13 Tips for Medicating your ADHD Child

13 Tips for Medicating your ADHD Child

Medicating your child's probably the one thing that keeps you up at night.  How do I know that? Because I lost tons of sleep wondering if I'm helping or hurting my son.  I'm a year into medicating and I have had noticeable positive change in his overall behavior.  I did a lot of research before coming to the decision to medicate him.  So I had a basic understanding of what side effects could occur and I had a decent expectation as to what the positive effects would be.  I will warn you against believing there's a drug out there that will cure your child of ADHD, there is no cure.  Medicine is just another tool in you box to help manage this disorder.

1. Understand medication isn't a cure it's just a treatment meant to help with focus, and concentration, and hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility.
2. It's just a myth that stimulants medication reverses the effect of ADHD and calms them down.  Fact a low dose stimulant will calm anyone down.
3. Medications will not make your kid want to do great in school or make them want to do homework, that's still going to be your job.
4. Don't use medication as your only treatment plan.
5. Look into changing his or hers diet to avoid all of the none trigger foods.
6. Keep a journal of the new medication and it's effect on him or her over time.
7. Keep all the medications pamphlets with the journal. So you can access the possible side effects literature easier.
8. Avoid constantly change medications looking for the perfect pill.
9. ADHD children will still have symptoms even while being medicated just at a lower intensity.
10. Monitor your child mood and if you notice the "zombie" effect that is a sign that the dosage is too high.
11. You can't medicate away, lying, teasing, low self-esteem, poor social skills and an obsession with video games
12. Never ask your child "did you take your medication" in the same conversation as a behavior issue.
13. ALWAYS maintain control over your child medication no matter there age. 

17 Tips for Accepting Your ADHD Child

17 Tips for Accepting Your ADHD Child

The success of your child will have will begin with you accepting that he or she has developed ADHD.  If you have a negative attitude about this condition, like thinking that your child is just lazy or misbehaving you're wasting valuable time in getting your child out of constant confusion.  You will not be able to properly care for your child with this belief system.  If you are looking for a pill or therapy to fix him or her you will be left exhausted.  There is no cure for ADHD and it's not something you can cause.

1. Accept that he or she will have special needs and you will have to make room in your mind for that fact.
2. Stop beating yourself up, you can't cause ADHD.
3. Don't blame your child.
4. ADHD can last his or hers entire life.
5. .I can't say this one enough there is no cure for ADHD.
6. Try an focus on what the child does right, rather than trying to fix all of the deficient areas.
7. Don't attempt to correct the child if the environment is difficult, change the environment to fit your childs needs.
8. If you find something that works, keep doing that until it no longer works.
9. Don't set your expectation based on how old your child is because children with ADHD lag behind other children by a couple of years.
10. Get rid of the words "he will never...", because it's not true they just take a little longer to catch on.
11. Your child will have good days and bad days.  Regulating their own behavior will be an moment to moment struggle. 
12. It's your job to remove possible problems, like T.V. in their rooms, video games, laptops all things that seem to hold their need for stimulation.
13. It's important to allow your child to experience consequences for poor behavior.
14. Don't listen to others who believe your coddling your child by providing them with extra support and accommodations.
15. Do not get defensive about your child poor behavior or you and your child will be rejected.
16. Apologize for your child's inappropriate behavior and explain his or her condition.
17. I know you think its probably none of anybody's business your child's condition and you would be correct. If you want a supportive environment for your child this is the correct approach.

Accepting ADHD Medication

Accepting ADHD Medication

Medication is not my first choice to solve a problem.  It took months of thinking about medicating my child before I said yes.  I really did not know what to expect when I said yes.  I did not know how the medication would affect my son.  Good or bad.  During these months of thinking, I attempted different researches to see if I could help him without medicating him.  The psychologist said “even if you medicate your child you still need to give him the tools he needs.  He has to learn to cope with the fact that he needs to do things a bit different.”  What he needs to do different is use a memory system.  Anyone with ADHD has a difficult time completing more than one task at a time, following directions in day to day events.  A notebook and a planner is my son’s best friend.  I know you parent’s didn’t think you were out of the scope of remedies did you.  The psychologist said “as the parent I need to teach my son the skills, have more patience and do things differently for him.”  I don’t know about all parents but I like to use lists for my children.  So I decided to make a list for everything possible for my son.  I found myself repeating myself less.  Instead of just regular notes on paper I am using index cards.  I also noticed that no longer have to give him one task at a time.  So I have index cards for each chore.  It includes what the core is and what needs to be done to complete the chore.  I have index cards for morning and evening hygiene list.  It includes everything he needs to do when he wakes up and goes to bed to have good hygiene.  I put the hygiene and chore index cards together so he gets everything accomplished.  He needs to carry this idea on for the rest of his life.

