, but we knew he was still behind where his brain should be taking him. That alone I would probably be able to live with, but we really saw the ADHD start to impact him socially. His total lack of impulse control and tendency for his brain to wander into its own world made it very hard to make friends. Also, all of his classmates saw him constantly getting attention from the teacher for behavior which couldn't have helped. I wish you nothing but the best. You may want to look into some kind of social therapy through the school. My son's school has some weekly group friend sessions that he is joining that helps to learn social skills. My biggest surprise of this whole ADHD issue was the social impact. I didn't realize before being faced with it how all-encompassing the impacts are on their lives.

 

[Foosball God]

The doctor prescribed Strattera for our son. Any thoughts on it?

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Update from me. Wow, what a difference a good school and good teachers make. It has been a ton of work but Cal is doing awesome. He isn't there just yet but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Two years ago he was a kid that didn't want to make friends, did poorly at school despite his intelligence, had outbursts and worse at school and home and was just a recluse. This year he ran for Student Council and won in a landslide even though he did zero campaigning. He's in the robotics club, computer club and Boy Scouts. Oh and he made the Honor Roll both quarters this year, the last with straight A's. According to his last progress report will probably get straight A's again for the third quarter.So things can get better, I know the deep pain it causes you and I'm happy to answer any PM's you may have.Hoopershick! & Pick, you're still #######s.

 

[bosoxs45]

Update from me. Wow, what a difference a good school and good teachers make. It has been a ton of work but Cal is doing awesome. He isn't there just yet but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Two years ago he was a kid that didn't want to make friends, did poorly at school despite his intelligence, had outbursts and worse at school and home and was just a recluse. This year he ran for Student Council and won in a landslide even though he did zero campaigning. He's in the robotics club, computer club and Boy Scouts. Oh and he made the Honor Roll both quarters this year, the last with straight A's. According to his last progress report will probably get straight A's again for the third quarter.So things can get better, I know the deep pain it causes you and I'm happy to answer any PM's you may have.Hoopershick! & Pick, you're still #######s.

Hyperfocus mode =

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Update from me. Wow, what a difference a good school and good teachers make. It has been a ton of work but Cal is doing awesome. He isn't there just yet but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Two years ago he was a kid that didn't want to make friends, did poorly at school despite his intelligence, had outbursts and worse at school and home and was just a recluse. This year he ran for Student Council and won in a landslide even though he did zero campaigning. He's in the robotics club, computer club and Boy Scouts. Oh and he made the Honor Roll both quarters this year, the last with straight A's. According to his last progress report will probably get straight A's again for the third quarter.So things can get better, I know the deep pain it causes you and I'm happy to answer any PM's you may have.Hoopershick! & Pick, you're still #######s.

Hyperfocus mode =

Actually, not at all. He's just more "normal" now. This school has teachers that understand and are trained to help kids like him. It has made all the difference in the world. I can't wait to, hopefully, get him off the meds but that will probably take a couple of years still.

 

[Braktastic]

My son is 10 and daughter is eight. Both have some variation of ADHD. My son is more attention deficiet, and my daughter is more hyperactive. They are both taking Concerta, 36 and 24 mg respectively. Anyway, my daughter went in for her latest med-check and having lost another pound the doctor recommended a prescription medical food called Vayarin that's getting a lot of positive buzz.

Apparently, Vayarin takes a while to kick-in. From what I've seen it can take around 10-14 weeks to see what's been reported as some really remarkable improvement. So the plan is to continue taking Concerta through the remainder of the school year in addition to the Vayarin and hopefully transition off Concerta over the summer. We'll see.

 

[igbomb]

Ugh. Bringing back an old thread here.

My ADHD son is now 10. It's been quite a ride but we manage.

Our newest issue is that he keeps getting up in the middle of the night. He goes to sleep fine. And some nights he sleeps right through the night and into the morning. But other nights he gets up in the middle of the night, sometimes as early as 2 AM, and goes downstairs to watch TV or play video games. We've taken to hiding all remotes, etc. And now instead of watching TV he reads a book. For freaking hours.

Any idea on how to keep a kid in their bed through the night, short of locking his door? I know this isn't typically a 10 year old problem, but I'd even take a toddler level solution at this point.

 

[Nugget]

 

[snellman]

Ugh. Bringing back an old thread here.

My ADHD son is now 10. It's been quite a ride but we manage.

Our newest issue is that he keeps getting up in the middle of the night. He goes to sleep fine. And some nights he sleeps right through the night and into the morning. But other nights he gets up in the middle of the night, sometimes as early as 2 AM, and goes downstairs to watch TV or play video games. We've taken to hiding all remotes, etc. And now instead of watching TV he reads a book. For freaking hours.

Any idea on how to keep a kid in their bed through the night, short of locking his door? I know this isn't typically a 10 year old problem, but I'd even take a toddler level solution at this point.

Went through the same thing. Luckily it was a phase that hasn't happened for a while now. Grounding doesn't help, because they don't seem to understand consequences.

 

[Bonzai]

Ugh. Bringing back an old thread here.

My ADHD son is now 10. It's been quite a ride but we manage.

Our newest issue is that he keeps getting up in the middle of the night. He goes to sleep fine. And some nights he sleeps right through the night and into the morning. But other nights he gets up in the middle of the night, sometimes as early as 2 AM, and goes downstairs to watch TV or play video games. We've taken to hiding all remotes, etc. And now instead of watching TV he reads a book. For freaking hours.

