Hope | ADHD Information

THANK YOU ALL!!! This has been helpful. I will check this board often.

Impulse control is a big issue for us - as is constant going going going. An engine that never runs out of gas!

Thanks again. I feel better, although I will vent it all out sometime soon, I am sure. And I'll let y'all know how it goes on Thursday at the ped appt.

I can add one more thing to the list of successes. Behavior therapy! Our first behavior therapist WAS a huge waste of time. I decided to quit seeing them after 6 sessions and still hadn't gotten one piece of advice other than to stop disciplining my child for "every little thing" We were given a recommendation for an in home behavior therapist who has had years of working with kids in residential treatment centers, training teachers on how to handle kids in the classroom, autistic kids etc. He is AWESOME!!! He has taught me a great deal of things when I thought I was already doing everything right. He approaches things differently and it has really made a difference. Before we started seeing him my son couldn't clean his room at all. You could leave him in his room to clean it and by the end of the day it would look the same or worse. Now I can send him to pick it up and it will get done! He is also teaching us how to get our son to be more independant, how to get him to respect your need to have a phone conversation in peace and other things. I was disouraged from our first attempt at behavior therapy, but I have found a good behavior therapist can make a huge difference! IMac38945.8883101852

2am,

My 9 year old daughter was started on Adderall XR about 2 years ago, and has had Depakote (for OCD symptoms and crying spells) and Welbutrin (to help with focusing) added on since that time. Prior to medications, she was unable to concentrate at school, and didn't want to stay in her seat. She was also very impulsive at home, and we were fearful of her inadvertently hurting herself because of her careless behavior. She is now much calmer, and is earning mostly A's and B's in school. She is fairly well adjusted, and appears to be making some friends at school. She is a Girl Scout, and also appears to have many artistic abilities. She participates in swimming and gymnastics classes, which she really enjoys (although she does seem to have some of the lack of coordination that often goes with ADHD). We have been fortunate that she does not appear to have ODD symptoms. She has never been in serious trouble at school for her behaviors. She also seems to have more insight into what problems she has than many children of her age do. I wish you luck with your child!

[QUOTE=2amvegas]

I just found this board and I am sure everything will be helpful, but one thing I'm not seeing is a lot of hope.

Can someone guide me to someplace where success has taken place? My 6 year old has his MD appt this week and I want some reassurance that through behavioral therapy and medication, we can get some relief and find some hope.

Thanks

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In my opinion, one of the reasons you don't see alot of "positive posts" is because people tend to stop posting when they stop having issues.......I don't post on this part of the board nearly as much as I did when I first joined almost a year ago.

My son was diagonsed in May of last year, started on 40mg Strattera and it has been absolutley wonderful. His focus is great, his impulsivity is curbed, and he finally has some friends....so yes I would definitely consider us a success story.

It will most likely be a lifelong issue and I am sure we will have alot of ups and downs, but my son is so much happier than he was last year, and with the meds he is more able to make the right decision and to stop himself when he starts getting out of control.

Best of luck

I just found this board and I am sure everything will be helpful, but one thing I'm not seeing is a lot of hope.

Thanks

I'm very new to this site and posting things about my child. True many of the threads don't sound encouraging and have alot of sucess stories in them. I think this is because many of us need to vent frustations to people who can relate to what we go through on a daily basis. Many people don't understand daily life with a child who has ADHD. When you tell them what goes on they sometimes form ideas that you neglect your child or need parenting skills. That isn't the case, though. I work with my child and give her as much attention as I possiblly can and some days are good and some days are bad. I think that many people want to hold those good times close because a good day for your child is a good day, but one with ADHD is a celebration of sorts. (For me anyway!)

When being a parent of one of these children what is good is good and what is bad is bad, if that makes any sense. There is never a dull moment. I'd bet that almost every parent on this site who has a child with ADHD can tell you that their child's IQ scores are very high and advanced. That is one sucess story for you. I have a child who is extremely smart. She can do any thing she wants if she sets her mind to it. I'm very proud of my child even though sometimes I feel helpless with the events of the day and my own frustrations.

[QUOTE=IMac]What success means to this parent of ADHD kids:

Never had a phone call or visit from police.
Never had a phone call or meeting with a school principal.
Citizenship awards.
School awards.
Music awards.
Never been fired from a job.
Able to stay employed.
Life with them is never boring.

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LOL - reminds me of the time my son (5 at the time) called 911 cuz he sai our dog bit him (which didn't happen). Life with him is never boring, you are correct. But it's very tiring.

Thanks Koko for yours (and your son's) story. I guess my desire is to hear that things DO and CAN work out, which I know in my head, but my heart is heavy quite often.

IMac38945.887650463

[QUOTE=IMac]What do you need?
[/QUOTE]

A success story or two ???

What is your child doing that gives you no hope? Who diagnosed him? Meds? Sure he has the right or full picture diagnosis? I know many sites, but not sure where to direct you without more knowledge about your child.

It's not what my child is doing that gives me no hope - it's the threads and messages on this board that don't seem hopeful.

I do see the book to the left of the forum. Maybe I'll download that.

Thanks

Try the Alternatives to Meds section....IMac38945.887962963Hi 2AM! Here's a story that is still unfolding, of course, but things have improved dramatically since my son was diagnosed.

My son was diagnosed with depression and inattentive adhd a year and 1/2 ago. Before that, I had built up quite a bit of structure into his life, cut down on sugar and carbs, etc. Anyway, the school would not test him except little preliminary tests, because he was bright and not failing. However, he was not finishing work. He would do 3/4 of it meticulously and run out of time if any writing or math was involved. Then he would ace things like multiple choice, so he was able to keep his grades up. Projects done at school were a nightmare for him.

Because of the depression and his frustration episodes which had occurred at school a few times - we had him privately tested and got him a 504 for extra time on work, etc. We also started taking him to a psychologist who deals with kids with adhd.

Last fall he started taking Focalin XR. He said he didn't think it did anything, but we upped the dose as you usually need to do, and waited things out. His depression began to lift, his writing was more compact (it had always been meticulous), and he was finishing most of his work. The 504 gave him the extra time he sometimes needs on math and science tests. Of course, since he was finishing things, his grades went from 60's to 100's to mainly A's.

The depression is officially gone!

His therapist said he only needs to come around once a month instead of every two weeks a few months ago.

I don't know what the future holds. Sixth grade is where he is now - next year probably will be less structured and challenges will arise. To have a child go from crying every Sunday night and many others because school is the next day to hardly ever getting down about school and life is pretty darn cool!!!

I think many people who have success stories may not be on the boards as much, because things worked out fairly quickly. I got involved with the boards when I was reading about meds and dealing with the school and the section 504. My niece's adhd is helped a great deal with Concerta and I know her mom never looked on the internet for info. Good Luck!