My DS has ADHD

[minnieandme]

I posted here a few weeks ago about my DS's teacher saying she thinks he may be ADHD. Well after contacting his dr., filling out paperwork and finally getting an appt. it's been confirmed yesterday .

It's a bittersweet moment for me. In a way I'm a little sad that my DS is wired a little differently than most people. But on the other hand, I'm happy to know the cause behind his behavior and why he does the things he do. Hopefully this will be the start of a new beginning for all of us. He got his first dose of meds this morning so I have to monitor him over the next couple of days and report any changes whether good or bad to his dr. so she'll know if she will have to adjust his strength, dose amt. etc.

Thanks everyone who gave their advice on this matter.

 

[meandtheguys2]

I'm glad you've been given an answer, and hope that it leads to solutions.

 

[JunieJay]

I think finding the answers to what makes our children tick is a huge relief for most of us. Wishing you and your son the best.

 

[ohiominnie]

My son also has ADD (he doesn't have the H part)
The medication has done wonders for him. Without it, he cannot concentrate for longer than a few minutes. It's frustrating to him and to me (especially since we homeschool)
He also has the "impulse control" part of it. Without the medication, if he thinks it, he does it. On the medication he might think it, but then his brain takes the time to think about consequences and usually he doesn't act on his first thought.
I'm ADD too, but I treat mine with caffiene (which works very similar to how the medications work--but it's shorter acting)
Research has shown that untreated ADD in kids leads to more risky behaviors (drugs, sex, smoking, reckless driving, dare devil behavior, etc) so although there is a stigma attached to the medication (like it or not, some people still think you're "drugging your kid") I'd rather deal with that than poor choices.
Also, research shows that untreated ADD leads to more divorces in adults. Interesting, eh?
Dh (pediatrician) did a very indepth podcast on ADHD/ADD which talks about things from a lay perspective (no fancy jargon)....you may want to take a listen:
http://www.pediascribe.com/podcast/20060802/pediacast-episode-3-news-adhd-infant-feeding/

 

[honeymom]

See if the ADHD meds work. They did not for my dd. She uses risperdal, an anti-psychotic.

ADHD is a description of behaviors, not a definitive diagnosis based on a blood or urine test, or xray. That is why the meds are not always a definite thing either.

 

[KirstenB]

Our 8 yr old dd was just diagnosed with ADD, no hyper either, Ohio Minnie. I would like to try meds but my dh is having a tough time with that. I'm having a hard time coming up with an alternative. Like I told him, I don't think incentives will work. You can tell her "we're going to Busch Gardens, you need to get dressed, brush your teeth, and brush your hair". BTW she loves BG. So that should take the average kid like 5 minutes. 20 minutes later, she's in her room and hasn't gotten dressed yet. Because she's not hyper, she tends to fly under the radar. I'm not sure there are other treatment options for a kid who's just spacy.