Would you please share your views on ADHD and medication?

[cruisnfamily]

Ok, I could post this as a really long detailed vent at my DS's school and the issues we are having this year. I am, however, trying to post this from a non-argumentative, information seeking perspective so please bear with me! I'll try not to ramble but I want to lay out some facts for you.

DS(turned 7 yesterday) is in the 1st grade. We love our school (a magnet/fundamental school) and have a DD who is in 4th grade at the same school. Love the teachers, administrators, etc.....until this year.

DS has the same teacher DD had for 1st grade. We loved (past tense) this teacher for DD and actually really wanted her for DS. Very strong academics, no nonsense kind of person. We get along well with her. Well, the first few weeks of school DS was completely off the walls, behavior wise. Crawling on the floor, making noises, can't sit....etc, etc. I am in the class probably 6 hours a week so I saw all this too, the teacher wasn't making it up or anything. Keep in mind, he is a sweet child, not a disruptive child....he's not bothering anybody but himself and not disrupting the class.

Well, it was decided to put him on a behavior chart to focus on the behaviors he was having trouble with (sitting still, making noises) and we decided to have him evaluated to get to the bottom of this situation.

Long story short, he's very, very bright (but not quite gifted) and is what the psychologist called "on the cusp" for ADHD. He has some ADHD behaviors but doesn't meet the clinical diagnosis. She said meds would help him but that wasn't the direction we should go right now . Her recommendation: behavior modification (charts, etc) for the next 1 to 2 years and if there is no improvement or things worsen....then we might try a trial of medication.

Flash forward to the teacher: She just doesn't buy this. She has decided he must be on meds. Period! She has a son on meds and just thinks she has all the answers. There is no way we will ever change her mind no matter how DS behaves. I think it is important to point out that she does not dislike my son or anything but she is singling him out when evaluating his daily behavior.

We feel like he is being very successful, his behavior has improved very, very much and we're ready for everybody to just get off his back and let him be a kid. He has stopped making the noises but still has trouble sitting still. I think he's doing fine...

Well, the school calls me in for a meeting yesterday and the gist of the meeting was "this is damaging his self esteem" "he wants to be like everybody else" "he cannot control his behavior, he needs help" "if he were on meds it would be easier for him" etc, etc. I respectfully disagreed with everything and it was decided he would come off his behavior charts and be evaluated like everybody else for the month of January and then we will meet again. I know the teacher will go out of her way to be sure that it does not appear that he is successful and we will again be faced with the "meds" talk.

So, here's my question: Am I doing him a dis-service by handling this the way we are? Should I make it "easier" for him to sit still by drugging him? How does that help him learn to control himself? We feel like he's fine and just want to get through this year.

Ok, I've rambled long enough.....thanks for listening....

Any comments?

 

[snoopy]

It was suggested to us that we put my son on meds when he was in kindergarden. He was having many of the same issues as your child is. DH and I took the wait and see approach, and it turns out, in his case, he was having more of a social adjustment problem than an attention disorder. He is now in 2nd grade and no longer had behavioral problems.

I may get flamed for saying this, but I would think long and hard before putting a small child on medication. Particularly when its a boy, and its a problem with hyperactivity. My son was/is high spirited, but has never had a problem staying focused, and I felt that he would outgrow his need to fidget. And it appears that he has. I realize this is not universal advice, some kids do not outgrow it, but this was our experience.

 

[iLovDisney]

First of all: Is he getting enough sleep, good nutrition and hydration, and plenty of exercise? These factors can make a big difference.

I think a note from the physician stating that she does not think meds are required at this time should tone down the teacher.

How does he behave at home? I'm a little concerned where you said:

Crawling on the floor, making noises, can't sit.... Keep in mind, he is a sweet child, not a disruptive child....he's not bothering anybody but himself and not disrupting the class.

These things would be very disruptive to my children. I know all 3 of mine would have a hard time paying attention in class if someone was crawling on the floor. Some kids have the ability to tune out what everyone else is doing, but others can't.

Have you explained how it's not fair for his behavior to affect the other children? Can he see the effects of what he's doing? Is he apologetic or defiant?

Is the material challenging enough for him? Does he know it all already -- or does he think he does? Does the teacher use a variety of instructional methods? Did he do this in Kindergarten?

Could you secretly videotape a class period (with the teacher's knowledge) so your presence wouldn't be a factor? Sit and look at it as though you were a reporter for 60 Minutes, not a mom. What would your report be?

I am heading out the door for a long day of birthday parties, basketball games, and clothes shopping with a 13-year-old DD (help!!!!). I'll check back this evening. Take care.

