Principal’s Office-RU Serious? | ADHD Information
Saritaji
I agree Bethann, it sounds like his meds are too low. If his meds are at the right level you will have good symptom control. Ask the doctor about an increase the medssince you are not getting good symptom control. I think my son started at 36 mg. 6 years ago and he went up to 54 mg later that year. We switched over to adderal XR.
My son has been a skinny kid but he has continue to grow. Now at 12, he is 5"5' and 125 lbs. Still skinny looking but at a healthy weight.
I probably should have worded my post differently than "doper" meds, what I meant was that in my specific case, that particular Med acted as a "doper" with my son a it made him immediately zone out, and fall asleep, literally within minutes he was like this. I hope I did not offend anyone with that statement. Had the Strattera not done that to him, and had I been able to get him to swallow the pill, I would have kept to it and given it a whirl.I think all these meds designed for ADHD are probably good and interact with each child's systems differently. What may make one child seem zoned out may be perfect for another child and not interact that way with their system.
In my son's case Daytrana does act like a stimulant, in that it depresses his appetite It doesn't make him lethargic or tired. It just evens him out and allows him to sit still and focus and not be all over the place. I think it's as if with any medication of any sort, over the counter, etc. in some people they become sleepy where as others have no problems at all taking the same medication.
I too push the proteins and vitamins and supplements as much as I can. We do alot of chicken, pastas and whole grain cereals.
Thanks so much for the tips on the Vyvanese and Melatonin! We have an appt w/his pediatrician soon so I am going to ask about these, especially if the Vyvanese can be sprinkled in food and not tasted.
Thanks so much for such great ideas and insight!
MominKC...I so understand your story. As soon as our children are labled, that's when the tourture begins.
My son is 12 and we've been through all that you have mentioned. Unless you have an understanding and well-educated teacher on ADHD, our children will be sitting in time-outs, sent to the office, or living in dentention for the smallest possible offenses. I'll never forget when my son was in 4th grade and and got dentention for saying "poop" in the lunch room. I was called at work for this "Major" offense. I laughed in his teachers face. Nine year old boys say "Poop". I'm sure he wasn't the first, but he had to do the dentention.
After years of this kind of treatment, I've decided to homeschool him this year. He is going into the 7th grade and feels like he's a failure. After years of being labled as the "goofball or hyper-one" he self-esteem is at a all time low. The pre-teen years stink, so I'm taking action for his future. He's an awesome individual with a great heart and a smart mind. In school he dosen't feel he's worth anything.
So, as a mom who's dealt with this for many years, my advice to you is to realize that he will always be labled. You will get a few great teachers that make a difference, but they are few and far between. You will be your child's biggest and best advocate...TAKE CHARGE when needed. Our children are worth it. I always tried to work with the teachers and principle, but there are time when you need to let them know their completely out of line. Document EVERYTHING. This way if you need it in the future, its right there at your finger tips and they can't dispute they did a certain thing or made a certain comment.
I hate that this is already starting for you in Kindergarden. I didn't really have a problem until 4th grade. My son's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teachers were a God send. Hugs to you.
Saritaj,
your son needs to have his concerta increased, his doseage is very low. My son started concerta when he was still 6, just shy of 7. We upped him from 18mgs to 72 mgs within 4 months. He stayed there for 2 1/2 years then upped him again to 90mgs where he has been for over a year.
Once you up him and find the right doseage, he will level off for a while and all that behavior stuff will go away.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Beth
I had no idea the schools and teachers would be my enemies, not my allies.........Funny thing, once he got on Daytrana, all was well, and he was put into an advanced reading class unbeknownst to me, do you think his teacher felt the need to tell me something POSITIVE? Nope! I found out purely by accident, weeks later that he was being taken out of his regular K class to a "special" class for advanced readers the latter part of the day! Found out at a school function when that special teacher introduced herself and said how wonderful my child was doing in her class and how much she loved having him and I stood there in shock, mouth open going "huh?". I did confront his main K teacher who said "Oh, I didn't tell you? He would have gone sooner though in the year but his behavioral issues held him back" AGAIN, info I could have used monthes ago! OMG!
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Hi MzDebra & welcome,
I am pretty new here too. I think your son and my dd had the same teacher- sigh. We live in a pretty tight knit part of our city- you see the same parents at all the kids' activities, small school, and most of the teachers at our school have their own kids go there as well. My dd's teacher was an odd one- on one hand, very "friendly" with me, but always dropping comments about dd in passing. Things like, oh, they watched a video on germs and dd got really agitated and hyper about it. Or, she lost her Tamagotchi and made a big scene. It was all this stuff, nothing major (even by the teacher's own admission, dd is not a "behavior" kind of kid, more of a propensity to be a drama queen). None of this stuff ever warranted a phone call to us, she'd tell me only if we happened to see eachother in passing. It got to the point where I'd hide behind a pole to not see her. If I didn't run into her, I'd never hear anything negative about dd.
