|
|
Post by tchrmom on Nov 30, 2004 20:57:17 GMT -5
My son has been having problems in the classroom with talking, not following directions, shouting out, etc. At home is is somewhat hyper but there are times where he just talks and talks. I am a special ed. teacher at the school he attends and have been working with the teacher and the counselor with some self-monitoring strategies. He still seems to be getting in trouble and is becoming frustrated with himself. His grades are A'a and B's currently but I noticed they dropped some this 9 weeks. I have went to the doctor and we are filling out the surveys. Any advice from a parent's perspective on medication, no medication, anything to avoid or watch for, etc.?  |
|
|
|
Post by rosyred45 on Dec 1, 2004 2:36:06 GMT -5
Welcome to the family Cwoods, I feel like I know you already. My son has been dx'ed with adhd for the past 2 years adn I work at the before and after school program at our school. Sometimes it gets a bit hard working for the district that has my kids, other times it's a blessing, since I am in the "know".  Can I ask how old your son is? I know that mine has grown out of alot of his immaturaty, as he is a July Baby and just wasn't quite up to par with his class mates last year in 1st grade, but hte teacher he had was WONDERFUL. His teacher this year, whom I had in second grade :ois very good as well, but it just isn't clicking yet. Anyhow, back to you. As you know with being special ed, there are lots of things that kids do that can effect behaviors. My first thing that I personally recommend is the Feingold Program www.feingold.org. It is an elimination diet that I swear by. It has taken Mikey from an absolute disaster to just hyper. It eliminates artifical colors, artificial flavors and preservatives from the diet, and it might seem daunting at first, but it is well worth the effort. You can go to the natural alternatives section and see what this has done for some families. And while I can't recommend medication, due to lack of knowledge pertaining to them, there are some medications out there that I know have been the saving grace for some parents. There is also a medication section on the forums too, just pop on own and see. Above all, I think that you should go with your heart and KNOW that you are not alone in this. We are here for you if you have any questions, don't be shy, I have asked the dumb questions, so there isn't any more to ask. Welcome again. Kaiti |
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Dec 1, 2004 6:11:40 GMT -5
Hi cwoods and welcome.....Has your son been dx? As Kaiti said there are alt. methods that work well with a diet.For us we went the med route. Your son sounds just like my grandson who was dx in 1st grade.Something about those 6 year old boys When we decided to go with meds it broke my heart because I had heard so many "horror" stories.I absolutely believed his teacher because I worked at the school and observed him myself. It is such a personal and hard decision for some of us to admit our child might have to take meds....but I am telling you once he started them I never looked back. Paul(my grandson...whom we are raising) is 16 now and is med free and doing well  Good luck in whatever you decide. |
|
|
|
Post by Amsmom on Dec 1, 2004 6:27:16 GMT -5
hi cwoods, welcome to our forum family. we are so glad you are here! we have all been through what you are going through with your ds. it's great that you are a special ed teacher, the knowledge that you have gives him a head start. is your ds in the regular school program? my ds is in a small group setting (in public school), with 9 classmates and 2 teachers. there is no way he could be in a large group setting with his focusing difficulties. it has been wonderful for him. i have chosen the med route, it was not an easy decision, but i can see what a difference it makes in his life. usually after you get the dx, the dr will suggest a med if you decide to go with meds. sometimes you get lucky and the first one brings good results. many times you may need to go the trial and error route to find the right med. it can be frustrating, but worth it when you find the right med and see the results. many parents have had great success with the natural or diet methods. browse around our site and read the different experiences. best of luck to you and keep us posted.
|
|
|
|
Post by brookesmom on Dec 1, 2004 7:58:49 GMT -5
Welcome cwoods!
It is a very difficult decision as a parent to medicate your child. I agonized over it all summer long but knew in my heart that I had to give it a try. It has made a huge difference for my dd. She is focusing better in school, she is expressing her emotions more appropriately and homework battles have decreased.
There are serious side effects to consider, currently my daughter is not eating well and has lost weight. But I have to weigh the good with the bad and right now for us medication is the better choice. Fortunately with a special ed background you have a better understanding of what your child is facing but as parent it is a whole new game. Lots of support here......keep reading and keep your questions coming. Good luck and keep us posted.
Chris
|
|
|
|
Post by finnmom on Dec 1, 2004 9:34:03 GMT -5
Hi Cwood´s and welcome to our online family  Linda already asked if your ds is dxéd already or are you still thinking about it? This is really hard situation for parent, it take´s a time to adjust to the fact that your child is somehow special... but in time being it does get easier, when a parent realize´s that a dx does not change the child but give´s some answers to his(her´s behaviour and help´s to help the hole family life My ds got his dx y2002, is now 9y old and on 3rd. We started with OT and class- adjustment´s but started med´s at the beginning of y 2004, he´s on concerta 18mg on school day´s only.... I have to say that it was right for us, may not be right for all. You should surf through our alternative section, there is some good info of other possibilities. Welcome again, I hope you`ll find yourself at home in here! |
|
|
|
Post by kppy3 on Dec 1, 2004 20:52:22 GMT -5
hi cwoods,
i too am a special ed teacher and have a child with adhd. tough, isn't it? so hard to watch him struggle, sad too.
we tried the stim meds for a short time then turned to alternative treatments. my son takes omegas in the form of fish oil and magnesium.
prior to this, we started working with a homeopath- end of april. my son is no longer hyperactive, has no difficulty staying tuned in, and is surpassing all my hopes academically. his self-esteem has returned and he is a very different little boy compared to this time last year.
if you're going to explore alternatives, i would highly recommend homeopathy. in fact, i would check it out before the stim. meds. don't be afraid of it, as many are, it's just another way of looking at problems/illnesses.
