Child given ADHD medication unnecessarily

[beatrice82]

Does anyone have experience of a child being given medicine for ADHD when they don't really have this condition? I think there's been a misdiagnosis because when I spend time with this child in an educational setting, I don't see any ADHD behaviours. His parents are at the end of their tether when them at home though. I would say this is more likely because of lack of boundaries. I wasn't asked what my observations of him in school are, which I find odd as I spend 3 days a week working with this child. I'm sad he's being medicated and hope it doesn't change his personality. Will he be ok? ☹️

@ShatteredDream

You’re not qualified to have an opinion on this. It took for my ds to reach 11 before he was diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, teachers were not seeing behaviours that were clearly there and not reporting on the forms provided by CAHMS. He masked at school incredibly well but it was obvious to me he was masking. Eventually CAMHS and someone from the child psychology went into class and spent the day watching him, they seen a very different picture to the teachers.

Thank you. That is really helpful to know.

I think your question comes from your heart but like ASC, adhd is displayed in different circumstances. My son has both. His autism is worse at home. His adhd isn't apart from not sleeping. Yet at school they don't see his autism but says he's on the go the whole time. He's not medicated as its not right for him at the moment.
Why does the lad need a 1to1 3 days a week. Their must be some reason as schools don't just give child 1to1's ?

This is half the problem with SEN provision.

Utterly unqualified people having such roles.

The senco sounds no better with the lack of boundaries comment.

You should google ‘Masking’

As a parent of a primary aged child with autism and ADHD can I just state very, very clearly, I'd be absolutely livid if my child's TA was putting it out there that my child was misdiagnosed and his difficulties were just down to poor parenting. I would expect the TA to be sacked as there's no way I'd have them anywhere near my child again. Just reading the OPs posts makes me furious on behalf of this child and their parents.

You talk about lack of boundaries OP. You're right there is a serious lack of boundaries going on here but it's not from the parents.

Op could you share your concerns with the class teacher? Or the senco?
Because someone filled the forms in, if you think they should have asked your opinion them speak up.

I've met too many school staff with a shitty attitude to neurodiversity and incorrect opinions on children's home life to be polite OP.

If you want to genuinely find out more about ADHD and medication ask for some professional development or do some further reading around it.

If you really care about the child, accept his medical diagnosis, stop gossiping about him and be respectful to his parents.

In the last 10 minutes, I've learnt that ADHD behaviours can be masked in various settings.

A diagnosis can be underway for several years.

Medication doesn't affect a person's personality.

Brilliant. Thank you - really useful.

And screw you to all the unkind people who commented. You don't even know me. I'm great at my job and care a great deal about all the pupils I work with.

Wow OP you are getting a bashing here. Of course you are right to question something you have concerns about in relation to a child you spend 3 days a week with 1:1. You are absolutely right to take an interest and you are more than qualified to raise it with the school. Not all psychiatrists or teachers or parents are all that they should be. Everyone responsible for a child (which absolutely includes you) should not be bullied out of raising a concern. The hostility here is very odd.

It's fairly clear you don't really understand ADHD.

I'm perfectly well-behaved in a 1:1 situation and when I was in school. I still have ADHD and it's affected me all my life.

Have a read about masking, particularly as it affects females more and lose the stereotype of a kid climbing the walls all of the time.

It can be blinking hard to get a 1-1 as well, so clearly there are issues

@FatCatThinCat

As a parent of a primary aged child with autism and ADHD can I just state very, very clearly, I'd be absolutely livid if my child's TA was putting it out there that my child was misdiagnosed and his difficulties were just down to poor parenting. I would expect the TA to be sacked as there's no way I'd have them anywhere near my child again. Just reading the OPs posts makes me furious on behalf of this child and their parents.

You talk about lack of boundaries OP. You're right there is a serious lack of boundaries going on here but it's not from the parents.

We know the family very well actually.

The reason you are getting your head bitten off, OP, is that those of us living with this reality hear this over and over again.

It takes several years and many false starts to even get near enough to a professional to start the assessment process. It takes even longer to get the diagnosis. Then someone like you comes along and says that you have no issues in the 18 hours you see him so the parents with the child 24 hours a day 7 days a week from birth know nothing.

Do you not think the parents will have agonised over whether to go for meds? Or do you think they are so inept it was their first thought?

One thing I will say is if I'm supported by someone who cares, it makes all the difference to how I cope in situations.

You are doing a good job!

My concern would be that as u didnt know that much about adhd and semmed quite a stereotyped way ,then u would wouldnt nessassry be best suited to be a childs 1 to 1,so i would suggest getting trainning asap, it was my biggest fear for my child starting school. (Un)/Luckly ( depending on which way u look at it) she would be completely unable to cope in mainstream so goes special school. Children don't have one to ones in school unless there is a need. Also needs funding .

