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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]That seems so young for meds. DS didn't start until age 9. He's 17 now. ADD is much better, but ED is still a problem. [b]this is about frontal lobe myelination [/b]and boys don't have this until their 20's. Drugs will not help it come faster. Work on Strategies and organization skills. I would wait on the drugs, OP.[/quote]

You're kidding, right?  ADHD involves far more than frontal lobe myelination.  If it were just that, medication wouldn't be as effective as it is.  One of the things that makes medication so effective is that it increases the availability and receptivity of neurotransmitters.  Strategies and organizational skills are important to teach and can help but nothing is as effective as treating the underlying causes of the disorder.  Medication should be considered with the negative impact on daily life warrants it, not some arbitrary or anecdotal benchmark.

We didn't start our DS on meds until 2nd grade.  We did everything the PPs mentioned - diet, structure, routine, habits, etc. - and OT and a regular exercise program.  It wasn't enough and his ADHD was impacting him at school, impacting our whole family.  Medication hasn't been a silver bullet but I wish we'd started earlier - like in kindergarten but hindsight is 20/20.  That was 8 years ago.  DS is doing really well.  We didn't delay as long with our youngest and it's been a lot smoother and advantageous for all of us.

We hope as the boys mature, their symptoms will lessen.  However, as much as we don't like it, they have a neuro-biological condition that can be well controlled with medication - just like DH's diabetes.  Diabetes is rampant in DH's family and we knew it was likely a matter of time before he was diagnosed despite a healthy lifestyle and weight.  Having a disorder like diabetes that can't be controlled except through medication has given us a whole different outlook on ADHD.  My kids aren't going to suffer any more than they have to because of ADHD.

Medication isn't something to be feared.  It's a tool and should be used when needed.[/quote]

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