This is an alternative school- part of which means that the kids get sent home report cards with the grades blanked out, but there is a lengthy narrative. Parents can ask to see grades, of course, but they don't encourage it- the theory being that it's all about the kid's progress, and that a letter is just a letter. Anyhow, I have seen all her letter grades- she gets mostly A's and a smattering of B's. But the comments are all...dd needs to work on this, on that. Can we hear something positive folks? Like her incredible, 4 grades above level reading comprehension and math skills? Funny, when I chatted with dd's math teacher I heard completely different things about dd- that she is enthusiastic, creative, always willing to try new things, and very very very smart. It felt so good to hear someone see her with a fresh perspective.
I think that certain teachers, like your son's and my dd's, sometimes are just plain annoyed by our kids, and their annoyance colors everything they see in them. And my dd gives a double dose of annoyance- because not only does she have ADHD and all that comes with it, but she is Gifted, which brings a whole other challenge to a teacher.
Our school year hasn't started yet, we start on Sept. 2. I'm keeping fingers crossed for dd's new grade 3 teacher. I've heard good things about her, so touch wood, a new start will be good for us.
And again, WELCOME :)
tosca39682.5562962963Hey all I am new to the board. I need to vent as well. My son was pretty much born intense. He never slept more than two hours as a baby and would wake up screaming for a bottle constantly. He was always an alert baby, and I was always concerned that he was not sleeping the 16-20 hours a day other infants slept. He walked at 8 months, and learned the alphabet before he was 2. He was very picky things being just so from his food to his toys, etc. I started receiving calls from the teacher at the end of the year in preschool when he was 3 about him being very hyperactive and distracting but I thought it was absurd. I took him out of the school and we had the same problems when he was 4, although they seldom told me about the incidents my son would tell me about the teacher punishing him all the time. He started kindergarten and we had problems all year that culminated in the teacher hitting my son in the head with a ruler. He was accepted into a school for gifted students in the first grade so I finally shook my denial and took him to a doctor, who in turn sent him to a specialist who diagnosed him with ADHD. We started having problems within the first two weeks of first grade so we put him on concerta 18mg. We got through the year pretty well but had some incidents at the end of the school year. This year he is in the second grade. the doctor advised me that we would try the same dosage this year but if he starts having problems to call him. Well its the second week of school and its the same old thing, fidgeting, humming, won't stay in seat, blurting out, not paying attention, not focusing. so now I am really frustrated because I have to go back to the doctor and increase his dosage and I don't know what this medication is doing to my son because he is so little but I want him to stay at this school because he is really smart and I just don't know what to do. Please help. I need some support.MzDebra, this is my 1st post to any discussion forum in my life. I thought I would see what I could find on the net as far as other parents experiences and things that work w/ adhd kids especially natural remedies. My son had a difficult time in Kindergarten last year. There must be wonderful schools out there because my son had very caring, understanding teachers and principal. It was really his 1st time on medication so we did some adjustments during the year. We ended up on vyvanse 30mg. I just stick the whole pill (its little) in a big spoonful of chocolate pudding and he takes it quite well...I've been impressed. I found that when I had him on the vyvanse along with omega3's/fish oil (they have'em for kids) he had more good days and on a more consitent basis. The difficult part of the year was that he had "good days" and "bad days" and you never really knew what you would get. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. He had the most difficulty makeing good social choices because he will do or say anything to make people laugh and it wasn't always appropriate...also he had a very difficult time transitioning between activities. He is an intense child. He also gets frustrated easily. I'm not sure if It's okay to post names of books so if I'm not suppose to "Im sorry" but a good read is "123 Magic" by Thomas Phelan. It simplifies disciplining. I need to go back and read it myself. I'm wondering if anyone out there has tried L-Theanine. It's found at the health food store...it's a natural "stress management" supplement. I've been giving it to my son since I've had him off his meds for the summer. It's suppose to be calming but I don't think it's doing the trick. I've done a little research and other people have their adhd kids on it. I think I'M the one who needs to take it because it isn't doing what I need it to do. My son is so impulsive and now I don't know if it's impulsivity anymore or if he just doesn't care about breaking windows and pulling the shopping cart over. It's distressing when you discipline your kid and it doesn't seem to work. Well, ta tasaritaj: Like i said in another post, When I added omega3/fish oil supplements to my son's daily intake in the morning along with his 30mg vyvanse (he's around 50 lbs) after 2-4 weeks, I noticed that he was having more good days and on a more regular basis. I would definitely look into omega3's they are so good for brain development as well as for the heart. They have them in gummy bear form and flavored squirts that the kids bite into like a gushers w/ a thin plastic-like shell. The squirts you can get at certain drug stores but the website is: www.megasmarts.com. You probably won't notice a difference in one day but keep it up it's good stuff and of course "you're suppose to ask your Dr." Oh, and there is a magazine you might subscribe to (ADDitude). It's good for keeping up on the lastest ideas....that's where i got the fish oil idea from. Good luckDeb- I agree with Reta, We are on Vyvanse and see almost none of the problems you are speaking of. Our biggest problem is eating of which he had before the dx and meds. We also give Melatonin at night 1/2 hour before bedtime and he sleeps through the night. It is safe and effective for sleep.
