My son and 2 of my grandsons have ADHD. One grandson is more hyper, while the other is more ADD.

Meds have been a lifesaver for us. My son was on Ritalin during the school year until he was about 15 and had to learn some self-control (i.e. the "just because you thought about swinging from the chandelier, it might not be a good idea to actually try it" type of control.). During the summers, we kept him busy, busy, busy!

Our grandsons are on Adderall. The oldest one was apparently able to learn while simultaneously bouncing off walls and not being able to sit still long enough to complete his schoolwork (scored in top 10% on achievement tests), but nobody else in his class could. I don't know what his IQ is, but he's probably the smartest of all my grandkids. He also finally got a teacher who understood his love of computers and electronic stuff, so he learned that if he finished his work quickly and accurately, he would get first crack at the classroom computers.

The 2nd grandson is more attention deficit, although he was much more hyper when he was younger. I've always though he may have Aspberger's Syndrome, but testing apparently didn't indicate so.
At one point, his doctor switched him to Ritalin, but it did affect him adversely...changed his whole personality. He would fly into a rage and rage for hours. There have been no problems with Adderall.

Neither Ritalin nor Adderall has made any of our boys into "zombies". If a child on one of these drugs does act like a "zombie", that is a sign that the child is indeed ADHD. He/she might just need a lower dosage. If the child is NOT ADHD, the hyperactivity would ZOOM!

One thing I have noticed about our boys is that when they were younger, they absolutely could not look someone in the eye for more than a second. I would suspect that most ADHD kids are this way.

Another thing: Trying to have long talks with them about misbehavior also doesn't work, because they tend to zone you out really fast. The psychiatrist that our son took his son to said that it was best to use short instructions in a firm voice, such as "STOP, NOW!"

I also bought tons of educational computer games for my grandkids, and they did very well with them...probably because they could go at their own pace. They also had to learn to listen to and follow the instructions in order to win the games.

And, hey, Mel! MY boy was on a first-name basis with the ER personnel! It was something every week! :crosseyedcrazy:

My 7-year old is ADHD. He was diagnosed at age 5 at the request of his 4-PreK teacher who has a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Development. Before she requested that we have him evaluated, I suspected he was the HD part, not the AD part because he could hyper-focus on something for hours on end but would bounce off the walls. His teacher said she did not see the HD part but did see the AD because in her 30 years of teachingk, she "has never seen a child work so very hard to focus and not be able to do so."

The doctor my son sees is, himself, ADHD and truly amazing in his knowledge of the disorder because of his own experiences with it, as well as with the various medications. He takes Adderal (sp) because he has found that works better for him. He says that my son is AD as well as HD, but more AD and that hyper-focusing is very characteristic of those with ADD. With his guidance, we first tried non-medicinal interventions from aromatherapy, food sensitivities, etc. They helped but not significantly. He then put my son on Focalin which is not time-released. It helped my son for about 4 hours and the would wear off and the ADHD symptoms would kick in. He is a very gregarious, outgoing, smart, happy, active boy and the Focalin did not in any way affect his disposition or render him a "zombie." To combat the Focalin wearing off after 4 hours, we switched to Concerta. It has been WONDERFUL and even my son can tell the difference when he misses a dose. He started out on 18mg and his doctor told us we would "just know" when it was time to increase his dosage. He was right! His dosage was increased to 27mg which is what he currently takes. I have not noticed any change in his disposition on either dosage of the Concerta and he finds that he is much better off with it than without it and reminds me if I forget to give it to him.

Thank you, Brit.

Your son sounds a lot like mine sans the hyperactivity.

I see my son in another hour or so and am VERY anxious for that. I just want to make sure he's still "him" if you know what I mean.

I'll post a follow up later on tonight or tomorrow.

AGREED!!! I have TWO boys. The two year old went to the ER a few months ago to get stitches just below his eyebrow. He was jumping on older son's bed and smacked his forehead on the headboard. Three hours, four stitches, and some ketamine and we were good to go. Good thing I'm in paramedic training as we speak!

Thanks everyone for all of your insight. It really helped!

Well, I didn't pick up a zombie after work but rather he seemed a little reved up. His penmanship looked neater but he did get in trouble for teasing a 2nd grader on the playground.

It's difficult to say how it's working without asking the teacher which I will do after a couple of weeks. I don't want to give it to him on the weekends because it's not really necessary however, this weekend I will on one day so I can see how he is.

I forgot my book today, doggonnit!!

Both of the boys have been asking to join Karate so depending on our budget, I will see what we can do.

