Adhd and autism

[Tomaskai2308]

My seven year old son has been diagnosed with autism and adhd and prescribed medikinet xl. Just wondering what peoples experience of giving medication for adhd thanks x

[TiffanyDoggett]

A bump as I'm interested too.

[RaBBityNeSS]

Our 7yr old has ADHD and is medicated with Medikinet XL, it has made a massive difference to him especially at school. He is able to concentrate more which means he's able to focus on his work more which means he's starting to make improvements.

When we ask him how it feels he says it makes him feel calmer and we can certainly notice a difference when he's taken it.

I would say that for all the good it does it is by no means perfect, he still needs to have a lot of strategies in place to help him cope so having a supportive School is also making a big difference. Although Medikinet has so far been the best for our boy we do find that it doesn't last as long as some others, he is currently taking a top up dose in the afternoon to help this which is working well at the moment.

It was by no means an easy decision to make but it has certainly been life changing for him and us as a family.

[Waitingforsleep]

Bumped the thread I started in case it helps..

[Blossom4538]

Hi ladies,
Sorry to hijack, just wondering what the behaviours are like at home or out and about with adhd? I feel as though our almost 7year old possibly struggles with it, but she can be calmer at school (still very anxious and trouble focusing in noisy environment) - I have however read that girls can present differently like this?

[RaBBityNeSS]

Yes it does present differently in girls and can be harder to spot.
Our boy is defiantly able to hold it together more at school than at home. At school he's not that disruptive or 'naughty' but he really struggles with his work. At home he is completely different, without the routine of school he is like a whirlwind, he can't sit down, he's more agitated and a lot harder to manage.

[Blossom4538]

See, she is under assessment for ASD (High Functioning) so some have put it down to that, but I’m not sure if it’s adhd. That being said she can sit and do an activity she loves (drawing for ages) - but she can be hyper, like a whirlwind and loud for hours solid at a time, sometimes most of the day! Also, erratic out (like a toddler in shops, grabbing things, lifting up clothes in mannequins to look at their belly buttons lol 🙄, being scared to cross road but then actually almost running/stepping out in front of one....)
Today, my head has been spinning and I can still hear her shouting ringing in my ears! It’s been stressful!

[RaBBityNeSS]

It's so hard as there is an overlap, our boy has some autistic traits but I don't think they are enough to get a diagnosis. What you are describing is exactly what our boy is like, the older he's got the more apparent it's become as his actions/behaviours are more like that of a 3yr old not a 7yr old. As much as we now understand him and make allowances for him it's still hard and yes very stressful at times! Hopefully you'll have some answers soon.

[Waitingforsleep]

Blossom I really think from your posts yes adhd plays a part too. I think asd as well. For us the medication and understanding of ADHD has helped so much. When’s the next appointment?

[Blossom4538]

Hiya, not sure when next appointment is at mo, the multidisciplinary team at meeting in April and apparently they would also like us to complete all of the questionnaires again, that we did around a year or so ago.