Advice need on Ritalin..could my little boy be more subdued in class then i realise?

[ruthiew1977]

hi there...
My son (nearly 7) started on ritalin in his last term of year one.. he has concentration problems and can be a bit bouncy.. but is not overly hyperactive. All has been fab..he is very behind with his reading and various areas of his education due to hearing probs from birth.. but Ritalin has certainly made a huge difference, he is slowly starting to catch up with his class mate (we are a long way off.. he is at reception level if i am truthful).
The past two days he has gone to school with out his ritallin.. as the chemist had messed up his prescription.. and when picking him up today from school the lsa mentioned that she had enjoyed seeing his character, although he had no concentration and had not been able to do much work, he was more himself. This worried me.. i dont wont him subdued but i do need him to concentrate more, and the ritalin has certainly aided him in the classroom environment. I dont give it at weekends or on holidays.. he is only on 10mg a day.. 5 in the morning and 5 in the pm, I dont think you can get a lower dose? I have noticed that in the mornings once he has taken it he is quieter, but i assumed he would still be his cheeky self.. oh i dont know..he is short and little for his age.. maybe the dose dosnt suit him... i am waffling now:-)..if any one can let me know if they have experienced anything like this.. or any advice on the drug itself i would be very grateful. Many thanks for reading my long essay, ruth x

he's VERY young or ritalin. Could you stop giving it for a while and see if the school actually start moaning? (don't tell them you've stopped giving it!)

I did think about this, today the learning support assistant did say that he was very cheerful and chatty without it but was unable to concentrate on his work.. which is the reason they put him on it (i assume) for the past 2 and a bit years of primary school he has really struggled and made little progress (didnt have reading skills or remember his class mates name.. everything seemed a struggle for him )but the Ritalin has helped him maintain info and focus better.. but seems to be changing his character in school..His teacher wasnt in today, it was his lsa and a supply teacher who brought it to my attention.. maybe i am over reacting! Is he too young for Ritalin?..not been told that before

I don't have that much experience in this area (nephew took ritalin for a while) but when he was older.

Have you been given any other advice about how to deal with his concentration problems? SIL found that there were some things that helped him learn to concentrate.

You might want to post a question on the Special Needs topics, there are lots of posters with experience on there.

I think Ritalin is actually a stimulant rather than a sedative and it works by stimulating the front part of the brain and this helps them to concentrate. A boy at a school I worked at said it made him feel funny so his dad took it and it made him feel funny too, so they had him taken off the Ritalin and made some changes to his diet instead and that helped. Maybe that's something you could discuss ith your gp if you're worried?

Who prescribed the ritalin? Has he had a diagnosis?

TBH, If he was deaf he may have LEARNED not to listen, but of course I am not an expert and I cannot know anything.

I have my own axe to grind RE ritalin, anyway, so I'm not the best person to advise about it..
My ds1 is the same age as yours and has diagnosed ADHD, and although he is hard to manage sometimes, a structured day really helps, and his teachers agree with me.

Also physical contact can help with listening. It may sometimes look like I am manhandling my son when I hold his ear, but I'm genuinely not hurting him or intending to - I'm physically reminding him, continually, to USE that ear to listen to me while I speak.

Short sentences are important for a child who has had communication difficulties, as he's not used to hearing long streams of information. Again, I look/sound like I'm dog training my child, but I'm communicating in the best way for HIM.

My SIL started giving DN the ritalin in the morning so that he was calm for school, and left the evening dose as long as possible. He came off it eventually, as she thought that it was not good for him.

thanks thats very interesting, he has had a diagnosis from an ed pschy and sees a pead at the childrens hospital, she put him on the ritalin, as he has so many ieps (is that the word) from school and was struggling so much and falling further and further behind.. the ritalin seemed to open up his concentration skills... He most certainly has got used to not listening and therefore has concentration problems, they did mention adhd.. or add as he is not really behaving hyper (if that makes any sense).. he just seems to struggle with understanding and education in general!! I am wondering if he has dyslexia.. but no one has mentioned it so far. His teacher knows how to get him to focus, I must admit i do look/sound like i am training a dog when i am doing work with him.. but it does work!:-)I have posted this message in the special needs topic too.

In my area a diagnosis has to come from a psychiatrist not an Ed Psych. My son took Ritalin for a short time and said he felt he wasn't himself when taking it and that it controlled him which is why he decided he didn't want to take it any more.
In children with ADHD it does have a sedative effect ( sedatives can actually make them more hyperactive)
Ritalin can stunt growth so I'm surprised it has been prescribed for a young child who is small for age.