Just got the diagnosis ... My child is ADHD I need advice?

Question

I have a book I'm reading that was given my another parent I found parenting classes once a week for children with ADHD, and he has a medical doctor visit Monday to discuss possiable medicine to prescribe for him .... Is there anything I need to know ... What peice of advice do you wish YOU knew in the begining???

And he is getting counseling for anger and other issues ... He is 7 yrs old.

I've read through some of your answers and here's some extra info ... We don't have much sugar... our idea of candy is yogurt cover rasins and to drick is water .... or milk ... and on special occasions Juicy juice. I learn when he was about 2 that he gets very hyper very quickly and we cut out as many sugars as p[ossiable as well as a great amount of starches. He has had a Therapists for the last two years and we have moved to another one who so called "specialized" in his feild ... whatever feild they seem to place him in but the previous one also felt he was ADD and possiabbly ADHD ... I don't completly agree he is ADHD but ADD yes ... I see his face to stuggle with focusing ... I wipe his tears when he freels "stuipid" He hates sports because he can't focus on them it's not involved enough... Video games he loves but I hate them, he is restricted to V-tech learning games. Myself my husband his teacher my grandmother his father his paternal grandmother all filled out 2 sets of ?s

Answer 1

Just tire him/her out thru daily activities and be patient! Also just because your child has ADHD it doesn't mean he/she can't interact with other kids. Remember there is a cure for this and letting him/her be isolated won't help.

Answer 2

I would reccomend just being patient with him. My son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 6 and he is 9 now. It has been a very trying past few years. Alot of the things that they do they can't controll. The meds worked great for my son at first, but after about a year I took him off of them because it didn't seem like they were working anymore and I didn't want him to be a guinea pig and they are trying all of these different things on him to see what would work. I have learned to just "deal with it" and accept that he's going to do certain things and that is just who he is. I have him in counceling, he goes to individual counceling once a week and group therapy once a week. Also his school is great. They have a school just for kids with what they term emotional disturbances, which unfortunately ADHD falls under that catagory. It's great because he gets more individualized attention from teachers and all of the kids in the school have the same issues he does, to certain degrees. He gets to do all of his counceling right there and they have a psychologist right in the school for him. Also keep in mind that ADHD is very highly misdiagnosed and shares a lot of symptoms from other things also. Right now they are calling my son ADHD combined because they know that there is another peice, but they are not sure exactly what yet because the ADHD shares so many other symptoms of other things it is making it hard to make an exact diagnosis, although they told me in the beginning that is was just the ADHD. So don't be surprised if now that he is getting counceling and seeing a psychiatrist if they change the diagnosis down the road.

Answer 3

You need to get a second opionion and be careful not to accept advice (mine included) that can't be backed up with facts.

You need to think hard, perhaps with professional help, on how you can parent better to a child with these issues. Any doctor who thinks this can be simply solved by meds isn't treating the whole problem. At this point, you folks probably have some bad habits, and use parenting strategies that haven't worked.

Anger issues are really tough. I know I would need some behavioral therapy for ME, so that I could be the right parent for a child with the challenges you are facing.

As for meds/overdiagnosis. Yes, there is overdiagnosis of ADHD, but that doesn't mean that all of the diagnoses are wrong.

(good luck)

Answer 4

At 7 years old you are still developing character. ADHD has the potential to result in negative feedback from adults and peers when they act impulsively. Understand that he is a child with a "condition" that impairs processing information slowly and deliberately. Little boys often will say and do things that result in punishment. When giving a consequence to you son eg., he has thrown or kicked a toy at another child. talk him through his action. Saying , " That wasn't a safe thing to do, what could have happened if you hit that little boy in the eye?" would be an appropriate way to discipline. Have them tell you what they "could" have done instead and how would that have resulted. You need to be teaching the process of thinking through their actions. I've seen too many 6th graders with horrible self esteem because they've been punished most of their childhood. They become self destructive and poorly behaved. Be positive! Understand neurologically they are immature and ADHD is more acceptable in adulthood. Medicate lightly and fade as he gets older. Find GREAT teachers. They are out there. Be involved in elementary education and in the classroom whenever possible. Know your child's friends. If they act impulsively, your are in double trouble. Love your son unconditionally. Good Luck

