Treating ADHD without meds

[Anonymous]

We are pretty sure our child,8,has some form of ADHD, especially after his teacher filled out the Vanderbilt form. We are talking with the ped next month to figure out next steps, but we hesitate to give him stimulant medication as there are so many side effects.

My question is what natural methods have you tried to help a child with ADHD symptoms focus and reduce disruptive behavior? My child’s academics are fine; it’s peer relationships and disruptive activity in the classroom that are the main issues.

Thanks for any insights.

[Anonymous]

I totally understand why you want to first try natural methods. Medication can be scary. The thing is that medication is the only thing that truly helps with the implusive behaviors that hurt relationships.

By the time your child hits middle school they will hear over and over again that they are annoying. Kids will be irritated when they are partnered with them at school. This is going to eat away at your child's self-esteem. No amount of therapy or fish oil is going to help the situation.

[Anonymous]

Not all ADHD requires meds - only a percentage does. I don't know how severe your DC is. One of our DC takes meds and the other doesn't - but when we were unable to fulfill the prescription for a couple weeks recently (shortages) his teacher reported to us that he was fine in class. At home he released that coiled up energy, which is (partly) why we resumed meds when we could refill the prescription. My point is, he could get by without meds and our other DC doesn't need meds, he just lots of reminders and lots of patience.

Kids with ADHD outgrow the hyperactivity around 10-12 (they may still be restless and fidgety but they won't be zooming all over the room anymore). The impulsivity and attentional difficulties, as well as executive functioning deficits, will need to be learned to handle, as a lifelong skill.

[Anonymous]

I also understand your reluctance to immediately medicate. I was a special ed teacher for more than 30 years and have worked with every kind of ADHD out there, and I never found a child with the diagnosis that was truly successful without meds. There are lots of meds to try and it is not easy, but the benefit to your child to not feel like they are constantly screwing up is immense. I liken it to if I were eight years old and went to a place where I couldn’t speak the language and couldn’t keep up, all day long. Why would you want your kid to feel like that? An enormous number of people in prison have untreated ADHD, just so you know. Side effects can be managed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also understand your reluctance to immediately medicate. I was a special ed teacher for more than 30 years and have worked with every kind of ADHD out there, and I never found a child with the diagnosis that was truly successful without meds. There are lots of meds to try and it is not easy, but the benefit to your child to not feel like they are constantly screwing up is immense. I liken it to if I were eight years old and went to a place where I couldn’t speak the language and couldn’t keep up, all day long. Why would you want your kid to feel like that? An enormous number of people in prison have untreated ADHD, just so you know. Side effects can be managed.

18:36 here. Your experience is only with a selected group. Many kids with ADHD never meet a special ed teacher, whether or not they are medicated. They manage, successfully or unsuccessfully, in a general classroom.

[Anonymous]

My 8 yo was diagnosed with ADHD Combined last year. They had already been in OT for about 8 months before that to work on emotional regulation and impulsivity but we had only limited success. Once we received the diagnosis, we explored medication with our pediatrician. My child's relationship with friends and classmates at school was suffering although academics were fine. My child had been feeling bad about themselves due to being labeled as the "bad kid" in class. Behavior at home was also difficult and was impacting our family. We were wary of using medication to manage the ADHD but it's honestly been a blessing. My child is finally able to use the tools and skills they have learned, which is amazing. We still do weekly OT in addition to the medication. Fortunately, my child has had only minimal side effects.

Stimulants are metabolized pretty quickly, so it's pretty easy to just stop giving the medication if you decide it isn't a good fit.

That said, perhaps OT would be an option for your child. Might be worth exploring first if you are reluctant to medicate.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I’m unsure of the degree to which he may have adhd. We were told by the pediatrician that she could prescribe him medication directly after evaluating the Vanderbilt forms and discussing options with us. No expensive outside diagnosis needed.

I have seen my son be so beautifully focused on projects, like the 3-D car he is working on now. His teacher says he focuses beautifully when she works with him directly one on one and says he’s absolutely a bright kid.

It’s when he’s in a group setting that he is disruptive and distracting other children, trying to be the class clown. He doesn’t listen to directions in school and gets distracted very easily. He doesn’t seem to hear when asked a question directly.

We love our son so much and want the best for him. We’re just concerned about whether meds is the correct method, given that he can absolutely be focused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also understand your reluctance to immediately medicate. I was a special ed teacher for more than 30 years and have worked with every kind of ADHD out there, and I never found a child with the diagnosis that was truly successful without meds. There are lots of meds to try and it is not easy, but the benefit to your child to not feel like they are constantly screwing up is immense. I liken it to if I were eight years old and went to a place where I couldn’t speak the language and couldn’t keep up, all day long. Why would you want your kid to feel like that? An enormous number of people in prison have untreated ADHD, just so you know. Side effects can be managed.

18:36 here. Your experience is only with a selected group. Many kids with ADHD never meet a special ed teacher, whether or not they are medicated. They manage, successfully or unsuccessfully, in a general classroom.

