ADHD Diagnosis

[frazledworkingmum]

Well, today we received a confirmed diagnosis of mild ADHD for my DS, not a surprise but still upsetting.

We do not have problems managing his behaviour at home, and probably wouldn't have realised there was a problem if it hadn't been for the school raising their concerns. The team we saw today are going to write to the school with recommendations for the school to implement to help my DS. They want to see us again in December for a review.

If things at school haven't improved the team want to discuss the possibility of using medication. I really am very very reluctant to go down this route.

Has anyone got any experience of managing ADHD successfully in school without having to resort to medication ?

Also has anyone got any successful strategies /ideas that the school can implement to help my DS focus more in class, improve his concentration and reduce his disruptive behaviour (e.g calling out in class)

Many Thanks

Sounds like he has inattentive/impulsive. I think the inattentive part is easier to work on than the impulsive part - you can call someone's attention back to you, but if calling out isn't a premeditated act, how do you stop it? There are a few classroom resources if you google plus a load of books on Amazon, most of which are aimed at teachers or parents.

Why are you very very reluctant to go down the medication route btw? Contrary to the media scare stories, side effects are rare and if you do get them it's easy to discontinue medication, so if ever there was a treatment that "it can't hurt to try" then Ritalin is it.

Thanks for replying.

I think I'm reluctant to use medication as I have read so much in the press & books about the side effects of Ritalin such as reducing a child's appetite and affecting their sleep and I am worried it will affect my DS.

Does using medication mean he will have to be on it for the rest of his life to manage his behaviour ? He seems so young to be starting this.

I don't like the idea of my child taking medication without first spending time with the school trying different strategies to help engage my ds and improve his behaviour in class.

My son is 11 and was diagnosed with adhd when he was 7. School had tried lots of things to help him but all failed. We went down the medication route and I have got to say it was the best thing we ever did for him. The thing you read in the press are mostly scaremongering and wrong.
The way I see it is that if he was in pain then you would give him pain killers, so why not something that can help him control his impulsiveness. But that is only my opinion.

Actually, I agree with you fwm. My dd has a dx of AD(H)D innatentive and we feel the same. After much consideration and soul searching, we have ventured down the medication route, because dd has fallen way behind her peers in her school work, but we're very unsure about it and so is dd. The reports you read about regarding loss of appetite and insomnia have both affected dd and she has had to have melatonin to counteract the side effects. She lost about 5lbs, but this has not done her any harm as she was at the top end of the centiles for healthy height and weight. She eats breakfast and her dinner in the evening when the effects of her medication have worn off, so it's not such a worry. She eats hardly any lunch though.

Our concern is more about the unknown long term effects of taking stimulant medication. I truly understand your fears and I'm really not sure what to expect as dd gets older. She is 10 now. She is given considerable help at school to keep her on task. she can't complete tasks independently as she just loses focus all the time. Breaks my heart.

That said, the medication does help with the focus issue and also with the impulsiveness as it has made dd seem calmer in her approach to things so there is less impulsivity as a result. We can certainly see the benefits, but we're not sure if they outweigh the possible long term risks. Dd doesn't see the effects herself, hence she doesn't like taking the tablets.

I don't feel it is like taking painkillers really because in my eyes there's nothing 'wrong' with dd. She would be happy to plod along if life would wait for her to catch up, but there is so much pressure to conform and her struggling in school is the main reason for taking these tablets. Dd is not badly behaved and she is fine at home until it comes to homework when there is more pressure and stress.

It's a minefield tbh!!

Thanks so much all of you for replying.

Aero - How long has your dd been on the medication ? Does she take just the one tablet a day and does she take it every day including weekends and holidays or does she just take it when going to school ??

We also don't have any problems with DS behaviour at home, its just his lack of concetration and distractiblity at school and I feel heartbroken for him. He has no idea there is a problem (He is only 6)

Ime (I have mild ADHD and am on ritalin) the insomnia wears off once you get the dose right and the appetite is only about - ironically - "remembering" to eat; if you stick a plate of food in front of me I will eat it, all of it, if you don't then I will just forget to eat at all. Have just cheerfully eaten a mozarella salad and a plate of scampi and chips at the wine bar - but other than that I've had 2 squares of chocolate today because I happened to be passing the fridge and that's where I keep it - wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise. So for me it's a lack of appetite in the sense that you don't notice your hunger, rather than not fancying food when it's in front of you.

