Desperately need advice!!

Learn from my mistakes….Sometimes medication can be a good thing. I wasn’t too nuts about having my kid on meds either. Because of my denial about my own ADD and my child’s I wasted 5 years of our kid’s education inspite of well meaning teachers and others who were trying to tell me something wasn’t right..

Five years went by before I finally got my head out of the sand, at that time our kid was failing all subjects at school, 4 years behind in everything, self esteem was in tatters. It took about 6 months to get an appointment to see a Dr to help our kid..When we finally got in he looked at all the school records, testing, and did some testing of his own and said he could see the ADD.

He prescribed meds and when my kid started taking them he said, “Mommy, I think I finally know what it feels like to concentrate and pay attention.” My heart broke because I wished I had listened to well meaning teachers and principals who kept telling me something isn’t right, he’s not isn’t paying attention when my kid was in 1st and 2nd grade.

Because of my denial I wasted 5 years of his education and I kick myself everyday for it. After the meds we made a dramatic breakthrough in his learning, attending and his self esteem went way up but because of my long denial about ADD we are constantly trying to catch up his vocabulary, social skills and academics.

I think you are lucky that the school arranged for your son to see someone and that he is getting help now. Please try the medication and see if it helps your son. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain due to early intervention you will be able to avoid the heartache and guilt that I have had to deal with because of my own denial..

Dear Sunny,

The evaluation you describe might not be enough for a proper diagnosis of ADHD. As a parent, I’d want them to do some more digging, including educational testing. I’d want him seen by a doctor who talks to him and to his parents and teachers, reviews test results and writes me a report that explains his findings. What problems is your son having at school that prompted the referral? Did you fill out Connor’s rating scales? Did his teachers? Were any other tests administered? Have you talked with your pediatrician about this? Even though the evaluation might not be sufficient, please don’t rule out the possibility that your son might have ADHD or some other learning problem. As “dear desparate” related, that can lead to agony for all concerned. I am a big believer in early, thorough, evaluation. That way you can find out for sure if there is a problem. What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll find out that your child may require additional help to learn. That is not a disaster, especially when you consider how young he is and how many really good interventions are possible. The best that can happen, of course, is that you’ll find out that he’s fine, and can use that information to tell his teachers where to go.

Andrea

Tell the school (in writing) that you want a complete pyschoeducational evaluation to rule out other cause of his symptoms. Read as much as you can about LD/ADHD on this website and ask questions on these boards. Your child deserves to have a complete physical to rule out any physical reasons, and educational testing to rule out learning disabilities. At the same time, medications definitely do have their place. Still, you need to feel comfortable with the treatment and have your questions answered thoroughly.

They haven’t done anything but make you an appointment with a doctor that you kept. You don’t ‘have’ to do anything and you didn’t ‘have’ to go to that doctor. You don’t ‘have’ to give your son the medication or agree with the doctor.

Tell the school you appreciate their interest but you’d also like to check with your family doctor. Then check with your family doctor or tell them you did and tell them the doctor you saw says your son doesn’t have ADHD.

When all that’s been laid to rest, though, it might be time to go in to school and spend an hour or two quietly observing from the back of the classroom to see what you see. What is it that’s leading the teachers to want him ‘drugged’?

Hello,
I accidently found this board and new I would find many posts to answes to.
Yours being the first seems to be the most important.

I am going to assumr that your son was prescribed Ritilan which is the most common drug of choice for ADHD and ADD.

I am hoping to bring out one important point that I hope all of the readers will listen too.

Ritialn is too often given out and not only that, ADHD and ADD sometimes are not a proper diagnosis. Bipolar being another alternative diagnosis along with many others, and not to be diagnosed by a school and especially not a Dr. who whips out that little pad before the interest of the chold is taken into consideration.

Now to get back to the Ritilan. Most Drs. will not tell you, or they DO NOT KNOW, that ritilan causes twitches. It must be remembered that if a child or an adult already has twitches and then begins to take Ritilan, the possablitlity of the twitches becoming worse are great. Not only that tthey then will be unreversible. Something you do not want your child to have to live with the rest of his life.

