Introduction

[2kidsandamom]

Hey, I am a mom of 2 kids, and married to a great man for almost 5 years. My son is 9 and my daughter just turned 4 last month. About two years ago we tested my son for Dyslexia, and during the testing the councilor noticed that he might have a small hint of ADHD. We got him tested a year later, because he was having some trouble with paying attention in class. The results came back as he does have a mild case of ADHD. Since it was a mild case I wanted to try counseling instead of starting him on medications. We have been doing counseling for almost half a year now and the teachers are saying there is no improvement in his behavior. Now I am trying to make the decision to either continue the therapy or just give up and start medication. I would love feed back from anyone that has been through something like this and I am open to any information in helping us make this decision.

[eaw49]

Hi! You sound like a really wonderful mom. It’s really great that you are seeking out ways to help your son. ADHD can be really tricky to figure out what the right direction is as far as treatment. My daughter has had an ADHD diagnosis for a long time and the things that we have tried have also been counseling, an IEP ( individual education plan) and medications. It sounds like your son’s situation is mild. I’m wondering if he is struggling in other aspects of his life besides school? My daughter struggles with keeping a steady job, she misses important events because she forgets about them and will also zone out when someone is talking to her.

She has all the classic symptoms of ADHD minus the hyperactivity part.

The counseling didn’t work. It turns out she does better with a ADHD specific life coach. A lot more proactive. The medication did help her focus but only on things that interested her and not necessarily what need to be takin care of. She also didn’t like the way the medication made her feel. The IEP was important to get her through school but it did make her self esteem plummet. The other kids noticed she was being pulled out of class for services and it made her feel bad. But her symptoms also singled her out. The IEP was important for when she graduated from high school. Having that helped her get services in college.

After years of trying to figure things out she still struggles but we did discover that she has a traumatic brain injury. We believe from a car accident she was in years ago. Symptoms from that and ADHD can over lap. She more then likely had ADHD and the symptoms were made worse by the head injury. So I honestly believe looking at the brain is just as important as doing other testing. The car accident was pretty mild that’s why we never explored that avenue before. At the time it really didn’t occur to us. But the neurologist she talked to said that even things like playing sports like soccer or football or banging your head on the table as a toddler can cause a traumatic brain injury.

I do recommend a magazine called ADDitude magazine. It’s full of insight and resources. Also there are some really interesting YouTube videos that people with ADHD have posted that you might find helpful.

I wish you and your family the very best!

Ericka

[2kidsandamom in reply to eaw49]

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. It helped put some of my worries to rest. I will look into the articles and watch some of the YouTube videos like you suggested for more information.

[WYMom]

If he had an ear infection would you refuse medicine? Probably not. Try medication. I know there is a stigma against medicine but it is necessary. Lots of great podcasts about it on additude magazine