Just Diagnosed | ADHD Information

Hi, I have posted here a bit in the past, I have suspected my son who is now 5 has ADHD.  Just 6 weeks into Kindergarten and a very thorough evaluation by the psychologist, he was diagnosed yesterday.  The psychologist said it is moderate, combined type.  By the way, I am very new to this so if I am incorrect on any of the verbiage, just let me know. So the plan is for him to keep seeing the psychologist every 2 weeks and he referred us back to the pediatrician for low dosage medication. I am not totally comfortable with my 5 year old on medication but I don't think I have a choice.  I do trust this psychologist and he really thinks this is what he needs. The psychologist said that my son's ped is very knowledgeable about ADHD and meds so does not see any reason to send him to a psychiatrist.  Does anyone have any opinion on this?

So far, Kindergarten has been a nightmare. I cannot even believe it only 6 weeks in.  And to top if off, my son has a very intolerant teacher.  I did meet with her yesterday about some of her concerns and my concerns and things are a bit better then prior to the meeting.  The Psychologist says  pretty much everything my son does-- the distractions in class (pencil tapping, tongue clucking, etc.), the mood swings, etc-- is related to the ADHD.  He is not surprised by anything I tell him.  The teacher did ask me what she should do about the distractions. Basically she said my son will be tapping his pencil constantly, she tells him to stop. IN a couple minutes, he starts clucking his tongue. Tells him to stop, he stops, then a couple minutes later he is playing with his shoe laces. Does anyone have any advice. 

Sorry if I am rambling. Just feeling a little anxiety about all this. Thank you.

Chris

Now that you've got a diagnosis, I would formally (in writing) ask for an
IEP/504 meeting. There are things the school can do to help your son,
and by helping him get control of himself, then the entire class day will
be better for everyone.

Educate yourself on the medication. Look up the side effects of the
medication to see what would be an our of the ordinary reaction to the
medication, and decide ahead of time what you aren't willing to live with.
For example, in my son's case, we decided that if he had a personality
change, even if the medication was "working," we would not continue
using it.

When kids are that young, formal therapy does not work very well - they
just aren't ready for it. Perhaps play therapy could help. But what would
probably work best for him is to make environmental changes (like a
wiggle cushion) and understanding what's motivating him and what works
best to help him regain control.

Let us know how it's going. Good luck!

Hi ChristyH! and welcome to the "ADHD club"!   My son is also 5 yrs old and in Kindergarten.  He is so severe that he was diagnosed just shy of 4 yrs old and started meds around that time. We tried everything to avoid meds but nothing worked!  I agree with Corrina that when kids are this young most therapies don't work.  That being said, it's still a good idea to research and learn as much as you can about other options.  Some of these things may work for him and you may even be able to use them in conjunction with meds if necessary.

If you decide to try meds I highly recommend seeing a specialist (psychiatrist, psychopharmocologist etc) that treats ADHD.  They deal with these meds all day every day.  Trying to find the right med, timing, combination etc can be very difficult and it will go much smoother if you just start with the experts.  It's possible that your pediatrician is just as qualified but pediatricians deal with everything from the flu to newborns and they don't specialize in these meds.  It's just frustrating to spend a long time trying to get it right with the pediatrician just to have to switch to a specialist later.  That's what we had to do.  But once we got to the specialist she got it right within a very short period of time! 

Hang in there!  If you stick with it, it WILL get better!  and your son will be soooo much happier!  

Your son has an excessive amount of energy, and this teacher needs to understand that it needs an outlet.  Of course if she tells him to stop doing one thing, it'll find an outlet in another way.  Are silly bandz allowed at your school?  He could be encouraged to fidget with one on his wrist.  Or, he could squeeze a stress ball or do something else.

My child used to have similar issues (and many more), and the ADHD meds made all of those things go away. 

If you decide to do medication, I think it's ok to start with a knowledgeable pediatrician.  If things get at all complicated, then you could move to a specialist.

As you research the medications, don't get scared by the rare side effects.  Of course it's possible that they could happen to your child, but it's unlikely.  You're most likely to see appetite suppression, which you can get around by eating a good breakfast before he takes the meds, and possibly some sleep problems, which often are solved with OTC melatonin. 

Good luck!

Thank you so much for posting back to me. We have an appt.with the pediatrican on the 22nd. We also have appts with the psychologist every 2 weeks.  He is doing play therapy. So far,I have been very comfortable and impressed with the psychologist.  My son is currently going to a private school and I am already thinking it might not be the best place for him.  I do really like the principal, just not very impressed with the teacher.  She seems very intolerant of the fact, my son is not fitting into"her box".

I did speak with the principal today and he wants to try a therapeutic cushion for Blake.Anyone know anything about this?

So happy to have someone to talk to!

