Child with ADHD-- if you decided not to medicate, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is newly diagnosed (3 rd grader)-- I'd like to avoid meds. Do you all recommend a therapist-- like a ADHD specialist (is there such a thing?).

Therapy for what? Whether your DC has ADHD or not, she needs to learn to be organized, how to study, how to take tests, be able to plan and regulate emotions. Kids with ADHD tend to have difficulty learning those skills. They need additional instruction in those areas and repetition, repetition, repetition until it becomes 'routine-ized'. Emotional maturity is also a factor. Our DS has been practicing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for years. He could tell you what he needed to do in each situation but when he was in the 'middle' of things, it was often hard for him to access the skills he'd learned - until he matured a bit more. Most of this stuff you can start on your own. You can work with the school to reinforce it as well so you've got consistency across environments.

Therapy for social issues and impulsivity. I'm fine helping her with organization and creating a consistent schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd is in 3rd grade. She was diagnosed in 2nd, but we suspected in first grade that she had ADHD. So far, we have had a lot of supports in school. We recently went from a 504 to an IEP. This change, which I thought was so beneficial for her, is actually really hard on her self esteem. She wants to stay in the regular class room, but her IEP calls for pull outs for language arts and math. Last night, she was crying because the regular class has no spelling this week, but she has to because she goes to the resource room.

I am finally at the place where we are going to take a look at meds. The school is going through monumental efforts to assist my dd. However, her teacher said that she was off task 63% of the time. That can't be a good thing. We are going to try meds for the end of 3rd grade and hopefully hit a good med without too much trial and error, but not sure how that will go.

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I have a question about her self esteem, is it because she is embarrassed because she has to go to the resource room?

Yes, she wants to be "normal" and stay in the regular classroom. I think it will be ok when it becomes part of her routine. She goes with a good group of kids. I know every one of them that she told me attends those classes, and they all have ADHD. So she is in good company.