Medication for ADHD is the gold standard. Other things might help a little bit, but they do not treat ADHD. My seven-year-old started taking generic Adderall and has so much more self-confidence at school and plays so much better with other children.The studies on height differences are very mixed. It is irresponsible to tell people not to give their children medication if they are diagnosed.
My 15 year old take the generic form of ritalin which is a time released capsule. It works well for him.
Anonymous
Oct 29, 2020
Yes drugs are definitely the easier way to go; think about inculcating the message that drugs are the answer to your DCs, before taking this path. Next stop, Relax with a glass of wine or perhaps a puff of whatever.
Should I also not take drugs when I have a headache? Or for my autoimmune disease? Your messaging of treating ADHD like it's something you can take vitamins for is equally damaging.
Drugs are not the “easier” way to go, they are the evidence-based way to go. You are simply not educated about ADHD. Often others who command folks to “relax” when there is a disagreement have control issues of their own.
Anonymous
Oct 29, 2020 · Edited: Oct 29, 2020
I wasn't suggesting that the parents "relax" in my reply above. I was simply stating that DCs who learn that the way to treat developmental or other delays or learning issues is with pharmaceuticals will imprint that as the way to deal with other issues that they encounter as they mature and even upon reaching adulthood. Executive function increases dramatically in middle school and high school and the ADHD often resolves on its own at that time. What I am saying is that DC given ADHD medications at the first diagnosis without trying other non-medical interventions may be the ones to reach for a Xanax, weed or wine instead of meditation, mindfulness, yoga, or other physical exercise, when things get stressful. I should have started the response above by stating that a neuropsych evaluation is the first step, and I might have prefaced my pharmaceutical-skeptic message by informing the OP that doctors are rewarded for prescribing certain medications by drug manufacturers and many physicians will not even suggest other approaches if they do a rapid test ADHD diagnosis. I can't even fathom telling someone to "relax" during this difficult time; I can see proposing putting off short-term gain to avert long-term problems. Defensive much?
Years and years of low self-esteem due to negative feedback from untreated ADHD can wear away at a child’s self-confidence (not just at home but from teachers and peers). Therefore it is not something that just resolves itself. The low self-confidence from others negative feedback affects a child’s self-worth for his entire life.
it's going AWFUL. And every other single effing country in the world can open schools except us and it's like - get a spikey cushion! build an obstacle course in your house! i mean..
OP: I agree. And btw, I tried many other things and put off meds for a few years after diagnosis. Self-esteem was so damaged it's hard to recover. My dc is in 8th grade, it's only more challenging from an exec functioning perspective and remote does not work. Our school has slowly phased in to hybrid so I'm hoping a little in person time helps a bit. But if we're looking at this through 2022 I have no choice but to investigate schools that are actually open
if we are looking at this past january i'm moving to a state or a country or a school that is open.
Anonymous
Oct 31, 2020
Just as a point of information, self-esteem does not come from others' approval; it comes from within. Work on building resilience in your DC so they can deal with adversity as they encounter it throughout their lives!
Yes, but we don’t live in a vacuum and if you are told constantly that you are annoying, lazy, and disorganized, it weighs on you. No amount of “resilience” is going to get someone OK with that.
My ADHD DC is on concerta, but even that is not enough. Kapersky Kids on devices has been a tremendous help + multivit. and outside sports as often as possible. I noticed that behavior becomes bad after more than 2 hours of screen/day. School days are 5 hours + homework. DC gets withdrawal reaction when I cut screen time.
Remote learning has been horrible since day 1. Cannot move because DC1 is disabled and all our support system for him is here.
So my advice is sports/meds/screen control/negociate w.school for offline work. Good luck !
Take DC out for a run before school starts.
Get one of those special seat cushions that keep them attentive.
Eliminate ALL sugar from DCs' diets.
Sleep is critical - upgrade from 9 to 10 or 11 hours.
Zero screen time outside of school.
Homework done right after school.
Figure out their most productive time of day and do other executive function tasks like long-term projects, research paper writing, etc. then.
Lots of protein at each meal.