Answer 5

I like what Stinkycheezeface has to say. It is easy to be constantly disciplining for negative things, and that does lead to a negative self-image. Using a positive way to deal with it is a good idea. Also, I used to let my son calm down in his room, and I calmed down, too, before approaching whatever had happened. Then, I calmly sat down and talked about it. Certainly, life is not without consequences, in the real world, so you have to work that in, too, but helping the child to maintain a positive self-image is important; this, of course includes showing the child that you love him, even when he has made mistakes, and giving him a chance to improve. Hugs and reassurances that you love him, because of who he is - find the things you like about him, and remind him about those, a lot. Find something he loves to do, and encourage this. The thing I wish I had discovered, sooner, is connected with the whole sugar and foods thing. I took my son to an allergist, after reading, "Allergies and the Hyperactive Child", by Dr. Doris Rapp. Before that, I felt a little like a poor parent, even though I did everything the right way. After I found that he reacted to many common foods, I was able to limit or eliminate some of them enough to have an easier time with the whole thing. His anger and outbursts diminished greatly, which helped a lot. Some of the triggers (for my son) were: milk, wheat, orange juice, sugar and tomatoes. The biggest and most problem-causing item, however, was peanut butter or anything with peanuts or peanut oil in it. Once I eliminated this from his diet, he was much easier to deal with. Each child is different. That is why a visit to an allergist sensitive to the topic may help. Intradermal testing worked for us. By the way, don't expect your regular doctor or any counsellor/psychologist to buy into this line of thinking.

Answer 6

My first query is who made the diagnosis and how. If it was done just by a behaviour checklist, that's not enough.
For a TRUE diagnosis, he would need to see several specialists - first off, a neurologist for a brain scan; to have chemical and hormone testing; to see a psychologist for serious and exhaustive behaviour testing, nutritional analysis, etc. A great resource is a book by Dr. Lawlis.
In his book, The ADD Answer, Dr. Lawlis asks, "Are we using drugs to control our children's behavior instead of being responsible parents? When we teach our children at a young age to rely on medications, I fear that we are in danger of creating a generation of pill poppers as a result." Also, medication is only about 50 percent effective, and it decreases in effectiveness from the day your child starts taking them.
You have a LOT on your plate, and a lot of research to do. Don't go along with the crowd, seek all the answers you can.
Myself, I would never medicate a child for this. I would be a better parent and do all I could to help him. As a teacher, I saw MANY students improperly diagnosed, and just pill popping. Something like Ritalin is NOT even approved for use by children, for gosh' sake. It's just become 'convenient' to put a kid on speed, which is just nuts.
Good luck to you. LOVE your kid!

Answer 7

This may sound stupid and far fetched (and it might be LOL), but when I was little I was hyper, couldn't concentrate, etc. My mother saw on Oprah where changing a child's diet can help (ie cut out food coloring.. especially Yellow #5, which is just toxic waiste, you can look it up on the internet). When she cut out all food coloring, she said I turned into a totally different child. She said that I calmed down, etc. I still don't eat it because it gives me a horrible stomach ache and I get really mean and moody.

If you don't want to give medicine, you could read about some dietery changes. I know a little boy with autism, he couldn't communicate or anything... his doctor told them to change his diet, and lo and behold he can communicate better now, focus some. It's amazing how it helped him.

I hope you find something to help soon. :)

Answer 8

I would get him into a routine that is easy to follow and if he needs medication don't for get to give it to him. Try and see if there are any places that will look after him during school hoidays for a or so a week for you. I work at a playscheme for children with special needs (including ADHD) and we notice when the children are due their medications and how much the parents appreciate the time when they can do what they need to do in a day without their child being around.

Answer 9

hi! i myself am not a parent, but im 20 years old and was diagnosed with adhd.... oh, i'd say around the 4th or 5th grade ( a few years older then your son). im more than willing to talk about it (meds, how i felt before/after being diagnosed, and all that stuff)... just let me know if you do :P

just remember, its not the end of the world :)

also... please do not rule out medicine. i know that there have been problems with alot of them for some people. BUT they also work for a lot of people (like me :] ) . putting your child on meds doesn't result in the meds taking over his brain and personality (if that seems to be happening, its probably either the wrong med or too high of a dose =/ ).

im not saying that you shouldn't try other things first, but just please dont rule out the option of medicine.


plus, people didn't spend this long developing meds for people w/ad(h)d, just for the hell of it, right?--they did it hoping to HELP people.

Answer 10

Investigate neurofeedback therapy. It has been approved by the APA for the treatment of ADD/ADHD. It is non invasive, safe and a very effective alternative to drugs for treating attention problems. Do the research on the web using keywords such as "neurofeedback and ADHD". Or click below to learn more about neurofeedback.

Answer 11

Hi :) My son {now aged 21}was diognosed with a form of Autisum"Aspergers Syndrome"when he was 4yrs old.From the age of 2yrs i knew somthing was not quite right as already having another 2 children previous befor i had my son with Autisum i belived very strongly something was wrong.I fought everybody who stood in my way & fobbed me off with"he,s only slow"or"he,ll so catch up with his peers"or "he possibly has a hearing problem"& these solutions came from so called top profesinals in there line of work!!. All i can surgest is that eventually someone somewhere will listen too you,just keep on pushing until you get the awnser you need so that you can build on this diagnosise & aim to continue & give the love & support your child will need,as im sure your a brilliant mum.I wish you & your son all the best xx One final word to the person"Mary"who gave a awnser to your question"Orange";;;saying that a child diognosed with Autisum will be kept on medication & act like a zombie is sheer & utter rubbish!! you havnt got a clue what youre talking about,wher as i do.