There is no set examination for ADD/ADHD. A well trained Dr. is one who specializes in it. NOT a phyciatrist. Most people are sent in that direction. NO..go to a nuerologist who specializes in ADHD.

I am almost willing to bet that you went to a physciatrist and not a nuerologist.

When a Dr. asks questions, they will be of typical symptoms. Behavior, activity, boredom, lack of attention, loosing things, difficulty in numbers, difficulty in learning to tie shoes, forgetfulness. The symptoms are many, but not all the same in all ADD/ADHD persons.

A child must learn how to LEARN his own way. If he/she can tie his shoe one way, then let him. Just because there is a standard way to tye a shoe, does not mean that amyone with this disorder will do it the standard way.

I like to tell and help kids to learn it there way. Not push them into the Standard way of doing things. Cause if they could do it the so called standard way then there would be no need for Drs or teachers or anything for the disorder. They can’t do it. They need guidance and assurance that they will learn and that you will help them. Perhaps you may even be able to think of an easier way to learn certain things or do certain things to suggest to him. He may find it easier.

One other problem I and my Dr. both see are Teachers and Drs. who do not have ADD/ADHD teaching and diagnosing. My nuero. has ADD and it takes one to know one. Simple as that. To TEACH a child with ADD/ADHD is not advisable if the teacher does not have the problem themself. You cannot climb into the mind of a person with this disorder. Can’t do it.

I know I will get all kinds of arguments on this but fact is fact.

Also there are places you can go. If you look up your local ADD clinic in your state they will have meetings that you can attend weekly to help you to deal with this.

They have videos that you can sign out or I belive you can even get them at your local library.

A person with ADD/ADHD does not see like others. Most of the time it is normal but there is always the time when you look at something and OUCH..what is it.

I remember looking at something once and hadn’t a clue as to what it was. It was the face of a cow in the corner of the tv screen. Couldn’t figure it out.

Dyslexia also goes with it in many situations as well as hyperglycemia(SP) low blood sugar.

Stumbling, not being able to finish a paragraph while reading because the mind goes off to never never land. And also would not remember line one in the first place. I myself need music, sound, something while I am reading. If it’s quiet, forget it.

When I am watching tv, I need to be doing something. I jsyt cannot sit there and stare at the tv.

When the power goes out, I have my crossword books right there to do by candle light. i go ape with nothing to do. HOWWEVER, i do like to rest WHEN I want to rest because my bodsy tells me to do so.

I sure hope that I have been able to help at least one person on this board regarding ADD/ADHD. If so then it has been worth my stop.
Have a great day

Hi everyone,
I want to thank everyone for their quick replies..I have read everyone of them.
In order for you to better understand these last few days..this is going to be long, So I’m giving warning now…lol

When my son (second child) started (all-day)Kindergarten, he just so happened to have a teacher that I had when I was growing up…so she knew me. We had a very good Teacher/Parent relationship and talked about everything. I was kept on top of things weekly with how he was doing….he was wonderful with all his “Alphabet, Numbers, and first site words” , he was reading very well, his writing improved drastically over the school year. He was then tested for his eyesite…and yes we found out he needed glasses (Lazy Eye in the left eye). I love working with my kids so of course I carried on the school year during summer vacation as I did with my other child..I still do to this day…The only thing that I have picked up on with working with him is he is a touchy, feely learner…he sees, tries, then does it. I have JUST (today) learned the technical word for it so I will put it here: Tactile-Kinesthetic(?sp).

