Our son is in 3rd grade and is very smart and interested in learning how things work. He doesn't hate school at all. He is on metadate cd 30mg and I am thinking about taking him off. He doesn't use a lot of common sense but is very smart. His teacher last year called him the absent minded professor. Wheich I thought fit him perfectly. He seems to hyper focus and so I don't know if the meds are doing much good.
They may make him a bit less hyper but he still has the hardest time remembering things. This is the 2nd yr in a row he didn't get pics because he looked in his bookbag and didn't see his photo paper and money I had sent with him to school.
I guess my question is does anyone have experience with this type of kid? When he gets in trouble it is usually because he didn't use common sense in the situation- or think before he acted. It's hard to get mad at him sometimes because he seems just like he is airheaded and not a bad kid. He freaks out many times when he gets in tourble becasue it does bother him.
I just don't want to medicate him if it isn't helping his problem area and just making him calm. He is in a very structured class this year so I think I want to try no meds for a bit and see how he does. I asked for this teacher because I heard how structured he was and I think this is a great place for my son.
Hi sunny641 It doesn't sound like your son is seeing maximum benefit from the med's because effective medication manages all the symptoms of ADHD. (for some, other interventions are needed along with the medication.The role of the medication is to focus the child which in turn allows them the ability to make choices instead of act on impulse, not calm them. Once focused they seem calm because their thoughts aren't all over the map.
In the absence of effective treatment, all other interventions normally don't make significant differences in terms of the child's academic, emotional and social success.
Hyper focusing is a hallmark trait of ADHD and can be a real gift to one with ADHD but can also be a hindrance because in the absence of effective treatment, transition from one task to another is very difficult
When a child is seeing maximum benefit from the med's life shouldn't be such a struggle as you describe. As the child grows there are problems in all areas of life when ADHD has gone untreated or ineffectively treated .I would revisit the med situation with the doctor. What type of doctor is managing the medication?
i like what Luvmykids02 is saying
yes adhd does relax a bit in structure - very good
but adhd has many approaches
im so used to being adhd - its a hard adjustment too to think and act like a normal person. that brings in many issues for me especially social nuances.
i cant help but notice how earlier intervention would of helped me.
adjust i mean.
meds are just 1 part
but sometimes without meds the other 8 parts are overwhelming and as time passes the more the effects the uncoped adhd robs us.
3 and fourt grade is time to become independant learners .
i dont mean loner learners to be clear , just starting to find answer to lessons on thier own and devoloping those independant learning skills.
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becarful of making too many changes. this there may be stucture
next year maybe less
this year meds then next year maybe not.
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just saying
try to be consistent with your approach . and
IMHO
3rd and 4th grade are time for a solid and consistent approach.
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http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33894& PN=1
quote
"Figuring out the right medication and dosage can be tricky, which is why people should work with someone experienced with ADD, Hallowell says (most likely not your primary care physician).
Working with a therapist or an ADD coach is another powerful piece of the puzzle. The first thing that people have to learn to do is to break the cycle of overwhelm. “The piece that’s often missing is planning. It sounds obvious, but for people with ADD, it’s a skill that doesn’t come naturally. Neither do things like learning how to delegate, how to manage challenges, how to survive boredom, how to stay on track with tasks -- but they can be learned. Once people with ADD figure out things like time management and reasonable to-do lists, their distraction can be transformed into creativity and productivity “When your challenges are managed, you can really thrive,” Hallowell says I have ADD,and I wouldn’t trade it for the world."
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im sorry Luvmykids02
i just cant stop quoting youre post .
That sounds very much like my son. He's not disruptive at all...but he does lack common sense. If you ask him why he did something when it's so painfully obvious that it was the wrong thing to do, he has no idea. He understands what he should have done, but he can't explain why he didn't do it. I think that's impulsivity with my son - he leaps before looking...or even thinking about it.
And he also does the hyperfocus thing. He can get so wrapped up in something that you literally have to turn his head with your hands and talk to him at the same time to get him out of it. Of course...this is accompanied by plenty of times where he loses track of his thoughts mid-sentance.
My son isn't on meds right now. We're working closely with his teacher on homework, organization in the classroom, boredom, etc. She's a wonderful teacher and very experienced with gifted kids, so she's all about keeping him challenged without busywork. His symptoms are very similar to the classic bored gifted student...the only difference is that his symptoms apply to everything in his life, not just the boring parts of school.
I love my son's teacher. He is also ADD and seems to really understand it. We did no meds last week. He finished his work but was much more squirmy but the teacher thought it wasn't a distraction for the other kids. He thought it would be good to see how he does off the meds for a while. He isn't apposed to meds. He told me years ago he took ritalin untill the insurance stopped paying saying that adult add wasa not common--LOL that was 5 yrs ago. I told him his insurance should pay now if he went back.
Here's why we are keeping him off meds now:
his grades are good and he finished his work last week.
he doesn't seem to be a distraction to the other kids.
I have a chart for all of his things he has to do everyday and that seems to work at home. we'll see how he does being off the meds. This is the first teacher that has been ok with doing this. The meds seemed to just make him calmer. He still was very forgetful and absentminded. If we need to give him meds again I think I will see if we can try a different med.
this sounds like my son. the meds help control impulses but do not help him with his absent mindedness, general focus, etc... He has no trouble focussing if he is interested in the topic or activity- but if it is boring he is off in space. He made nearly straight As through 4th grade but then slowly fell apart as the workload became more demanding.
I can't comment on the benefits of meds-it is such an individual decision- but I highly recommend some organizational tutoring for a child like this.