Debra
Don't worry about the comment. I had heard that comment about staterra before, the zombie effect. We have never used a non-stimulant. I am very happy you were able to find something that works. The meds should not make him into a zombie. For us, the meds calm my son down so the real him can come out. The funny, smart side that is lost when he is bouncing of the walls.
Currently, they only have vyvanse in 30, 50 and 70 mg capsules. Shire is supposed to be coming out with 20, 40 and 60 mg capsules very soon.
Someone suggested sprinkling it on applesauce or mixing it in yogurt or pudding.
Since my son is almost 13, we are having problems with him refusing to take his meds. I wake him up early and promise to leave him alone and let him go back to sleep after he takes his meds. He was complaining he was taking too many pills early this summer. So as a comprise I stopped his fish oil and magnesum. Now he takes his vyvanse, lamictal and a multivitamin and he is happy.
Thanks to all and welcome to Deb. It is sad that we have to fight so hard for our kids rather than the schools embracing and helping them. But whenever I feel bad, I read things like the stories about Michael Phelps and know at the end of the day (or end of the school years) everything will work out all right. :)Deb,
I don't understand your "doper " statement. Strattera is a non stimulant while Daytrana contains methylphenidate and therefore is considered a stimulant.
This is from Wikipedia--Methylphenidate (MPH) is a prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Brand names of drugs that contain methylphenidate include Ritalin (Ritalina, Rilatine, Attenta, Methylin, Penid, Rubifen); and the sustained release tablets Concerta, Metadate CD, Methylin ER, Ritalin LA, and Ritalin-SR. Focalin is a preparation containing only dextro-methylphenidate, rather than the usual racemic dextro- and levo-methylphenidate mixture of other formulations.
When the teacher started telling you he needed his meds adjusted, she was practicing medicine. I would have a serious problem with a teacher that is practicing medicine. If he was falling asleep during school, that would have been one thing.
I understand the late eating, we have had that with every med (my son is 12). Try to get him to eat a protein bar, or some form of protein (i.e. chicken nuggets) or fix him a carnation instant drink made with whole milk and ice cream. The reason his rebound is so bad is that he is running out of meds and fuel for his body at the same time. My son lived on peanut butter and pretzals for years. He still eats at least one jar or more of peanut butter a week.
You might try vyvanse. the capsules can be opened and mixed into food. We get about a good 10-12 hours of symptom control.
I am done dealing with teachers and schools and the garbage my son and I had to put up with. His 'Christian' school was even worse than the public school- they preach tolerance but don't give any. This year I am homeschooling and it is wonderful. Jon finishes his work by noon and we do extra activities in the afternoon- art, spanish, asl, field trips, book reports. We both find that we are less stressed because we don't have to deal with bullies and not so nice teachers and others.
I know single parents work, I just wish there were schools specifically designed for our special kids with an area for them to relax with headphones and a bean bag chair, no pressure- just rewards for work done, and NO HOMEWORK.
I have to agree with Randy. I pulled my son out three years ago because of the bullies in his class. My son was being picked on by kids in his class that knew what his triggers were. And, my son was so bored. He would pick up a concept in a few minutes and would have to sit while the rest of the class worked on it for a hour.
We have class from 10 am till 2 pm. We also have a 4 day week. Fridays are reserved for makeup days. He likes the 3 day weekends so he works late during the week to make sure his Fridays are free. We also are able to do more than the public schools have time to do. I really think my son is learning so much more. He is much calmer.
We have several children in our neighbor that home schooled, so he has lots of friends to hangout with.