Okay..year 2: First Grade
This is the big part: His teacher was young…her first year at this school and was learning the way of the school (keep in mind I grew up with half the school staff so I know them) One month into the school year, his teacher announces that she is pregnant(first child)…now I know this can be stressful on a lot of people, but this is a first time mother in a first grade class(19 students) with a bunch of “rambunctios kids”, with no teacher aide. Soooo, her ability to concentrate on teaching may have been hendered..I’m not saying it was but, knowing how my son likes the hands on teaching, I also know she could not single out a child to help better. I then noticed his grades falling fast and he was not wanting to go to school..I thought a classmate might have been “bullying” so I did set up a meeting then. It was the GC, the Principal, the Speech teacher and one other person (cant remember) and me in this meeting. This is where we set up the IEP…I only went two times to a meeting like this. We went over who he would seeing during the week..ie, speech therapy..to relearn his phonics {r}{st}{rl}, and reading recovery..as far as I know he went to each one once a week. His grades stayed steady but not great. Okay, from the “testing/10 day evaluation” they did they figured he was hyper, losses interest fast, fidgety in his seat…he was always in motion be it tapping his pencil, to getting up to sharpen it many times.
I just didn’t see this at home….
The last month of school year 2002 “they” being his teacher/GC say he has ADHD….I haven’t even taken him to a doctor/psychiatrist/neurologist and they are diagnosing him….this is where I start getting a little frustrated because I am thinking one thing and they are saying another. ( I do know my son and his capabilities of doing school work) soooo in a compromise I decide to hold him back in the first grade. I went through a whole bunch of paper writing, signing to get him in a certain teacher’s class. I trusted this teacher very much…or so I thought, to be able to help my son.

I now have me a copy of his IEP from last year…I did not have one before. I went to the school yesterday and requested copies of his school records…I have them all now. On the front page of his IEP at the bottom where it says: Student strengths and learning styles preferences (local): It says in BOLD hand written letters that my son is and I quote “A global, tactile-kinesthetic learner”.
This did not click with me until about 2am last night when I was knee deep in webpages lookin’ for answers….if you go to this page http://www.latitudes.org/articles/learn01.html

He does have a learning disability I agree whole heartedly with that from my research alone..but if he had the proper teaching techniques last year, I would not be here today.
As with my first post here, I will answer some questions that you tossed my way, because I do want to answer them.

1.)”I think you are lucky that the school arranged for your son to see someone and that he is getting help now. Please try the medication and see if it helps
your son. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain due to early intervention…”
The doctor he was sent to see is a regular family practician…not even specializing in pediatrics at a “free/cheap” clinic. Keep in mind the school said “all costs are paid for by the school”.

2.) Did you fill out Connor’s rating scales? Did his teachers? Were any other tests administered?
What is the Conner’s rating Scale? I dont know what the teachers did. Other tests? I’m not quite sure about that either.

3.) I am going to assume that your son was prescribed Ritilan which is the most common drug of choice for ADHD and ADD.
No. He was prescribed 10mg Adderall XR

4.) I am almost willing to bet that you went to a physciatrist and not a nuerologist.
Nope neither.

I went into the school today, requested another IEP meeting, requested he be evaluated for an LD. Proper accomodations in his classroom..Thoroughly stated I will be handling any “Doctor’s” apptments from now on.
I asked to speak with his teacher…oh yeah almost forgot…she has him off to the side of the room with his back to the class…so he “can’t interfere with the rest of the students”….is that all right? Nope…put my foot down on that one to.
The teacher has volunteered today to tutor my son after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays…if that fits in with my schedule to have some one to be able to pick him up from school….(I live five minutes from that school and I don’t work) Click!!! You would think they would know that by now.

I am sorry for rambling, but I did say it would be long and I did leave out some minor details…
Responses are still wanted…..

hugs,
SunnySC

I have seen Adderall help many kids function well in the classroom and at home. Infact one of the kids I tutor did so well on Adderall that his dad asked the GP if he could have Adderall as he felt he was ADD too. The GP gave the Dad a prescription after she talked with him and realized that he was in danger of losing his job, he was having problems with disorganization and felt overwhelmed as the longer hours he worked he still couldn’t focus and pull things together at work and the harder he tried the worse things got. After the Dad went on meds the whole family was happier as he was able to be home more and was much more organzied at his job and was able to keep it and got a promotion. So meds do have their proper place and time.

If I was in your shoes I would try the meds anyway see if you see any changes When my daughter started meds we did some blind testing, meaning she was on the meds one week and off the next. Her behavior wasn’t different from what the teachers could see but my daughter was telling me she was able to focus and attend better.

Oh, you mentioned the Connors…It is a rating scale that is used to rate the child’s ADD behaviors. Also assessments could be the tests that were done for his IEP. One more thing, if a child can’t focus the process of remediating their LD’s does not happen quickly..infact it gets dragged out for a long time. I have seen this time and time again as a therapist

Does your son get enough sleep at night, is he a restless sleeper? That could be part of the problem too.

