[mykidsmom1]

Our son has been with us almost a month now and he is a great kid. He has been on 20mg of Adderall which he only takes M-F for school. We do not give it to him on non school days. Here the issue… When he is on the medication, he is almost zombie like. He won’t respond to questions, he doesn’t smile, laugh or play. Even when we try to tickle him which he loves to be tickled, he won’t even budge. It’s like he has no emotions or feelings. He will not give any eye contact and is basically unresponsive to what is going on around him. On the other hand when he is not on the medication, he is the most delightful, fun and happy little boy. He talks and gives us eye contact when doing so. Even off of the medication, I do not see anything out of the ordinary. He seems to act like any other six year old. At home he is not jumping off the walls or acting impulsive at all. He plays with his toys well; he is in bed at 8:30 and falls to sleep soon after. At the grocery store, he is a little excited when he sees something that he wants but don’t most kids do the same when they see their favorite cereal or anything else they want. I don’t mean to go on and on but I have yet to see any of the behaviors of ADHD. However, his teacher says he is a bit more active on the mornings that we forget to give him is meds. She seems to think that he is typical of kids with ADHD. But I feel that if she had a classroom full of zombies, she would be quite happy that there were no unruly little six year olds to deal with. Maybe I’m wrong for thinking this but I think she would prefer all of her kids to be drugged up so she won’t have to deal with the different personalities that they come with. We went to the first open house at his school and were surprised to find out that of all the 16 kids in the class, he was the only child that received all 100’s on all of his test and school work. I am not complaining or anything but it just seems that the little kid is so doped up that he can’t do anything else but sit and pay attention. Am I worried too much about nothing or does this seem to be a real issue that I should consult his Dr. with? Is his behavior typical of other kids on Adderall? Any advice from anyone would be appreciated.

[HappyMomAnna]

Sounding a little cynical here but---my feeling is that when it comes to the Schools they have an attitude that if things are going well there---then the issues are a HOME matter and for the parents to deal with..... If I waited for the school to assist or advise me then they would discount every issue and make it a home problem....

My advice is to start now and look for a child psychiatrist (It can be very HARD to find one so start now and keep looking most have waiting lists and it can take 6-weeks or longer to be seen)

I have found that the general peditricitan is reluctant to advise on medications....or on therapy for Foster and Adopted children. We looked for assistance with our daughter First from the School then her doctor and finally had to take her to the hospital for a psy Evaluation and leave her there for several days....It was terrible.

A good child psychiatrist can help you find the right kinds of medications -- combinations of medications....or other ideas to help.

Some of the people we deal with seem to feel that as long as the child is not a problem for them then it is our problem. I wouldn't want my little one to be a Zombie either so I would advise the child psychiatrist in addition to any other therapy that might be needed in order to have this little boy lead a happy energized and wonderful life....People should be able to laugh when they want too....

Sometimes it is all up to us. I suppose this is why we hear so much in training about "advocating for the childs best interest" apparently no one else will so it is all up to us.

Good luck.

[lucyjoy]

If he's making straight A's, he is obviously functioning well on the medication. When he's not on medication, can he sit down and play a board game or cards without losing concentration?

You might talk with the doctor about adjusting the timing of the dosage or gradually lowering the dosage. He's only been there a short time, so it might not be the right time to try going without.
Keep observing and maybe keep some notes. Attend some class parties where you can observe him at school. That way, you'll be able to give the doctor a complete picture so he can make a good decision about the medication.