[greenrobin]

First, teachers should NEVER suggest medicine. We are teachers, not doctors. And if they do suggest, you can ask if the school would be willing to pay for it!

Second, I've heard of teachers in the past using a peg stool for kids with the twitches. It's nothing more than a round seat with an indentation in the center of the bottom. The indent is put on a stout peg that allows the child to sort of sit while balancing. The act of physically keeping balance seems to free up the mind because staying upright takes a ton of energy. You can get the same effect (while standing) from one of those mini seesaw things. It's like a board on a ball. The kids stand on it and keep their balance, not letting it tip to one side or the other. Again, the physical exertion needed to keep the balance allows the mind to focus.

Third, DHA and other supplements did not work for our oldest son. His issues were so huge that he absolutely needed the chemical intervention. Two kinds of ADHD meds carried us through the 24 hour period. Boy just couldn't function without his pills. Bubba also needs the meds to stop the insanity in the classroom. He's a holy terror without them.

Fourth, Bubba told me yesterday that he couldn't help himself which I said was a bold-faced story. He had the power to do whatever he chose. He told me I was wrong. Jesus has the power. I told him not to blame his behavior on Jesus.

Fifth, oldest son was a shrimp until he went on his ADHD meds. I still think he was using up his growing energy just being an ADHD kid. When he finally got medicated, he was able to actually sleep--Sonny was one of those kids that never rested. He started growing, caught up to his peer group and actually passed some of them. He's 6'3" tall. Bubba also started putting on weight and height with meds. I guess they just have the right ones for them.

Sixth--and last--you are the only one who can make this decision. And like all things, when the pain of not doing something outweighs the pain of doing it, you'll know. Some kids can survive without the drug therapy. Some really need it. When you're little guy isn't ever happy anymore and really hates the way he acts but can't control it, then you might have a different opinion. Or maybe not. . It took me until Sonny was nearly 14 to get him medicated. The change in him was so positive that I could kick myself for not doing it sooner. I also know kids who are absolutely prospering without the medicine. Whatever you choose, I know you'll make a solid decision based on love, his needs, and your fine intuition.

Good luck!

[mommytoEli]

Originally Posted by greenrobin

I told him not to blame his behavior on Jesus.

that is funny. lol.

Sixth--and last--you are the only one who can make this decision. And like all things, when the pain of not doing something outweighs the pain of doing it, you'll know.

i believe that. thank you.

[aspenhall]

I'm ADD and didn't know it until adulthood...I HATED being the way I was...Yes, I learned coping skills, but this really spoke volumes to me:

“I just can’t imagine not being able to concentrate or do things I know I need to do. Could you imagine having no control over that type of thing?”

It's been proven that in order to maintain concentration the ADD mind stays in a perpetual "adreneline rush" state. The stress and toll on the body is tremendous, to live that way 24-7. Because you must force yourself to stay hyped all day, the adreneline stays in your system and you never really sleep right. You tend to crash and burn A LOT. And not really get the effective level of the state of rest in order to rejuvenate. You're perpetually frazzled and harried. Because of your stress levels that high, as an adult, your lifespan will be shorter, and you'll be more susceptible to illness etc...

Yes, your son may be able to function with massive change and rigorous structure/lists/reminders...etc....but why just survive when he could thrive?? Why keep him in an adrenelized/stressed state just to avoid some fairly simple/safe meds?

If he had poor eyesight, and couldn't focus, would you just compensate by moving him to the front? Would you just teach him how to live with the issue? Maybe get him a magnifying glass? Help him believe that fuzzy edges make the view prettier?

No, you'd fix the problem, or get him glasses. It's really the same thing *IF* the child really needs meds. No sense being under all that stress if you don't have to be.

If you think of your brain as having 2 gears that need to engage with each other in order to focus, Caffeine makes more sense. Some drugs speed up the slow gear, while other slow the fast gear. Caffeine speeds up the slow gear. Because the gear uses up the energy of the caffeine, it affects the other parts of the body less. And because it provides the "fuel", the body doesn't produce adreneline, so YES he would be tired. He's probably VERY tired.

[mommytoEli]

wow. all great information and points. thank you. i always learn so much here.

[arbuckle17]

As always I am advocate of going to specialists on ADHD. That said, when i was younger I was medicated lightly for ADD, my GPA instantly shot up. It wasn't that I was a bad kid by any means, I just had a hard time focusing on anything, everything everywhere would distract me.

Some of the keys that it helped most with were reading comprehension, and advanced mathematics (I love math just couldn't seem to focus on it clearly enough when I was younger).

I should note I came from a very supportive family, my mom was a stay at home mom, who drilled me endlessly with flashcards, and worked hard to help me with reading. Sometimes though even all the extra attention doesn't quite make it click.

Currently I no longer take any meds and am fully functional, as I aged it appears my brain developed beyond the disorder itself, this appeared to happen around mid high school age. The key here is you have to prevent it from becoming an excuse, and be sure you research it and test functionality often.

I wouldn't advocate it unless I could see a direct correlation between the medication and when things got better. At first I was on a very light dose and it got a little better, then they increased it slightly more and it was night and day. Additionally, I used Dexadrin not Ritalin. If you overdose Dex it had adverse effects towards hyperactivity, OD on Ritalin creates robot children.

Yes it is possible to help without meds, after all ADHD and even some facets of autism didn't get much focus until the 90's, but at the same time a light medication could make a ton of difference for him at school. You probably won't notice much in the way of negative effects of the disorder on his school for another year or so as they tend to become more prominent in reading comprehension.

Originally Posted by mommytoEli

my ds is 6. his neurologist first decided he had adhd at age 1. that should tell you a little bit about his activity level. lol. indulge me as i live in denial and ask- is it possible to help a child cope with adhd WITHOUT meds ever? right now he is not medicated, and i do not plan to medicate him in the near future, but i continue to say that if i feel like it is our only hope, i would do it to help him be successful. this past weekend a mom of an adhd kid got me to promise that i will consider medication for him in the future should i notice adhd begins to effect his well being. so i don't need to be convinced to medicate....i believe it helps many children, and maybe one day mine, but in the meantime i just wonder, do you think a person with adhd can learn to be a functioning member of society successfully without meds? opinions?