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[quote=Anonymous]My son was informally dx'd by a dev ped the summer between pk 3 and pk 4.  Since we did not have an official dx, we enrolled in social skills to help with behaviors.  We also took Dr. Shapiro's parenting class to implement structure in the home.

Summer after PK4, my son went to camp.  Within a week, I was getting calls.  One day, I picked him up and he just started crying.  He said to me that he didn't know why he was acting out at camp, that he couldn't control it, and he was sad that he was missing out on the fun since he was getting in trouble.

I made an appt for a neuro psych that week.  He was tested in  mid Aug and I didn't get the results back until mid Sept.  The week before school started, I made an appt with my son's teacher and the guidance counselor to discuss my son and his behaviors.  I gave them the heads up that we were waiting on test results but that we suspected ADHD.  I told them that I would support them in whatever they needed to do at school, including calling me to pick him up, while we waited for the dx.

The first few weeks were a disaster but the school was patient with us.  I do think because I gave them a heads up and they knew I was in the process of getting a dx that they were a bit nicer to me.  I did get calls about once a week.

Once we got the the ADHD dx, we went straight to meds.  The psych advised me not to tell the teachers we were putting him on meds.  This was late Sept.  The phone calls stopped that week.  In Nov, we had conferences and the teachers commented to me that they didn't know what had changed but all of a sudden it was like a new student showed up in their class.

Everyone feels differently about medication for a young child.  For our family, it really was life changing.  The lack of tantruming, defiance, and frustration from him brought the tension of the entire household down.  We no longer had to walk on eggshells in fear of setting him off.

Self regulation was a huge issue for him and often we had to weigh the impact of the consequence against the forth coming tantrum.  That was not fair to our other children who faced consequences for misbehavior.

It's been 2 years since we medicated and my son can now access the tools he learns in social skills groups.  He can apply the flexibility concepts in class and at home.  My regret is I did not get him medication earlier although I understand drs reluctance to prescribe it to very young children.

As I was going through this process, this board was an enormous source of support and resources.  Many of us have been there and we're happy to assist you.

Hang in there....

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