 

[cruisnfamily]

I'm not real good at doing the quote thing (how do you do more than one quote in a response anyway?) so I will try to respond without quoting.

His nutrition, sleep, etc is fine. No problems there.

His behavior at home is fine...He's a fidget but there's no problem. He's not bouncing off the walls or anything remotely like that.

I agree that his behavior at the beginning of the year was horrendous. If that behavior were still continuing we would be right there with them but it's not. He has really settled down. His ONLY problem currently is fidgeting in his chair. Hard time sitting still.

He is absolutely NOT defiant in any way. He is really sweet. He feels bad when told he is doing wrong, he just doesn't seem to realize that he isn't sitting properly or is fidgeting around. Often he'll be like "what did I do?". He is not doing anything that would bother the other kids at all.

The material is challenging enough. He grasps everything quickly and easily and does become bored if he needs to listen to a long rendition of how to do something once he has grasped it but since all the material is new to him when first presented I would have to say it is challenging enough.

No, he didn't do this in kindergarten (or prior to that either) but you have to keep in mind that up until now, there have never been any real expectations to sit and learn the way there are now. First grade is a big change from kindergarten, structure wise.

No need to "secretly video" the class. I'm there enough and his behavior is no different whether or not I am there (according to the teacher).

He isn't the quiet, sit still kind of kid but he's not a "problem child" either.

Keep the thoughts and ideas coming!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by snoopy
DH and I took the wait and see approach. He is now in 2nd grade and no longer had behavioral problems.

My son was/is high spirited, but has never had a problem staying focused, and I felt that he would outgrow his need to fidget. And it appears that he has. I realize this is not universal advice, some kids do not outgrow it, but this was our experience.

Thank you, Snoopy! These are our thoughts exactly! And apparently the psychologist agrees with us. Had she come back and said "he needs meds" we would have given that much more thought and consideration....but she didn't! She said "give it 1 to 2 years"

He has improved SO much and we just want everybody to get off his back, but they won't.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by snoopy
I may get flamed for saying this, but I would think long and hard before putting a small child on medication.

My son was/is high spirited

And what would your son (or mine) be like on drugs? Would you want him to NOT be high spirited? I don't think so. I don't want a "good" child, I want MY child. And he wouldn't be the same child if we alter his personality.

It would be probably help all of us face the world and be calmer every day if we were to smoke something or drink something every morning before heading out for the day. But is that the best way to handle life? Get drunk, stoned, or drugged? Obviously not. So why do they want to do that to my little kid.

I'm not anti medication by the way. If we felt it were warranted, we'd check it out. I'm anti medication in this case, for this child. I realize there are cases where the medication is very helpful and a good thing for the child.

Please don't flame me. I'm really seeking info/advice not trying to start a debate on whether medication can help some kids....I know it can...I'm just not thinking it's the right thing for my kid.

Thanks again!

 

[mickey65]

There is a student at my school that has a similiar pattern of behaviour. The student has been observed by the school behaviourist many times and the SNAP checklists for ADHD have been completed. What we are trying now is leting the student have 2 seats in the classroom. He will work at one seat for a specified period of time (he has a timer), then he will move to the other seat. To avoid moving books and all that, he has math and science at one desk (and all needed pencils ect) and other subjects at the other desk. His behaviour is still being charted, and he earns points for sitting at one desk for the specified period of time. He also has a ball of Play Doh at each desk that he can use when his work is finished. It is our goal that by providing him with an alternative to having to sit still in one seat all day, that the behaviors will decrease. The doctor has also suggested meds, but as a team at school and with the parents they would rather try behaviour modification programs first.

Good Luck with your son, I hope things work out.

 

[DVC-Don]

My son was in a private school for kindergarten and 1st grade. His teacher in K told us she thought DS was ADHD and needed medication. We had DS signed up with as a patient with a Child Nurologist (sp?) and she told us that no way was he ADHD.

We transfered him to the public school system where is now in Middle School and a A & B student with no disipline problems.

Guess we now know why the K teacher is not a MD.

 

[Talking Hands]

One ting that can help with the fidgeting is to make sure his ddesk and chair fit him. He should be able to place his feet flat on the floor. If not the desk and chair are too large and he should be moved to one that fits.

 

[emmy]

I love Mickey65's answer- what a great way to approach the situation! We have a son who has Sensory integration dysfunction along with other disabilities, so I have spent a lot of time looking at these issues, and I agree some kids do need meds- but not every fidgety boy does!
The playdoh, koosh balls,squeeze toys,textured or weighted pencils and an "air disc" to sit on may help. Some of these kids also sit on the large exercise balls during some classes.DS has velcro glued under his desk to fidget with. All of these things give sensory input and help a child be able to concentrate on the task at hand.
I would definately try these types of things if and see if they helped before I would go down the ADHD road if the doctors are seeming to think that is not the problem.

