Recent ADHD Diagnosis for 13 y/o Athlete and Medication

[Anonymous]

Our 13 y/o DS was recently diagnosed with what they are calling garden variety ADHD. He has had serious impulse control issues in the past and in the past year became violent at times. We started with therapy and a psychiatrist who put him on Intuniv to try and reduce the anxiety and outbursts.
The violent outburst thankfully have subsided but the impulse control issues continue to be a problem.

We have a meeting tomorrow with the psychiatrist to review the ADHD diagnosis and I assume receive some new medications.

Our first goal with the medication is to have him more focused in school and able to complete assignment timely and thoroughly. He currently struggles with organization, completing assignments and reading in general. We are looking into several summer intensive reading programs to try and get caught up.

He is also an athlete and he is concerned if and how any medication will impact his performance.

Any one with similar type experience.

[Anonymous]

On the athletic performance part, my DD found that her focus in games was much better on ADHD meds. Our doc said that some kids prefer the more raw energy feeling of no meds for games. I'm sure it depends on the sport and on your DC's presentation. In our case, DD was much better able to follow the game/strategy/anticipate plays with meds. For practices, I can tell you for sure that the coaches could see a difference with meds/without (even though they didn't realize why). It was a little tricky to figure out after school booster doses when there was a later game/practice because you don't want them to take it too late or it can affect sleep.

[Anonymous]

My athlete on ADHD meds is also much better at sports - his focus is better and he works hard.

Only issue for us is his meds reduce his appetite. so he needs to make sure he eats enough to support his exercise. We try hard on protein and fats at every meal but it's a struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My athlete on ADHD meds is also much better at sports - his focus is better and he works hard.

Only issue for us is his meds reduce his appetite. so he needs to make sure he eats enough to support his exercise. We try hard on protein and fats at every meal but it's a struggle.

What medication is he using?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our 13 y/o DS was recently diagnosed with what they are calling garden variety ADHD. He has had serious impulse control issues in the past and in the past year became violent at times. We started with therapy and a psychiatrist who put him on Intuniv to try and reduce the anxiety and outbursts.
The violent outburst thankfully have subsided but the impulse control issues continue to be a problem.

We have a meeting tomorrow with the psychiatrist to review the ADHD diagnosis and I assume receive some new medications.

Our first goal with the medication is to have him more focused in school and able to complete assignment timely and thoroughly. He currently struggles with organization, completing assignments and reading in general. We are looking into several summer intensive reading programs to try and get caught up.

He is also an athlete and he is concerned if and how any medication will impact his performance.

Any one with similar type experience.

OP, There is no such thing as "garden variety" ADHD and if there were it would be a kid getting violent. That's not typical. You and your son need to start using appropriate terms about his ADHD.

He is closer to an adult than being a child. I'm being a bit of stickler about this b/c your son will need to be able to identify and explain how his ADHD affects him. He'll need to learn to advocate for himself, learn to ask for help, as well as at some point be responsible for his medication. With this last one, don't wait until the summer b/f leaving for college.

It's good that the medication is helping and that you've identified other areas where he needs help. Get him involved in the problems solving as well and asking questions of the psychiatrist himself about possible side effects. It's great that he has something that he's passionate about and hopefully that will motivate him on the other fronts in terms of organization.

[Anonymous]

Op here. The "garden variety" ADHD is the definition we were given by Dr. Black from CAAT.

This is all new to us so I assumed using the terminology used by a recognized professional would be acceptable here. I

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. The "garden variety" ADHD is the definition we were given by Dr. Black from CAAT.

