We had the same problem. 1st, we got meds changed so he gets a dose at 730am and then again at school at noon. Solved that dilema.
2nd, we use the token system. I lay out all clothing for the am. He must dress himself and make his bed to earn 2 tokens in the am. If he does not do it or needs prompting, he does not get the tokens. Believe me, it took about 2 weeks of consistancy but now, he is a breeze.
We still have issues in the am with what to eat but now that he is in kindergarten, he asks to eat breakfast at the cafeteria , he loves it. We drop him off early and he eats there. We are happy and so is he.
If I give him the meds first thing in the morning. It wears off too soon for school. We tried giving it first thing in the morning and his teacher called and said that she wanted us to try giving it to him an hour before school starts so that it is just starting to work when he gets there and lasts until lunch. Then the lunch dose gets him through the end of the school day. Is this maybe a problem that we are on the wrong dose??Maybe a higher dose would last longer. Your doc could help you with that. Could you do a extended release ritalin such as Ritalin LA or Concerta? Or give him a dose at 6 a.m., 8:30, 12, and 4?You could give him his med as soon as he wakes up. It kicks in pretty fast. Your mornings will be much easier. That is what I do, anyway!
My 5 year old son was recently dx'd with ADHD. We have tried several different meds and doses, etc. We finally settled with Ritalin at 5 mgs at 8:00 a.m., noon, and again at 4:00 p.m. However, my problem is in the morning. He is an EARLY riser...anywhere from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. He is H--- on wheels until we leave for school in the morning. School around here starts at 9:00 a.m. thus the 8:00 a.m. dose. He is running around out of control, making extremely loud noises, talking non-stop. We have tried the reward system and it just isn't working. Part of me is wondering if the patch could be applied at night so that when he wakes he has some meds in him. but yet I feel that would be over medicating as he doesn't need meds through the night. I am at my wits end by the time he leaves for school. Does anyone have any thoughts on this??? Thanks
My son (7.5 yo) is on Concerta and he too is wild in the mornings and can be downright hateful. The psych. suggested we wake him 1/2 hour or so before he needs to be responsible for getting dressed, breakfast, chores etc and give him his meds. I go back in my bed for the half hour or so. Sometimes he just lays there or other times he gets up. I try very hard NOT to interact with him before the meds kick in (30-40minutes). Then he is cooperative and gets his things done in the morning. Makes things much easier. Keep up with the reward system. Check out the marble system on this board too or read the book ,Transforming the Difficult Child. Good Luck!