 

[perd]

As someone who DID put their son on medication when he was really young, I would say wait. My son was "diagnosed" with ADD when he was only 4 and put on Ritalin when he was not quite five. He stayed on it until third grade, when I took him off of it. He really did okay from kindergarten to third grade. We took him off of it and he really struggled in fourth, fifth and sixth grades. In sixth grade we took him to an ADD specialist to see if he needed to be back on medication. This ADD specialist said that someone jumped the gun in putting him on medication. He did not think my son had ADD at all. He thought it was simply a lack of motivation.

Well, so he struggled through 6th grade and is struggling again this year. His pediatrician gave him some Adderall just to try to see if it would make a difference (this is after he has been working with a tutor, etc, and that hasn't seemed to help much). He has only been on the Adderall for three weeks. So far he SEEMS to be doing better, but I think it's too soon to tell.

Well in the meantime I had made an appointment with the ADD specialist again to see what he would say now. But couldn't get in right away - that's why I went ahead and started my son on Adderall again. I would have preferred to talk to the ADD specialist first, but wasn't able to get in and felt like we had to do SOMETHING.

The ADD specialist said go ahead and continue the Adderall for a couple of months if we want to and see if there is a dramatic change, but he STILL does not think my son has ADD. This is a guy who ONLY works with ADD kids, so I think he probably knows what he is talking about.

So all these years later I still don't know if my son has ADD or not, but he was on Ritalin for over four years anyway! Oh, and my son too scores very high on achievement tests.

If I could go back and do things over, I would NOT have put my son on Ritalin at age 4 or 5 or 6. I think I would have given him until third or fourth grade if there was still a problem. Kids are not all the same. Some are more active than others. Some are more mature than others. The teachers cannot MAKE you put your child on Ritalin. My pediatrician said "You are the parent. It is your decision, not the teacher's." My son's teacher one year was even trying to suggest WHICH medication my son should be on!

One reason I took my son off of the Ritalin is it took away his personality. He was a happy, cheerful, singing child, and then he would take the Ritalin and an hour later had a flat affect and just walked around in a daze. But was very compliant and would do whatever I asked him without any struggle at all. Which I think a lot of times is what the teachers want!

I am not against medication. But I think in your case I would wait a few years and see how your son does. Maybe he just needs to mature a little. Or maybe schools need to realize kids are NOT all the same and that some of the more exuberant ones are the more creative ones. I think sometimes they squelch that and they shouldn't. I wonder if something like a Montessori school would be better for him? I think someday schools will accommodate kids who have different learning styles. Like my son - he can tell you every detail about something they are studying in school, esp if it's something he's interested in. So he has the knowledge. But if you ask him to write a paper about it, he won't do such a good job with that.

 

[janette]

Originally posted by Sonya Francisco
Long story short, he's very, very bright (but not quite gifted) and is what the psychologist called "on the cusp" for ADHD. He has some ADHD behaviors but doesn't meet the clinical diagnosis. She said meds would help him but that wasn't the direction we should go right now . Her recommendation: behavior modification (charts, etc) for the next 1 to 2 years and if there is no improvement or things worsen....then we might try a trial of medication.

If the psychologist says no than do what he says. A teacher is not qualified to diagnose ADHD. If the behaviours continue than get a second opinion from a doctor.

Did the doctor look for other issues besides ADHD? There are several things that can cause the same behaviours. My youngest DD also tested as border-line ADHD in pre-school. We opted for a private school that dealt with social and learning issues and have since discovered that she is severely dyslexic. She's in public school and in special ed for reading and has no problems in class. Only in her reading class does she sometimes seem to lack the attention but it is task specific due to the dyslexia not ADHD.

edited to add: I found when researching ADHD that medication & behaviour modification are the only proven methods for treatment of ADHD. If the diagnose is clear and the doctors recommend it than I wouldn't hesitate. In your case that's not true.

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Please get a second opinion before you do anything -


You didn't say if the psychologist you took him to was thru the school or not.
I would take you son to a specialist - Child Psychiatrist (someone who can perscribe meds) or ADD specialist -

We put my step-daughter on Ritalin, and while it did control her outburst and tempers, we are now starting to find out that she may have bi-polar. Ritalin does not work for bi-polar children. we have only just found this out after having her on Ritalin for 4 years starting at age 11 - she is now 15 and so misguided - If I had to do it all over again, I would have seen a specialist right away instead of cutting corners and just taking her to a therapist. We had more issues than you, violent outbursts, running away, etc. But I would still advise you to see a specialist. It can save you many years of ache.