Sunny,

Were you ever given a report from anyone indicating what tests were performed on your son? How did the school come up with the conclusion that he is a tactile kinesthetic learner, for example? From what you’ve written, it seems to me that your son has not been thoroughly tested. It sounds like some kind of LD has been identified by the school, but I can’t tell what it is based on. Some kids with LD but not ADHD can exhibits symptoms that look like ADHD when they are not getting what they need in school. On the other hand, lots of kids with LD do in fact have ADHD as well. It can be hard to figure out. That is why a good evaluation is so important. Insist that the school do this right. If they refuse, there is a chance that you can get them to pay for an independent evaluation from a doctor who specializes in evaluating LD and ADHD. Frankly, I would be loathe to medicate a young child without a better evaluation than was done here. My own child has had very positive results from Adderall XR, and the medication has made it possible to remediate his LD where we never could before, but my child was very thoroughly evaluated and, as a result, I was confident of the ADHD diagnosis. Your son may well have ADHD and meds might be a big help, but this child needs a much more thorough evaluation before that conclusion can be drawn.

Andrea

My two cents: My understanding is that a ADHD diagnosis requires that symptoms be present in more than one setting. The fact that you don’t see the same things at home are a red flag to me. It suggests that his inattentive behaviors may be more related to learning disabilities.

In any case, LD and ADHD frequently coexist. I don’t see you have had a complete and thorough evaluation for LD. I would put in writing a request to have him evaluated for LD.

I have a friend whose son was first identified as learning disabled. Then two years later, he was put on Adernall. The mom thought he was ADHD in second (he was tested as LD at end of first when mom insisted because he was failing—older brother was LD) but school did not, probably because he had a very tolerant teacher in second grade (some times these things are reversed). He was put on Adernall in third grade and by fourth, he was completely caught up and no longer needed extra help.

Beth

The tactile thing reminds me of my son’s sensory integration issues. When we went to the met museum of art he had to touch everything. Ok, I almost lost it when he touched the Van Gogh.
I knew we didn’t have 40 million in the budget for replacement costs.

It was weird he just could not stop himself. He was so eager to learn about the paintings and the sculptures but that meant touching them.

He does well when I provide him with alot of exercise and physical activities before mental ones. He is soothed by a big bear hug when he is hyper. He just melts right into my arms. He also likes to carry heavy things and I have heard this is also a strategy used for SI issues.
He is much more integrated now after occupational therapy and interactive metronome. These issues have diminished substantially.

He was also inconsistant, more hyper at home and less of a problem at school. He fidgeted with some teachers but not all. I thought he might be adhd but he did not meet all the criteria so I am still unsure.

If any of this sounds familiar you may want to read a little about sensory integration as it can look alot like and coincide with ADHD.

Linda is right—ADHD symptoms can also be due to sensory integration problems. I have a friend of a friend who described her difficult child to me. She was 4 and sounded just like sensory integration problems to me. (You might look at the book “The Out of Sync Child”—I gave her my copy and can’t remember the author). She saw her pediatrician who said severe ADHD. She then had a complete evaluation done—and I was right—sensory integration disorder. With treatment, she is doing much better. Most physcians don’t know anything about SID.

Beth

I’m wondering how a professional might be able to conclude that it is “just” SID? As I understand it, people with various LDs, ADHD, autism, and traumatic brain injuries, for example, may all exhibit symptoms of sensory integration problems. Is SID really a stand-alone disorder or is it a constellation of symptoms that may accompany a variety of neurological disorders, ranging from the frank to the very subtle? That seems to make more sense, at least to me. Just food for thought …

Andrea

They all exhibit signs of ADHD too. Is ADHD truely a stand alone disorder? For that matter is LD a stand alone disorder?

I have been quite confused at times by the methodologies used to diagnose any and all of these conditions. My son seems to fit so many labels that in truth he fits none.

You really need to go to someone with real knowledge of SI. As Beth stated, many are uninformed.