Any idea on how to keep a kid in their bed through the night, short of locking his door? I know this isn't typically a 10 year old problem, but I'd even take a toddler level solution at this point.

Went through the same thing. Luckily it was a phase that hasn't happened for a while now. Grounding doesn't help, because they don't seem to understand consequences.

Good chance it's not a behavioral issue. Sleep problems are common for kids with ADHD who are prescribed stimulants.

Kids who take stimulants for ADHD are also sometimes prescribed Clonidine at night to help them sleep.

 

[igbomb]

Ugh. Bringing back an old thread here.

My ADHD son is now 10. It's been quite a ride but we manage.

Our newest issue is that he keeps getting up in the middle of the night. He goes to sleep fine. And some nights he sleeps right through the night and into the morning. But other nights he gets up in the middle of the night, sometimes as early as 2 AM, and goes downstairs to watch TV or play video games. We've taken to hiding all remotes, etc. And now instead of watching TV he reads a book. For freaking hours.

Any idea on how to keep a kid in their bed through the night, short of locking his door? I know this isn't typically a 10 year old problem, but I'd even take a toddler level solution at this point.

Went through the same thing. Luckily it was a phase that hasn't happened for a while now. Grounding doesn't help, because they don't seem to understand consequences.

Good chance it's not a behavioral issue. Sleep problems are common for kids with ADHD who are prescribed stimulants.

Kids who take stimulants for ADHD are also sometimes prescribed Clonidine at night to help them sleep.

Yeah, we tried taking things away, losing screen time, etc. But his ability to think ahead extends all of 90 seconds so there is no rationalization present.

And the meds question is where we are struggling. He took most of the summer off of his meds but sometimes still got up in the middle of the night. A therapist in the past has suggested there may be anxiety there as well and sleeplessness is definitely a symptom of anxiety. So we're going to pursue that path with his doctor ASAP and see where we get.

 

[ATC1]

When I have time I really need to read through this thread. My son was diagnosed at 4. I thought it was ridiculous that young, but I definately noticed a difference when he started school. We got him tested and recommended we start medication. While I have noticed a huge difference, right now we want just enough to get him through the day at school. When he gets home he needs to go play on the trampoline for an hour before bed each night. Teachers say she does show some qualities of a high functioning child. He picks things up fast and loves to learn. He is in Monisori right now, but I don't know what we are going to do next year. Public schools are not the best in the area and private schools are known for not being helpful for kids with special needs.

 

[Quez]

Is he on medication? His diet throughout the day could determine how the medication is reacting. ie if be doesn't eat & drink much he might have more of the medication in his system

The first time I ever experimented with any kind of uppers was when a buddy gave me an adderal in 9th grade. I took it at about 4pm and didn't sleep the entire night. I sat and played that snake game on an old PC all night. The one where you eat the apples and the snake grows. I got so good & was so focused that I beat the game. When you get far enough the game starts back to level 1 all over again. I am not sure if there is a kill screen BTW.

 

[RealReactions]

When I have time I really need to read through this thread. My son was diagnosed at 4. I thought it was ridiculous that young, but I definately noticed a difference when he started school. We got him tested and recommended we start medication. While I have noticed a huge difference, right now we want just enough to get him through the day at school. When he gets home he needs to go play on the trampoline for an hour before bed each night. Teachers say she does show some qualities of a high functioning child. He picks things up fast and loves to learn. He is in Monisori right now, but I don't know what we are going to do next year. Public schools are not the best in the area and private schools are known for not being helpful for kids with special needs.

Im in college now I'm 22 and have ADD and i hate when people call it special needs. Its a medical condition that can be controlled with medication it isn't like I'm dumb or something i hate that term special needs as everyone things it means you are dumb. The kid will be fine get him on it as soon as possible. And truthfully when you are in college he will be glad he has ADD because adderall is a miracle drug to focus and helps you a lot for classes. Honestly if i wasn't on it i wouldn't be able to do good in school. Don't treat him as if he is ######ed either will just make him feel different. You're kid is normal he just has trouble focusing on things. And its not like the movies portray it where you will be talking to someone and out o nowhere be like oh hey look a squirrel. The best way i can describe it to you from my perspective is when I'm not on it I'm oblivious to everything. I could be living in the same house for years and wouldn't notice a change of color on the walls unless it was drastic. Also what gets me the most is if i am not on it and i have to read i can only focus on reading for maybe 10 minutes get through a couple pages, then ill read through 10 pages or so and couldn't tell you what the last paragraph said and would have to go back and start over.

 

[Righetti]

Good luck through this. I don't really have much advice, other than I think it's the right choice. I went through this a couple of years ago with my now 8-year old. It was worth it... although it does take some time to find the right medication and dosage. We went through two drugs that worked really well, but had undesirable side effects.

It's tough to make this call, given the stigma of ADHD meds. But with kids that really are ADHD (which it definitely sounds like your kid is) it can be a significant boost to their quality of life, and yours.

what side effects?

 

[Righetti]

Good chance it's not a behavioral issue. Sleep problems are common for kids with ADHD who are prescribed stimulants.

Kids who take stimulants for ADHD are also sometimes prescribed Clonidine at night to help them sleep.

this is what scares me.. it becomes a total cocktail