If your child has ADD...

How old were they when you started them on medication? My DS will be 6 in the fall but is a big boy in terms of height for his age. DH and I feel kind of guilty for considering this but we feel he is suffering academically. He is also very hyper and very challenging/ impulsive with DH, myself and his little sister . He needs to repeat kindergarten. I am stressing over this.

Message edited 4/1/2015 9:45:44 AM.

If your child has ADD...

My son was diagnosed when he was 8 (though it was suspected) and I did not consider medication until about 9.5. Your son seems young for medication, its pretty strong stuff and does come with many side effects. Having said that, only you know him best. Have you informed the school of his diagnosis? If not, you may want to consider getting him on a 504 plan for some accommodations in class before going the medication route. There's a lot they can do to help him focus, as well as implementing some positive reinforcements.

It's a tough decision, I hope it works out for you. For what its worth, my son did not do well on medication and we stopped it due to the side effects. Every child is different though, and there are many types of meds.

Re: If your child has ADD...

How is a 504 different from having a IEP Plan? They are looking to have him in a self contained class next year - 12 kids in the class - all with needs. They would mainstream him during lunch/ play etc.

If your child has ADD...

A 504 plan is just a set of accommodations in class that might help him, such as preferential seating, extra set of books for home, extra time for tests, having his homework written down for him, stuff like that. Many kids with ADHD don't necessarily qualify for a full IEP. But if your son does, then that's even better. Does he have any learning disabilities aside from his ADHD? I've not seen many kids be put in self contained based on ADHD alone. I'm curious their reasoning for putting him in self contained.

I find it amazing how some districts do so much to help kids with ADHD, yet my district fought me every step of the way.

Message edited 4/1/2015 11:04:15 AM.

Re: If your child has ADD...

Re: If your child has ADD...

Thanks .. i understand the difference now

If your child has ADD...

Has your son had a complete evaluation from the school district? Were there any accommodations made for him this year? Did you try utilizing an aide to keep him on track during class? Does he have a behavior plan? Before I placed my child in a self contained class for ADD I would make sure that I utilized all the supports possible.

As far as medication, the doctor would know best. My daughter takes medicine for anxiety and we started at 6. While 6 is young, it was severe and it was the best thing for her.

Re: If your child has ADD...

My son is 6 next month and we started him on meds. But, only after we tried every outlet possible first. We tried it on our own and then got him to a psychologist. She put him on strict behavior plans and worked with the school to put him on a separate points system than the class. One that broke the day down into periods rather than earning a good day or bad based on the whole day. We used visual on his desk to help him concentrate and a bumpy seat cushion. He didn't have an official 1:1 aide but, one of the classroom aides unoffically spent most of her time sitting with him. When all of that, including CONSTANT, contact with the teacher and VERY STRICT programs at home and weekly therapy didn't work she referred us to a neuro. However, she was able to say that he totally understood the strategies for everything, felt remorse for hitting, and knew what he could do to help attend.. but, couldn't follow through. The teacher felt the same way. He was losing friends. The kids couldn't stand him. He was getting a rep in the classroom and was even getting blamed for things he didn't do. He wasn't working to his potential. He would be a high reading group one week and not able to the work the next day. He was crying and hated school (in kindergarten!!!) It was heartbreaking.

We started on Quillivant. It was a miracle. He didn't even know what he was taking. He thought it was a vitamin. He came home after the first day and was bewildered by his ability to do well in school. By the third day, he said "My body feels happy". The next week he told me the "kids are talking to me again. They want to be my friend". We came down on the dose a bit. He is doing great. Not perfect but, totally amazing. The good thing about this med is that it is liquid and VERY easy to adjust the dose in very small levels. I was so against meds but, I can't even tell you the difference in my kids self esteem. He was so sad every day when I picked him up. He was never able to earn a level 4.. not even a 3. He was defeated every single day. He earned the 4 and he was so freaking happy. I can't even tell you.

Re: If your child has ADD...

My DD started at 6. She has ADHD and serious anxiety. We had several evaluations and tried medication only as a last resort.

She takes Adderrall XR.

Re: If your child has ADD...