Ginger9,
The only thing I can say is that you should remember you are dealing with an ADHD kid. There are alot of options out there but you have to do the research. There are some natural treatments there is behaviour modification therapy and there is medication. Is you foster son going to be seeing the same doctor that prescribed the Ritalin? If not he may be prescribed a different med or a different dosage. There can be alot of side effects of the medication that you need to watch out for. My best suggestion to you is to do as much research as you can. There are all kinds of web sites that have lots of information. Each person who has ADHD reacts differently to meds and other treatments.
Good Luck and Thanks for being a Foster Parent.
Thanks alot. When we trained to be foster parents we dealt alot with abuse issues, and we were told that almost all kids in foster care are diagnosed with ADHD. But they didn't really give us much info on the condition itself. We were pretty much told that they would come to us on medication and it was a good idea to keep them there.
I guess compared to the abuse and neglect that foster kids have received, the ADHD is a minor thing. But to our relatively quiet household it is MAJOR. I think our dog is going to have a nervous breakdown....
I'm so glad I found this site! I know I can get some good advice from ya'll. We got our first foster son today - he is 9 years old, very outgoing and lively. Really TOO lively. The social worker said he had been on Ritalin previously but his Dad had not refilled his meds in quite awhile. There is no history of abuse in this case, just an alcoholic father & absent mother. The little guy needs lots of attention, but it's hard to GET his attention.
I won't be able to take him to the doctor until next week when his Medicaid card comes in. I know to keep him away from sugar & caffeine but are there other steps to take to help him to focus? He's really sweet and sort of needy when he focuses on us. I'd appreciate any advice.
Thanks