Seeking Moms in Pa Area

Hi A.,
I have an 8 year old with ADHD. Considering he was born at 28 weeks with many complications and possible handicaps I appreciate just dealing with ADHD. My son takes aderoll and has been since last year. He take half of 15mg. I don't agree with him taking it. I want to get pass this without meds. For school reasons he has to take it, but not on the weekends. The doctor said he could be off by 2nd grade but they increased his dose this year and said as he gets older he may need more. I work as hard as I can with him so we don't go down that road. I am in a behavior program from his school that works with me on this. I still have to be stern and consistent with discipline, having ADHD is unacceptable. I would use whatever form of discipline you use to get him under control when he behaves this way. Because ADHD is said to be controllable, let him know his behavior is unacceptable. My son also went to childrens crisis treatment center until he got to kindergarden. This school taught him how to express his emotions and talk about how he feel without the tantrums. Hope this helps.

L.

Hi A.,

I am from Northwest PA area. My son, also 6 years old is ADHD. He is on meds and they have helped immensely. I am not sure what your son is on, but my son takes a pill in the morning and then a booster when he gets home from school. The booster just helps for the short time between getting home from school and bedtime. He still has outbursts every once in a while, but not anything like he was before the meds. If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me. I will try to help in any way possible. I am quite familiar with this disability. I also have an 11 year old daughter who suffers from Bi Polar, OCD and borderline Anorexia. It is challenging, but I have done tons of research and learn to take one day at a time. Oh and patience helps a lot too.

Best of Luck,
P.

Hi A.,

I am a 28 yr. old mom with a 7 yr. old son that also suffers from adhd. I just recently put him on meds. I have him on Daytrana, its a patch u put on the hip. Its 9 hours time relase. I still have problems with him in the mornings but our nights arent too bad. He has excelled in school, what a huge difference. And i am not so stressed out all the time just sumtimes. lol

What is your son taking and how long has he been on it? I have heard stories of oral meds from other moms who now prefer the patch. If you need more info theres a chat line just google Daytrana.

I work with kids who have AD/HD. Meds work really well for some kids, but they usually also need consistent behavior management plans - and consistency is the key. Especially when they are younger, you need to help them learn how to handle their disorder until they can do it themselves (which is often not until adulthood!). On a positive note, my husband has AD/HD & is doing quite well in life. He has learned (as an adult) how he learns best & what he needs to do to keep himself organized & on task. I still need to help him in some ways & he sometimes says things - during arguments ;o) - that are "impulsive," but he is a successful and loving man.

There is a lot of literature out there for behavior management & if you find you need further help - seek the help of a behavior specialist - it really works - meds & behavior management has been shown to be the most effective treatment - AD/HD kids can be a challenge, but (speaking of the kids I work with) I wouldn't want them any other way...

I wanted to add that there is controversy regarding meds, but every child is different - what works well for one, may not work for another. With or without meds, a consistent behavior plan is always necessary.

Also - there are some children's books ("Joey Pigza" - Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is one of them) that are written from a child with AD/HD's point of view. Your son is probably too young for them (they are chapter books), but they may be good for you to read - they do a pretty good job describing what AD/HD "feels like."

Read & try to understand the disorder your child has & just do your best to help him. I have to admit, the AD/HD kids in my class were always my favorites...

Hi A.
I live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.
My son has High Functioning Austim and I know all about the energy thing.
He is NOT medicated yet but we try to get him into age apprpriate activites to help balance that out

N.

hi A.
hi im L. i have 2 kids wit adhd. my son is 16 and he has adhd and depression and odd. my daughter is 12 and she has adhd and bi-polar. they both take meds that help alot. my daughter still has alot of energy. drives me crazy some time. just find him alot of things to do and keep him busy. if u would like to chat some more u can email me at ____@____.com can chat n compair ideas if u would like. good luck.
L.

Hello A., I am a mom in Bucks County, PA.......my daughter has ADD and I am a special Education teacher as well. Everyday we are restructuring our home, keeping a structured schedule, consistent with behavioral expectations and teaching her how to survive in this world and learn to accept and adapt. It is a lifelong effort and it is so important to get on top of the issues NOW. We have avoided meds until now, she is in second grade and I know at some point the issue will come up. But at this time I am doing all I can naturally and nutritionally before I turn to chemicals. Read the ADD Answer by Dr. Frank Lawless......its a great book of sensible alternatives for parents. E.

HI A.! My son was also diagnosed w/ ADHD recently. We have decided not to medicate at this time because he is so "hit and miss" w his attention span. He has tantrums daily! As a matter of fact, he had one today! lol What we have done instead is taken him to Children's Therapy Center in Peters Twp. They are working w/ his school in Mt. Lebanon to encourage a "sensory diet" to improve his learning skills and lesson his tantrums. We started very late in his Kindergarten year, so hopefully, it will be more effective in 1st grade.

What I have found with our school district is immediately get him an IEP for next year so he can catch up with his class socially. Our biggest challenge right now is to get him socially acclimated (sp) although he is not up to par academically. From what I've heard, eventually they'll learn their own way of picking up on when they need a break from the group; & learn their own way of learning to read, socialize etc. They take my son to a learning support room to calm him from his tantrum.

In our case there has been a lot more issues that have come up like dypraxia, sensory issues, etc. and we are very new to all of this. What we have learned also is ADHD has a broad variety of issues but as parents we need to have patience (which is difficult for me) and acceptance that they are bound to have meltdowns because of their "disability" but also some of that is being 6 or 7 or whatever comes with that of their typical age group.

Just about me: I try to be the best parent I can be to my two kids. I am not perfect, by any means, but no one is. And having a child w/ any disability is a challenge. Whether it's diagnosed or not lol!!! I have a 4 yr old who is typical for her age, but she still gets on my nerves because she acts like she's 9! We're all human as were our parents who we loathe beacause of "stupid" things they said like "when I was your age..."

Keep your head up, A.. And look for many resources. It sounds like your son might benefit with a sensory diet. It consists of a variety of things from weighted blankets to swinging to get that energy out. I know it may seem the more we try to desensitize them they more wound up they get but it may work. I'm in the same boat right now, wondering if I'm doing the right thing. But it's worth a shot!!

Good luck.