any advice, please!

[pinkx397]

hi everyone! I was so happy to find this website, I'm finding myself a little lost and in need for some guidance. I'm the mother of a 5 year old boy who is just full of life. I myself have ADD and I have bee seeing the signs in my son for quiet a while. For the past 2 years we had to keep him back a extra year in preschool because his label is "developmentally delayed" and being that he is going to be 6 this year they have to chance his label. We had a PPT the other day and they changed his label to "OHi AdHD"I knew it was going to happen, he cant focus on anything, he doesn't make eye contact, he cant sit still for long and he cant follow more than 2 step instructions, along with other concerns. He is the smartest boy though in other areas, it's just coming to him learning his school work that we are having a problem with. We are also having problems with his behavior and his attitude. I work at a daycare and compared to other kids hes not quiet as disrespectful, its just that if he doesn't want to do something, he wont. His father and I are currently together but it is hard to talk to him about this stuff because he blames himself, and me. He thinks that there is more that we could have done and maybe there was, but there is definitely something going on that is beyond our control. I personally think he is too young for medication, I'm just looking for advice and strategies that anyone could suggest would be amazing! thank you!

[Tracey1782]

pinkx397 welcome, I have a 5 year old son who is in the same boat, extremely smart but his inability to self regulate, focus, inclusiveness and behaviors he is a great kid. I was against medication also, I tried everything, organic, vitamins mineral oils and nothing worked. Untimely medication is what helps him. We still have behavior issues which we are working towards correcting now but the medication gives him a split second to think about the impulse decision before he makes it.

I can tell you the way I was able to deal with it was when the doctor said to me "if your son was diabetic you would give him insulin to treat it correct" I understand its different but it to me helps me understand that my son has an illness.

Good luck, on this journey.

[mamallama2x3 in reply to Tracey1782]

Thank you so much! I don't know if you are going to see this or not, give that it has been 3 years. I never got a notification. I just came across this website because it was bookmarked in one of my web browsers. I just wanted to take the time to thank you for your response. I actually hav e been trying "Calm keeper" by GENEXA. The pediatrician actually recommended it. I am having SUCH a hard time finding a good therapist for him though.

[Pennywink]

Welcome! parenting a child with ADHD is a hard road with lots of choices that seem lose-lose. But here are some of my experiences, if they are helpful at all:

We started by son on medication at age 6 - almost 7. I probably would have done it sooner, but my husband was very resistant. What helped with that was having my husband start coming to all doctor appointments and teacher conferences, and including him in all correspondences. It took 3 tries to find the right med, but now that we have it, my husband is actually now the most adamant that it be taken every day.

But medication isn’t a decision to be rushed. Also, positive parent training and home accommodations helped us a bit - especially when combined with the medication.

Smart But Scattered by Peg Dawson helped us on the home accommodations front. I also get a lot out of Russell Barkley’s works in learning about ADHD.

I probably you are able to help your son!

youtu.be/SCAGc-rkIfo(Not working as expected?)

[Cjkchamp]

At that age occupational therapy provided me with the best skills. I didn’t find counseling helped when he was that young. My son was classified OHI for school services, which my understanding is that is what they use for the kids with ADHD. However, not all adhd kids are just having trouble concentrating on their school work or they may have other issues which have not been diagnosed. My son had some sensory issues and he started getting aggressive with the staff. They have now moved him to an ED classification at school. I understand holding off on medications. Due to the problems at school we ended up medicating when our son was five and a few months. He is now 7. Trouble with medication is it is geared toward kids 6 and over. We couldn’t even qualify for a coupon from the manufacturer because they said the medicine wasn’t made for someone under 6. I have two recommendations for you to consider beyond occupational therapy. One is to look into the Nurtured Heart Approach. The other is to begin exploring the possibility of broad spectrum micronutrients in the future. The two companies are Hardy Nutritionals and True Hope. We have had success with them and my son didn’t have any aggressive episodes during the 4th quarter of school. His medications have also been decreased. Wishing you the best!