Jeckyl and Hyde questions? | ADHD Information

See i dont get this how can a child be different at school and at home.I dont know about in the usa but here they have to have the same problems at home as they do at school/nursery to be able to get medication.I had no problem my son got 100% on both the questionaire i did and the one the school did, just strange how different places have different guide lines.My son has no social skills what so ever..and as ive said before im sure my son has way more than adhd going on so that could be it.

hannah,

If you use one of the stimulants (not strattera), it can be used only for school. My daughter's psychiatrist likes to keep her on her meds 7 days a week until we really get the hang of how she is doing. That gives you a good reference for when you stop and restart. If it were a high dose, stopping and restarting might be an issue. If he tries it and it helps with school-great; if not, he can stop.

The different extended release forms last for 6-12 hours depending on which one and how fast your son metabolizes the med. If it is out of his system by bed, it may not affect sleep. My daughter actually is a better sleeper now that she is on meds (it calms her). My daughter's child psychiatrist has worked with us to taylor the meds to her individual needs (this takes some work). She is now getting As and Bs instead of Fs and is less frustrated at home (and nicer). We also use Ogram's marble stystem (top thread of this section) for positive reinforcement of behaviors we want to see.

 

vickie39015.3228240741

cameronsmummy,

In montessori school my daughter was hyperactive and it was allowed (but they did not have the skills to deal with my daughter's needs). In public school, my daughter learned to stay in her seat by shutting down and not participating in class. The bustle of the class room was overwheliming to her at times. She would not participate in group discussions or take notes. She had to be constantly redirected or she would not get anything done (even with this, she would stop working when the teacher turned her back). She was failing 4th grade. Her frustration level was very high at that time and she became depressed, anxious and defiant. At home she was in constant motion and would need constant redirection and took hours to complete a 1/2 hour worth of homework. It was very difficult to get her attention and if she was told to do something, she would be destracted by 6 other things and never remember the one she was told to do. So the consistancy in behavior at school and home was mostly the inattention, which was causing her the most problems.  The hyperactivity was a mere anoyance sometimes and not what treatment was sought for.

I didn't realize that the medications are the type that you might be able to not use on the weekends. I really feel like he might benefit from something at school, but after school he is into sports and playing with his friends. We keep his routine so simple that he does fine at home as far as the disorginization goes.

But the burning question- will the medication make him nice to me?

Also, are there side effects to not taking it on the weekends or the evening? I am really concerned about sleep because he is not the best sleeper already and would hate to make it worse.

Thanks!

Aaron's mom:

Some of the drug companies have patient assistance programs...and there is the PPA that they advertise on TV all the time...you know with Montel Williams and the bus?  I also have insurance (major medical), but it does not cover prescriptions...we are self employed and it is all that we can afford.   I called the PPA place and I can't remember why we did not qualify, but we didn't.  So I researched and found out the company that manufactures the Concerta that he is on and they have their own patient assistance program that I did qualify for.  I get my son's medicine for free and that saves me 8 a month.  I would pay it if I had to, but it would be a juggling act and I am thankful that the drug company has this program. The medicine does wonders for him , though he is not EVER hungry, we have to remind, cajole, talk him into eating daily.

Hope this helps

chasesmom79

chasesmom7939015.2642476852

Hi.  MY oldest son isn't on any med's.  He has always hated taken medicine.  Giving him tylenol is a challenge.  So I don't medicate him and he knows he has a focusing problem and tries to remember.  His desk in elementary school was always a mess too.  I do medicate my youngest who is 7 and in first grade.  He has alot of behavioral problems and needs them.  I am lucky that he doesn't have too many side effects.  Just an occaisional headache.  He is on medidate, which is ritalin.  It just takes the edge off of him.  Helps him concentrate more for school.  It is wore off before I see him in the evenings.  I don't medicate him alot on the weekends because I really don't like it, but see the need for it.  I will give it to him if we are going to do something that I feel he needs to be a bit more aware of himself.  Like a movie or going to a family get together.  Medicine might help your son concentrate and focuss more.  It has been suggested to do that for my oldest.  Some part of not doing is financial because I am a single mom with a child support dead beat ex.  And my insurance doesn't pay to well with adhd. Not a preferred illness.