Karen

 

[ripleysmom]

Sonya, do not allow the school to pressure you into doing something that you are not comfortable with.

The tenets of LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) require that the school do a Functional Behavioral Analysis and then implement a Behavior Intervention Plan before any other actions be taken. Don't take any crap from them about it. It is a federal law that they must follow.

In any case the school or the school district cannot require that you put your child on medication, even if it were determined that your son had ADHD.

Stick to your guns and if the school continues to pressure you tell them you will take it to the superintendent or even the Board of Education.

On the flip side though please also keep your mind open to the possibility that medical intervention may be necessary if the BIP does not work.

I also would like to add that if a child truly has ADHD, medication will not alter their personality. If it does then the child should not be taking medication, period.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by ripleysmom
The tenets of LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) require that the school do a Functional Behavioral Analysis and then implement a Behavior Intervention Plan before any other actions be taken. Don't take any crap from them about it. It is a federal law that they must follow.

Could you elaborate? Or give me a place to find more info on this?

Thanks!

 

[ripleysmom]

Sonya, most of what I am posting relates to a child who is classified as a Special Ed student but I think it also translates to your situation as well and it wouldn't hurt to throw those around.

After all, if they feel as though he needs medication then they certainly must feel that he should be classified as well and if that is the case all of this information applies.


These links relate to LRE......

http://www.therapistfinder.net/journal/sped/least.html

http://www.reedmartin.com/lre.htm

http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/idea.lre.fape.htm


These links relate to FBAs and BIPs....

http://cecp.air.org/fba/default.htm

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed429420.html

http://www.vbisd.org/sped/EducatorResource/BIP/


Now you may have the district give you a hard time about these but even if your child were a special ed student they would be required to do them before any other steps could be taken.

You might also want to contact your school district's SEPTA unit (Special Education PTA). Even though your child is not classified they may be able to tell you the best way to have the district comply with these items.

edited to add.....

One thing that I would also like to say though Sonya is I would not wait 2 years if his behavior does not improve. Currently his behavior is not receiving negative attention from his peers but if you wait 2 years it will be 3rd grade and by that time opinions are formed and he may not be able to overcome any negative impressions. Please just keep that in mind.

 

[Kallison]

Is he young for his age or at the older end of the spectrum? It could just be a boy maturity problem. Tell the teacher he is not going on meds, period. You don't give a fig that her son is on them and to get off your back and if she can't do that, then switch him to another class. It's first grade, some kids are going to be unfocused.

That being said with my 7th graders I can see a world of difference when the ADD kids are on or off their meds. Some of them are so off the wall, they just cannot focus. However they are 12. If you want to take the wait and see attitude then I think you should. Try to limit his sugar, my middle ds goes a little nutty when he has too much. Is he on any other meds? After my middle ds got asthma, and started on the albuterol nebulizer he was acting up in classs. It was the teacher who brought it to my attention that those meds make the kids hyper. I had no clue. I just send in a note now - he is being nebbed this week, just a heads up. Good luck.

 

[Bob O]

I wouldnt put my kids on any of these meds!!!!
The docotrs have no idea what effects of drugging small kids are going to have when they become adults!!!!
It just seems that when kids now act like kids ALWAYS do that the quick answer is DRUGS and to give them some medical term to explain the actions and not let the kids grow out of the stage of life they are in.

 

[KaitlinsMom]

ADD is a classified as a learning disability - You can have your school test your child for free (it is by law - if you request it in writing, they must do it) to see if he has a learning disability. - It is called section 540 I believe - It is a federal law -

It it turns out that your son has a learning disability(and ADD is considered one) - the school is required to give him added benefits; like extra time for taking tests, help turning his homework in, etc. Something to think about

Karen

 

[Pembo]

Sonya-I'd get a second opinion. It seems off to me that your son never exhibited any of these behaviors until this year. My almost 7 yo, 1st grader, was diagnosed mild ADHD at age 3 1/2 and his behavior change but are still there. We are trying the meds just to help him have better self-control but he has had the same self-control issues his whole life, just in different forms.

Good luck with this. It does sound to me like the teacher is looking for a quick fix. Do lots of research, talk to different "experts", and keep up your work at home.


To answer your initial question: Share your views on ADHD and medication. I believe it is necessary for SOME people, adults and children but it's not the answer for everyone.