we recently started the easychild software program. it's 100% working for my non-adhd child:) having said that the positive reinforcement system is helping our household function all the way around. the kids are arguing less, getting a long better and i'm thrilled that they are willingly doing their homework and cleaning their rooms:)
having the point system and *pay out day for them is exciting. most of the time anyways! they are liking that they get to spend their own money, etc. we've had no lying, etc.
mornings are still a bit rough with my dd...she likes to take her time getting up:(
but, overall-it's an easy program to start and keep going. some would argue that you shouldn't have to pay your kids to do things...and all, so i struggled with that a bit myself. however, this has made our house a much more pleasant place to be! and it's well worth the .00 a week per kid. it's no difference than an allowance i guess.
the marble system here has a great following! give it a try!
good luck and welcome!
shelley
oh, i'm back to say that you don't need to *pay your children on this program, you can just use points for priveledges earned in the house. ie. computer or television time, sleepover,etc. you can customize this program to fit your needs a bit.
shelley
My son too (almost 7) is not doing well in school. You name it we have tried it and nothing seems to help him. he tells his teacher that he is finished but he either shoves it in his desk or turns it in incomplete. Homework is worse that pulling out teeth! He is very emotional. He turns on a dime. One minute loving me next minute punching me! We have been seeing his doc for over a year now and she is now referring us elsewhere because she is at a loss. We too take things away from him and he could care less. Spanking him is useless...seriously he just yells, cont. to hit and becomes more of a demon child! I KNOW that it is not his fault...but you can just handle so much before the breaking point! Have your doctor revisit the med or the amt. that he is taking. I really am not one to give help becausenothing has helped us out yet. THE BEST thing about this board is that I found out that I am not the only one dealing with this and that WE didnt do something to cause this to happen. Take care and good luck!
Jakesmom
I agree with the above posts. But I also know that as children grow and gain weight or lose weight their meds need to be adjusted as well. My DS has been on 20mg of metedate. Right now he is acting as if he is not on any medication.I am new to this too. I am a mother of 5. My 10 yr old is the one with ADHD. He is on a low dose of focalin. Only for 2 months. It seems to help. He is not a particularly severe case of ADHD. All I can tell you is, you are the only one who will truley be invested in your child. We all feel like giving up sometimes. Take it day by day and hour by hour. What I have gathered from these message boards is that there is not a clear cut path for this. Every child reacts differently to the medications and the alternatives. Keep posting your questions and you may find some answers. I know in the one week that I have been reading these posts and asking questions I have found more info here than talking with the professionals.
Good luck.
[QUOTE=crismeza]
Im new to this, so I want to share a little about my struggles. I am a single mother of two, who doesnt have a lot of support from my childrens father. last year my son was diagnosed with adhd, "with other tendencies". which means there is something else there that is making focusing difficult. just today i had a meeting with my sons teacher, the learning director and the RSP teacher. he is not doing well. he is not getting is work done in class, he's lying about what he has for homework, he's overly emotional, and im ready to give up ! my son has been taking 54ml of concerta for about 6 months, and its seems to not be helping as much as it did in the beginning. ive taken away privilages, even going as far as taking away his birthday party for lying to me and his teacher. this doesnt seem to have helped. i dont know what else to do. if anyone has any ideas, please share. i saw the post about the marble reward, and am going to start it next week, so heres crossing my fingers! oh, i might also add that i work graves, and am likely to be on this shift for years to come. please help!
[/QUOTE]
My first thought on reading your post is that the medication may not be where it should be, or the right one for your son. There could also be something else going on in regards to his diagnosis.
Any child that is on medication and still having a tough time, should really look at the meds. as well as the diagnosis. There could be something else in addition going on.
My son is 9, adhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhd, easily overstimulted, hard to bring down as far as self regulation goes. His doctor when starting the dosing levels for concerta, added guanfacine(tenex) and that really made all the difference with the concerta. It helps my son self regulate and controls any impulsive behaviors.
Any thoughts for a IEP or 504 from your meetings with the teachers & school?
