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? ☹️

You still haven't said how long you've been working with him

@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.

We had this, they masked all day every day until they just couldn't any more. The school staff thinking he was misdiagnosed broke my child, and they're still not fixed two years later.

I will never forgive the entire team that thought they knew better than medical professionals and decided they were just lazy or naughty and didn't need medicating.

@ToughTittyWhompus

You have zero boundaries and need to step back.

It takes a long time and multiple professionals to diagnose ADHD in a child.

Get back in your Lane.

Not at the moment. I requested an assessment for my son this time last year. I had a phone call with someone and both me and his teacher were asked to fill out questionnaires. I then had another phone call before doing another questionnaire. The only time they saw my son was for 5 minutes to discuss the scores and tell me they were diagnosing ADHD. If parent was cosy with teacher, it would be easy to get a diagnosis during the pandemic. Medication- probably harder.

@Clymene

You still haven't said how long you've been working with him

Several years as TA. 6 months with this child.

I’m sorry you’re getting such a negative response to your query. You sound kind and caring and I think you should raise your concerns with the class teacher. You spend a lot of time with this child so of course your views are important.

I also have a child who masked at school - it was she that spotted she had ADD and we then had to fight the school to get them to agree to fill in the ADD teacher's assessment form. But to be fair when they did agree they asked us to choose who filled it in - and we choose a teacher who was her form teacher for two years and also taught her for two years and the results came back she had ADD. She hyperfocused at school and in one-to-one situaitons but was a complete wreck at home from the stress of pretending all day everything is OK. The masking has been so damaging for her mental health. I wished schools would pick up children who mask.

@beatrice82 don’t take this the wrong way, but as an asd parent, it feels like the school staff I have to fight, please don’t judge them, everyone does the best they can, the parent, the child, the school, the kid will know if your caring comes from a place of pity, drop that, and concentrate on how can you be helpful to the situation, as a mum, the years the teachers and TAs are allies are so much easier, the label won’t matter, the child is the same they were the last six months, keep doing your best

Wow. I have a feeling the responses you have received here gave touched a nerve as parents really struggle with a lack of diagnosis is this country.
However, you have not done anything wrong to question the diagnosis if you have concerns. You have a duty of care to report what you have seen.
I have ADHD and so has my daughter. Medication massively changed my personality for the worse and I had to stop taking it. My daughter is not significantly impacted by her condition and I choose not to give her medication and opt for lifestyle changes. For some this is obviously not possible and medication is needed.
The medication is a amphetamine based drug. Please speak up for the child if you feel you need to by objectively documenting what you have seen in the classroom.

“ Still sad he's going on meds cos he's such a lovely person and I'm worried the medication will change how he is.”

Fucking hell, this has got to the one of the worst things I’ve read on MN. He is on medication to improve his life. To make coping, education and making and maintaining relationships easier.

What is role in school? It sounds like you have a big training need.

@beatrice82

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.

No, sorry, you are not great at your job. You have just listed all the things you didn’t know that you absolutely should have! You are woefully under qualified for your role and you lack professionalism. Your first port of call with your concerns should have been the SENCO and you should have sought further training to properly equip yourself to work with this child.

My child has inattentive ADHD. You'd never notice it in terms of school behaviour - she's beautifully behaved, desperate to please adults and her ASD means she gets very worried about following the rules totally. She's the sort of kid that, apart from the absolute nightmare teacher we had last year who caused us so much damage, adults in the class usually turn to mush over about how kind and sweet natured she is.

She has absolutely no ability to focus on a task unless it's something she hyper focuses on through interest... she's aware of this, desperately upset when instructions won't stay in her brain (because she's desperate to please the adults) and masks her arse off by following peers and muddling along.

She still has absolutely crippling ADHD - 2 mins in a room with an assessor and they'd identified a huge list of ADHD related behaviours.

Very clear boundaries at home incidentally.

This one is NOT your call - you're not qualified to diagnose it, and you sound incredibly negative and judgemental about the possibility of medication. If medication helps this lad function better in school and be a little less all over the place in terms of functioning - and the NHS is not going to be prescribing stuff for the sheer fun of it, or giving medical time for the sheer want of anything else to do - then so be it.

Yabu sorry but you are with the child 3 days a week in a structured setting 1:1 completely different to the home environment where his parents are living it 247. Many children with asd or ADHD are very good at masking you are probably getting the best version of him at school. You have to put your faith in the professionals like someone else said they don't hand out medication willy nilly also with all due respect did you really think the parents just want to dose their kid up on medication? I'm sure they have explored every other option first and it may have been very hard for them to make this decision. Please try to be more understanding of what is obviously challenging time for them btw I think it's admirable how much you obviously Care for this little boy just keep doing what you are doing and be supportive of both him and his family .

