Struggling with ADHD with my 6 year old

[Niko2012]

My son was diagnosed 2 years ago with ADHD and explosive disorder. Kicked out of 2 preschool for his behavior and finally received help to consistently get him in school, once he got a 504 and IEP for kindergarten. I was reluctant to put him on meds, so i tried holistic approach, blood presses (tenex) to help with the impulse, which did nothing. He’s now on Focalin (ADHD) medication and it’s still early but showing good and bad results. I suffer from support and feeling alone In this process and also no place that can accommodate him while on summer break. I’ve had several nannies in the past that literally quit without notice even though they all had extensive backgrounds in ADHD but due to his behavior could not handle him. With summer approaching I’ve reached out to every possible place for extended services for summer and only found 2 program at $1000 a week. Do you know of any places In San Diego that can accommodate ADHD and behavioral?

[Momof4blessings]

Hi, Niko!

Wow, what an experience you've had. I can SO identify. I'm up in NorCal, so I can't help you with local recommendations. My daughter had almost the same story you're describing with your son. The preschool told us she was too much for them, that she needed "professional" care. Her behavior was out of this world crazy. We had an ADHD evaluation at 3.5 years, but she didn't score high enough for it. They told us ODD. But, as we discovered later, she actually has high functioning autism. Once we had a proper diagnosis, everything changed. She also had ADHD, but the autism issue was there and creating a ton of trouble that we were unaware of.....so, all our efforts to help our child who appeared hyper and completely out of control, seemed to fail. We also tried holistic approaches, like the Feingold diet, which did not help. Anyways, hang in there!!! If everything you're doing to treat and help ADHD isn't working tremendously, I encourage you to seek out another evaluation to rule out autism or other diagnosises. You will get through this!!

[Niko2012 in reply to Momof4blessings]

I appreciate it! I’m glad I found this sight as a great support to not feel so alone in this process, especially as a single mom. Thank you for your response and support