Kids with ADD.... why not just keep them busy?

Question

Kids with ADD. Why not just keep them extremely busy?
my son was diagnosed with it. And... well... i said "no to drugs!" and i kept him extremely busy! I even quit my job and the wife went to work full time, and i just made sure he had something to do every day.Why do doctors prescribe drugs when... all it takes is a little attention?

Answer 1

ADD is not even real. Your child is just naturally hyper. Thanks for not putting your hyper child on drugs making him a zombie. I commend you for being a real parent and not taking the easy way out of parenting by putting him on drugs.

Answer 2

Obviously Your Son Was Either Mis-Diagnosed Or Doesn't Have It That Severly....ADD & ADHD Affect Different Children In Different Ways... Thankfully Your Son Doesn't Have It "That Bad" Then...
My Sister Has Her 2 Kids In TONS Of Activities... Indoor Soccer, Swimming Lessons, Beavers And Outdoor Soccer In The Summer... They're Always Busy And Her 5 Year Old Son Has ADD And He Was Hitting & Kicking Kids At School, Not Listening To The Teachers Or Bus Driver, Having HORRIBLE Grades @ School But When It Came As Far As Punching The Teacher, My Sister Opted For The "Drugs".... He Now Has Good Grades, Doesn't Hit Anyone And He Now Has Friends @ School... If It Weren't For The "Drugs" He Would Still Be Violent And Super Hyper...

Answer 3

I dont agree with meds but unfortunatly my son cannot function in class at all, I started the school year with him being taking off the meds and it was a complete night mare he is ADHD. The teachers didnt know what to do anymore. I ended up having to put him back on the meds and he went from straight d's and f's to c's and b's and his behaivor was also improved, I dont give it to him on weekends or during school vacations, I strickly use it for school and school only. When he is home on weekends and vacations I have no problem with him not taking his meds I keep him extremly busy with chores or projects that are age appropriate around the house. School just happens to be a big challenge for him and he is 12 and Im hoping soon he will grow out of it.

Answer 4

AD/HD is both over diagnosed and under diagnosed disorder in children today. You brought up all it takes is a little attention? Attention on whose part yours or your son? As someone who went through school and most of college with undiagnosed AD/HD it would have been a lot easier for me not having to spend 10+ hours a night in my room doing homework. Just to find out it was a biochemical problem not intelligence. Depending on how old your son is he made need to be placed on medication later in life. The issue at hand is when his behavior's becomes
maladaptive to life. Then start him on medication. Be it Adderall, Ritalin or some other medication.

If the doctor who specializes in diagnosing AD/HD suggest medication and that is their sole practice take it into context. You want the best for your son, right?
Take it from someone who is a member of MENSA.

Answer 5

THere are 5 leverls of ADD what level is your son?? My brother had ADHD we tried without the drugs but every 5 seconds he was bored with an activity and needed a new one. In a whole day see how many activities that is. What about school?? My bro could not sit there for 5 seconds, he was the naughty child in the class but it was not his fault. Then we went to RIdalin. No more naughty child and he was able to actually sit for longer than 5 seconds and use his brain to do an activity. It wasent only better for u. It was better for him. We actually get to stop and get to know him now without him bouncing off the walls.....

Answer 6

My brother has ADHD so I sorta know what your son has!! My brother was diagnosed with it when he was 2 yrs. old!! He was literally destructive to everything he came in contact with and the doctor told my parents that the only way to get him to calm down and not be so destructive was to put him on medication!! It works and it's not as bad as you think!! As long as the meds. are prescribed just right for his weight & height he has no problems with them!! I'm glad you were able to quit your job and are able to spend every moment with your son, but not everyone can do that!! I know my parents couldn't!! My brother is now almost 13 yrs. old and he is as normal as any child that I know, but if he misses even one day of his medicine then you can DEFINITELY tell!! And I don't mean to be rude or anything, but how do you deal with it when he is at school? Do you go to school with him and keep him busy there too or what? Do his teachers do the exact same thing that you do or do they just let him do whatever he wants to do? I just would like to know how you handle that...no rudeness is meant!! Just curious...

Answer 7

Thats awsome and pateint of you. You're on the right track, but that's just taking care of the situation end of it other than burning off steam. You still have to deal with the chemical imbalance side of it. Burning off steam doesn't take care of all the causes off Add. That's awsome that you do that though. I'm not saying to put him on drugs. That's just putting frosting on a moldy cake(masking the problem). Besides, you build a tolerance and need more. It's hard to get the correct dosage. Then they will want to add aantdepressant to the mix because of the side effects and it's a cycle of drugs you don't even want to start at that age. I would love to talk to him. I'm adhd. I'm 28 years old. I'm a hair dresser. I barely graduated. I was voted class clown. It would torture sitting through class like that. I can't take Ritilan, Strattera, and I don't even want to try Adderal because it's addicting. Besides, you can control it with vitamins and diet. I became class clown to cope. Laughing at yourself is so healthy. I like to beat people to the punch when I don't understand something. I'm Polish, Blonde and ADHD. So I'm basically legally retarded. Self-acceptence is crucial. Sense of humor is even more important. That's how I kept half my clients after I messed up thier hair because I forgot they were under the dryer with bleach foils on their hair. When I worked at Hooters, I was the worst waitress ever. I got tipped good anyway. I made people laugh and turned on the charm. I was hired back there three times. There's ways to get through life even in the work feild when he gets older. You still have to learn about it and try and beat it. That's the responsible thing to do. But tell him to laugh about it too. God made him that way for a reason. Turn it into a gift. Most people that have this go into acting and stand up comedy. We need people like him. Besides, it's very humbeling. He'll do fine. You're a good mom for being so selfless and pateint to keep him busy. Good for you! Keep up the good work.

Answer 8

ADD is not about being hyper. It's about not being able to pay attention to tasks, and losing concentration. Keeping a child busy doesn't help with that. There are behavior specialists that can help with a behavior plan, drugs are usually a last resort.

Answer 9

ADD is overdiagnosed these days to include kids who have active imaginations. But some kids have a bigger problem than your son does, in that it becomes debilitating, they can't sit still for five minutes at a time, it's not a matter of having something to do all the time, and its not that they can't pay attention to anything, it's that they have to pay attention to everything, one at a time.

Answer 10

Wow, must be nice to have a child with such mild symptoms.
I somewhat agree that medication is not neccesarily the solution but when things get too much it's the last resort. I have two sons with ADHD and neither are currently medicated, but my eldest will be for the coming school term, as he cant focus in class and HE has made that clear to his doctor. Also, not everyone can give up work to stay home with their child. So good luck to you, but please dont judge the rest of us.

Answer 11

Maybe your child has mild ADD... I know my doctor hasnt prescrived me drugs for my ADD and I'm in high school now so I just smoke pot to control it and concentrate in class... Its actually bringing my marks up a lot!

If the kid doesnt need meds, then dont medicate him, but some do