I'm looking for some opinions and or someone whos in the same situation
my child is 4 going on 5 he's about to finish pre-k and has been diagnosed with ADHD just about a week ago
he's had a lot of trouble in school and has been recommended to take medication to help him focus (in school) my issue is I think he is too young to be medicated ? my sons pediatrician prescribed the medication but told me it was up to me weather I gave it to him. he said the school should be placing him in a smaller classroom before he starts taking anything???
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Atrevino
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Atrevono- welcome to the group... This is a lot to take in and deal with we are hear any time for you.
It is common for kids with ADHD to have issues young in school. Please understand a doctor would not recommend the medication if they felt he was to young for medication. Not sure what type of medication he was given but most are short acting, so you could just give it to him while he is in school and see if it will make a difference. Most of the time when it is the correct medication (sometimes it takes a few trials) you will see a difference and the behaviors will decrease. You should also consider if the medication helps him focus in school.
I hope this helps we are here to support you if you need us.
It's tough, but I also chose to medicate my son in grade 1. His kindergarten year was so bad that it nearly destroyed my son. Now with medication, he can function and he is getting his self-esteem back. Don't worry - it will not change who your son is. He will still have the same personality and be the same child you love - he will just be able to sit more still and function in the classroom.
My son hated school so much that he actually asked me one day if there was any medicine that could make school easier. Our hardest part was to actually get him to swallow it. He is so young that he doesn't know how to swallow a pill. When you open them up, they taste bad. I have discovered that Vyvance has no taste. So every morning he gets an iced-tea (in canada that is a sugary drink like orange juice - in the states it is tea....) with the vyvance mixed in, and he doesn't even know he is taking it.
We had similar problems with getting our son up take pills, but we find yogurt works. We just remind him not to chew and to just swallow. It works great.
My son is your son only a year later. We have tried 10 different medication combinations and think we might finally have one that works. Your doctor is right that he probably needs a smaller class size, but if you school district is like mine, they have to “prove” he needs it first. My son was in and out of class most of the first half for behavior issues. They finally moved him to a special class for kids with emotional regulation issues, and that combined with the right medication has really helped. You should have an IEP for him whic will outline any special accommodations for him. Work with the school and figure out what is best for your son. Good luck.
I know he's young, but these are his fundamental learning years. Try the meds, monitor closely, my son is excelling academically......actually above avg. create structure and routine, it helps.....also set expectations when the rules are not followed. the first med may not work, or the dosage may not be correct, it's a struggle and a lot of work, but you and your child will benefit from it......you can always opt not to continue, but at least try it....I don't give my son his meds when he doesn't need to be focused, on those days mostly weekends, I have more patience, because dealing with an ADHD child can be very challenging....hang in there
The phyitrist my daughter saw when she got diagnosed right after she turned five suggested that we did not put her on meds because of her age and have a 504 plan or a iep at school
I think it really depends on your child, how much adhd affects him and how well your pediatrician knows him. I asked my doctor to assess my son for adhd and she referred us to a pediatrician. After meeting my son twice for about 5-10 mins each time she offered me medication for him and I said I wanted to try without it first and she kind of mocked me. She was basing that he needed it off of a multiple choice questionaire his lazy teacher filled out. We then saw psychologist for a psycho educational assessment a few months later with his next teacher who was wonderful. The psychologist said my son didn't need medication and should be able to control his behaviours through some behaviour intervention that his teachers would use (he only had major issues at school). After 2 years with the right teachers, and no medication, his teacher this year didn't even create goals for his IEP because she said he was doing so well. So it depends. If you're comfortable putting him on meds now and don't feel a need to try without it then that is fine, everyone is different and comfortable with different things. I wanted to make sure my son actually needed medication before thinking of it as an option and he didn't end up needing it. I'm so glad we went to the psychologist first!
Welcome Atrevino! You’re definitely not alone. It’s a tough time. I can tell you it took my husband and I a year from the time our pediatrician suggested it IF we wanted to until the time we just knew our son needed help with medications. No two kids are alike though so you really have to evaluate the pros and cons for your child and family specifically. Our son just could not sit and do class work and take direction. He had a lot of sensory issues as well. I knew from a toddler age (prob 2) that something was a little different. I had to educate myself of course but knew by the end of Kindergarten he needed help. WE needed help. His self esteem was hurting. Our home life was unbearable. His fits and anger and inability to even sit at a table at home or in a restaurant and order a meal and eventually sit there and eat it was extremely painful for him and all of us. This was no quality of life at all. Daily crying from him and me (mom) mostly. Praise God though we were able to find resources through OT at school and the RiT program his district offers and now ending 1st grade he is doing MUCH better. He can read. He does HW no problems. He functions through most things. We still have off days sure but life has become a more positive experience for our son. He takes Vyvanse (we did try 1 other med that only worked for a few months) and the ML go by his weight. I pray you find the right solution for your son. Continue to search for it and try anything you think might help. If it doesn’t, find an alternative! Keep us posted I love to hear success stories! Hang in there. 💙
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