New to the board..... | ADHD Information
Thank you for your response. That's exactly what I'm looking for - honesty with personal experiences (good & bad). It somehow comforts me to hear others stories and struggles. I know we are just beginning what will probably be a long and trying road, but I'm strangely looking forward to it. Thanks again!We also told oir daughter we were talking to the docotr about the struggles in school. She was actually diagnosed at age 5, but it wasn't unitl age 9, after many, many tears and her looking at me one day completely lost with tears in her eyes saying, my head just feels "all spinny" at school, that we knew we had to do more. We also had a bit of a rollercoaster, but my daughter has some other issues, including a couple of learning disabilities. We've found our way with her, and luckily she doesn't have any behavior issues per se. She's pretty stubborn and just won't try anything hard, BUT doesnt act out and her hyperactivity is more in the form of fidgeting. She is now 14 and in a different school setting and taking the right meds (for her) and we've all learned ways to work on helping her succeed.
Good luck, you're doing the right thing. Do NOT beat yourself up about waiting. Waiting isn't bad, if anything, it's good. You now have something behind you to know what's changed with maturity and what hasn't. You are on the beginning of a different path, BUT you've already been on a trying one or you wouldn't be here. Welcome. Read away, lots of information here. Some will help, some won't, but most applies somehow.
Welcome to the board and you have come to a great place.
My 9 year old son now has been on meds for 1 year. My husband and I have never really sat down with him and told him he has ADD. We told him we were going to the dr to keep him healthy and feel better. The few times he's asked why the dr wants him to take the medicine and we just respond that it is to help him feel better. He has never asked any other questions about it. He shows no interest. I believe part of his lack of interest is maturity level. I think it is a lot for a child to understand and absorb.
Keep us posted on how things are going.
Hi rfchevy11 -
You will find great info and advice here on the board. I mostly read and don't participate much but I absorb everything here.
My son was in 3rd grade when we did the testing for ADHD. We explained to him that the doctor was going to test him to see what we could do to help him focus and pay better attention - mostly at school. We explained that his brain worked a little bit differently than other people. I got him the book, "Sparky's Excellent Misadventures" -- he loved it and related to it! At this point, I suspect that he already knew he was a little bit different than alot of the other kids.
Be honest, and don't beat around the bush. My ADHD 12 yr. old gets A's and B's and is part of the Gifted and Talented program at school. It's hard work, but the meds help incredibly. Without them we'd be in really big trouble.
It took a few trials of different meds to see what works best for him, so please be patient if you need to trial medications.
I hope that things work out well for you. ADHD kids are gifted, talented, smart, sensitive and funny. They just need a little bit of extra help to get through the day -- just like a diabetic needs insulin.
:o) Good luck -- cosake
There are some good books that you can read with your son. They explain ADHD to kids in a way they can understand them. They also provide helpful tips. We go through them every now and then as a reminder. Matter of fact I will be taking them out again this weekend! 
Good Luck!
Thank you all for your wonderful insight and willingness to be a support system. I will definitely keep everyone informed of how things are developing.
It really means alot and had probably saved me knowing and finding others who have been through similar situations and probably just as many frustrating days and tears, if not more.
Thank you to all once again and please feel free to offer any suggestions and advice - it's 100% welcome at this point!
Chevy
Hi everyone. I don't know where to start really - just need somewhere to relate - and this looks like a great start.
My ds is 9 and we have an appointment with a doctor, however, the first available time is December 16th. I have doubts everyday that we will make it that long. Here's a brief run down of our situation:
We, dh & I, have always thought of ADHD as somewhat of a myth. Not really a myth persay, more of a grossly misused diagnosis. We've always been against the idea of medication, buying into whatever we heard here and there. We have tried everything plus some creative ideas of dealing with whatever my son could throw our way. Within the last year, it's become undeniably evident that we need some outside help. Just in the last several months, after enough research to drive me near insanity, we've completely opened our minds and had a drastic change in the way we think and what we believe. Every thing I can find with characteristics of ADHD fit my son to the bill. My original fear about this dr's appt. was that this would be confirmed. I've never wanted to believe that anything was "wrong" with my child, despite some of the harsh statements made to me by select teachers of his. Now my fear has changed to the thought that the dr won't be able to help us or give us any guidance. I just hope someone can help us help our son, whatever that takes.
At this point, the only questions we've yet to answer for ourselves are how/what do we tell our ds about the pending appointment? I don't want him to think "there's something wrong with me" or to be scared before going. We've not mentioned any of this to him, as I didn't want to say anything before we were fully informed. It's as though I've lived in a cloud of ignorance long enough, I just want to make things better. In addition to all of this, I'm constantly beating myself up on the inside over all of this - I should have done something to help him long ago, and I don't think I'll ever live that feeling down.
Alright - it's always helped me to feel better to write things down. I suppose that's what I was looking for tonight. Thanks for "listening". :)
Hi,
It's seems like decades ago I took my son for his first appointment for an ADHD evaluation. In reality, it was about two years ago but lots of heartache and medications later we are finally at a reasonable place with all of his issues. I think I told my son something like this "you have been having such a difficult time in school that we want the doctor to evaluate you to see if there might be something to help you concentrate better in school." We went through many evaluations by different "experts". I know he has ADHD with a co-exsisting condition of some type. I think the final heart skipping a beat moment was when I was told he was suffering from depression. Wow, I had to do something. So, many meds later we are on the right track with many bumps and curves along the way.
My daughter also has ADHD more inattentive type and has tried a couple of meds and is doing very well on the current med with little or no side effects. It's night and day the difference between my two ADHD kids. So, you might get lucky, your child might respond well to the meds with little side effects. But, don't give up easily it can take several types/doses to find the right fit. Good luck and this board is a great place for support.
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