9 yr old twins/ 1with ADHD, intro- long | ADHD Information

Hi I am new to this list and I just wanted to say Hi to everyone and introduce myself.  I have 3 children.  9 year old twin boys and an 11 year old daughter.  My boys were born at 30 weeks gestation (5 weeks in NICU) and are fraternal.  No major problems related to prematurity except a slight learning delay and possibly the ADHD although I believe that is hereditary.  I just started my son on meds the beginning of this school year (3rd grade)  I resisted for a long time knowing that he definitely had issues.  When they were babies Z was the easy to nurse calm happy baby, while V was easy to cry, high need, took along time to latch on, etc.  I guess around the time they started solid food (their first 2 years is a blur, as I was still nursing working part time and going to school full time) I saw a switch in behavior-which is normal to an extent with twins, but they never switched back!!  Z was always clingy, needed to be entertained and never still. climbing trees (at 4 I found him about 20feet up a tree) etc. Oh and he was the wanderer as well ! In school there was the same problems.  In second grade it was starting to effect his friendships-he had no real friends and his own twin brother couldn't be bothered with him.  Any where we went everyone knew his name because I had to say it so much.  Honestly it was to the point where I dreaded picking him up because it was instantaneous rpoblems, smart mouth, attitude, defiance, and antagonizing siblings.  We started with adderal xr small dose, then to stattera, small dose, and now we went from 27 mg to 36 mg concerta.  He is doing better in school and now on th ehigher dose at home as well.  My problems were in the morning and evenings, I read on this list to wake him up to give him his meds and let him go back to sleep for a bit and this has made a difference, THANKS.  Melatonin works as well on occasion to aid him in going to sleep.  We still have our issues- but will hopefully work through them with help.  Thank youWelcome!

Thanks for sharing a most interesting twin story.  I am glad that the timing of the morning dose is helping out.  I did that too for years.  I think that you will find friends here with a lot of similar situations and a lot of support. 

Wow, you really have your hands full.  Good Luck with everything, it sounds like you are doing a great job