i think my son may have add or adhd...are there alternitives to medicating him?

Question

we are going thru the evaluation process because i know there is something wrong with him...i dont want him to be on medication because he is only 4 yrs old...what other options are there?

the reason i KNOW somethign is wrong with him is because i am his mother and i can tell that something isnt right...at times i think he may have a mental disablilty...his behavior is way beyond normal over active 4 yr old boy naughty behavior...he is on a completely different level of naughtiness...he will cry for no reason, then cant stop himself, he cannot sit still for more than 1 minute. you can tell him to do something that you know he understands but he will just look at you and space out.
this may not sound that bad to you, but it is worse than it sounds

Answer 1

I am in the same boat, as you are. My son is 9 and I will not have him medicated either. Its just WRONG. My son is very energetic, so I think he's just hyer, and does not have add, or ahdd. For my son, I have cut down his sugar consumption, and have directly worked with him on his homework, and got him outside to run out his energy. Is your son exceptionally bright? My son is, he is advanced in math, and above most of the other students in his 4th grade class, but he needs help in his writing, which is barely sufficient. My son gets bored doing reading and writing. Its just not his cup of tea. Hell act out during reading and writing time. His mind wanders away from his task. I have been told by quite a few people, and some of his teachers that he might have ADD/AHDD, but then other teachers have said no. Your son may just be bored, because when I read a book on children written by expert doctors in childrens behavior, it said the most intelligent children will act out because of bordom
Spend a lot of time with your child, reading, talking, watching his diet, and make sure he has extra activities out side of stuy and the house. I believe you will see an improvement. I have in my son, although I can never seem to tire him out! Even as an infant, he almost never took naps. And by the way, think about this, please. What did everyone else do before ADD/AHD was diagnosed? People lived, and the world has not been damaged. Good luck!

Answer 2

I agree with those who say to stay away from doctors (or anyone) who are quick to medicate him. You are pretty vague; why do you think there's something "wrong" with him? Does he have trouble paying attention? This is often the mark of a very intelligent child, who notices much and gets distracted easily. It may hamper his learning later on, since most schools aren't geared to deal with this. Is he very active? Maybe he needs more exercise. Every child has a different level of energy and if yours has more, then find ways to let him burn it off. If you can't play w/him or go biking, hiking, etc., enroll in him in a program, say at the YMCA or as someone mentioned, karate.

Martial arts are a good way to teach a child to focus mentally, while channeling energy. However, 4 may too young for him (I tried karate lessons for my son at that age and he kept spacing out!).

An evaluation would be appropriate, though many school systems will not pay for it unless they see the child's poor grades or behavior as disruptive. My child (now 16) was having difficulty concentrating, and finally got tested for ADHD. He was found not to have it. He is just a very spacey, dreamy kid, who can spend hours "thinking", has much artistic and musical talent and just doesn't "mesh" with the way the average school is run.

If your child IS diagnosed w/ADHD, try some non-medical methods of dealing with it, and schools which specialize in teaching kids in different ways....medication should be your LAST resort, since they still don't know what the long-lasting side effects will be.

Answer 3

I'm sure you could find someone somewhere that could teach you and your son how to behave more appropriately. Perhaps a child psychologist would be a good start. But even though there are other alternatives to combat this problem other than medication I question there long term effectiveness. My girlfriend has a young boy age 10 he was diagnosised as having ADD and ADHD. The doctor told her that if she would have sought treatment earlier when he first showed signs when he was 3 he would have been better off now today. She didn't want to have her son on medication either at that age of 3. She sought other means and ways and thought her son would be okay and be a normal child. This did not happen. He now has learning disabilities and is failing in school because of his ADD/ADHD. I would have to sit down and discuss what is the best for your child first with your family physician. Hopefully he or she can lead you in the right direction. Often times parents react harshly to doctors who want to give their children medications. But do they feel that the medications would hurt them or their kids? Often times we as parents do things for our children in the wrong ways and not looking out for their best interest first.

Good luck in whatever you decide and above all learn to have patience with your child and make sure that he knows without a shadow of a doubt that you love him unconditionally.

