New to board & adhd, with questions
Thank you for your help - your responses have provided me with a good starting point. It also helps to know I'm not alone!
Mia
Hello, everyone. I am so happy to have found this website!!! My daughter, who will be 7 next month, was recently precribed medication for adhd. First grade, with its greater expectations, didn't always go so well for her (she has many characteristics of the inattentive type of this disorder). The worst part has been her very low tolerance to frustration and a TERRIBLE temper that upsets our whole household. It seemed that everything about life was - is - harder for her. If meds could help,I thought, I'd be happy to try them. And my daughter happily takes them because she is hopeful as well. So far, it's hard to tell just how well meds are working, mainly because it's summer vacation. (I have noticed, though, that after taking them on Sundays, she sits in church without fidgeting.) The dr. was clear about one thing - medication was only part of his recommended treatment. He urged us to look into couseling for our daughter, and even our family, as well. Now that I'm thinking about this for my child/family, I'd like to know what kind of psych help you and your kids get for this - I wonder if any of you go as a family and how it has worked. How have your children fared with individual or group therapy? How did you find the right therapist/therapy? Obviously, I can call our insurance co. to see who's in my area, but how can I connect with local parents who might be able to refer me to a good therapist? I would truly appreciate any help you can offer. Things could really change for my daughter if I can find the right help for her - and maybe for myself as well.
Warm regards,
Mia
My son 6 and ADHD/ODD. He has the awful tantrums and is extremely violent along with the typical ADHD stuff. I would tell you that the meds are not working at the dosage you are on if the effects are not clear to you. If in fact she does have ADHD(and from your explanation may be ADD instead?) then the effects should be quite obvious. Our doc put it as you will KNOW within 3 days if it will work or not. To answer your question though we see a psychologist every week(sometimes every 2 weeks if our schedules don't work out) I looked up who my insurance approves and called around until I found someone who had an opening. It took me 14 docs to find someone. Needless to say I didn't have a whole lot of a choice with who we ended up with. Most of them are full in our area. I wish you the best of luck. You will find that many of the parents here are quite helpful.
Mia,
Welcome to this website! I hope you find the information and support you're looking for.
My 12-year-old son has ADHD, anxiety, tic disorder and migraines (the latter two fueled by anxiety). He was diagnosed 2.5 years ago. Over the last couple of years he has tried Concerta, Strattera, Adderall XR, Focalin and now Focalin XR. As you may find out, medication is frequently a trial and error process. I do know what you mean about not seeing a med's full effect until school starts. My son test-drove Focalin XR for 2 days over the last week or so, and he thinks it's working, but he said he won't know for sure until school starts (this Tuesday -- hooray!). So when your daughter starts school, I think you will very soon get a better picture of how the med is working.
I agree with your daughter's doctor about medication only being part of the treatment plan. ADHD treatment can include meds, school interventions, therapy, academic tutoring, parent education and behavior modification. We go to a developmental and behavioral pediatrician who oversees my son's care (just the ADHD/anxiety stuff -- the regular ped takes care of normal childhood illnesses). The behavioral ped does prescribe my son's meds, but he has also recommended a different school placement for my son, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and tutoring in the area of written output (my son's academic weakness). He also meets with DH and me periodically to go over problem areas within our family and to help us better parent our son. He's really the head of our son's ADHD "team."
In terms of therapy, my son is doing CBT, which essentially gives him coping skills to deal with his anxiety and frustrations surrounding his ADHD. It's generally recommended for adolescents and adults so your daughter is probably too young for this type of therapy. We have found greater success with a male therapist for our son (and his therapist even has ADHD so he definitely "gets" what's going on). That's not to say you have to find a therapist who has ADHD, just one who works with ADHD kids on an ongoing basis so he/she has experience with the issues surrounding the disorder. My son's therapist is a clinical psychologist, but you could also work with a social worker or licensed counselor. We found the therapist through word of mouth. I asked our ped, other doctors we deal with, friends who happen to be psychologists, and friends who have kids with issues. DH and I have always gone for a one-hour session with any therapist we're considering using to get a sense of whether it would be a good fit for our child.
Hope that helps. Please post again if you have other questions.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and state, with pretty much certainty, that a very violent kid isnt ADHD/ODD, but bipolar and will eventually get the label and correct meds. ADHD/ODD is almost always the first dx. before the pdoc is willing to say "early onset bipolar." If mood disorders and/or substance abuse are in your family those are red flags for this disorder. It sometimes takes the psychiatrists time to say the words to parents, but it becomes obvious with time. If your son is violent, I'd never give him stimulants as they will only make the ODD symptom worse. BTW, ODD is a huge symptom of bipolar disorder early onset. If she only has ADHD, but gets frustrating and angry (in the realm of normal) then I think counseling could help all of you understand each other. I have a few other sites you may want to check out for further advice. One is a childhood bipolar site in case your child IS violent. THe second is just a site of "Warrior Moms" who battle for our kids daily and most are not really young and have been through a lot. THey are a smart group with lots of savvy and kids with all sorts of disorders. They have a board for kids under five and over eighteen too. Good luck and welcome.
www.bpkids.org (early onset bipolar board and learning center)
www.conductdisorders.com (the board with the smart moms with all the various disorders, ADHD included)
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