There are zero kids in public school who have never met a special educator. I guess it's possible a kid in private school might not meet one, but given that many special educators have their own kids, and so they are at places like soccer games, and birthday parties, it's unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I’m unsure of the degree to which he may have adhd. We were told by the pediatrician that she could prescribe him medication directly after evaluating the Vanderbilt forms and discussing options with us. No expensive outside diagnosis needed.

I have seen my son be so beautifully focused on projects, like the 3-D car he is working on now. His teacher says he focuses beautifully when she works with him directly one on one and says he’s absolutely a bright kid.

It’s when he’s in a group setting that he is disruptive and distracting other children, trying to be the class clown. He doesn’t listen to directions in school and gets distracted very easily. He doesn’t seem to hear when asked a question directly.

We love our son so much and want the best for him. We’re just concerned about whether meds is the correct method, given that he can absolutely be focused.

It's 100% common for kids with ADHD to sometimes focus. And to focus very well on things they are interested in, or things where they have someone constantly directing them to focus. That is why he does well on the car and with the teacher one-on-one. That doesn't mean he doesn't have ADHD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I’m unsure of the degree to which he may have adhd. We were told by the pediatrician that she could prescribe him medication directly after evaluating the Vanderbilt forms and discussing options with us. No expensive outside diagnosis needed.

I have seen my son be so beautifully focused on projects, like the 3-D car he is working on now. His teacher says he focuses beautifully when she works with him directly one on one and says he’s absolutely a bright kid.

It’s when he’s in a group setting that he is disruptive and distracting other children, trying to be the class clown. He doesn’t listen to directions in school and gets distracted very easily. He doesn’t seem to hear when asked a question directly.

We love our son so much and want the best for him. We’re just concerned about whether meds is the correct method, given that he can absolutely be focused.

ADHD kids can focus. They can't choose how to direct that focus. So most of them can focus as well, or better, than kids without ADHD on activities that they choose, or when an adult is working 1:1 with them to maintain that focus. But that's not how life works.

I'm not saying you should or shouldn't medicate, but what you describe, a kid who focuses well in their area of interest, but is destroying relationships with peers due to impulsivity is classic ADHD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I’m unsure of the degree to which he may have adhd. We were told by the pediatrician that she could prescribe him medication directly after evaluating the Vanderbilt forms and discussing options with us. No expensive outside diagnosis needed.

I have seen my son be so beautifully focused on projects, like the 3-D car he is working on now. His teacher says he focuses beautifully when she works with him directly one on one and says he’s absolutely a bright kid.

It’s when he’s in a group setting that he is disruptive and distracting other children, trying to be the class clown. He doesn’t listen to directions in school and gets distracted very easily. He doesn’t seem to hear when asked a question directly.

We love our son so much and want the best for him. We’re just concerned about whether meds is the correct method, given that he can absolutely be focused.

Why wouldn’t you just run the experiment for a month or two? See what the impact is in the classroom. I can’t imagine knowing that my kid is struggling with peer relationships and being disruptive, yet not trying meds for a month. It’s not a life sentence to taking drugs. Do it now before school ends so you can have some decent data.

[Anonymous]

If they are fine academically and the issues are social and behavioral, you can try therapy and social skills groups first. However these take a long time to work. Some people also claim dietary changes work. My non-ADHD child had improved frustration tolerance and far fewer tantrums as a toddler/preschooler on the Feingold Diet when young. Also exercise is very helpful for redirecting energy. With that said, my ADHD kid responded well to meds started in MS and I have always wished I had started her sooner.

[Anonymous]

op - 2 things:
1. kids who were unmedicated grow up to be adults who have poor self esteem, a lack of ability to handle their condition and huge knowledge gaps where they were too zoned out or too hyper to be learning from an educational pov but also a social emotional and maturity pov. what causes adult defiicts is the lack of input to the brain as a child.
2. recent studies show that adhd medication actually helps the maturing adhd brain 'normalize' when compared in scans to unmedicated brains.

[Anonymous]

The medicine is short acting and it’s quick to see if it helps.

I’m a special education teacher as well who works with kids who have ADHD every day and have for the last 10 years. I work with those who are identified and have iep’s and those who don’t.

My view is that medication becomes necessary when your child’s self confidence and esteem start to be impacted by their adhd because they realize that no matter how much they want to be able to ______ (finish work on time, remember things between home and school, make friends, control their reactions, play a game without losing it and making the other kids upset, sit for a lesson with the class without bothering peers, etc etc), they can’t do it. And it’s really hard to feel helpless like that.

The medicine can help a child be able to access those coping strategies and be in a place where they can learn them.

In my opinion, adhd is a miracle of modern medicine!


Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:op - 2 things:
1. kids who were unmedicated grow up to be adults who have poor self esteem, a lack of ability to handle their condition and huge knowledge gaps where they were too zoned out or too hyper to be learning from an educational pov but also a social emotional and maturity pov. what causes adult defiicts is the lack of input to the brain as a child.
2. recent studies show that adhd medication actually helps the maturing adhd brain 'normalize' when compared in scans to unmedicated brains.

Re #1, what an idiotic statement. Most of us with children diagnosed with ADHD have spouses with ADHD, or family members, or ourselves have a diagnosis. Or maybe undiagnosed. But our spouses, our family members, we are not unhappy, with poor self esteem, deficits, in prison, etc.