Sleepovers? | ADHD Information

My ds (almost 11) is hell in the morning. His meds take long to kick in. A
friend asked him to sleep over, but they don't know about his ADHD. I would
have to tell them and give them the meds. I am afraid that he will cause
chaos and that he will not be invited over. Am I too overprotective? Any
advice? What do you guys do?

I'm not goin g to be much help here but were in a similar situation.  My son thinks his friend is going to have him over for a sleepover soon and I'm also not sure whether to mention or not and whether we give the meds to the other parents.  My son is 9.5 yrs.  When my son is at a friends for a playdate (dosn't happen often), my son just misses the meds he would normally have taken if he had been at home as I've been reluctant to get him to take the meds at someone elses place.

I'm going to be keeping an eye on this post to see what others have to say.

Good luck!

Tara

Thanks Tara. Let's see what others have to say.My grandson is 12 and I have sent him to very few sleepovers.  I'd rather have the sleepover at my house.  Personally, I am no fan of sleepovers and limit them to about 3 or 4 a year.

Have you spoken about it with your son?  Ask him if he is OK with having the other boy and his parents know that he takes meds for adhd, and if he would feel comfortable with them giving his meds the next morning.    My husband and I decided to tell this boys parents about his ADHD. Now, we
just need to do it. They are friends of ours and physicians, so I think they
will understand. I am not a fan of sleepovers either, unless I am friends with
the parents and they know the deal. I just want it to be a fun experience for
my son.

I always wonder about sleepovers too.  Luckily she has just met a friend that also has ADHD and they were at a girl scout camp out.  The Mom gave both girls the medicine without anyone else seeing.   But with the suimmer I know there might be others coming up and I think I would have to tell the parents.  She will be 10 in September but I could not trust her to take her medicine on her own.

I've been dealing with sleepovers for a couple of years now. I don't send the
meds. We talk about how to get invited again - good manners and calm
behavior, don't wake everyone up in the morning, stay in bed until the friend
wakes up...
I think he must be behaving better at the friend's house because he has had
repeat invites.
I'd rather roll the dice than introduce the meds, and his ADHD is not mild.   I just wanted everyone to know that my dd just got invited over for a sleepover for the first time from this friend.  I did tell the mother about her having ADHD.  My dd takes medicine to help her sleep and her medicine first thing in the morning.   She wakes up really hyper and is too much for anyone to handle. The mother was fine about it and said they would give her the medicine discreetly.    It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.   I think everyone who has children have all kind of things to deal with.  My dd just came back from her sleepover and she had a great time.  She has been friends with these sisters for a long time but never had a sleepover.  She told me that she told the girls that she has ADHD and takes medicine for it.   The older sister said that she has another friend who has this too.  I am so proud of my dd that she likes herself for who she is.   It has been a long road but this last year has been really good.  My dd wil be 10 in Sept. and I know puberty will be coming but for right now things are good.

I have twin boys, age 9, both ADHD, that are desperate to have a sleep over. Unfortunately they never even get invited to play dates.  They have neighbours that they play with, and the parents are my good friends and know about their ADHD.  However, I don't think most parents could be prepared for what these kids are like first thing in the morning!  Maybe they are better at other people's houses? 

I have been wondering how I would deal with this if it ever comes up.  Always so nice to hear that everyone else has this same issue.

This was the first summer where she had many play dates.  Last summer we were busy with counseling and occupational therapy and she also didn't have many play dates.  My dd does well one on one but not in groups.   She is still immature for her age and when she goes to someones house or goes to a group party then I give her a ritan booster besides the Concerta that she normally takes.  I also have her in quite a few camps which she really enjoys.  She doesn't talk much at the camps but loves the activities they do.

I know I had to tell the parents about her ADHD.  If she doesn't get her medicine first thing in the morning she becomes extremely hyper and argumentative.  I am glad they were fine with it.  We have had them at our house too.  The melatonin at night helps her relax so she doesn't go overboard. 

My son stopped getting invites a long time ago. He would bounce around all
night and then wake up the kids early in the am. We always had them here
as it was too unpredictable to let him go out. I did once or twice but it didn't
work out. Now, he has sleepovers with his brother and they stay up late and
alternate beds.

Now, he is turning 11 and as he gets older, that age doesn't do too many of
them.

My daughter is 12 now, but was diagnosed with ADHD in 2nd grade.  She has been on meds since 4th grade.  She has been to many sleepovers.  I just tell the parents that she has it and that she has to take her medicine.  It has never been an issue for me. 

It is nothing to be ashamed of.  People have to stop feeling like ADHD is something to be embarrassed about.  If your child had diabetes you would probably send them with their insulin.  Keeping them from doing things because of it will just make them feel worse about themselves.  Their self esteem is very fragile.  And yes, there are parents who might not want to get involved, but if you find out that they are like that, then you probablyl don't want your kid being friends with that child anyway.  Children learn behaviors from their parents.

Sometimes they will get their feelings hurt by children and parents who are insensitive, but like us adults, they will find out who their real friends are.  The best thing that you can do is try to let them have as normal of a childhood as possible and reassure them during those times when they get hurt that sometimes even grown-ups are uneducated.