Wouldn't that be nice Randyjim?!
A child psychologist we visited early on said our son was so bright she was curious at the potential he would have had at a montessori preschool ... but was also worried how he would have reacted going back to public school afterward.
I hate knowing that his so-called (in my opinion labeled) "behavior issues" will likely get in the way of his teachers/school seeing his full potential as a gifted, super-bright kid. Frustrates me to know end, which is why I will always be that pain-in-the-but parent in the schools face to protect and advocate for my son.
I love this board but wish there was more local support groups or schools, like you mention. I've found a couple of boarders in my area (Hi Gatorsmom) and hope to connect with them soon outside of the board. Anyone else in the Kansas City area, feel free to give me a holler!
Hope everyone has a great day!!!
I'm sure she has more important things to do during the day then make a phone call about a shoe, and so do you to be answering it.
I am brand new to this board tonight and it was as if I was led to this post! OMG!
My son was a "typical" infant and toddler, he was very "unique" but not trouble, ate well, slept well, life was pretty easy w/him for the most part.............Then he turned 5 and then all heck broke loose! He's now 6 1/2 and I said to a friend this weekend "I swear to you, he is more work and drama now than he ever was as an infant or toddler!"
I was getting calls from daycare and then Kindergarten, and I was all over it, never made excuses, took the providers words at face value, but the confusing part was he wasn't doing for ME what he was doing for THEM. Then, also came to find out that about 75% of what he was being accused of turned out to not even be true, he was just accused cuz he had been "labeled".
Fast forward a couple monthes, my son was in Kindergarten, I got him into counseling, went to a Dr. the whole nine yards and then he is diagnosed with ADHD. OK, no problem.........BUMMER, but we at least have a dx to work with, this was overtaking our lives, I was constantly being called at work for every bad decision he made, and to be honest, 99% of the time, it was very bad! It got to where I could not work full time for a bit (I am a single mother and work full time at a very good job) and my son was thinking "Hmmmm, if I am bad, my mom will come get me! Whoo Hoo!" Not good.
Anyway, long story short, my son will not, and I mean I've tried it all, will not take a pill. I live in an apartment and I am pretty certain my neighbors have had thoughts that I must be trying to murder my child even though all I was doing was trying to get a pill in him! He was prescribed Strattera, and I am sorry, you cannot open the capsule and disguise that taste, and especially with a picky eater, he is VERY PICKY. So, we went back and we got the "Daytrana" patch. It is a Godsend! I love it! It is a patch so you control the med intake, and it does the job...................BUT............He lost his appetite completely on it, which I know is normal w/any med for this, BUT also, the downfall to it is that it is not the same as a pill in that the effects only last for those hours it's on. SO...........I am stuck with a VERY hyper ADHD child who is starving to eat as late as 11:00 p.m. and who is bouncing off the walls until 10:00 p.m. up until 12:00 a.m. at times! The patch is only designed to work 9 hrs or so, and so once we remove it, within a couple hours, my son is trying to make up for all the food he did not eat all day, plus, deal with his energy levels. Not to mention he becomes defiant, abusive, physically agressive, disrespectful, and destructive. As I type this tonight at 11:40 p.m. my time, I'm in tears after yet another lost night................We were fine until the meds wore off................My heart breaks because I know he can't help it to an extent but yet I have to set and keep boundaries............
But, the main reason I started in this topic tonight is because last year in Kindergarten my child was quickly "labeled" and then I got daily and nightly phone calls from his teacher even if he just "kinda seemed different". I would get calls at 9 p.m. for her to say "Well.........he wasn't bad today, BUT, he was a bit competitive about such and such.........." I would say "Oooookkkkaaaay, and so you are calling me because???" It got so bad that I got a call, at work, from the Principal because my son said "Booby Buttcrack" at school and his teacher sent him to the Principal and she felt it was that important to call me at work and make a federal case of it. I don't know if this makes me bad, but my only thought was "Ok, so he didn't hurt anyone, he didn't use any cuss words........Hmmmm, are you SERIOUS?" I feel your pain is my point, and I am so happy to join a place where I can actually speak to people who will get what I am going through and have and are feeling my pain for not only myself but my child.
I don't defend that my child said "booby buttcrack" but the reality is, he was 5 yrs old, and, he heard it from another child at school, not at home. NORMAL stuff, no need to involve the Principal, etc. Please!I've had a rude awakening this year, there is almost ZERO tolerance from schools for those kids w/special needs. How sad is that?