IMO, distinguishing between ADHD & SID isn’t as crucial as ruling out learning disabilities. Medication can help symptoms of many disorders, not just ADHD. It will not remediate learning disabilities… although if a child has been “unavailable to learn” due to ADHD, SID or anything else, you will see improvements in academics once these have been treated.

Responses are still wanted…..

You’ll get the LD testing if you keep after them and see what that tells you. You let the teacher know you want your son treated well in class and she’s offered to tutor him after class.

Keep an eye out for how your son is feeling through all of this but I think you’d do that anyway.

It sounds like things are moving along.

Good luck.

I think your story more than proves my point. Teachers should have ADD/ADHD or at least have a child who does.

You did everything right and nothing wrong that’s for sure.

Your son should be proud of you and you should be proud of you.

I’m laughing saying, “now how can all teachers teach who have ADD/ADHD? WEll, if we keep having teachers doing self diagnising the numbers will climb even higher than they are. By the time these kids grow up, they become teaches and whala!

On the serious side. Home schooling is beginning to be really strong now. If my kids were still of school age, they would be home taught. I would want my child with me and getting that hands on teaching and understanding that a teacher cannot give to children with learning disabilities. Think about it. As an example, you and I may have three children at hime and we are pulling the hair from out heads at the end of the day. But regardless of that, we gave them all we had as a mother.

Please tell me how a teacher can devote all of her time to more than three children and expect them to be guided. I use the word guided, because you cannot TEACH an ADD/ADHD child or adult for that matter. They need to be guided. They need learning suggestions made to them. They need acceptance of their ideas of how to do things. If a child says this is the only way I can tie my shoes, then he is not commiting a crime. Let him.

I read a post by Beverly that was in my email. I haven’t found it on the board yet. But she went on to explain her disagreement with a parents choice of choosing not to put their child on meds. She then went on to say that she figured it out that she had to spend 45 mins a day with that one child.

I would like to say to that, “hopefully someday you will meet that child again in your lifetime and say my goodness that was the best 45 mins a day I spent with that child.”

To expect a child to be put on meds to make a teachers job easier is beyond me and fits into the catagory of lack of common sense.