Don't give up or get frustrated. Our children REALLY need us. You would think school would want to help them, but some just don't.
Just post whenever you get frustrated or down! We are here to be a shoulder to lean on !
Regards,
Beth
BETHANN39123.995150463
Im new to this, so I want to share a little about my struggles. I am a single mother of two, who doesnt have a lot of support from my childrens father. last year my son was diagnosed with adhd, "with other tendencies". which means there is something else there that is making focusing difficult. just today i had a meeting with my sons teacher, the learning director and the RSP teacher. he is not doing well. he is not getting is work done in class, he's lying about what he has for homework, he's overly emotional, and im ready to give up ! my son has been taking 54ml of concerta for about 6 months, and its seems to not be helping as much as it did in the beginning. ive taken away privilages, even going as far as taking away his birthday party for lying to me and his teacher. this doesnt seem to have helped. i dont know what else to do. if anyone has any ideas, please share. i saw the post about the marble reward, and am going to start it next week, so heres crossing my fingers! oh, i might also add that i work graves, and am likely to be on this shift for years to come. please help!
His doctor when starting the dosing levels for concerta, added guanfacine(tenex) and that really made all the difference with the concerta. It helps my son self regulate and controls any impulsive behaviors.
What kind of doctor did you go to for the tenex, none of my peds know anything about it and therefore will not prescribe it? I have read a lot of posts about it and am wondering if it might help my son.
[QUOTE=Jo-D]His doctor when starting the dosing levels for concerta, added guanfacine(tenex) and that really made all the difference with the concerta. It helps my son self regulate and controls any impulsive behaviors.
What kind of doctor did you go to for the tenex, none of my peds know anything about it and therefore will not prescribe it? I have read a lot of posts about it and am wondering if it might help my son.
[/QUOTE]
My son receives his medication from a psychopharmacologist. He is doctor who specializes in these meds. He is also a psychiatrist for counseling if he should ever need it.
My pediatrician actually referred us to this specialized doctor since it is NOT my pediatricians specialty.
The psychopharm. has really been a help for me as well being comfortable giving my son these stimulants and with the constant changing of dosages.
hi. My son is 7 years old and has been taking ritalin for just over a year now. He take 20mg in the morn, 20mg after lunch and 10mg after the evening meal. i have noticed an improvement, he really wants to 'get it right'. The main problem i have noticed is that he has lost an awfull lot of weight, he used to be quite chubby, but now nothing fits!My son is 12 and has been taking adderall XR in varying dosages since second grade. Homework (completing, handing in, remembering, etc.) has always been a problem. For a long time when he told me he did not have any homework and did, I was convinced he was just plain lying to get out of doing it. Now, I think there is a little more to it. Often he forgets to bring his homework and lies to cover up knowing we have difficulty in understanding how he can continually forget. Sometimes he does not understand the assignment and would rather get caught in a lie than be thought stupid because he doesn't understand.
In any case my husband, his father, has made a concerted effort to email teachers about homework assignments, helping my son clean out his locker and desk to retrieve missing papers, checking homework for accuracy, and nightly sitting beside him until homework is complete. It takes a concerted effort and my husband seems to be able to handle it better than I. It is unfortunate you do not have someone to help you in this regard.
We are beginning to see some progress in this area but it has been long time coming and we aren't quite there yet. I can't speak for your son, but when my son was your age, our problems with homework were just beginning. In retrospect and particularly if I had not had someone to help out, I would hire a tutor (ideally a teacher or aide in his school) to help him with his assignments for an hour, maybe even two, each night after school. It may be expensive but perhaps cheaper in the long run. The emotional toll can be quite high! Both you and your son might benefit if you are able to distance yourself some what. Conserve your resources! Help your son organize his homework by staying in close contact with his teacher concerning missing assignments and pass on the information to his tutor. Get a folder for your son to put his complete homework in and one to put assignments he needs to take home or to his tutor to finish.
Just a few thoughts from someone who has been there,done that, and has yet to find any easy answers. Good luck!
I took printed info out for my pediatrician, but she was aware of the med and its uses for ADHD symptoms when I brought it up to her.