I was getting called to come get him and no guidance or anything offered, it was like "come get your kid and go, we cannot do this" He was about to be kicked out of Kindergarten! OMG! Iwould be in tears going "help me, where do I go, what do I do?"The kicker was, once he was on the Daytrana, which is not a "doper" med, it has really no side effect where as when I was able to get a Strattera down him one time, he became almost comatose and fell straight to sleep, the teacher, because she knew about him being on the patch and then said "Oh, now he's almost too mellow" which was COMPLETELY UNTRUE! she said "you need to talk to his Dr and get the dose lowered", And I'd finally had it and said "Um, NO! There is no in-between, he is either like this, or like he was, deal with it!"
I had no idea the schools and teachers would be my enemies, not my allies.........Funny thing, once he got on Daytrana, all was well, and he was put into an advanced reading class unbeknownst to me, do you think his teacher felt the need to tell me something POSITIVE? Nope! I found out purely by accident, weeks later that he was being taken out of his regular K class to a "special" class for advanced readers the latter part of the day! Found out at a school function when that special teacher introduced herself and said how wonderful my child was doing in her class and how much she loved having him and I stood there in shock, mouth open going "huh?". I did confront his main K teacher who said "Oh, I didn't tell you? He would have gone sooner though in the year but his behavioral issues held him back" AGAIN, info I could have used monthes ago! OMG!
Well, I think I have vented enough for one night............Thanks to all who read this and "listen" to me. I hope to enjoy chatting with you all. I am at my wits end and realized mainly because I have nobody who understands. My friends, my family and my ex, father of my child (who lives out of state and has his own behavioral issues) keep saying to me "You need to get control, you are LETTING him do this......" ETC, the list goes on and I am also accused of "catering" to him.........
I need to talk to people who understand and I am excited to be here!
Thanks~Deb
MzDebra39681.0035069444
Yeah, that seems a bit extreme. If that is what they do for a thrown shoe, wonder what they do if a child hits another child!
Hope things get better.
Deb,
Welcome to the board. Your story sounds so much like mine and so many others. Like you I was shocked to find the school was more of an adversary to my child. I thought they would really care about our kids. But in the last year (he is in first gr. this yr) I have had to learn to fight for him - and hard!
I could not have made it through this past year without all of these wonderful people to chat with.
Keep us up to date.
If it continues, consider an inter-district transfer. Jessica N39709.7282291667I meant he just started kindergarten. :)Hang in there. We had the 1st day of first grade yesterday and I got a phone call from his teacher last night - so at least you made it 3 days! Now, the teacher did say he did well for 99% of the day and was very good at conflict resolution, but he threw an all out tantrum the last 10 minutes of the school day over a glue stick! ACK!
Today when I went to pick him up, his teacher came out with all the kids and was waving her hand for someone to come over - I thought she meant me and started towards her. Turns out she was wanting the mom next to me - yay! LOL! Sorry to be like that but man I was glad it wasn't me she wanted.
Today his daily progress report shows improvement. No sad faces at all, 4 happy faces, and 4 straight line faces. That is pretty good for us considering this is the 2nd day of school. And 2 of the happy faces were in PE - which can be hard for my ds with all the stimulation.
I think calling home over a shoe is a bit much, I know the principal at our school wouldn't have called home over that. Time out, maybe a visit to the principal, but not a call home. Hopefully it will get better. Good luck!
OK. I MUST vent. My son started preschool last Friday. Today is his third day and I just got a call from the principal that he had been sent to the office. Why? Because he threw a friend's shoe over the fence. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I thought maybe he'd hit someone, shoved someone, whatever. But a shoe? The principal made him get on the phone and tell me what he'd done. I told her it probably was because this girl was a good friend of his last year and she's been ignoring him this year so he just wanted her attention. Her response, "Well, he sure got it." Whatever!
My husband was po'd so he called the principal to see if there was anything else involved -- mean talk, hitting, etc. Nope, just the shoe, which a teacher had to walk "all the way around the fence to get." She said our son's actions were "rude" so that's why he had to go to the principal's office. AGAIN, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
What really upset me was when the principal reminded my husband in the conversation that our son had had "behavioral issues" last year in preschool. OK, so you're going to label him the rest of his life despite the fact that his own preschool teacher said she considered him to be a peer model by the end of the year. (BTW, school does not know son has ADHD. I don't think this principal would be too understanding.)
I'm not saying what my son did was right or that he shouldn't have been reprimanded in some way. But wouldn't a time out/safe seat/sit on the wall scenario been a bit more realistic.
Just wanted to vent. ARGH! I feel like the battles with school will never end ... and it's only day 3 this year!!!