Before ruling out medication, please read this interview:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/interviews/barkley.html

I work in special education, and a lot of the students on my caseload have ADHD without any comorbid conditions.

One of the challenges with ADHD is that attention and working memory are linked together. Even with fantastic one-on-one instruction, children with ADHD can have trouble with appropriate depth of processing and focus sufficient to support working memory. Without working memory supports, long-term memory suffers too. I see a lot of very bright kids who accumulate widening skills deficits over the years in spite of receiving excellent in-school support. Many of these kids need more time and more repetitions with the material before it starts to sink in. Bringing papers home to review with families and tutors is one strategy for that.

I understand stimulant medication reluctance, though I am very pro-medication. However, I strongly advise families not to rely on academic accommodations alone. Ask your child’s medical providers about behavioral health programs to support ADHD. There are cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness strategies that help some. Results will not be fast and may not be as dramatic as meds. That said, it’s definitely time for more intervention before your child falls further behind in work. You also want to get on top of this before your child has the potential to develop self-esteem issues or school anxiety.

Anonymous wrote:NP. What do people do when their kids can't tolerate ADHD meds? We have tried stimulants and non-stimulants and DC hasn't been able to tolerate any of them due to side effects. Anything else worth trying for us? DC is AuDHD and 13 with anxiety, if that is relevant.

some antidepressants could help - Wellbutrin was suggested for attention issues for my DD, probs also would help with anxiety

I would reconsider.

But if not I have many adhd relatives and the things that have helped (not as well as meds) are:

-a lot of exercise - like 5-7 mile run before school
- exec function coach
- MeRt
-fish oil

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry more about her ability to succeed than her size.

+100

Would you deny her medicine if she had an issue with her kidney or knee or ear?

You owe it to her to try the medicine for ADHD before her self-confidence plummets any further.

I didn't medicate my kid in MS and deeply regret it. It affected him socially and academically. We did medicate in HS. He himself could see the difference and wanted to take meds.

At least work with a psychiatrist - there are so many options when it comes to meds. I take a atomoxetine, a non-stimulant, and it really doesn't affect my appetite. My kid takes Adderall XR, which does affect his appetite, but he has come up with ways to manage it - big breakfast with meds, little lunch, small snack after school, modest dinner and then a second dinner later at night when the med has worn off. He doesn't take the medicine on the weekend or holidays or in the summer. He is 6'3".

If your child is seriously affected by ADHD, there really aren't non-med strategies to help them in school. You can pay for tutoring after school, but that will still be affected by ADHD.

NP. What do people do when their kids can't tolerate ADHD meds? We have tried stimulants and non-stimulants and DC hasn't been able to tolerate any of them due to side effects. Anything else worth trying for us? DC is AuDHD and 13 with anxiety, if that is relevant.

Also, one thing that really helped me is our therapist said we have to consider the side effects from NOT trying medication. The side effects to our child's sense of self, sense of self efficacy and ability to have strong relationships, get his work done etc. There are side effects to medication and it should be taken seriously, but there are also SERIOUS side effects to not medicating when a child really needs it. Really encourage thinking about the impact of how your child sees themselves. Feeling a constant sense of failure is absolutely not good for mental or physical health and can have really long term effects. Frankly much more long term effects than being a small girl (which generally is fairly widely accepted and even preferred by some, that sounds harsh and kind of terrible but just realistically).

One last thing, please consider reading the research on the growth issues with medication. When I really delved into it, the meta analyses seemed to show that when kids did have growth impacts it was a quarter inch less than control groups. A quarter inch!!! When I saw that I was like oh wow, do I want my kid to feel like crap so he can be a QUARTER OF AN INCH taller??? Absolutely not. This is not to discount that some people whose kids diets are already really limited for a variety of reasons can struggle with this in bigger ways, I know that is true but if you haven't tried it I think it is worth considering.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know of people who have had a lot of success from neurofeedback. It's not popular in this area but in other parts of the country, it is a first line ADHD treatment with lasting effects.

We spent thousands, plus hours and hours on neurofeedback. It did nothing.

+1 also spent thousands and hours and unfortunately have to report absolutely no impact from neurofeedback. In fact, my son continued to get worse. We finally tried medication and it worked/works. Game changer. Also the pp who said neurofeedback is first line adhd treatment some places? I know of no where this is true (and am connected to the mental health field). The AAP clearly says ADHD meds are first line of treatment.

Op, I totally get it. As I mentioned we tried everything, neurofeedback, diet changes, supplements. Nothing.worked. First medication we tried wasn't a great fit, second has been a HUGE change in our lives. 100% worth it. 150%. Medication is what works best for ADHD. Please reconsider giving it a try. My son actually doesn't have big impacts to appetite with his stimulant. It is worth a try!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s called fresh air and lots of exercise. Make her run 5 laps around the house before sitting down for work

that does not help inattention.

It works as well as anything else.

Anonymous wrote:I know of people who have had a lot of success from neurofeedback. It's not popular in this area but in other parts of the country, it is a first line ADHD treatment with lasting effects.

We spent thousands, plus hours and hours on neurofeedback. It did nothing.

Do you have a psychiatrist or pediatrician following her?? Our DD is in a similar situation physically, is on a stimulant AND a mild antihistamine that has a side effect of inducing hunger. She gets that pill from the nurse 20 min before lunch so she eats well. Has been a great compromise.

Cyprhyptadine I think?

DS is very small, doesn’t eat much, and is having trouble sleeping on his meds. I haven’t implemented this yet but here is my new plan: he takes his meds around the time he has big assignments/tests coming up. The only class in which he has tests frequently is math, and fortunately he loves math and is really interested in it. He struggles with tedious assignments in other classes, so we are only going to give him meds when he needs to work on that.

DS is *not* thrilled about this plan but he is going through a growth spurt and so this is one of the rare times I’m going to override his opinion about his own life. I know this might not work because a lot of kids need adjustment times for meds and going on and off is a disaster, and his 504 says that he gets advanced notice for assessments but we all know how spotty accommodations can be. Regardless, we are going to try it and see.

I definitely think you should try the meds. Let’s face it, it’s not a big deal if a girl misses out on half an inch of height, and her pediatrician will ensure she is gaining weight at an appropriate weight. She will probably eat no lunch and want a massive snack after school, so be prepared to adjust meal times. Give her lots of high-calorie foods.

Anonymous wrote:It’s called fresh air and lots of exercise. Make her run 5 laps around the house before sitting down for work

that does not help inattention.

It’s called fresh air and lots of exercise. Make her run 5 laps around the house before sitting down for work

I know of people who have had a lot of success from neurofeedback. It's not popular in this area but in other parts of the country, it is a first line ADHD treatment with lasting effects.