I should have used the user name of “I did it my way” And oh…it worked.SunnySC wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
> I want to thank everyone for their quick replies..I have read
> everyone of them.
> In order for you to better understand these last few
> days..this is going to be long, So I’m giving warning now…lol
>
> When my son (second child) started (all-day)Kindergarten, he
> just so happened to have a teacher that I had when I was
> growing up…so she knew me. We had a very good
> Teacher/Parent relationship and talked about everything. I
> was kept on top of things weekly with how he was doing….he
> was wonderful with all his “Alphabet, Numbers, and first site
> words” , he was reading very well, his writing improved
> drastically over the school year. He was then tested for his
> eyesite…and yes we found out he needed glasses (Lazy Eye in
> the left eye). I love working with my kids so of course I
> carried on the school year during summer vacation as I did
> with my other child..I still do to this day…The only thing
> that I have picked up on with working with him is he is a
> touchy, feely learner…he sees, tries, then does it. I have
> JUST (today) learned the technical word for it so I will put
> it here: Tactile-Kinesthetic(?sp).
>
> Okay..year 2: First Grade
> This is the big part: His teacher was young…her first year
> at this school and was learning the way of the school (keep
> in mind I grew up with half the school staff so I know them)
> One month into the school year, his teacher announces that
> she is pregnant(first child)…now I know this can be
> stressful on a lot of people, but this is a first time mother
> in a first grade class(19 students) with a bunch of
> “rambunctios kids”, with no teacher aide. Soooo, her ability
> to concentrate on teaching may have been hendered..I’m not
> saying it was but, knowing how my son likes the hands on
> teaching, I also know she could not single out a child to
> help better. I then noticed his grades falling fast and he
> was not wanting to go to school..I thought a classmate might
> have been “bullying” so I did set up a meeting then. It was
> the GC, the Principal, the Speech teacher and one other
> person (cant remember) and me in this meeting. This is where
> we set up the IEP…I only went two times to a meeting like
> this. We went over who he would seeing during the week..ie,
> speech therapy..to relearn his phonics {r}{st}{rl}, and
> reading recovery..as far as I know he went to each one once a
> week. His grades stayed steady but not great. Okay, from the
> “testing/10 day evaluation” they did they figured he was
> hyper, losses interest fast, fidgety in his seat…he was
> always in motion be it tapping his pencil, to getting up to
> sharpen it many times.
> I just didn’t see this at home….
> The last month of school year 2002 “they” being his
> teacher/GC say he has ADHD….I haven’t even taken him to a
> doctor/psychiatrist/neurologist and they are diagnosing
> him….this is where I start getting a little frustrated
> because I am thinking one thing and they are saying another.
> ( I do know my son and his capabilities of doing school work)
> soooo in a compromise I decide to hold him back in the first
> grade. I went through a whole bunch of paper writing, signing
> to get him in a certain teacher’s class. I trusted this
> teacher very much…or so I thought, to be able to help my son.
>
> I now have me a copy of his IEP from last year…I did not
> have one before. I went to the school yesterday and requested
> copies of his school records…I have them all now. On the
> front page of his IEP at the bottom where it says: Student
> strengths and learning styles preferences (local): It says in
> BOLD hand written letters that my son is and I quote “A
> global, tactile-kinesthetic learner”.
> This did not click with me until about 2am last night when I
> was knee deep in webpages lookin’ for answers….if you go to
> this page http://www.latitudes.org/articles/learn01.html
>
> He does have a learning disability I agree whole heartedly
> with that from my research alone..but if he had the proper
> teaching techniques last year, I would not be here today.
> As with my first post here, I will answer some questions that
> you tossed my way, because I do want to answer them.
>
> 1.)”I think you are lucky that the school arranged for your
> son to see someone and that he is getting help now. Please
> try the medication and see if it helps
> your son. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain
> due to early intervention…”
> The doctor he was sent to see is a regular family
> practician…not even specializing in pediatrics at a
> “free/cheap” clinic. Keep in mind the school said “all costs
> are paid for by the school”.
>
> 2.) Did you fill out Connor’s rating scales? Did his
> teachers? Were any other tests administered?
> What is the Conner’s rating Scale? I dont know what the
> teachers did. Other tests? I’m not quite sure about that
> either.
>
> 3.) I am going to assume that your son was prescribed Ritilan
> which is the most common drug of choice for ADHD and ADD.
> No. He was prescribed 10mg Adderall XR
>
> 4.) I am almost willing to bet that you went to a
> physciatrist and not a nuerologist.
> Nope neither.
>
> I went into the school today, requested another IEP meeting,
> requested he be evaluated for an LD. Proper accomodations in
> his classroom..Thoroughly stated I will be handling any
> “Doctor’s” apptments from now on.
> I asked to speak with his teacher…oh yeah almost
> forgot…she has him off to the side of the room with his
> back to the class…so he “can’t interfere with the rest of
> the students”….is that all right? Nope…put my foot down
> on that one to.
> The teacher has volunteered today to tutor my son after
> school on Tuesdays and Thursdays…if that fits in with my
> schedule to have some one to be able to pick him up from
> school….(I live five minutes from that school and I don’t
> work) Click!!! You would think they would know that by now.
>
> I am sorry for rambling, but I did say it would be long and I
> did leave out some minor details…
> Responses are still wanted…..
>
> hugs,
> SunnySC

Sorry..my reply went onto your first post. :) That’s ADD for ya!

The child I was speaking about is only 4 and SID intervention has made her much easier to live with. That alone says something. I don’t know if it is part of some other constellation of symptoms for her, time will have to reveal that. Certainly, SID is neurological in origin and the part of many disorders—certainly in my son’s case SID is not a stand alone diagnosis. But, for us, understanding that piece of his puzzle has led to more effective interventions and resulted in a much more attentive child.

Beth

Dear SC

I can relate- our diagnosis was initially made in similiar fashion. We were out of the US at the time and did not have many resources either. In addition, my daughter had a teacher who was certified high school and wasn’t able to deal wiht younger kids.

First, stop and take a deep breath. It is quite likely you are just started on a very long road of figuring out the areas of concern and possible remedies for your child. Everyone here has different experiences and one day you will be posting here to parents who have just gotten the LD/ADHD news.

