ADHD

[amIblue?]

Are any of you parents of a child with ADHD or do you have ADHD? We think that this may be a strong possibility for our daughter (she appears to have more issues with attention than hyperactivity), and I'm kind of at a loss of where to start insofar as how do I talk to her about it and what kinds of things that I can do to help her manage it and to help her learn to manage it. (She's 6, so she still does need guidance.) We have done initial screenings and have set up an appointment with her pediatrician for a consultation.


I'm hoping to just get some ideas to find places with rational resources to do further research to come up with a plan of action. When you google, you find all kinds of crazy things. If you wouldn't mind PM'ing me with some websites or books that aren't nutty (I mean either too granola or too mad scientist) or sharing your experiences, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a trip planned to the library this weekend, but I was hoping to have a list of books that I could take with me.

Thanks and love to you all.

[DrPhil]

I know quite a few people diagnosed with ADHD (it is also overdiagnosed).

An older thread about medicated children.

In addition to consulting your doctor, check out the information provided by the Center for Disease Control, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and see whether there is a mental health association in your city. Mental health associations provide a lot of resources including support groups/meetings. Depending on the size of the city, you may have more than 3 (separate) organizations to provide mental health services.

Once you get comfortable with all of the information provided, you may want to check out the medical and social science research (books and peer-reviewed journal articles) conducted on people with ADHD. Some interesting information--none of it presented as unequivocal, 100% applicable fact--that can provide illustrations of life with ADHD.

Examples of some new books:

Thomas Brown. 2014. Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD. San Francisco, CA: Jossy-Bass.
http://www.amazon.com/Smart-But-Stuc.../dp/111827928X

Stephen P. Hinshaw, Richard M. Scheffler. 2014. The ADHD explosion : myths, medication, money, and today's push for performance. New York, NY : Oxford University Press.
http://www.amazon.com/The-ADHD-Explo.../dp/0199790558

[AlphaFrog]

What makes you think ADHD rather than typical 6 year old "Oh, shiny!"?

I hated the meds from the beginning (I felt like a zombie), and now treat with 3-4 cups of coffee daily. Lately, I've been super-struggling with it. I'm doing everything I can to get out of the desk job environment, because I just can't do it any more.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I know quite a few people diagnosed with ADHD (it is also overdiagnosed).

An older thread about medicated children.

In addition to consulting your doctor, check out the information provided by the Center for Disease Control, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and see whether there is a mental health association in your city. Mental health associations provide a lot of resources including support groups/meetings. Depending on the size of the city, you may have more than 3 (separate) organizations to provide mental health services.

Once you get comfortable with all of the information provided, you may want to check out the medical and social science research (books and peer-reviewed journal articles) conducted on people with ADHD. Some interesting information--none of it presented as unequivocal, 100% applicable fact--that can provide illustrations of life with ADHD.

Examples of some new books:

Thomas Brown. 2014. Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD. San Francisco, CA: Jossy-Bass.
http://www.amazon.com/Smart-But-Stuc.../dp/111827928X

Stephen P. Hinshaw, Richard M. Scheffler. 2014. The ADHD explosion : myths, medication, money, and today's push for performance. New York, NY : Oxford University Press.
http://www.amazon.com/The-ADHD-Explo.../dp/0199790558

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

What makes you think ADHD rather than typical 6 year old "Oh, shiny!"?

I hated the meds from the beginning (I felt like a zombie), and now treat with 3-4 cups of coffee daily. Lately, I've been super-struggling with it. I'm doing everything I can to get out of the desk job environment, because I just can't do it any more.

Thank you both. I'll send you a PM, AlphaFrog.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I hated the meds from the beginning (I felt like a zombie), and now treat with 3-4 cups of coffee daily.

My daughter is on ADHD medication, and the first one we tried gave her a zombie-like feel as well. She responds to her current med much better!

We medicate her only during the week/school year. On the weekends/during the summer we go the caffeine route like you mentioned above, only, since she's a kid and is picky about taste, she pops a few chocolate-covered espresso beans instead of drinking coffee. We've found it to be very helpful, but she can't have any after noon or else she's up ALL NIGHT LONG.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

My daughter is on ADHD medication, and the first one we tried gave her a zombie-like feel as well. She responds to her current med much better!

We medicate her only during the week/school year. On the weekends/during the summer we go the caffeine route like you mentioned above, only, since she's a kid and is picky about taste, she pops a few chocolate-covered espresso beans instead of drinking coffee. We've found it to be very helpful, but she can't have any after noon or else she's up ALL NIGHT LONG.

This is very interesting. I'm not overly interested in medicating her unnecessarily, and I have never allowed her to have caffeine beyond chocolate milk from time to time. Thanks!

[MysticCat]

Our son was diagnosed with ADHD in second grade and with Asperger's in third grade. We resisted medication for a long time, but finally went to it, and it made a big difference. Yes, some meds will make some kids feel like a zombie. Remember that different meds will affect different kids different ways. The first one we tried, Aderall, made our son depressed. Very scary. He then went to Metadate, which he has tolerated without any problem. We use it every day, including weekends and summers, because he feels and functions better with it. It not only helps him focus, but with the hyperactivity, it makes him noticeably more grounded. As he's gotten older, we've worked on helping him learn safe, non-medicinal ways to achieve the same result—exercise, diet, etc. (Some of this has taken better than others. ) We'll use caffeine at times as well.

