CHADD's ADHD Parents Together

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New here

Hello all,

I am new here and this is my first post. My 7yo son was diagnosed with ADHD about 6 weeks ago. At this stage they have recommended we start with CBT rather than medication and we have our first appointment next week.

We are seeing a psychologist who we have seen before, but not since he was about 4.5.

I am interested in hearing if any of you have found CBT alone helpful for you and your kids’ management of their ADHD?

Also - a technical question! Is there a way on this app to search for posts within this group by key words?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

8 Replies

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I have Hurd that does wonders I wished I could tried first but like any thing don't work on everyone he is your child if you love him you do what u think is best and don't let the Dr bully you and the therpies I hate but I also like because most of them report to the Dr what they see and know to look for that you may have not told Dr because u didn't know to look for it some Dr will just pass out pill never really looking at your kid based on what you say well if you don't know th the silly thing to say your kid could be misdiagnosed so do as must research u can and get a good Dr who looks and not just ask

Welcome my son he is 7 turning 8 has ADHD

They told me he is too young for CBT and it is very hard to find a therapist that takes insurance these days . I hope it will help your child. Best of luck

My daughter has adhd and odd. Diagnosis at 5 and she is now 9. She has been on medication since 5. We have done extensive research, reading, seminars, etc. and at this age medication is the most effective tool for successfully treating her. Her improved focus and behavior is setting her up for success, and we plan on starting CBT when she is 12-13. Until that time, the ADHD brain is not developed and equipped to understand and control thoughts and behaviors when overwhelmed or overstimulated.

We tried CBD for our 7 (now 8) year old but we didn’t see any results. He’s now on meds and doing pretty good but of course has his moments. We tried to keep him on it when starting the meds to try and stimulate his appetite but to no avail. I now understand that CBD and stimulants combined don’t work because they counteract each other

KayNicole- first of welcome to the group. We are all trying to figure things out for our kids.

I am not sure what CBT is but I assume it is a the a thearpy that helps with behavior. After lots of suggestions from our health team we knew that we needed both medication and thearpy. This continues today, our son is 12 years old. Our son has been on medication since he was 6 years old. I am convinced that there is a great need for medication with most children with ADHD. Our child psychiatrist is the best decision we have ever done. They are skilled at being able to manage his medication.

As far as the search feature, it's right next to the word "post" under the follow button.

Best of luck with your child.

Thank you to all who have replied, I appreciate you taking the time. CBT is cognitive behavioural therapy. I’m interested to hear the view that he’s too young. I have friends who’ve had great success for it helping with younger children with anxiety (which my son also has). It does makes sense that it may be too hard for a young person with adhd to grasp.

I am apprehensive about meds. Obviously I want to do the best thing for my son and know a number of people who have been apprehensive and then pleased with the results. I also know adults who really hated taking the meds as kids, didn’t like how it made them feel and wish they hadn’t had them.

It’s tough to know how to approach this all! I am very grateful to have found this community.

Thanks again, am sure you’ll be hearing from me again!

I should add - I was told that the developmental paediatrician who diagnosed was very pro meds. But it is he and the psychologist from his practice that has said they are not recommending meds at this point... Ah well, we have our first appt with our new psychologist next week. Will go from there. Thanks again.

Hello. I am no expert. My son is 8 and is diagnosed with combined type ADHD- what I know is that he is interested in everything, curious, impulsive, funny, smart, unusually strong and coordinated. He loves to have a job and be part of things. Babies think he is fascinating and he always slows down to take care of a baby or younger child. He likes reading, legs, animals, video games, swimming and riding his bike. We got him his very own kitten who is his mini me. We use therapy, but we don't use meds. We might some day, but only if we really need to. I believe trying therapy alone is a good approach. If it doesn't work- if he is in trouble a lot or feeling badly about himself, maybe then consider combined treatment? I try to play in the gym with my son before school starts. It makes him happy to run and catch, kick and throw a ball. It makes me happy before, work too. He has an IEP at school that allows him to sit near the teacher, have a fidget, get extra reminders. We ask that the teachers give him a job to make sure his peers see him getting positive attention from adults. We are also in 4-H which has given my chance to develop leadership skills and have success outside of school.