First, educate yourself. this site has much more to offer than just bulletin boards. dig deep. Beware of people with agendas, particularly on the meds issue. Investigate who sponsors any particular website-individuals can be persuasive but educational institutions, research institutions and medical institutions have to back up what they say with tested, clinical research.

Second, by all means avail yourself of all the testing you can get-medical and educational. Ask for Occupational Therapy evalution. Ask for full psychological work up, and definitely get a comphrensive educational testing.

Third, the bad news-when you get all the testing- some of it will be conflicting, some of it will give a diagnosis but no clue as to what todo about it. Even with full batteries of tests you may not have uncovered the all the problems.LD’s are often found with ADD/ADHD. Testing results may leave right where you when you left the doctor’s office. Be ready for this emotional roll-coaster.

Our experience was that with all the above and a renowned pedatrician and a couple moredr.s to boot, we ended up having to do a trial of meds anyway.

One never medicates to make a teacher’s life easier, you only do it to make your child’s life better. So put that whole part of the argument away. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t a concerned parent. If meds do not make your child’s life a kinder more wonderful place to be, then one stops it. Not everyone can take meds; there are no meds for many problems. There are kids who would love to be able to take them but experience side-effects and have to do without.

The meds decision is a parental one-no one else’s. It is difficult but it is done out of caring for the child. If your child does not need stimulants, then stimulants won’t help your child. What Pattim was discussing -a trial of meds-is often done because after all the testing etc. it may still not be clear. However, the stimulants are very fast acting; they do not stay in the body-they clear the body within hours. A stimulant stimulates a normal person but add/adhd is able slow down; calm down; focus; organize; and above all, communicate and understand others; when on stimulants.

Your school is concerned for your child. And, no, they are not perfect. You didn’t get a referral to a neuropsych but they tried. Value their concern, work with them to get the testing done. In the end, it is important for your child’s sake that you make an informed decision.

Good luck

nt

I experienced the same thing with my son. I walked into the doctor’s office and was out in ten minutes with a large dose of Rittilin. I quickly made an appointment for my child with another doctor. When we went in for the appointment the entire process took a few hours so be prepared for you child to miss the entire day of school. They will have you fill out a questionaire, and they will send one for you to take to his teacher to fill out. Your child will be taken off and given a test that will take about an hour and then the doctor should talk to youo and your child together. Do not just take the advice of the teachers. Some of them know the syptoms but alot of teachers and schools just don’t want to put up with active children so they just suggest they be drugged. I think you should be patient and find a doctor that you fell you can trust, because you are in for a long process. Do not give your child the drugs until you are sure he needs it.

This situation is unfortunate for two reasons.

1. As you probably know, there is no “test” for diagnosing ADHD and the only way to know if it is ADHD is to take the meds and see if they alleviate the symptoms.

2. But … the doctor should have taken the time to hear you out and spend time with your child before whipping out the Rx pad. Many things should and must be considered and ruled out before prescribing any type of medication. If your child has symptoms of anxiety, ADHD meds can make the entire situation worse.

I would trust your gut and it maybe another opinion.

It is simply not true that a positive response to stimulant medication confirms a diagnosis of ADHD. Most adults respond well to caffeine- America’s favorite stimulant (and legal, too!)

Maybe - but somewhat misleading without discussing degrees.

Caffeine benefits are more often than not negligible or ineffective for ADHD’ers. Stimulant meds prescribed for those with ADHD (are legal and) typically extremely effective for the vast majority, but not all cases.

That said though, I personally would’ve been entirely uncomfortable about confirming my dd’s ADHD diagnosis thru a stimulant med trial. We didn’t try meds until almost a year after diagnosis. Sheesh, first we addressed her learning differences thinking that would “do it” and were met with limited success. It took many months of research and careful consideration before we warily agreed to a med trial.

My global LD daughter had SI OT, and LMB. for a full year. She could NOT write a sentence, she would say, “Mom I ran out of TIME”. Her reading was improved, but homework took 2-3 hours and she was completely unorganized. She would go in her room to put her shoes on and I would go in 15 minutes later and she would be playing with a toy and “forgot” what she was there for (I believe it).

