Who has experience with ADHD?

[MichiganWoods]

Quote:
No worries.

I get a little defense on this topic too.

 

[Ol'FashionHen]

I have a 5 yo nephew who was diagonosed with a focus sensory disorder at age 4 , he does have a speech delay you can understand his 3 yo brother better than him. He is wound up most of the time, my sis does not take him out much because he gets on peoples nerves sometimes, we being his family understnd him so we know what to do and what not to do. He is very sensitive to a lot of noise, he will actually scream then cry when everyone looks at him if it is too noisy for him, he draws on all the walls in the house has to have a blanket at home at all times NO ONE better not touch it even if he is not using it, the same thing with his tv in his room, he has to sleep with it on, and if he leaves it on DO NOT touch it he will throw a fit, kick, scream, cry, and throw things, and most of all DO NOT yell at him or he will throw a fit with all the above involved. When he is not aggrevated which is usually at home or a calm envirnment he is the sweetest child even to his younger brother even hugs and kisses him

. I feel so sorry for him because his current teacher WILL NOT try to understand him just consistently tells my sis what a distraction he is to her and his classmates. His former teacher had a son of her own who had the same disorder as my nephew and she knew exactly what to do with him and he loved her as did we. She told his new teacher what to expect and to come and get her if she needs help with him... but she won't . His teacher just continually sends him to the office where the principle held him- which is a BIG no-no with his disorder he freaks out if you try to restain him I'm sure he was so scared my sis was furious

at them and asked WHY didn't you call me or get his former teacher if anything. You have to keep a routine in the classroom as well or he freaks out and his teacher knows this but is always changing their schedule and the rewards program in their class..... which is another thing he had all his stars one week for a reward at the end of the week and his teacher told him after giving all the other students their reward that his mommy would have his reward

, this child came home to his mommy and asked her as soon as he got off the bus where his reward for being good was as if my sis knew

Oh I could hit that woman if given the opportunity. Oh here is the biggest kicker of ALL....the best thing for his disorder is to have an occupational thearopist work with him....his dad is an occupational thearopist and does nothing with him

. Now my sis just recently took him to another doc and he says he has ADHD as well

poor little guy you can tell he tries Soo hard to do things the way he asked to sad little eyes and I know he will grow out of it...his dad had it too when he was small, but his parents say my nephews behavior is worse than his was...but on the flip side his dad is extremely smart held a 4.0 all through high school received a full scholarship to college and was the only one in his class to go to school, work full time, and pass his state exam the first time so I'm hopin' with us for a family and his dad's smarts everything is gonna be okay (well as long as I don't catch his teacher out and let the air outta her tires

).

 

[cthrash1]

You know one thing that cooks my goose? Is on the progress reports when the teacher states "Layne is not trying hard enough I know he can do better" How does she know? She isn't in his head....He always fails A/R tests because she won't let him take them right away after getting a book done so a couple days later when he finally gets to take the test he fails because he can't retain the information that long. Crazy

 

[MichiganWoods]

The school system needs to realize (even if budgets do not allow for it right now) that a lot of kids with ADD/ADHD need to be taught using a different approach than kids that don't have ADD/ADHD. They can flourish, if they are only given the chance. I saw that difference between the two high schools I attended. At the first high school, every assignment was cookie cutter. Everyone had to hand in the exact same paper for each assignment. It was utterly boring and was never interesting enough to force my mind to focus. If I tried to be creative to make things interesting for myself, I was rewarded with a failing grade for not following the directions to the letter (even if the paper was outstanding). I eventually decided to switch to an alternative education high school. For those curious, alternative education high schools (at least when I attended ten years ago) usually cater to those that feel uncomfortable at or are picked on at the regular high schools. This included those with special circumstances, such as teenage mothers. There I discovered I actually liked school. My English teacher kept a lot of my papers to show future students. One of my favorites was an assignment given to us where we had to write about vacationing to ten different locations around the world. I asked her if it was all right to deviate from the story in that I would travel, but it wouldn't be for vacation. She was quite all right with that. What I returned to her was a rather lengthy suspense novelette in which I had witnessed a murder and was trying to escape the clutches of the bad guy. I (the character) ended up having to work with the FBI to lure the criminal into a setup in which he was finally captured (setting: the catacombs of Rome, Italy). It was an A+ paper, and it was the first of my concoctions she retained.

Hopefully some of the parents in this thread will find the above useful in some fashion. Didn't mean to blab so much.

 

[Blue Skys]

There is also a lot to be said for a healthy, well-balanced diet, and physical activity. That's what helps me with anxiety. I know it's not the same as add or adhd, but to see the difference in my moods and ability to cope with stimulus... It really is overlooked a lot of times.

 

[jnjross]

Quote:
Help me with this statement? half of the smallest dose ??

ARE YOU HAVING TO CUT THE PILLS IN HALF?????

they have a time release coating that NEVER should cut into damaging the coating can cause the drug to release quicker than intended, please say no!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I was told to cut them in half, but these are not time released to my knowledge. The doc said they only last about 4 hours.

ETA: They have a line on them to break them also.

 

[cthrash1]

All of the meds Layne has taken through the years has been time released and they were all capsules, he has had eveything but Concerta, that were the once a day meds. The 4 hour ones aren't time released.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

I've been following this thread and have been hesitant to post, largely because *I* am not an expert and don't want anything I say to be taken with any sort of authority. I won't be handing out any advice, other than to try to leave it at this. My husband is a psychologist with an expertise in this field, having done his doctoral dissertation on ADD/ADHD looking into the neurological aspects of this disorder. He also has a expert knowledge of psychological and neurological testing, having both practiced it and taught it in graduate school to people training to enter the field as well as continuing education courses required to retain professional licenses.

Numerous psychiatrists (the ones who provide the meds) refer patients to him for testing to sort through differential diagnoses since symptoms for one disorder can overlap with another. It's next to impossible to differentiate between disorders when all you've done is fill out the checklist. Often, more is needed to sort through all of the issues. With an incorrect diagnosis, you're just guessing with the meds. If the meds aren't working, seek a second opinion, preferably one from an expert in the field. Now, that said, I'd also express caution at any clinic whose sole treatment modality is focused toward ADD/ADHD. Why? Because sometimes if you're looking FOR something, you'll miss what else is going on.

And finally, while advice on the Internet can help bring thoughts and ideas to our attention, please take these ideas to your physician before proceeding with any changes.

 

[TT]

I understand how frustrating/confusing/scary this can be. My middle son who just turned 12 was diagnosed a couple of years ago. He was having trouble paying attention in school, he was figity, couldn't sit still, seemed to be bored - the teachers thought maybe he should be in gifted classes. He has always done well in school his behavior was just disruptive. The school counselors actually set up his testing for me through the university here and he did not score high enough to be in gifted classes but they did find the ADD. He has a very short attention span - you have to tell him to do things one step at a time. It can be very frustrating and was for most of his life.

We have chosen not to put him meds, we have talked with his doctor who agrees with us and the counselors at the school. They make special arrangements for things like tests. I know now that some of his behavior he can not help and we just work with him to try to find something that works.

I don't have anything against meds and if he gets to the point that we (us, doctors, and counselors) feel like he needs it we will consider it. We have just been blessed that so far it hasn't been necessary.

Some one made a comment about having children who are night and day opposites - I have 3 and they are all completely different individuals and I am thankful for each one.

Merry Christmas all!