Answer 4

I wouldnt totally rule medication out as an option. It helps, but not alone. You have to have the behavior modification techniques as well. Meds are not the first option. I tried everything with my son and eventually meds. They are only to help him focus in school. He takes the lowest doseage of concerta. We use it in combination with behavior mod. We are in the process of getting
his IEP (Indivualized Education Plan) in place at school, so that he can get the most of his edu. As an educator as well. I have seen many ADHD children. The med's did help them, but again, dont use meds alone. If you do use Meds get a dr who will listen to you and your concerns. I keep a journal of how the meds effect my son. I discuss concerns and issues with dr. My son's dr. said that if he is true ADHD the meds will help, if he isnt there will be no effect on him. I can say that they do help my child. My son was also 4 when diagnosed. He is now 5. He is much calmer and gets frustrated much less now. We also try to keep him active but not overly stimulated. Over stimulation can lead a child to behave negatively or to change sleeping habits. Before the meds my son had a hard time settling down at night and wouldnt go to sleep until late. He now is more able to stay on schedule. Children with ADHD need structure and schedules. Without it, the tendency for negative behavior increases. The library has lots of resources on ADHD and Parentcenter.com has good articles as well. Good luck in what ever route you take.

Answer 5

While many link hyperactivity with such illnesses as ADD or ADHD, I believe that alot of times it has to do with the child's diet. I would first, cut out all the caffeine, or as much as possible right off the bat. Caffeine, NOT sugar is what keeps kids hyper, awake, and abnormally energetic. Believe me, it's scientific fact that sugar doesn't do this. It's only because sugar is commonly linked with caffeine that has brought upon this idea. Next, I'd get him enrolled in some kind of class, such as karate, or anything that seems to hold any amount of his attention. Does he like sports? Music? It might be hard to tell just yet, since he's so young, but there are junior leagues for children this young in both fields of interest. If a child is passionate about something, they'll tend to focus. So seek out your child's passion.

Whenever he gets older, you can continue these methods, but sometimes it is necessary to get your child on meds if they do infact have either one of these disorders. I have several cousins, and a mother with these conditions and they can't focus at all without their meds. Believe me, they thank God for their prescriptions, it really helps them concentrate. While some will say that these "mask" the problem, I believe it helps to keep the condition at bay. There is no cure for these conditions, so we might as well make it as easy for our children, friends, and parents to concentrate as we can. Why would you keep prescripts out of the hands of those that need them?

Either way, good luck!

Answer 6

I don't blame you a bit there and I hope you find something. I have a friend who has a son that is adhd and their solution was to medicate, medicate, medicate. He now has numerous problems including anger, can't hold a job, can't/won't go to college. He was passed all thru school just to get him out of there. I don't think he can even read very well. He is also bi-polar. I'm no expert, but those drugs just have to have something to do with it. His parents also never regulated his diet - lots of junk & fast food. I always felt a better diet would have helped.

Good luck.

Answer 7

i dont know i would not put him on anything yet anyway since he is so young he may grow out of being hyper maybe no surger or caffine i would try those for maybe a few weeks and see how that goes or maybe ask the doctor you are seeing if there are ne other alternatives then medicating him. Or try lots of activities maybe go running around the block or just things that will tire him out a little. But just make it fun for him to do so he wont get bored. GOOD LUCK

Answer 8

My 3rd son had this same issue. I couldn't believe how many people want to medicate boys for acting like BOYS!! This worked for me, I hope you find it helpful. First determine a trigger (for my son it was sweets) but you can use TV, video games or anything else. The trick is to teach them SELF- control, by explaining how the particular activity seems to cause them to not be able to behave properly. As long as you choose something he WANTS to do often, you get plenty of opportunities to discuss how he did last time you said yes, AND you get to once again stress the importance of proper behavior. And like I said, if its something he wants, he'll knock himself out learning self-control. My son is now 17 and has never been medicated. He maintains a 3.0+ GPA, and works part time in addition to being a pleasant happy human being.He recently returned from washington DC after competing in the national science bowl, and is now trying to choose a college (I'm hoping for MIT). I hope this helps you, I hate to see our kids being told they're 'faulty'.

Answer 9

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT for short) works excellent for most if not all psychiatric and psychological disorders... Do a google search on Cognitive Behavior Therapy and lots should come up on the subject. Also, there is a forums specially disigned for people who have family with adhd. I put the link to it in the sources box below... Good Luck...

http://addforums.com

Answer 10

I think we over diagnose and over medicate kids these days for ADD/HD. Back in the day we were just hyper. As an educator I have seen positive and negative effects of kids on meds. He is still young. Let him start school and see how he does on his own. If he truly can't concentrate on school then think about the meds. With video games and such kids are very sedative. They don't play outside anymore, and all that energy inside them needs to be expended. Get him involved in avtivities and also monitor his diet.