As far as the medication, it works!  It is not a cure.  It does not take ADHD away.  I know, I know.  Wouldn’t that be nice?  From my experience my son can retain better, comprehend better, follows better, and is a bit calmer.  That is enough because with that he can have a normal life.  He is able to retain what he needs in school, at home and in sports.  Information for him to utilize in adulthood was my main concern.  If he is unable to successfully get through school age years, how can he get through his adulthood?  What would happen when I am not here to help him?  How will he make a living if he cannot follow directions, do a list of tasks, think without being impulsive and so on?   My son has more of the attention deficit than the hyperactivity disorder.  Some people only have the attention deficit disorder.  The medication works for either.  As the child gets older the dosage does too.  Most children start medication around age ten because that is when the disorder becomes apparent.  No one has to take the medication past college.  There is more than just Ritalin offered as a medicine.  I was worried about that because I have heard horror stories about it.  They have Adderall and Concerta as well.  Whatever you chose, keep an eye on your child as you should with any medication.  As to any medicine there are side effects and you won’t know how it affects your child until you try.  What a big risk right?  My son is fine.  At times his appetite is small or he may get a stomach ache from not eating a big enough breakfast before he takes his medicine.  Otherwise his weight is fine, his blood pressure is fine, his personality is the same and his grades are better! Medication is an option but not a cure! 

    

I Think He May Have ADHD

I Think He May Have ADHD

   Throughout his infant years my son was a fast learner.  In daycare he never had any problem behaving, catching on, following directions or learning.  The first few years of school went well.  Although I began to notice that he stutters.  It wasn’t that he had a lack of vocabulary or a learning disability but that he just simply stutters. It took me three school years to get my son speech therapy.  It has been a bit nerve wrecking to watch the different treatment he receives from others.  Teachers, classmates, friends, siblings and others made it clear they did not have the time to listen to him speak, ask questions or just get to know him.  In his third grade school year I began to see a difference in his grades.  He became a “c” student when in previous years he was a  “a/b” honor roll student. 

                My son was my second child.  This was not my first rodeo.  Oh but my two children are so different.  In third grade he had his first male teacher.  The school curriculum was getting more difficult.  I did not know what to make of it.  I had never seen one “c” grade on any of his previous report cards.  I had a conference with my son’s stepfather, teacher and I but wasn’t satisfied with the outcome.  I did not get a real understanding of why third grade was hard for him.  So I then requested a conference to include the principal.  We got the assistant principal due to the principal dealing with other affairs.  Needless to say we got the same outcome “third grade curriculum is more difficult and the child may not be applying himself as much as he did.”   

                He slipped down between the cracks in third and fourth grade.  At home we attempted extra tutoring but no progress.  In fourth grade I found myself sitting in his class every week for the entire year.  My involvement with his teacher got plentiful.  We emailed, phoned, wrote and made plans.  I was sure that my child had a “better” teacher than before.  Oh and he was switched into an International Baccalaureate Elementary school where his younger sister was attending.  I know, I know.  I took him from an easy public school to a more difficult college preparatory public school.  Why did I do that I began to think.  Once again I was having conference after conference.  I began to research my child to see what was going on with him because there was something I was missing.  His grades were C’s, D’s and F’s now.  How could this be?  All I could think is “What am I doing wrong?”  I came up with he may have ADHD!  I thought “Not my child, how could this be.  I thought he was normal!”  What a horrible thought right?  I made a doctor appointment for him and what do you know he was a specialist in this field and said “I am unable to diagnose him at this office I work at but I tell you he has ADHD.”  He took out so much time to talk with us. This was something most doctors don’t do now days.  I started to feel relieved.  An answer!  The doctor sent me with the NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale to fill out and for his teacher to fill out. He was now in fifth grade and had a new teacher.  One that I might add was working with him so much better than any other.  I needed to bring the forms back to the doctor and after I did he sent me to a psychologist to diagnose him.  When we went to the psychologist he gave the same assessment form for his teacher and verbally gave one to me.  The conclusion was my son has ADHD-Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.  Now some people have ADHD or ADD.  ADD is just the Attention Deficit Disorder.  So I felt relieved but now I had a huge decision to make.  Do I want to medicate him?  I am not fond of anyone being medicated. 

                I sat around with my husband going back an fourth on why should I or Why should I not medicate him.  The explanations of both his pediatrician and psychologist helped a lot.  The medicine will help him retain the information he learns daily.  At the time his brain was like swiss cheese all of the time.  Medicine would close the holes and help him retain.  He would be able to hold on to what he has learned for life.  He could choose not to take medication when he turns grown.  He will already have the information he needs to survive and do well in the world.  Without the medication he may begin to hang with the wrong crowds because most of the wrong crowd is full of kids going through the same issue.  One day they become grown and do not change.  The habit of drugs and alcohol take place.  They usually do not stop because it’s like taking the actual medication.  The patterns start changing as children and their futures do not look bright.  So with the 50/50 chance I chose the medication.  Oh how it has helped!  I knew this when I asked him what I always ask my kids.  “What did you learn in school today?”  He recited a COMPLETE story and when I asked him questions about the story he answered well.  He understood the story COMPLETELY!  His grades have improved and he his back on top.  A’s and B’s!  His language still need some help because of his stuttering challenges.  Also now I am reading a book called “1000 Best Tips for ADHD: Expert Answers and Bright Advice to Help You and Your Child ” by Susan Ashley, PhD and I highly recommend it.  It takes away from many frustrations you may grow to have with this situation and child.  A bit of understanding helps!  My son has hope!

Mrs. A McNair