OP you’re getting a harsh time on here because your OP states that you ‘worked with a lot of ADHD children’ but know fuck all about it. Your title is ‘child being given medication unnecessarily’ and you said you think he had been misdiagnosed.

You’re now backtracking and claiming that you ‘want to know more’ which is bs.

The poor child - I hope the other people around him aren’t as narrow minded, prejudiced and ignorant as you.

@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry, is it not the SENCO role to ensure that the TA working with a xhild with a soecific condition hjas been trained?
The child has just been diagnosed. Why should the OP have been knowing what ADHD is inside out when she was asked to go and support the child for PHYSICAL difficulties rather than behaviour issues?

The OP clearly doesn't know a lot about ADHD. She is worried about a child and is seeking to educate herself. Is that not what she is supposed to do? Why is it not Ok to learn from MN and from people who have children with ADHD (or have ADHD themselves)?

@TractorAndHeadphones

OP you’re getting a harsh time on here because your OP states that you ‘worked with a lot of ADHD children’ but know fuck all about it. Your title is ‘child being given medication unnecessarily’ and you said you think he had been misdiagnosed.

You’re now backtracking and claiming that you ‘want to know more’ which is bs.

The poor child - I hope the other people around him aren’t as narrow minded, prejudiced and ignorant as you.

That's a good point though....

Actually you are allowed to mull this over in a safe space and also talk to the school you work in if you have concerns over a child. No matter what they are.

It’s good you are concerned for the child. You’ll probably find out he’s been assessed properly but there’s never any harm in being concerned, so long as you do it in a professional way.

@PerfectlyUnsuitable because her concern comes from pity for the child and contempt for the parents, and that it’s what needs to change

"Merry" - I'm not sure why you think I should already have known all this about ADHD medication, having never worked 1:1 with a child with ADHD before. Did you read that he only got the diagnosis a few days ago?

Sorry, I should clarify... I've never directly worked with a child who has ADHD but I have come into contact with them many times as a general TA, playground duty, or the odd bit of cover here and there.

[quote Franklydear]@PerfectlyUnsuitable because her concern comes from pity for the child and contempt for the parents, and that it’s what needs to change[/quote]
I don't have contempt for the parents.

[quote PerfectlyUnsuitable]@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry, is it not the SENCO role to ensure that the TA working with a xhild with a soecific condition hjas been trained?
The child has just been diagnosed. Why should the OP have been knowing what ADHD is inside out when she was asked to go and support the child for PHYSICAL difficulties rather than behaviour issues?

The OP clearly doesn't know a lot about ADHD. She is worried about a child and is seeking to educate herself. Is that not what she is supposed to do? Why is it not Ok to learn from MN and from people who have children with ADHD (or have ADHD themselves)?[/quote]
The OP has been a TA for six years but didn’t know how long an ADHD assessment can take?

I think the reason so many people here have their back up is because as a parent being not belived is a real fear and can really effect childrens support. If children mask and professionals like teachers and TAs do not understand about masking they could literally provent any support going to child. Also thinking in a very stereotypical view of adhd is harmful also. Which is kinda the 2 points u started with.

@beatrice82

"Merry" - I'm not sure why you think I should already have known all this about ADHD medication, having never worked 1:1 with a child with ADHD before. Did you read that he only got the diagnosis a few days ago?

I’ve read all your posts.

@Newrunner29

I think the reason so many people here have their back up is because as a parent being not belived is a real fear and can really effect childrens support. If children mask and professionals like teachers and TAs do not understand about masking they could literally provent any support going to child. Also thinking in a very stereotypical view of adhd is harmful also. Which is kinda the 2 points u started with.

Fair enough.

@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry

It took 5 years and two full assessment processes before my son was given his ADHD diagnosis and medication. Believe me- they don’t hand that shit out like skittles.

This!! I've just had my son assessed for ADHD (lengthy and incredibly detailed) and am now exploring medication.

OP you may not know (plus it may be different depending on where you are in the world etc), but a GP cannot prescribe medication for ADHD. You need a psychiatrist who spends time assessing the child, adjusting dosage etc. It is NOT as said in other replies, something given if it's not really needed.

I suspect many parents who have the choice to make whether to medicate or not, go through a great deal of turmoil before trying it. Please don't assume it's been done lightly or on a whim to make life easy.

Children can also present one way at home and another at school.

Fear of judgement from others about this subject is one factor in me telling hardly anyone about my sons diagnosis or medication. Until you've walked a mile in that families shoes, you will never know what their reality is.

There's some good resources out there I'm sure to educate about the pros and cons of medication.