Reply to ADHD - medicate or not medicate?

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Reply to "ADHD - medicate or not medicate?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]Is there craze to fix kids with medicine? Why do parents do it? Is it just unbearable? Or are parents who medicate simply scared of falling behind academically in this area that is known for overachieving kids who play 6 sports, speak 7 languages and 5 instruments by the time they are 6 years old?
I am genuinely interested to know why parents medicate kids who are labeled as ADHD?[/quote]

ADHD and the problems it can create can be unbearable for your child.  Imagine going to school every single day and not being able to meet the expectations.  Getting yelled at or criticized every day when you try your best to do what the teacher wants, but you just can't.  Imagine not being able to remember things, recall things you've been told over and over again, such as your letters and numbers.  This is all something that can be ameliorated through the use of medication.  There are other interventions as well.  Some kids can be successful with behavioral interventions alone, but some need medication in addition.

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Secondly, I would love to hear from parents with ADHD kids whether they have individual education plans or 504 plans. Trying to understand the difference between the two.[/quote]

The biggest difference is that with an IEP, your child gets services and accommodations and with a 504, accommodations alone are provided.  I found through ES, that having the ability to get staff time was really helpful in teaching my son to be successful in MS where the expectations are greater and the staff time is less.

[quote]My almost 5 year old is very expressive verbally and people often describe him as an old soul trapped in a young body. He is very spirited, stubborn but also empathetic. But we have behavior issues (at home, school never reports any behavior issues). And we have very very serious attention issues that I do not know how to fix. We are struggling to retain much of any information that is presented in a structured way. Trying to learn numbers and letters without much progress. I am scared of expectations in K. [/quote]

My son went to kindergarten not knowing letters, numbers or colors - or so we thought.  He went to first grade not having learned the letters, numbers or colors - or so we thought.  In second grade, when he was finally able to be medicated (he had serious health issues that prevented it so it wasn't even on the table as an option), we found he not only knew his letters, numbers and colors, but he could also read and do math beyond his years.  It was shocking to us to find out just what he was capable of doing.  In the meantime, his self esteem took a huge hit.  He was the only kid who couldn't count to 20 in first grade and he was in pull outs for just about everything.  He started to refuse to go to school because nothing he did made him successful.  It was tough to watch.

In short, while I can't speak for everyone, but whether we lived in an area that is less competitive or whether we lived here, I would make the same decision about medication.  My son has a medical condition that prevents him from functioning to even a fraction of his ability without medication.  Why would I even consider not treating it?

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