Give DC multivitamins plus a high-B mix.
Try focus supplements - read the reviews and get recommendations.
Avoid drugs they lower expected height by an average of one inch.
Ask the teacher to talk directly to DC first thing each class if possible.
Praise, praise, praise; reward, reward, reward.
Medication for ADHD is the gold standard. Other things might help a little bit, but they do not treat ADHD. My seven-year-old started taking generic Adderall and has so much more self-confidence at school and plays so much better with other children.The studies on height differences are very mixed. It is irresponsible to tell people not to give their children medication if they are diagnosed.
Parent of ADHD/anxiety kid here: this is absolutely true. It's inhumane not to medically treat this condition.
Ritalin works well for us, DS is much happier too
My 15 year old take the generic form of ritalin which is a time released capsule. It works well for him.
Yes drugs are definitely the easier way to go; think about inculcating the message that drugs are the answer to your DCs, before taking this path. Next stop, Relax with a glass of wine or perhaps a puff of whatever.
Should I also not take drugs when I have a headache? Or for my autoimmune disease? Your messaging of treating ADHD like it's something you can take vitamins for is equally damaging.
Diabetes? Seizures? Just give 'em vitamins.
WTF is wrong with you?
Drugs are not the “easier” way to go, they are the evidence-based way to go. You are simply not educated about ADHD. Often others who command folks to “relax” when there is a disagreement have control issues of their own.
I wasn't suggesting that the parents "relax" in my reply above. I was simply stating that DCs who learn that the way to treat developmental or other delays or learning issues is with pharmaceuticals will imprint that as the way to deal with other issues that they encounter as they mature and even upon reaching adulthood. Executive function increases dramatically in middle school and high school and the ADHD often resolves on its own at that time. What I am saying is that DC given ADHD medications at the first diagnosis without trying other non-medical interventions may be the ones to reach for a Xanax, weed or wine instead of meditation, mindfulness, yoga, or other physical exercise, when things get stressful. I should have started the response above by stating that a neuropsych evaluation is the first step, and I might have prefaced my pharmaceutical-skeptic message by informing the OP that doctors are rewarded for prescribing certain medications by drug manufacturers and many physicians will not even suggest other approaches if they do a rapid test ADHD diagnosis. I can't even fathom telling someone to "relax" during this difficult time; I can see proposing putting off short-term gain to avert long-term problems. Defensive much?
@Anonymous I agree with OR. Evidence based is the way to go.
Years and years of low self-esteem due to negative feedback from untreated ADHD can wear away at a child’s self-confidence (not just at home but from teachers and peers). Therefore it is not something that just resolves itself. The low self-confidence from others negative feedback affects a child’s self-worth for his entire life.
it's going AWFUL. And every other single effing country in the world can open schools except us and it's like - get a spikey cushion! build an obstacle course in your house! i mean..
OP: I agree. And btw, I tried many other things and put off meds for a few years after diagnosis. Self-esteem was so damaged it's hard to recover. My dc is in 8th grade, it's only more challenging from an exec functioning perspective and remote does not work. Our school has slowly phased in to hybrid so I'm hoping a little in person time helps a bit. But if we're looking at this through 2022 I have no choice but to investigate schools that are actually open
if we are looking at this past january i'm moving to a state or a country or a school that is open.
Just as a point of information, self-esteem does not come from others' approval; it comes from within. Work on building resilience in your DC so they can deal with adversity as they encounter it throughout their lives!
Yes, but we don’t live in a vacuum and if you are told constantly that you are annoying, lazy, and disorganized, it weighs on you. No amount of “resilience” is going to get someone OK with that.
My ADHD DC is on concerta, but even that is not enough. Kapersky Kids on devices has been a tremendous help + multivit. and outside sports as often as possible. I noticed that behavior becomes bad after more than 2 hours of screen/day. School days are 5 hours + homework. DC gets withdrawal reaction when I cut screen time.
Remote learning has been horrible since day 1. Cannot move because DC1 is disabled and all our support system for him is here.
So my advice is sports/meds/screen control/negociate w.school for offline work. Good luck !