good luck in whatever you choose.
kppy
|
|
|
|
Post by catseye on Dec 2, 2004 13:02:58 GMT -5
And welcome aboard! You have received great advice so far... We chose the medication route, although I DO wish we had researched it and at least tried the alternatives (as kppy suggested) of omega 3's and fish oils first... But since we jumped right on the medication thing (we just wanted her to do well in school), we are happy with the improvements we see in my sd... For us the decision to do something was strictly based on her educational performance, which was way below standard... My husband and I really didnt have much experience with children, so we didnt know there was anything wrong persay with sd... We just thought she was a "pill or a pistol"... LOL In my sd's choice we had to avoid the medication ritalin, since sd had seizures before, the dr told us that ritalin CAN (not always) cause seizures in kids who are prone to them... We first tried concerta, but the 18mg wasnt enough and the 27 mg (I think it was 27) made sd obsessive.. Then we tried adderall, again not enough... Finally we have found adderall xr 30mg to help sd the best at this point... She is 9 years old, and maybe 45lbs... Our medication trials and error's took nearly a year, sd during that time lost a bunch of education (since she couldnt concentrate at all), and we wound up holding her back... So one thing is to know it isnt just a one pill cure, it can take months to find the right one for you child... IF we had to do it over again, and alternatives didnt work I wish we had started the medication trials during the summer... Even before kindergarten would of been great, but for that to happen we would of had to of been dr's or psychics... LOL Good luck whatever you choose! It is a tough choice... cat
|
|
|
|
Post by jdmom on Dec 2, 2004 17:08:16 GMT -5
Welcome aboard! Hope to see you around some more. You've found a great place! How to treat your child is a very personal decision and one that we have all agonized and obsessed over. It is so NOT fun. Basically it just boils down to medication or what I refer to as "the natural route". Both of these choices have to go hand in hand with behavior modification in order for either of them to be effective. You can go through and read the posts - you'll find people who will tell you they tried meds and instantly loved them, they tried meds and instantly hated them, they went natural and and it worked wonders, or it didn't. It all comes down to what YOU feel comfortable with. Both our medication and natural alternative sections have a wealth of knowledge buried in them. When you have time, browse through them. I chose the medication route for my DS7. After I swore "I would never drug my child to make him behave!" LOL He is on 36 mgs of Concerta and is doing well, though I do have to keep an eye on his weight. The most important thing is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Thinking back, I realize how little I really knew about ADD/ADHD when we first started this whole process. And be sure that the information you study only comes from accredited sources. There's a lot of garbage floating around out there. Good luck and remember we are here for support if you need it! We've all had our meltdowns during this process and it's nice to know that there is a place that you can turn to where people understand and don't judge. Hopefully, I'll see you around!
|
|
|
|
Post by Sorka on Dec 3, 2004 8:53:05 GMT -5
I think that the most important thing that has been said to you is that pills are not the magic answer and that it could take a long time to figure out what medication, and if a medication will help.
So you really need to bone up on your adhd stratagies, and work on that self regulation, see if there are any sensory integration issues or ideas that can help.
I know there is a lot of pressure on you because you are after all a special ed teacher at the school! You need to do your best to keep this seperate, but use the things you have learned to your atvantage, and as well .. in the future you should have a unique atvantage when working with parents of other children who are having difficulties.
Medications are a very individual thing each person reacts differently so when and if you decide to go that route.. we can sure give you some advice on avoiding side effects and the like..
Welcome!!
Denise
|
|
|
|
Post by tchrmom on Jan 5, 2005 3:07:21 GMT -5
Let me start with a big thank you to all for the amazing support provided in the replies. I have been so busy and was finally able to sit down and read. I was actually kind of overwhelmed and very touched by the response. My son was diagnosed right before Christmas. We waited to start the meds until after Christmas. The doctor prescribed Ritalin LA 10 mg. I haven't noticed a big difference with his hyperactivity and attentiveness but he hasn't been back to school since we started the meds. I have noticed that when he takes the Ritalin that he is over-sensitive, emotionally, about 5 hours after taking it. He seems more worried about things and is easier upset. I'm going to wait and see if this sensitivity decreases with time and give the meds a chance while he's actually at school. Anyone have experience with this Ritalin LA? |
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Jan 5, 2005 7:15:42 GMT -5
I don't know much about RitalinLA but when Paul was on regular ritalin and it was wearing off he was very emotional....not always but enough  We switched to concerta and we didn't have that type of problem anymore |
|
|
|
Post by rosyred45 on Jan 5, 2005 9:30:25 GMT -5
Thinking about it, when I have seen some of the kids get emotional, it has been when the med is wearing off, but I don't want to say for certain. I know that when Mikey has his heart set on something he gets very emotional about it, but that happens all the time :-/He is just a very emotional kid. Glad to see you got a chance to read it all, it does seem over whelming at first, but I just look at the bright side, or at least try to.  |
|
|
|
Post by finnmom on Jan 5, 2005 10:12:09 GMT -5
again! My son ís taking also Ritalin(regular) 5mg at afternoon´s in schoolday´s(that was added since I last posted) expecially in the start I saw emotional burst´s, but those have got better during time. I´ve read a lot of emotionallity´s with ritalin in here too, so I think it´s quite common with it. you night want to get it some time and see if it get´s any better. Good luck!!
|
|
|
|
Post by mom2tj on Jan 5, 2005 10:19:38 GMT -5
defintely emotional when it wears off, yes.... Ds is on Concerta doing well , in my opnion at least for us concerta seems to wear off slower we dont notice it wearing off....needs to be on it 7 days a week because of emotional outbusts on weekends he just cant handle the on and off routine....
|
|
