My 12 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 5 years old. I could have diagnosed him myself when he was a toddler. He was all over the place and couldn’t focus on an activity for more than a few seconds. When he got to school, his activity level started to calm down but his focus and organizing skills struggled.
We held him back in second grade when we realized how far behind he was. We finally made the hard decision to try medication. Staying back and starting medication was such a gift for him! I share this story for anyone struggling to make these decisions. He decided this past year that he wanted to try school without medication. He made it through fifth grade doing well. He’s never had the behavior component of ADHD but he is still very unorganized and has mild anxiety.
He is starting middle school in a couple days and I am worried if he will keep up. Luckily, I feel like he understands that medication can really help if needed again. I got him organized with school supplies and created a before and after school “to do” list.
I share this story of my son because him and his sister have two very different journeys with ADHD. She has taught me to not judge parents, to be kind and understanding because she is my ADHD child with the behavioral component. Her story is much different.
I never realized how ADHD can create such challenging behavior. My daughter struggles with impulsivity (hitting others, saying things she doesn’t mean, reacting negatively), full on meltdowns(which luckily have decreased with age), sensory (clothing, smells, sounds can set her off).
Most people think ADHD is hyperactivity and inability to focus, including me because that is my experience with my son. But when you really read about ADHD, the behaviors I just described above about my daughter are so REAL! It takes so much energy every day to parent a child with the behavioral issues because “normal “ parenting methods rarely work. This is what most parents don’t understand and why I searched out this group because I needed to connect with parents who share my experiences. So thank you everyone for being here, reading my story and sharing yours!