This is all new to us so I assumed using the terminology used by a recognized professional would be acceptable here. I

We see Dr. Black too. I get the impression that explaining things isn't his strong suit, but he's a good clinician. I can see where a professional might say this to distinguish that a diagnosis isn't more ominous, however, it's good to be precise. There are 3 types of ADHD: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/the-3-types-of-adhd

This site has lots of good information for kids and parents:
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd

especially parents:
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/understanding-childs-challenges/talking-with-your-child/5-things-not-to-say-to-your-child-about-adhd

[Anonymous]

Personally, I don't think it's that reasonable to think taht meds alone will fix school issues, especially the being behind in reading. Has he had a neuropsych that assesses for ability and achievement levels. Being behind in reading usually means there is a need for specialized instruction, which means an IEP is appropriate. Summer intensive reading is a good idea too. I recommend Siena school summer program. My DS went ther for 2 years and I can't say enough good things about it. But, even saying that, one summer intensive may catch him up but he likely will need more specialized instruction in order to stay caught up. You can also have special instruction in organization and breaking down assigments and tracking, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I don't think it's that reasonable to think that meds alone will fix school issues, especially the being behind in reading. Has he had a neuropsych that assesses for ability and achievement levels. Being behind in reading usually means there is a need for specialized instruction, which means an IEP is appropriate. Summer intensive reading is a good idea too. I recommend Siena school summer program. My DS went ther for 2 years and I can't say enough good things about it. But, even saying that, one summer intensive may catch him up but he likely will need more specialized instruction in order to stay caught up. You can also have special instruction in organization and breaking down assigments and tracking, etc.

I agree. Siena's excellent. ASDEC also has a program for older kids. Including organizational skills to be put in the IEP is also very important.

Also, OP, you may want to take a look at the Unstuck and On Target program. It's a social skills program and although it was designed for kids with autism, it addresses that explosive/rigidity issue that can be present in a lot of kids with ADHD as well. At this age, much of the social skills curriculum focuses on problem solving among peers and it's really helpful for parents b/c we need to learn the same problem solving techniques.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I don't think it's that reasonable to think that meds alone will fix school issues, especially the being behind in reading. Has he had a neuropsych that assesses for ability and achievement levels. Being behind in reading usually means there is a need for specialized instruction, which means an IEP is appropriate. Summer intensive reading is a good idea too. I recommend Siena school summer program. My DS went ther for 2 years and I can't say enough good things about it. But, even saying that, one summer intensive may catch him up but he likely will need more specialized instruction in order to stay caught up. You can also have special instruction in organization and breaking down assigments and tracking, etc.

I agree. Siena's excellent. ASDEC also has a program for older kids. Including organizational skills to be put in the IEP is also very important.

Also, OP, you may want to take a look at the Unstuck and On Target program. It's a social skills program and although it was designed for kids with autism, it addresses that explosive/rigidity issue that can be present in a lot of kids with ADHD as well. At this age, much of the social skills curriculum focuses on problem solving among peers and it's really helpful for parents b/c we need to learn the same problem solving techniques.

I am the PP who recommended Siena. I just wanted to add that while rigidity and explosiveness can be a part of the ADHD itself, it can also be reflective of the frustration that an ADHD kid has when he/she sees others around him that can do things so easily that are hard for the ADHD kid. And, ADHD kids are often treated poorly by teachers who attribute aspects of the ADHD to the student being lazy, unmotivated, disrespectful for not doing things the way others do, etc. Teachers also often refuse to give accommodations that they are required to give, which is very frustrating. Students can also be mean to kids with ADHD when they don't pay attention, misunderstand some verbal or social communication, etc.

My DS had an SLD (dysgraphia) and ADHD. He was much more explosive, weepy and rigid in ES school where he wasn't getting the appropriate instruction and the teacher was refusing IEP accommodations and criticizing DS for even asking for them. After 2 years at Siena, DS learned that he could learn, and I had my sunny, cheerful boy back. He is able to self-advocate and maintain his cool because he is confident that teachers and peers who think poorly of him are wrong about him.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Back from our appointment and the Dr. has prescribed 30 mg of Vyvanse.

Any suggestions on what to watch out for other then appetite suppression.

How do you know if it helps with focus during school day? Our DS is not the best with giving us feedback.