@TawdryBrush

I've met too many school staff with a shitty attitude to neurodiversity and incorrect opinions on children's home life to be polite OP.

If you want to genuinely find out more about ADHD and medication ask for some professional development or do some further reading around it.

If you really care about the child, accept his medical diagnosis, stop gossiping about him and be respectful to his parents.

Not gossiping - using the MN to gain information based on people's experiences, which I have. I will also do some research too.

@StormyTeacups

It can be blinking hard to get a 1-1 as well, so clearly there are issues

Yes - it's a physical issue

They may well change his personality. But do you know what changes the personality of a child with untreated ADHD? Growing up being told off for 90% of what you do. Trying desperately to tell people that you aren't doing it on purpose but never being believed. Your earliest memories are feeling like the odd one out. Being ostracised by your peers. Even when you do get praised the occasional time you get it right, it's always tinged with "why can't you always be like this?". It trashes your self esteem and you grow up into an adult who never believes in themselves, never feels good enough, has to put on a mask every time they're around other people and is likely to end up self medicating with drugs and alcohol or in prison. I'd probably have risked it with the pills if I'd had the chance.

OP do you know what the Senior based there information on if it’s not the staff who work with him? The fact staff who work one to one with a child were not asked about a child’s behaviour before diagnosis by the Senco lead does concern me. My child has Asd and adhd diagnosed and is medicated. It makes his life better and ours. However before diagnosis the school including all the staff who work with him had to feed into a form, as did we separately. It doesn’t seem normal process for staff who work with the child to not be asked about there behaviours etc. Unfortunately children we occasionally misdiagnosed and there is a known term of diagnosis chasers. I am not saying this child’s diagnosis was wrong but equally he process doesn’t sound right.

@Newrunner29

My concern would be that as u didnt know that much about adhd and semmed quite a stereotyped way ,then u would wouldnt nessassry be best suited to be a childs 1 to 1,so i would suggest getting trainning asap, it was my biggest fear for my child starting school. (Un)/Luckly ( depending on which way u look at it) she would be completely unable to cope in mainstream so goes special school. Children don't have one to ones in school unless there is a need. Also needs funding .

My 1:1 has literally just been identified to me as having ADHD, which is why I've not been specifically trained in this area. I might suggest that I have some CPD in this to support him even better now he has a diagnosis.

Ask your school if there is any ADHD training available, it doesn’t always show the ways you expect.
When my son was in year 8 he had two 1-1 TAs. They each filled in a sensory profile form for him - the answers were broadly the same and showed that DS had no sensory difficulties which certainly isn’t the case. Had DS stayed at that school I would have asked for his TAs to have training from a sensory integrated trained OT.

My daughter was a model pupil suffering with undiagnosed adhd until she could not do the masking anymore, and she broke. Now her life is a shell of what it was. We now have a glimmer of her getting an education only because she has finally been diagnosed and medicated (no school involvement) thank Goodness. Look up inattentive adhd.
The fog has reduced and she is sleeping.

It is SO much more complex than how a child behaves at school.

@DerbyshireMama

They may well change his personality. But do you know what changes the personality of a child with untreated ADHD? Growing up being told off for 90% of what you do. Trying desperately to tell people that you aren't doing it on purpose but never being believed. Your earliest memories are feeling like the odd one out. Being ostracised by your peers. Even when you do get praised the occasional time you get it right, it's always tinged with "why can't you always be like this?". It trashes your self esteem and you grow up into an adult who never believes in themselves, never feels good enough, has to put on a mask every time they're around other people and is likely to end up self medicating with drugs and alcohol or in prison. I'd probably have risked it with the pills if I'd had the chance.

He's not told off at school though. He doesn't get in trouble. He's a happy little soul.

@PutYourBackIntoit

My daughter was a model pupil suffering with undiagnosed adhd until she could not do the masking anymore, and she broke. Now her life is a shell of what it was. We now have a glimmer of her getting an education only because she has finally been diagnosed and medicated (no school involvement) thank Goodness. Look up inattentive adhd. The fog has reduced and she is sleeping.

It is SO much more complex than how a child behaves at school.

Thank you for sharing this.

@beatrice82

I wasn't given the opportunity to comment on the forms. I feel that the parents are pushing for this diagnosis because they can't cope with him at home, yet when I work with him at school, he's perfectly manageable.

I know what you mean. There was a child at my school like this, he told us his mother gave him an energy drink before seeing the doctor.

God one of the biggest blocks to my son finally getting the adhd diagnosis that has revolutionised his life was his teacher saying 'he's fine with me - it's all about parenting so I won't cooperate'. Great that he was gone for the very short period of the day he was at school. The effort he put into that meant that the rest of his time when he was in a safe space he lashed out big time. Our lives were hell and I still feel hugely resentful that that delayed him getting the help he needed by two years.

You know very little about this child and their family. You are not a medical professional. Please stop with the faux concern and back off.