One thing that was very helpful for us was a doctor who really understands the meds. Because of the Asperger's, our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric neurologist. That has made a real difference in making sure the meds are not only helping, but also that they aren't keeping him from feeling his best.

Good luck! I'll try to think of some resources, but for my money, a doctor you trust is one of the best resources.

[amIblue?]

Thanks, MC.

[AZTheta]

Here's a little essay that may give you an idea of what it's like to have an ADHD brain.

[Kevin]

I was diagnosed in grade school back when the diagnosis was fairly novel. Had to see a psychiatrist all the way up in Tulsa (grew up in Edmond, just north of OKC). Was one of the only, if not the only child in a large school district who was both in the gifted & talented program who also had an IEP.

The meds (ritalin) did help in school and did help with some of the impulse control. On the downside, I think it took its toll on me as a social person. Off the meds, I was a troublemaker, on such good terms with the Principal that we kept a running chess game going for when I was sent to the office (which was frequent). That of course, made me one of the most popular kids in school... On the meds, I ended up being pretty much a loner who wrote programs in BASIC for fun. I was one of those.

At the age of 14, entering high school, I started refusing medication and still do. While the doctors offered analogies like glasses being used to correct vision and medication being used to correct ADHD, I didn't and don't buy it. ADHD is just who I am and who I was meant to be.

So I'm a disorganized, impulsive trial lawyer which means I will always have to have a good assistant to help me keep my stuff together. I've adjusted rather than medicated. As a parent, I'm pretty likely to pass on this condition (and I probably deserve to, but my wife is innocent). I tend to favor medicating children until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

[amIblue?]

Thanks, AZTheta and Kevin!

[carnation]

Two of our children have ADD and 1 ADHD. I know some people say they shouldn't be divided but there is a huge difference. All, however, are on Vyvanse and it works great for them. A fourth son was diagnosed after he went to college and he only needed Vyvanse during the school year. When he worked as a camp counselor in the summer, he didn't need it. Now that he has graduated. he doesn't use it at all.

We are happy to have found a med that works and it really does for them.

[amIblue?]

Thanks so much, carnation!

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I was diagnosed in grade school back when the diagnosis was fairly novel. Had to see a psychiatrist all the way up in Tulsa (grew up in Edmond, just north of OKC). Was one of the only, if not the only child in a large school district who was both in the gifted & talented program who also had an IEP.

The meds (ritalin) did help in school and did help with some of the impulse control. On the downside, I think it took its toll on me as a social person. Off the meds, I was a troublemaker, on such good terms with the Principal that we kept a running chess game going for when I was sent to the office (which was frequent). That of course, made me one of the most popular kids in school... On the meds, I ended up being pretty much a loner who wrote programs in BASIC for fun. I was one of those.

At the age of 14, entering high school, I started refusing medication and still do. While the doctors offered analogies like glasses being used to correct vision and medication being used to correct ADHD, I didn't and don't buy it. ADHD is just who I am and who I was meant to be.

So I'm a disorganized, impulsive trial lawyer which means I will always have to have a good assistant to help me keep my stuff together. I've adjusted rather than medicated. As a parent, I'm pretty likely to pass on this condition (and I probably deserve to, but my wife is innocent). I tend to favor medicating children until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

My husband is ADHD and also doesn't medicate for it. He favors not medicating kids until they are old enough to choose for themselves. That's the tactic we're taking with our youngest, who has been DXd with it.

Youngest DC has such a huge, charming personality that I'd hate to squish it. I also have concerns about the long term effects of ADHD meds on the brain, whatever the industry says about its safety. That risk/benefit analysis is something every parent has to weight for themselves, though. I don't think there is a clear right answer.

BTW, there are enough gifted kids with LDs that we now have a label for them: twice exceptional (2E). You weren't the only one, just the only who was identified and getting appropriate school and treatment. Your parents were doing a good job.

Thanks for the chess story. Both of my kids spend too much time in the principal's office. The downside to having crazy, genius children is that they're crazy.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I tend to favor medicating children until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

Originally Posted by KDCat

My husband is ADHD and also doesn't medicate for it. He favors not medicating kids until they are old enough to choose for themselves. ...

That risk/benefit analysis is something every parent has to weight for themselves, though. I don't think there is a clear right answer.

This reminds me of the back-and-forth my husband and I had about how to treat our daughter. We wanted it to be her decision (whether or not to medicate), but we also knew it was our responsibility to help her succeed.

It was obvious that she was having difficulty maintaining focus in school - well beyond the "oh, she's just a kid" type of behavior. The teachers were great about working with us, and supported us in our initial decision not to medicate (until she could decide for herself). But it began affecting not just her academic progress, but her social progress as well. It was at that point that we decided to try meds. The first one we tried (Vyvance) pretty much zapped her personality, then progressed into teenager-like moodiness. (Aack!) We're now on extended release Adderall, which is nice since she takes one in the AM and then is done for the day.

KDCat hit the nail on the head when she said there's no clear right answer. It has taken us years of working with teachers, doctors and pharmacists to figure out what's best for our daughter. (It was a pharmacist who suggested we talk with the doc about a weekend caffeine regimen - we never would have even known to ask.)

amIblue?, I think it's great that you're getting feedback from others who have dealt with this, but I'm glad you've set up an appointment. The appointment itself is a big commitment - be prepared to spend an entire day (if not more) talking with the evaluating doc. If you don't spend a significant amount of time there, I would recommend a second opinion - this type of diagnosis just can't be made in a couple hours. I hope you find the doctor that's right for you!