I don't have a child that is ADD, but I have friends who do and also some with other LDs. My first route would be to talk to the counselor at school and see what they can do to help. You may need to have her reevaluated and go from there.
It does sound like you had quite the strange experience with the dr. you went to. Unfortunatly there are all too many drs. that are willing to just say "Yep that's the problem, here you go, take the meds." and that is the end of it. I think there are lots of kids out there that are medicated and don't really need it and then others that need to be helped and aren't, just because of these kinds of situations.
I have a friend who has a grandson who is ADD and very hyper, couldn't stand or sit still for his life. He is almost 20 and decided that it was time that he really gave medication a chance. He had a lot of trouble in hs and I believe finished up online. He now wants to go to college and knew this would be very tough without trying the meds. She said he is doing great. I think the difference in his age makes a big difference from when he tried them for a short time when he was a kid. He actually came and asked her for something to read, this from the kid who always had difficulty with reading. He read The Prophet, came to her and said I don't think I understand it all, so I'm reading it again.
DS3 has an ADD inattentive dx and we did Adderall and later on, Strattera. He was 9 when we began and we stopped 13ish. Both affected his appetite and he is so slim to begin with, I just wasnt comfortable risking that during puberty
I cant say it made a big difference. I THOUGHT it did but the grades didnt really show that big a difference when we went off.
DS3 is getting through school on his assignments, and bless the fact our high school operates that way. He does all his homework, goes for any extra credit points, has the folder and notebooks they check for points and bombs virtually every quiz and exam.
I say everything he learned falls out of his ear when he sleeps. They say he has a small working memory. Among other things! We have had a few different things suggested, including the possibility of being on the autism spectrum
None of this is an exact science. ADD, bipolar, autism-one expert will say one thing and the nest will say something else. There are no blood tests or Xrays. You find someone you respect and trust and try their advice and see if it fits. Its the best you can do
I would give meds more of a go. She is old enough to tell you what it feels like-at 9, ds3 was worthless in that department. It takes several weeks to know what a drug is going to do. It changes dramatically(DS3 slept and slept on Strat-but it did go away after 10 days)
Be objective as to whether ot not it is making a difference. That's hard IME.
I also make DS3 attend after school tutoring for classes he struggles in and take advantage of opportunities to retest if they exist. I often find this out from teh teacher-it is not something he readily shares. So I would ask the teachers what she can do to improve her grade-you might be surprised
He has an IEP because of his LD. Many ADD kids have LDs-20-30%I believe. Honestly, it doesnt do much for him. He is to have standardized testing read to him so he went to the library with ALL the kids who have this written in and, being that it benefits the school in terms of state testing, this is a big number. They read the test so slowly, he just ignored them and worked ahead. With someone reading in the background. This cant be a good thing!!!!
But....getting her tested might still be worth it as they do accommodate in college as well(some colleges are better known for this-lots of info on ldonline)
And you might need to lower expectations. Maybe she will have to retake biology next year-she wont be the first or the last. Accepting those things can lower everyones stress level
J was on ritalin and adderall until he was 11 or 12 - and part of the reason he quit taking it is because he said he felt like on the med his world was "black and white and flat."
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I don't have a child that is ADD, but I have friends who do and also some with other LDs. My first route would be to talk to the counselor at school and see what they can do to help. You may need to have her reevaluated and go from there.
It does sound like you had quite the strange experience with the dr. you went to. Unfortunatly there are all too many drs. that are willing to just say "Yep that's the problem, here you go, take the meds." and that is the end of it. I think there are lots of kids out there that are medicated and don't really need it and then others that need to be helped and aren't, just because of these kinds of situations.
I have a friend who has a grandson who is ADD and very hyper, couldn't stand or sit still for his life. He is almost 20 and decided that it was time that he really gave medication a chance. He had a lot of trouble in hs and I believe finished up online. He now wants to go to college and knew this would be very tough without trying the meds. She said he is doing great. I think the difference in his age makes a big difference from when he tried them for a short time when he was a kid. He actually came and asked her for something to read, this from the kid who always had difficulty with reading. He read The Prophet, came to her and said I don't think I understand it all, so I'm reading it again.
Thanks Kristie,
I keep trying to think positive and think it will be a better experience, but after her experience on Yasmin I am so gun-shy to try it.
Kel7col4 Quote: "We only tried Adderall at that time and I think we last 2 weeks with it.
Hi there,
I think you and I have talked about this before.
mom_dragonfly Quote: "as far as meds go, I think Adderall is probably the strongest one out there."
Desoxyn is stronger.
mom_dragonfly Quote: "It's surprising that is was your first attempt."
The doctors around here start with Adderall and modify if necessary.
Kelly,
I was on a roll answering posts on my thread about Max and I answerd you on this subject over there :)
DS3 has an ADD inattentive dx and we did Adderall and later on, Strattera. He was 9 when we began and we stopped 13ish. Both affected his appetite and he is so slim to begin with, I just wasnt comfortable risking that during puberty
I cant say it made a big difference. I THOUGHT it did but the grades didnt really show that big a difference when we went off.
DS3 is getting through school on his assignments, and bless the fact our high school operates that way. He does all his homework, goes for any extra credit points, has the folder and notebooks they check for points and bombs virtually every quiz and exam.
I say everything he learned falls out of his ear when he sleeps. They say he has a small working memory. Among other things! We have had a few different things suggested, including the possibility of being on the autism spectrum
None of this is an exact science. ADD, bipolar, autism-one expert will say one thing and the nest will say something else. There are no blood tests or Xrays. You find someone you respect and trust and try their advice and see if it fits. Its the best you can do
I would give meds more of a go. She is old enough to tell you what it feels like-at 9, ds3 was worthless in that department. It takes several weeks to know what a drug is going to do. It changes dramatically(DS3 slept and slept on Strat-but it did go away after 10 days)
Be objective as to whether ot not it is making a difference. That's hard IME.
I also make DS3 attend after school tutoring for classes he struggles in and take advantage of opportunities to retest if they exist. I often find this out from teh teacher-it is not something he readily shares. So I would ask the teachers what she can do to improve her grade-you might be surprised
He has an IEP because of his LD. Many ADD kids have LDs-20-30%I believe. Honestly, it doesnt do much for him. He is to have standardized testing read to him so he went to the library with ALL the kids who have this written in and, being that it benefits the school in terms of state testing, this is a big number. They read the test so slowly, he just ignored them and worked ahead. With someone reading in the background. This cant be a good thing!!!!
But....getting her tested might still be worth it as they do accommodate in college as well(some colleges are better known for this-lots of info on ldonline)
And you might need to lower expectations. Maybe she will have to retake biology next year-she wont be the first or the last. Accepting those things can lower everyones stress level
J was on ritalin and adderall until he was 11 or 12 - and part of the reason he quit taking it is because he said he felt like on the med his world was "black and white and flat."
Do you have the long version somewhere?
Hey, Kel, good to see you back on the boards!
Pages