I think one of the most helpful things you can do as a parent is to enforce routines and coping mechanisms: when I was a kid I forgot my games kit every time, but might not have done with a timetable by the front door. I failed to do my homework, but if I knew my mum checked on me every day I might have done it. I lost sixteen umbrellas in one year until finally my mum bought one small enough to fit in my school bag; have only lost two umbrellas since then. I still lose my wedding ring several times a day, but - by and large - I find it again because I have got in the habit of putting it in a few regular places. If you are inattentive, a lot of it is about forming good habits so that when your attention is wandering your subconscious automatically does what your attentive mind ought to be doing, and the more ordered a life you lead, the better. The problem is that as an adult I understand the need for all these coping mechanisms and prioritise them. As a child OK I was undiagnosed but even with a diagnosis I wouldn't have been capable of helping myself in that way, it's a lesson I learned painfully over many years.

ETA - I don't think of it as "stimulant" medication. The way I see it, everyone else's body is producing enough of the fizzy stuff for their brains to operate. I happen to have a deficiency, a shortage. The meds are a supplement - like taking fish oil or zinc or vitamin pills - that put me up to more or less the same levels of the fizzy stuff as anyone else.

If I was starting from the same baseline levels as an NT person then yes, it would be a "stimulant". And if I take too much (eg when we were testing out what the right dose should be) I get all jittery and then it starts functioning as a stimulant. But at the right dose, it's a normaliser.

She has been taking it since January only on schooldays which the paediatrician is happy with. She had a late dx because she was not disruptive and any problems there were when she was much younger (although I have had concerns since she was about two with the social side of things) were put down to her being young and a summer birthday etc, etc by her teachers. It was only as she got older that certain behavioural concerns (not bad behaviour, more interrupting, daydreaming and other typical ADD behaviour issues) became more noticably different from her peers etc. Then school pointed out their concerns and I finally went phew - it's not just me!!

I'm fairly sure I have this condition myself and I agree with r3dh3d on most counts and I have to force myself to be organised about things like where I put things. Losing and forgetting stuff and focus has been the bain of my life always! I have learned to manage by making certain things habit which as a child I was also incapable of it would seem! Have never considered investigation for me though, but I see so many of my own problems in dd. I was considered as lazy and someone who was capable but who'd have done much better if I had paid attention to my work! Speaks volumes!

I like the way you see the meds r3dh3d. That does actually settle me a little about it. Dd really doesn't 'feel' different, so I guess looking upon it as a 'normaliser' is a good way to go. :)

it was explained to us as exactly that - and also as a good way of working out whether the dx is correct

children who do not have adhd will not respond to ritalin et al because they already have enough 'fizzy stuff'.

so if it doesn't help, the paed needs to be looking for other support, and at other conditions.

we have it in the cupboard. the jury is still out on whether we will use it or not.

i'm surprised they have dx adhd on the say so of one setting tbh - normally issues have to be present in at least two before they will consider medicating?

Ds has ADHD associated with ASD and the subject of medication was first mentioned at age 5. Although I anticipated a dx ( ds is extremely hyper/impulsive/compulsive) I had a similar horror of medicating my son too. My way of coping was to read about treatments/ interventions of all types (book requests from the library) and do as much as I could nonpharmocologically first. Ds improved a little on suppliments ( eskimo fish oil), and having a proteinrich breakfast ( beans on toast/ egg). I attended a specialised parenting course (ds is challenging to parent and teach), and found support for the teaching staff.
It might be worth looking in to diet just in case it helps! What it really helped in our family was in knowing we had done all we could before trying medication!! (It made only a small difference - but ds is severe not mild!)

Ds1 has ADHD, ASD and SPD

he isn't medicated, he's seven and the school seem to be managing him nicely. He can be a little difficult at home, but to be honest, he'#s my benchmark for 'normal.

I ahve decided that when his behavior stops him progressing at school, I will consider the medication. Until then, we cope with time out (and this is not so much a punishment as an opportunity to go and Be Alone In His Bedroom) and 123 magic. We also avoid supermarkets and, to some extent, other people's houses, as he becomes VERY overstimulated. I hazard watch for him, so I am always looking out for dogs (as he will go bolting towards one and it will be my fault if the dog bites him, as I kjnow dogs dislike surprises) - he has been bitten before but, in true ADHD style, this has taught him nothing.

Hi

Nickoftime - The nursery my DS attended before school had also raised concerns about his behaviour and had trouble getting him to concentrate etc so I'm assuming the specialist team is taking that to be the second setting.

Thanks very much for everyone's input - definately given me a lot to think about. If its ok I may be back with more questions at a later date !