If my son is not into what he is learning he will tune it out and not pay attention.  If he really into it he exceeds.  He is doing alot better this year but is so disorganized it isn't funny.  The chart with your teacher sounds good.  And the reward system you have going sounds good.  My youngest is on one,  if he gets good reports all week, doesn't have a major meltdown, and if the school doesn't call me he gets to go to the dollar store for a toy.  I am going to start the marble system sometime soon for both.

One thing I am doing for my oldest is I am asking for a special education evaluation to see if he qualifies for anything.  One of his teacher's suggested it for his disorganization.  That may be something you want to do.  If you write the school and ask for one they legally have to do it.  You will have a meeting where you can address your concerns. 

 

 

well my son is only 6 and has been expelled from school permently already! They cant deal with him at school here but its okay for me to look after him 24/7 as well as 2 kids 2 and under, if they cant handle him and get paid for it what chance do i have? Anyways im just saying its different country to country i guess:)

Hello everyone, I just discovered this board and have been trying to gather information (so much helpful info!). My son is not diagnosed yet, but this year's teacher and last year's teacher are concerned, along with myself, so we are implementing a behavior chart for my son (he is in 2nd grade/7years old).

 My son has great social skills and lots of friends. He is quite popular at school. The teacher says her main concern is that he does not stop talking to friends and that he gets out of his seat incessantly.

These are my questions- Do some ADD/ADHD kids have great people skills at school, but are awful at home?

He has a terrible time dealing with having to do anything he doesn't think is interesting and will scream at me and be so mean I cannot believe it. He is also super forgetful and scatterbrained, but that is an issue at both school and home.

Also, he will argue with me about everything under the sun. I am so happy when he walks out the door to get on the bus, and then I am racked with guilt. People are always telling me how sweet and charming he is and I always think "if they only knew".

Also, he has exhibited a few unnerving behaviors in the past year or so- lying to us and his peers (not a lot, but he did brag to his friends about accomplishments that never happened). I can also tell that he doesn't feel a ton of remorse when he hurts people's feelings. This mostly happens with his 3 year old sister, so I don't know if this is normal sibling/ big brother behavior or what.

Any stories would be greatly appreciated!

hannah

 

Welcome!   I would say "yes" to your question about people skills.  My husband is in the restaurant business and diagnosed ADHD -- he is great with people.  Our son with ADHD is the same way -- he has never met a stranger and people are drawn to him.  I, too, work to help my son feel remorse -- he does with some help! 

He may be awful at home b/c that is where he feels most comfortable.  I find my son is able to "let loose" with me b/c it is safe for him.  That can be so tough on us as parents.....

I hope you continue to find the answers you seek here! It's a wealth of info!

Thank you so much! It has really done  number on my confidence as a mother and I feel so guilty most of the time with him. I just keep thinking- will behavior modification or meds actually make him like me? I over analyze everything! Yikes.

Hi.  My oldest was alot like your son at his age.  I agree that he lets loose at home because it feels safe for him to do it.  He was in third grade and not staying in his seat, talking, etc... The school pychatrist evaluated him and said he showed signs of adhd. Meanwhile I had this 3 year old raging with all the adhd behaviors driving me to distraction and I was in complete denial about my oldest.  He is still my "mellow" child (though we are going through the moody tween years now) but is forgettful that it is not funny.  The behavioral charts are a good idea.  He had really good teachers 3rd to 5th grade in elementary school and they worked with him really good.  Third grade he had something like a chart with what he did right and needed to work on.  Visuals worked really good for him.   He is an unattentive type adhd more of a focusing problem.

Don't feel guilty about time away.  It helps recharge our batteries and makes us better  for our kids.  We all need breaks.

Thanks so much for the response. Can you tell me about your experience with meds and if you even needed them?

We have a simple behavior chart- The teacher has divided the day into 5 blocks of time and he gets one point for each block that he stays in his seat and uses a whisper voice. If he has a 4 or 5 at the end of the day, he can play with his friends after school.  I am really hoping the chart works. It is scary because the teacher really does make all the difference I think. This teacher is really positive and interested in helping.

 I think my son's issues revolve more around inattention and boredom as well, although he is a little hyper. His desk is so bad at school that the girls have been taking turns cleaning it out for him. (He is quite the heartbreaker already).

Again, thanks so much!