Hi, it's been some time since i last posted. but i have no idea were to go from here. My son Zachary has been on Adderal xr 10mg but was to much for him to handle,so they cut the dose and put him on reg adderal 5m since Oct. up until know it was ok and no problems well maybe 1 a week verse 10x a week so did improve a lot. well since April my Sons Teacher keeps asking him daily if he takes his pills. and makes comments on his pill wearing off to him. he know says everyday i need a new pill that starts at 11 cause my pill stops then. i called the principal yesterday i was so mad. he goes there to learn not be worried what so dumb ass teacher says about a pill. i went to His Ped a week ago and was told he lost 12 pounds and 2 inches. i told her i wasn't concerned at this moment with the neds i was more worried about his health"she only cared about his behavior" what a teacher. i just don't get it he is a high honor roll student and never has a problem with his learning. but when i question him about touching, humming, or singing in class he says its not always him but when he does do it he is the only one questioned. i am so at my wits end and just don't now what to do.
Holly
Mommy to Zachary 9 on May 18th
Hi so sorry you are having such a hard time especially with the weight loss I know that is scary....I don't have much advice other than the teacher is outta line ...my son also takes adderall and we work on the appetite with smoothies(carnation instant breakfast as a base) ...they seem to help quite a bit and I have him drink them in place of a beverege with his meals....he did gain weight with this approach.... The humming and singing remind me of a friend's son who has PDD-NOS, in the asbergers/autism spectrum. Gifted students can cetainly be adhd, however, and often are.My Grandson Has made the Honor roll all of this year. It has taken him 3 years to be able to do that. What we know is his pills are working and he is finally "getting it". We just found out that during free time he has been going to the library to find a book to read(He likes mysteries)He has never liked reading. He doesn't read at home ...his mother told his teacher that and she said it is because his pill is wearing off and it is to difficult to focus on a book. So ADHD kids can and do make the honor role.
We had the opposite problem with one of my Grandsons teachers a couple of years ago. He was complaining about having to take his pill(he has always hated taking them) His teacher told him she would talk to his Mom about taking him off of them. My daughter hit the roof. She set up a meeting with the teacher and the principal. She told them that he had to be on the meds and there was no taking him off of them...and from now on the teacher is to call her ...and she was not allowed to discuss the medical treatment with my Grandson.
My Grandson went through the weight loss problem , at one time the Dr was discussing putting him in the hospital because he looked anorexic. He just turned 12 yesterday and he is no longer the skinny kid he was. I think the hormones are beginning to kick in. Have you tried making him milkshakes? My daughter also made their dinner time a little later so his pills were mostly worn off when it was time to eat. He took his pill with breakfast....he didn't always eat breakfast food sometimes he would have a cheese quesadia...whatever he found tasteful.
Sounds like spoiling...but at that time his Dr said to let him eat whatever he wanted so they could get calories into him. He was on a High Fat High Calorie diet for two years. Now that he is older he doesn't mind trying out new foods.
I didn't know. However, she said high honor roll and, along with the noises, I'd want to check it out. That is more charactoristic of high functioning autism/Aspergers, and it's better to have it checked out than not to. ADHD meds don't necessarily do squat for kids on the autism spectrum, although the kids do tend to be inattentive and have organizational issues as well as social problems. Some feel that ADHD will eventually on the ASD spectrum, but my own layperson's opinion is that they are different. The autistic kids are far more impaired socially, at least imho. They would hum in class because they don't CARE and need to "stim", not because of being bored--they don't really know or understand social norms. ADHD kids are impulsive, but they know social norms, even if they can't always perform them right. I also think checking out to see if the humming is a tic is a very good idea. Could also be a tic disorder.
OlderMom38845.4207638889
OM,
Oh I agree that his other symptoms need to be checked. I just wanted to let the Mom's on this board know that ADHD children can make the honor roll. After all these kids are bright. Like my Grandson's teacher told his Special Ed class of 9(He made the Honor role in his "Regular" class) who are all ADHD kids. She took a week to teach and study about their LD and ADHD. She told them that Most of the ADHD kids she has taught have been very smart...they just have to use different ways to help them learn...Like keeping daily homework journals. My Grandson is gifted in Trumpet playing...his teacher says he is the best 6 grader player he has ever seen and heard...unfortunatly My Grandson hates it...I wonder how good he would sound if he really liked it..we're hoping he might show more interest when he matures. What helped my GS make the honor role is the teachers in his school keep updated on Learning Disabilities and really show an interest in the child. It helps that the school district is in the Million dollar home section of town(My daughter lucked out and found a moderate priced apartment in that area) My Grandson is one of those kids that just happened to be diagnosed correctly and the meds do help him...I'm not saying there are no problems...there are and I am sure more will crop up as the hormones start flowing:)
Hi,well my son does see a neuro and is dx with borderline adhd. my son has been honor roll/high since 2 grade and completes all asked tasks. never has problems doing his work at all. he does get bored fast after his work is done and everyon else is still working he hums and reads i high doubt he has a different dx his Dr is excellent he loves music and just hums tunes he like. i am sure a lot of ppl dobut instead of sinng out load he does hum. his teacher only thinks of her self i have had a lot of different programs come in and watch his behavior and am told he is fine that he didn't do anything another student didn't. yes he touches other kids he does have impulse issues. he has been with current Dr for 4 yrs. he doesn't act like this at home but there is 377 other kids here either. i have other posts with more history on Zachary if you liked to read. thanks though for all the support.Guess no one could help. thanks anywaysI think the "high honor roll student" may have thrown some people. Who diagnosed your son with ADHD? Has a NeuroPsych ever seen him? Making inappropriate noises, being very bright especially in certain areas, along with problems with transitions and social skills, if he has these symptoms, could be Aspergers Syndrome rather than ADHD. Most ADHD kids can't make the high honor roll without a lot of accomodations,b ut many Aspergers kids are brilliant (although not all). As for the teacher, I'd tell her it's none of her business because it's NOT.OlderMom38844.7502430556 perhaps at the end of the school term you could take him off the meds and try some of the alternatives (from the alternatives board) if you are worried about his health?I'm curious about the humming as well, if this is something that goes on in all environments? Is it boredom or something he feels he has to do? If it's something he has to do, just a thought that maybe it could be vocal tics? If it's boredom could they accommodate him in any way, letting him get up for 5 minutes, go walk the halls for a moment, release some of the energy.
I would definitely make it clear to his teacher that if she has a medication concern, then she needs to discuss that with you, not your son.
I also wouldn't worry about what she thinks you should do. He is your son. You know what is going on medically with him. You have to do what is best for him, not what is best for her. Weigh her opinion of course, since he is in her care for a number of hours, but beyond that, it's just an opinion.
Good luck!