Explaining ADHD to my son??? | ADHD Information

Dad in Akron you have it good! My son is 9 and refuses help for his ADHD he will not take meds for any reason, he says he can do it himself despite his last report card, and although his case is mild the lack of focus and hyperactivity affects his school life. At home he is ok and manageable. He has friends with ADHD and knows they take meds but doesn't seem to want the help. I envy your situation.

TXmomof3.  We told our son, who is the same age as yours, that we were giving him medicine to help him concentrate/focus so that he can have an easier time in school, to help him be less distracted.  Our son is 6.5.

cali1234.  I know your son is only 5, and I know you did not ask, so if this is outta line, please say so.  I did broach the "vitamin" approach with our pediatric psychiatrist, and he (and my wife, a psychologist; me, too, but I guess she's better than me!) both said we should be direct and not lie, as that could come back to bite you lateron.  I think the various analogies here or the more direct approach could be more effective, but you also have to follow your gut.

My 6 year old son was just diagnosed in November.  But he keeps asking me WHY he has to take medicine every day now.  How do I explain ADHD to my son without making him feel like he has something wrong with him?  Is there a simple way to tell him why he has to take medication?  I have told him that it will help him to have a better day, but he is all but demanding a better answer.  I know he is not old enough to understand exactly what ADHD is (I'm not sure I fully understand it yet), but I can't figure out a "simple" way of letting him know what the medicine is for.  Any suggestions?

We've told our son that the medicine helps him focus and helps him be a good boy & make better choices.  Fortunatel for us, he's accepted that explanation.  It's hard at that age to know how much they will understand, our son is 5.

Dr. Hallowell (Delivered From Distraction) tells kids with ADHD that they have a lamborghini engine in their brains, which is awesome, but they have Chevrolet breaks. The medication fixes the breaks so they can use their great "Turbo" engine!

I told DD she takes the meds to help with Focus, she knows she has ADHD, and we have books about ADHD for her to read. She also has the entire Phoebe Flower Series, and they are wonderful books about a little girl with ADHD. Helps DD understand more. My son is 5. As for now, I just tell him he's taking a vitamin. I know it's way too complex for a 5 year old. I'm not sure how I will explain it to him one day. Part of me wants to keep it private to certain people, and I feel like in explaining it to him, he may tell people whom I feel it's none of their business. I will cross that bridge when I come to it! < =text/>_popupControl(); We told our son the same way it was explained to us: part of his brain wants to be asleep while the rest of him is awake and the rest of his brain is trying to wake up that sleepy part, which is why he is so fidgety. The medication helps wake up that part, so that the rest of his brain can calm down, and he can calm down, focus more and make better decisions. We followed this with a discussion about how medicine is a private matter and that you can't tell if someone takes a medicine just by looking at them. Someone in the grocery store in the aisle next to you may take the same nedicine that you take, but it doesn't show on the outside, so he shouldn't feel embarrassed about it. When we told our son (Jacob) about AD/HD, we compared it to wearing eyeglasses. That seemed to help him understand it and not feel lesser of himself. Concerning Jacob's out of control behavior and hyperactivity, I used the "engine method" and we had a LOT of fun with it. I told him that AD/HD made his engine run too fast, but the pill gave him the ability to brake. We then ran all around the house pretending to be out of control cars without brakes. Then I would shout out the name of his medication and he'd suddenly stop running like he slammed on the brakes to a screeching halt! It was very fun doing this and it made Jacob feel like taking a pill was not all that bad and maybe going to be fun.

Jacob has been on meds for about 2 years. During this time he's made friends who are also AD/HD. Some of his friends refuse to take their medication. As a result, they're all having problems at school, and socially too. Jacob sees his friends struggle with AH/HD and knows he could also have trouble if he refuses treatment. Therefore, Jacob welcomes treatment since he sees it working so well for him. He's getting straight A's and doing well socially.

Thanks for all the great ideas!  He loves to read, so I'll be looking for books.  And the car explanations he will really get, because he is into race cars.  My mind is not quite that creative, I never would have thought of these on my own.

The refusal to take meds or swallow pills is one of the most frustrating things for me. It is there, it helps, why not take advantage of it? and mine can swallow 3 tic tacs but not a snall pill. ay yay yay!

Well gdaymom, I guess after the 26th, you can start reminding him of the Easter Bunny!  LOL  I'm going to have to figure something better out for my son too.  He doesn't swallow pills yet (won't even try), so I'm having to break his capsules and dissolve it in 8 oz of Kool-aid every morning.  The first few days he took it with no problem, but now he complains of the taste (I know it can't be great), and it's a royal battle every morning just to get him to drink it all before the bus shows up.  I'm hoping to talk him into swallowing the pills this weekend, then maybe he will realize how much easier that is.  And right now he's on Vyvanse, which is okay to dissolve in a drink, but he has started to get very emotional in the evenings (cries over little things), which is not like him at all, and EXTREMELY grumpy in the mornings to the point we are all "walking on eggshells" to keep from setting him off.  So I'm thinking about asking his doc if we can switch to a different med if things haven't changed by his Jan appt, and I'm worried she will put him on something that he HAS to swallow.  I've heard of some sort of "pill cup" that helps them to swallow pills, but I have to clue where to find one.  I looked at Walgreens, but no luck.

Thanks for the advice about the book!  I'll have to look for it.   

You all are so smart. I used the honest approach, he took the meds for 2 weeks then decided he could do this on his own (his grades say otherwise) I found taking away video games one of the best consequences for his actions. Hit him where it hurts. Of couse that starts a major meltdown and he has to go to his room but that's another story.

I bought the book Learning to Slow Down & Pay Attention: A Book for kids with ADHD.  It has a comic book flair to it.  My son thought some of the pictures were funny.  I'll have to try the car analogy too b/c when I tell him the medicine will help him focus in school he yells at me "I promise I'll focus! I promise I'll be good!" (that breaks my heart!) I've tried telling him that I know he wants to focus and be good (and that he is a good boy) but his brain just won't let him sometimes and he needs the help.  Every morning he fights about taking meds so maybe telling him this way will help ease some of that.  The way we do it right now is for me to count backwards from 10 to see if he can take the pill before I get to 1 (as he is protesting).  Most of the time he gets it done before I get to 1.  It has helped me lately to remind him that Santa is watching and really wants him to take his meds.  What will I do come Dec 26th??

This has been a hard one here at our house.  Our 13 yr. old absolutely hates taking the medicine daily, but knows he needs it.  He doesn't want to feel different and hates the fact that he struggles in school and his brother gets good grades without studying.  It is hard and my heart just aches for my son and others like this.  I always tell my son that he is as smart as the other kids, and that he just needs to find a way to learn HIS way.  That is what I had to do when I was in school, nursing school, etc.  It is hard.  Good luck.  

No offense taken. He takes his morning pill with his vitamin, and has not asked otherwise. I'm using the vitamin excuse until I can find a way to best explain it. I have mentioned that he needs the other vitamin to "help him", but I leave it  at that.

One thing that I struggle with is who to tell. Close family members and friends know, as well as his school. I don't want him to be lableled amongst his friends and peers. Many people dismiss ADHD as a made up disorder. If they only knew. I know I will have to tell him soon, but at 5 1/2, I have decided to wait a bit.