That's a wiggle cushion. It's kind of like the very edge of an exercise ball. It
takes a lot of energy to stay still, and it also can allow kids to wiggle around
without falling out of their seat. My son's had one for the past 3 years and
it's been very effective for him.He used the cushion today and told me he LOVED it.  Maybe it will help.  He was in a better mood when I picked him up from school today, not sure why, but I am going to take it.  Today has been a good day!  Excellent! Hopefully this is the start of the solution!Kind of funny but he was very excited that the principal gave him a special "seat cushion". Poor guy has sat through 6 weeks of watching other children get gold stars, rewards, etc. He is excited about his seat cushion!

My 9 year old also has a wiggle cushion which has indeed helped some, he's also been on meds for a couple of years and we are still sorting out what will work best. The best thing for him this year is an OUTSTANDING teacher with a wonderful attitude.  She's already said to me "he's got more going for him than against him" despite the fact that he can't write his way out of a paper bag... I am thrilled for him that he has someone who accepts him for himself (and in a public school no less!) Hang in there -- you'll find them, they are out there.

Also as an Early Childhood Educator myself I am appalled that anyone has "boxes", or rigid expectations, for 5-year-olds.  It's just not developmentally appropriate for any of them ADHD or not...ok off my soapbox now...

I always knew my son's teachers would make or break him. Even in preschool, there was just such a difference depending upon what teacher was there.  Some teachers seem to know how to bring out and see the good qualities, others just dwelled on the negatives. 

I don't have too many nice things to say about his Kindergarten teacher.  The psychologist even said that he could tell by her evaluation of Blake that she was very intolerant.  Her and me have been battling it out since Day 3.  My husband and me met with her this past Tuesday and had a good, honest talk. I also sent her an email Wednesday about some of what the psychologist has said about Blake.  Initially I would have been a little scared of him being labeled but he has already been labeled the "trouble maker" so I really had nothing to lose. Anyway, she forwarded my email to the principal also and he sent me a very nice email back with some ideas on "making Blake have a successful school year".  I think she has realized this week that #1 my husband and me are doing our best and #2 the principal wants to work with us.  Anyway things seem a bit better even though I am still not feeling "warm and fuzzy" about her. 

One thing I need to figure out how to handle and maybe someone has some experience.  This school has this color card system. Anyway you start reaching a certain color and they take away recess time. Well I think for any 5 year old that is going to make things worse, I think for my 5 year old that is going to make things a million times worse!

We are not sure if this is the school for our child and are talking about switching him. Right now though, the psychologist thinks it is best to finish him out here at least this semester. And I don't really know if it is a good idea to start over mid-semester.

I am rambling.

Christy

Oh, yeah, taking away recess from a kid with ADHD is just plain stupid.
My son's first grade teacher did that - when he was wiggly he would have
to stay in at recess and keep his head down on his desk. She should have
sent him to the gym to do a couple of laps and burn off some energy!
Definitely that's the kind of thing that you can get in an IEP - keeping the
recess schedule intact and to give him extra breaks.

If it doesn't improve you could try to have him moved to another class. I
tried for my son, but they wouldn't let him go.

By the way, I called another IEP meeting that year because they weren't
following the guidelines. The Special Ed director came, and told his
teacher that she didn't have the choice, she had to follow it. It was
awesome!      Hopefully you'll get a breakthrough like that soon.I agree. Taking recess away is not a good idea!  Kids (especially that age) respond better to a reward system instead of a punishment system!  They could still use the color card system but just give the kids that did well a little reward instead of punishing the ones that didn't do as well.  Just my opinion... I agree - I feel like my son is punished so much there.  Ugh.  If you are in a private school, can you still get an IEP or is that in public schools only? I am sorry, I am so ignorant to this.   

That's really cute about the wiggle cushion, that he's excited about it like it's a reward!  It just goes to show how wonderful kids are, they have such a neat way of seeing things.

It's too bad that his teacher doesn't seem to know how to 'deal' with him.   I don't have the answers but I am not trained, I would assume she had been given tools for this as well as many other situations in her training!  We have been SO lucky with the teachers for our son, even though he was not diagnosed until grade 2 all his teachers were so supportive and helpful.  None of them made me feel like he was a 'problem' for them.

About meds - our son has been on them and they have been VERY effective for him.  He did seem to change in personality with one, became much more withdrawn and moody, less inclination to go out and play, more inclination to draw.  He did nothing but draw for months, it seemed!  The ped we see said it was probably because he had wanted to draw before but could never concentrate long enough to do it.  However, she did change meds and he is still doing just as well at school, still compliant but back to more of his old self.  It was just too weird to see a boy who used to live for running and playing, sitting on a bench at the playground and reading! 

Anyway, it sounds like at least the principal is great.  One thing we were told at the school was that now that our son had a diagnosis, they could pick his teachers based on which one they thought would be best for him.

My son loves to draw... he gets frustrated though cause his hand can't keep up with his head. Yea the teacher makes me feel like Blake is such a problem.  He keeps asking me if I will buy him a cushion for home. I told him if it is still working in a week and he still wants one, we will look into it. 

 I never thought about that but so true about the teacher choice.