At the beginning of 3rd grade - and I was already suspecting it - her 3rd grade teacher (very well educated with ESE kids - took seminars on her on time and $) said, WHEN ASKED said, “Many kids with beh problems are given Ritalin, many children are overdiagnosed, there are some doctors in town if you walk in their office they had you a ‘script’., but Mrs. _______________, your daughter CANNOT focus.

We started Concerta on Sat. a.m., Monday she went into class and wrote a paragraph for the 1st time in her life. Homework takes 30-45 minutes (unless we wait too late and the meds have worn off) She says, “Mom, the medicine makes all the noise in the room go away so I can read better”. Is she CURED? No. Does she still have LDs? Yes. Does she still struggle with spelling and memory and reading? Yes, but not like before.

Do your homework. Use meds only as a last resort. Remediate, remediate, remediate. Use behavior modification. Apply consequences. You have your child’s best interests at heart more than ANYONE else. And then go with your gut and don’t listen to anyone else.

Don’t get me wrong- I was not suggesting caffeine for ADHD, and I am generally pro-medication. I was concerned that if a parent assumes (because that’s one of the myths that is out there) that a positive response to meds. means the child has ADHD they might overlook other (potentially remediatable) causes for symptoms. In my experience it is rare that meds. make all the issues go away.

“Do your homework. Use meds only as a last resort. Remediate, remediate, remediate. Use behavior modification. Apply consequences. You have your child’s best interests at heart more than ANYONE else. And then go with your gut and don’t listen to anyone else.”

Another kindred spirit. Perfectly said Leah - except I would add that parents do the research on meds for themselves and look at the whole child. My dd, while she still has issues (but not nearly to the degree she had them) would not be in the great place she is today if we chose remediation only or meds only. It is the combination of both that worked so well for her. And that is a lesson I never imagined I would even know about, much less learn so well - if this sentence even makes sense.

(Regards Leah!)

d

Sometimes, I feel like I’ve been through a war with dd and am always overly sensitive about her learning differences/ADHD.

Any research I’ve read on ADHD says that the single most effective treatment is meds. But the MOST effective treatment is multi-modal - meds PLUS help for however the ADHD affects the child (behavior mods for behavior, social skills classes for social, etc.). To me, that’s common sense to treat the whole child - there is more to a child than school performance, yet constant and significant school struggles can devastate a child.

In my dd’s case, we could’ve dealt with the hyperactivity and behavior stuff ourselves. The area it affected her most was learning. Even if she “took a pill” she still would’ve struggled w/o the academic interventions (both school and private) that were provided, maybe not as much but the struggle would be evident.

From my experiences w/ dd, I see both the school and the parent persepective. As a parent I know what it is like to fight tooth and nail to get your child help - if they had told me to just get her meds and go away that would have been unacceptable to me - or, wait another year until she fails enough to get LD, not OHI classification for help. From the school’s perspective, why should they provide services when maybe meds alone would help “enough” to escape OHI or LD classification. It’s a dilemna with serious legal repercussions for the school and a serious considered decision for a parent to make.

But all decisions should be based on the best interests of the entire child. The legalities - for both parents and school - may not always know or secure that.

Any knowledgeable physician will tell you that a positive response to medication is not enough to diagnose ADHD, just as the failure to respond to medication does not mean that the diagnosis is wrong. Stimulants do not have a “paradoxical” effect on those with ADHD. They work the same for everyone, although the effects may be more striking in someone with ADHD, because the before and after contrast is so much more evident.

Andrea

I’m a teacher and reading graduate student. I’m currently doing research on how children with ADHD are portrayed in children’s literature. I’m specifically concentrating on the Jack Ganto’s “Joey Pigza” trilogy. I’ve read a few of your replies on this board and appreciate your perspective.
I’m wondering if you’ve ever read any of Jack Ganto’s work, especially the “Joey Pigza” stories? If you have, do you think he accurately portrays a child with ADHD? If you haven’t read the stories, no problem. It would be interesting to just bounce some ideas/thoughts off you. I do recommend that you read at least the first book Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. It’s a great read!
Thanks,
Teresa