New here, hello....

[meatkat]

Hello,

My son is 6 years old. He was just diagnosed with ADHD. He's an amazing kid, and so completely exhausting. I am brand new to this site and just trying to learn how to handle things better.

[AnselyW]

Same here! Welcome! My 5 year old daughter has ADHD with possible learning differences. It feels good to know I’m not alone in this journey.

[Doodlebug25]

Welcome, and hugs. My daughter (at just age 3) was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and my biggest advice would be to start building your support network, with the foundation being doctors and specialists in the pediatric/ADHD fields. On our side, we have our incredible pediatrician, an OT, speech therapist, pediatric psychiatrist, and I'm in the process of seeking a team of pediatric psychologists and child behavior therapist. Having family and friends to talk to has been so cathartic and helpful for me. Start by growing your support system, and supplement it by reading as much as you can about early ADHD interventions and talk to other parents with lived experiences. Those are more helpful than research studies, in my experience. Best of luck to you!

[meatkat in reply to Doodlebug25]

Thank you. 3 is so young! I'm surprised they were able to make a diagnosis at that age. I'm so glad that my son is getting help. and yeah, that's one of the reasons i'm on here is to help build my network. i'm not a big people person and i had to cut off contact with my family, so there's not a big personal network for us to rely on at all.

[Momtrying]

Are you going to start your child on medication? That has been wonderful for us, but it can be a long , hard process so try to be patient and don’t give up! And remember, (I loved this when I heard it) your child is not giving you a hard time, they are HAVING a hard time. Behavior with ADHD can be so frustrating but it helps so much to try and remember them that your child is not trying to be difficult. And when you want to scream and cry because you’re so tired of reminding them to do something or their impulsive behavior, hop on here and vent! We’re all going through it and it is exhausting, like you said. But our kids are wonderful too so sometimes you need to just get your feelings out, then get back in the game for another day. Good luck!!

Oh and get your child’s school on board with accommodations ASAP!

[Onthemove1971]

Welcome! When ( and before) you get the tools he needs to be successful it will be completely exhusting! We have been on this roller coaster of emotions. Most children benefit greatly from 3 tools: an educational plan, thearpy and medication. The order doesn't matter, but we did not find success until we had all 3 tools.

Taking medication, when the dose, timing and type are all dialed in, it does not change the child's personality it helps them stop the symptoms ( impulsivity, excessive talking, immature behavior, etc) of ADHD. It is a journey, but most of the medications only stay in their system a sort time and start working very quickly.

Thearpy helps the child cope with and learn techniques to deal with their behavior.

The educational plan will be life long and sets a "road map" for things needed in the classroom ( seating, missing assignments, extra time/breaks).

Raising a child with ADHD is not like raising a Neuro-typical child. Especially with "punishment" and consequences. These must be tailored to them and when a child has behavior challenges it takes a unique style to change their behavior.

We are always here and have experienced a lot. Please ask us or search older posts to help you get the answers or help. Like "why will my child not listen to me". "Why does my child sneak food and lie about it".

Best of luck.. thanks for joining us.

[meatkat in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you for all this. And yeah, it's definitely not like raising a neuro-typical child...

I was actually diagnosed a few years ago as well. I was a very shy kid and have a lot of trauma so it was harder to identify, but for years now I've recognized that his brain is a bit different, and similar to me. And that pushing him to just "do the thing" and coming down on him when he doesn't.... is so counterproductive. His father's default was always to take that approach (strict Vietnamese parents, so i get it).

One of the reasons I'm thankful for the diagnosis is so I can show him proof that his approach isn't helpful, and I'm not just being crazy or coddling him. (he's adjusted his approach and is a great father, just neurotypical and a lot of stuff just isn't as obvious to him as it is to me)

My brother most likely had it as well, but growing up my parents refused to address it. Saying "they'd just put him on Ritalin and it would have ruined him" While he's doing good now, he really struggled, didn't finish high school, got into serious drugs, serious anger issues. It makes me really sad that they recognized he likely had it, but didn't even try to help in other ways.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to meatkat]

Thank you for joining us and sharing your experience with us!

[anirush]

Been dealing with this for a long, long time first with my daughter and now my two teenage grandsons. Lots of psychiatrist appointments, school meetings , med changes and counseling. Take care of yourself and don't get discouraged. There is always something else to try.