I agree, those who don't have kids like ours are blissfully unaware!  They have NO idea and instead of judging us they should really be thanking their lucky stars!

As for the Daytrana patch, he's having "rebound" when it wears off.  It's very common with stimulants.  Many kids take a "booster" dose of a short acting stimulant in the afternoon to get them through the evening.  Rebound is NOT something you have to live with.  It can be fixed! Tenex can also be an option.  My son is on Ritalin and Tenex (and Strattera) and the combo works very well for him!   The Tenex has an overall calming effect for him and curbs the stimulant side effects.  But remember Tenex takes several weeks to really start to work so don't expect results right away. Good luck and keep us posted!

People that have not been in our shoes don't get it.  I have been judged by everyone - friends, family, church members, school, etc. for not having  a well behaved children . I think eveyone assumes that our children are not disciplined.  I actually think I am harder on him then most cause I know how he can get. 

I am glad that your son is doing well in Kindergarten and I am very interested to hear about your experience with meds.  We go next Friday to discuss. 

HUGS to you!

Christy

 

 

Hello,

My son was just diagnosed and he is 5yrs old in Kindergarten. I knew for a few years that something was night right and finally in Kindergarten they started evaluating him for IEP and he needs help in Speech and OT, holding crayon/pencil with hole hand. He is also OCD and Anxiety Disorder. We see a psychiatrist in a month but the pediatrician started him on the Daytrana patch. We call it the super hero patch so he will wear it. For 3 weeks he has received stickers at school, stayed on "green" both in school and on the bus. BUT since the patch is only 9 hours, it comes off when he gets home and I notice side effects of aggression, verbal abuse and the other day knocking furniture over and kicking/hitting his younger brother. So, pedicatrician called the psychiatrist, and they deceided to put him on a med to "ease" him down. I believe it is Tenex? It is an oral med he will take after school that dissolves in his mouth. I am hoping this helps.

I have been going crazy and it is horrible to go into a store and people stare at you and think "oh my, your kids..." I know I am not the only one obviously but there are times I cannot deal with this. I am glad I found this site to "vent"

Thanks!

We have our appointment Friday to discuss Medication, I am very nervous.The journey to getting the medication right can be long and stressful but for many of our children it is the ONLY solution that helps them! And when it's right...WOW,  what a difference it can make!   Medication has literally changed my son's life (and mine!)  Let us know what med your doctor recommends.  We can help you know what to look out for- good and bad.  Best of luck!  Has anyone put there child on dyprexa? They want to supplement my son in the afternoon with this after the patch. I hear it is rare meds and I am leary so i am doing research. It is a 3 week trial till we see the psychiatrist. From what I read, it is schizophrenia meds. Since he is not schizophrenia, I am just leary.

That would make me nervous too.  What is their reason for this drug?

I guess I am feeling very overwhelmed. I like to fully understand things (who doesn't) and instead I feel like I am not very knowledgable at all about ADHD but yet I have to make these decisions.  I am learning as much as I can.

He seems to act out after the patch comes off. Very impulsive. I am not sure if it is just him not getting his way or what. They wanted to put him on a med in the afternoon to calm him down and why something else wasnt/isnt discovered is beyond me. But this psychiatrist cant fit me in until the middle of November and until then is conversing with the pediatrician and it was this drug.

I really hope it works! 

Candybar,

My son is on the Daytrana patch.  At first it was good, but then he had the acting out in the afternoon, the ped wanted to up the dose.  I just felt that it was rebound and upping it would make it worse.. so I lowered it.  7.5 mg. I just cut the 15 mg patch in half.  That made a huge difference and the med worked with no rebound.  After a few months, he seemed like he needed more, so we upped it back to 10mg.  No rebound.  I think it may take a while to get adjusted.  I am thinking of even trying 15 again as he is back to having a hard time with taking info from his head and expressing it.

We also made sure his sleep was on target.  That was an issue for a while.  When he doesn't get 9 1/2 to 10 hrs a night his ODD is really hard.  We added a bit of melatonin and now the sleep is good.

Hope that helps!

 

 

Geeemo,

Thank you for your experience. I am having a hard time getting him to bed at night too. He is on 10mg and I am thinking of cutting it in half and weening him on to the 10. ? I will see. I have notice more of a transition problem. Hard getting him to go from A to C. A to B is fine, Home then school but then afterwards to go somewhere else is a problem. So, we will see what happens.

Thank you and thank you to all of you for your support and insight. I really appreciate it!

Blake got his first report card last night.  Since it is Kindergarten, there is O (Outstanding), S (Satisfactory) and N (Needs Improvement).  He got one O (Scripture memorization) and one N (reading one vowel words).  The rest were S's, well actually mostly S-.  Not really sure what to think. We have our Parent Teacher Conference at 5. Then tomorrow morning we our meeting with the ped. Then we are getting away for the weekend.  They put Blake on 18 mg of Concerta. He started it Saturday.  I have not seen a huge difference, he may be a bit calmer.  He was on green at school today.