What was your child like before and after ADHD medication in these situations....

[Whothatbe]

Hi, I'm currently on the pathway to get a diagnosis for my 5 year old. I'm jumping way ahead of myself but I'm so worried about him. I don't know if he has ADHD and Autism or either or.
If your child takes medicine for ADHD what were they like before and after at

• birthday party's or gatherings - currently my child can become very cross and fixate on wanting sometime he can't have or something someone else has it just generally going against the grain.
• extra curricular activities - my son ram away from the leaders in gymnastics and would not entertain sitting with the group, likewise at swimming, getting on and out of the pool and not listening to instructions
• at craft or writing activities - my son gets frustrated very easily and will cry when he thinks he has made a mistake, go to heavy with the crayon or whatever he us using
• out and about- can be so unpredictable, compliant to a point on a good day but a nightmare on a bad sat- cross, won't hold my hand, won't listen.

I'm just wondering what us personality and what could be helped by him being much much calmer in all the above situations.

Thanks for reading.

Not sure that it helps to seperate things like autism from personality - it is a fundamental part of who someone is and how they encounter the world?

ADHD meds help my child to focus in school and take the edge of his hyperactivity. They only make things a bit more managable - they do not take either the inattention or the hyperactivity away, they just reduce it to make participating in education a bit easier.

In terms of sensory sensitivities, and finding some situations intolerable, really it's more a question of psycheducation with us parents so we stop putting our children in environments they can't cope with. So it requires a rethink of many aspects of family life, plus adjustments at school, so that our children are considerably less stressed. Kids who can't cope with the demands of their environment will try to escape it or to control other people who are subjectting them to things that are overwhelming to them, to try and get them to stop. We need to anticipate this and try and ensure they are not placed in situations that exceed their ability to cope at this stage in their development. This will enable them to stay regulated.

Neurodiverse kids can have different patterns of concentration and become very focused. It's a strength as well as a challenge in some situations. Again it's a question of working with who they are, not trying to force them to fit into neurotypical patterns of behaviour, and then getting cross/disappointed when they can't cope like a neurotypical child would.

There are some great resources out there for parents - would try and do as much reserach as you can. You could try making some environmental changes and see if they help?

I guess I'm asking how does that calming impact other areas of life, besides education. Obviously education is very important but so is being able to participate meaningfully with peers.

There is no calming effect. They work by speeding up brain connections which improves attention and concentration.

Your child may be contending with differences in social and emotional understanding, differences in social communications and issues of emotional regulation. Whilst his skills and understanding develop (people usually suggest assuming a delay of 30% in ND children, so a ND 6 year old may be functioning in these areas more like an NT 4 year old) you will need to control the demands placed on them by modifying what happens in their social environment.