MelodyLane

I agree with you whole heartedly--break out the paddle. Start wearing their butts out...
When I was a kid my mother used to jerk us up by the arm and cart us out of the church service, take us into the foyer of the church, wear out butts out and then take us right back into the service... She didn't have to do this too many times.

Funny...you never heard of ADD or ADHD back then.

Many people are so afraid of discipline these days. They make too many rationalizations why discipline is "bad". I think it's just going to result in the next generation of thugs and hellions...

You know, you can paddle bottoms all day long but that won't solve neurotransmitter anomalies.

UH OHHHH.........SERIOUS TRIGGER HERE.

I was beaten with a belt on my bare butt until I was bruised, slapped in the face on a daily basis and kicked in the backside with a steel toed boot until I had a fractured tailbone. It taught me that I can get my [censored] beaten by an adult and nothing else!

My children are well behaved. They FEAR letting me down and getting "the look". What my son has trouble with is concentration.

Some people don't get it - won't get it, Sparkle....

Have you read any of Edward Hallowell's books. He is a psychiatrist, probably the most renowned spokesperson on this topic in the nation, AND he is both an ADHD adult and dyslexic.

Also, I recommend Thomas Hartmann's books.

My description of living with an ADD brain is this......it's sort of like Evil Knievel.....He's gonna do this trick with his motorcycle. If he gives it too much gas going up the ramp, he will have too much speed and won't be able to control the stunt. If he doesn't give it enough gas, he won't have the speed and velocity to make the jump over the canyon.

Well, the neurotransmitters are like Mr. Knievel. If your brain burns them too fast, you have difficulty focusing. If it doesn't produce enough of them, the signal can not jump over the synapses which separate the dendrites of the brain cells.

The psychoactive medications fall into either of two categories. They are stimulants to increase the amount of neurotransmitters OR they are something like a reuptake inhibitor which would keep the brain from burning the neurotransmitters too fast.

When I was taking Adderall, there were times when my brain would 'burn' it much faster and it would take more medication for me to stay on task (such as driving on the interstate during the day). If stressed or working very hard on a brain-aerobic activity, I simply needed more medication. For day to day living, I usually needed less.

My doctor's were ok with my taking more or less medication depending on the needs of the day. As an articulate adult, I talked to them about this fluctuation in brain activity and medication effeciveness and they understood. It might be harder for a child to explain it, though.

BTW, I have told a couple of doctors the analogy of the neurotransmitters and Evil Knievel....they all seemed to think it was a good analogy. No one ever found a lot there that they needed to correct. It's a visual picture most people can follow.

BTW, I faced the need to medicate my son when he was about 4 years old. He had such anger and impulse issues that he was struggling with just the social expectations of preschool and he was not there but a few hours 3 days a week. When he was about 6, I asked him if he felt differently when he took his medication as opposed to when he didn't. He didn't like the way he felt without it. I asked him what felt different. He said his ears hurt. I talked it over with his doctor and we decided that this was the best way that he could find to tell us that his head hurt since his medication affected brain activity and his brain was between his ears.

Medication DOES NOT CURE attentional difficulties. Medication does, however, increase the likelihood that the patient can attend the things that need attention. It INCREASES brain function in the areas that control attention, impulse control, and motor function.

Sparkle, your child is lucky to have a mother willing to help him, willing to be open to exploring the things that will make his life better.

BTW, there may be some good resources for you at Schwab Learning's site.

Thanks for the links and the analogy, Cinderella! The Evel Kenevil reference makes total sense to me.

I asked Oz how he felt yesterday and what was different for him. He said that he was able to do his work faster and things weren't so hard. Funny, he asked if he could take another tablet when he got home. Nooooo......once a day, sweetie! I think what he wanted to say is that he felt more confident and enjoying it. Who wouldn't?!

As an adult with OCD, I know what life was like for me without Lexapro. I have the type of OCD that has the intrusive images and they started when I was about 6 or so. I lived in absolute terror and horror at what would come into my head for years and years and never said a word to anyone for fear of what they may have thought of me.

His Kindergarten teacher has a doctorate in brain development and could see right away when he was in her class that there were classic ADD behaviors there. She wanted so much to see him succeed and was genuinely worried about him.

Glad things seemed to go so well!

Also, I'm glad the analogy helped.

I do want you to know you are not alone.....have you ever heard of ChADD? It might be another resource for you.

Really, try to read some Hallowell and Hartmann. Hallowell's first book on the topic, "Driven to Distraction", is a good first book to read. Hartmann's book, "Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perspective", was very affirming for me.

Hallowell also has a children's picture book, something about a walk with a brain in the rain, about differing brains and how different people's brains function differently but that it's ok.