I was wondering same thing as I have a 6yo DD that was diagnosed recently. We haven't told her mainly because it is so new for us. The other thing I am thinking about is her lack of self awareness. She doesn't see herself as having difficulty or moving/talking more than other children. I worry about opening that door before she's ready.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is 6 and I have not done it yet, though we talk about the symptoms and practice strategies. I just do not want to shake her confidence or for her to self-limit. But, I know the time is coming soon.

it is a bigger blow to self confidence to think that these problems you are having are just because you aren't smart, or you don't work hard enough, or you don't pay attention as much as other kids, or you are bad. It is actually often a boost to self-confidence to know that there is a reason why these things are harder for you, and that it isn't just character flaws or a lack of effort etc... ADHD provides an explanation and that can be very validating. She will only think ADHD is a bad thing or an excuse if that is how you present it to her.

Bump!

Anonymous wrote:We did it as soon as we got the diagnosis. DS isn't stupid, he was onto us, having gone through assessments, being pulled away from school to do that. He was actually appreciative. The only thing he wanted to know was how contagious it was and when we told him it wasn't, he got rather disappointed He said, "I want my friends to be as fast and funny as I am. I want to spread my ADHD germs around")))))))

Love this kid!

We did it as soon as we got the diagnosis. DS isn't stupid, he was onto us, having gone through assessments, being pulled away from school to do that. He was actually appreciative. The only thing he wanted to know was how contagious it was and when we told him it wasn't, he got rather disappointed He said, "I want my friends to be as fast and funny as I am. I want to spread my ADHD germs around")))))))

OP,

I posted this article on a different thread recently, This article may help you explain things:

http://www.ldonline.org/article/Explaining_Learnin...ties_to_Your_Child?theme=print

You don't necessarily need to have a "big" conversation. Little moments of talking about it are fine too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We told him when he received it. He has multiple diagnoses and we have let him know every time he has received one. It has been a source of relief for him to be able to name it.

How old was he at each point?

He received his first diagnosis in 2nd grade at 7 1/2. Then there seemed to be one every year for three or four years. It would have been better if he had received it in K or 1st grade as he had built up huge walls, anxiety, and his self esteem was very low. It took until 5th and 6th grade for him to get to a point where he felt he was intelligent and started smiling again.

We ordered a special reveal cake and did the big reveal at party with 150 invitees.

We told my son when he received the diagnosis at age 8. We just told him that was why he was having a lot of trouble concentrating in school and this medication would help. We did not make a big deal of it.

Anonymous wrote:We told him when he received it. He has multiple diagnoses and we have let him know every time he has received one. It has been a source of relief for him to be able to name it.

How old was he at each point?

We told him when he received it. He has multiple diagnoses and we have let him know every time he has received one. It has been a source of relief for him to be able to name it.

My son is already dealing w one dx and I can't bear adding on by revealing second just yet.

The pediatrician told my DS why she was prescribing medication. I don't remember what she said but she told him it would help him focus better in class and not get into trouble. So, he calls them his "focus" pills. When he is staying overnight anywhere (friends, camp, etc.) I let the adults know that he is to take medication and to remind him. It is only a big deal if you make it a big deal. Hiding it is doing a disservice to your child and making it seem like there is something wrong with them. I have yet to get a negative response. And, DS has lots of friends and is well liked.

The earlier the better. I have one DC with ADHD and one with AS and we told them both around this age. Don't make it a heavy thing and don't let your anxieties influence the situation. The whole "self-limit" thing is, I think, way overblown. My kids have certainly not limited themselves. There are way too many kids out there with ADHD for any one of them to think they are somehow less than.

My daughter is 6 and I have not done it yet, though we talk about the symptoms and practice strategies. I just do not want to shake her confidence or for her to self-limit. But, I know the time is coming soon.