Parents with kids who have ADHD

1. 60

   chaunatyeposted 13 years ago

   I have a 10 year old with severe ADHD, he is on meds but oh my goodness the attitude that the kid has...Just wondering what some of the other parents do to discipline their kids with this disease, since it's so challenging knowing that they can't always help their behavior.

   replyreport
   1. 82

      Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      my son's psychiartrist suggested I get this book by Russell Barkley: 
      Taking Charge of ADHD  It's an extremely helpful book!

      replyreport
   2. 63

      Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Not sure if meds are the answer. Changing a parenting style more likely is. But then it really depends on the extent of course...

      replyreport
      1. 60

         chaunatyeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I wasn't sure if meds were the answer either for a very long time, I went back and forth about it, but I want my kid to have all of the best opportunities that he deserves, and I felt that not medicating him was doing more harm than good.

         replyreport
   3. 59

      readytoescapeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Try this hub, it might give you a bit of insight and assistance when dealing with your child. Each Kid will react differently. medication types and dosages matter to you and your child
      
      
      http://hubpages.com/hub/ADHDGettingYourChildInvolved

      replyreport
2. 60

   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   Some say ADHD is cause by factory food, which means foods with chemicals in it, without making any assumptions here.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      chaunatyeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have heard that, although I personally haven't researched it.

      replyreport
3. 0

   ryankettposted 13 years ago

   I am skeptical as to whether ADHD actually exists. I can tell you that I am 26 and just 11 years ago at High School I don't recall anybody with ADHD.
   
   Now they are saying that 20% of kids in some areas have ADHD. Do they? Or do they just need a good old fashioned boot up their backside?
   
   Why, in the past 11 years, has ADHD emmerged? I don't think it has. If my child was diagnosed with ADHD I would refuse the meds, I am not going to be pumping my own child full of a drug known in schools as "kiddy coke" on the basis that they have a condition which a large proportion of medical professionals firmly believe does not exist.
   
   No offence intended, just my personal opinion.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      chaunatyeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No offense taken, but if my kid had any effects such as what you infer with the term "kiddy coke" he would immediatly be taken off. Do yourself a favor, babysit a kid with ADHD for a couple days, not medicated, then re-respond. As far as the sudden onset of ADHD, I am 29 and also don't recall any of my freinds from school having the disease, but I also remember a lot of kids that failed to sit still, listen to teachers, or excel in school. Look at it this way....Aids didn't exsist in 1979....

      replyreport
      1. 0

         ryankettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I didn't "infer" the term 'kiddy coke', it is widely used in the UK. It was a phrase coined by the UK national media.
         
         When Ritalin, or however you spell it, is used by those who do not have symptoms of ADHD, it makes them high.
         
         The result is kids with ADHD selling their tablets for 50p-£1 each to kids who don't have ADHD.
         
         If you need any further evidence of this, in order to absolve me from any blame that you apportion me (despite apparently not taking offense), then feel free to peruse this article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_a … 884809.ece
         
         Ritalin is of course an amphetamine.
         
         I don't need to experience looking after a kid with ADHD, I know plenty, but I still don't envisage pumping them full of amphetamine is solving the problem.
         
         Have you ever taken amphetamine? How do you think that would change you as a person if you were taking them at age 11 or whatever?
         
         Do they know what problems these amphetamines are causing them in the longer term? Where will they be physically and mentally at 35 years old?
         
         Have you tried some of the natural remedies on the market? Some people swear by them. Personally I would try every natural or herbal remedy prior to effectively giving a 9 year old speed.

         replyreport
         1. 82

            Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            @Ryankett - here in the US (or maybe only in the city where I live?) the school requires a medical release signed by the prescribing doctor then, and only then can the meds be administered by the school nurse.  The child never has access to their own medications!!  ....Except, of course, at home if the parents are too lenient.
            
            You should also understand that when an ADHD child takes Ritalin the effect of the medicine is opposite than it is for someone without ADHD.

            replyreport
         2. 80

            Wesman Todd Shawposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Hey Ryan, I'm not a parent; but most people know that I am an amphetamine addict.  I'm certain that ritalin can be helpful to persons with a legitimate reason for taking it
            
            You mentioned "solving the problem," and that you didn't think that Ritlan was a solution.  I can't argue that, but I'm not certain that there is a solution to that problem.
            
            I can also tell you with absolute certainty that Ritlin is VERY MILD when compared to scripts such as Vyvanse, or Aderall (sic?).

            replyreport
         3. 73

            Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            That was and is the medical thinking in New Zealand too Ryan.
            Generally the medical side will try and work holistically for any child showing classic signs of ADHD.
            
            However it is not assumed to be a mental disorder,if lil johnny wants to be superman every other day either.
            
            Of course the drug companies do offer freebies ie samples for almost anyone, these days, and its a shame the kids are like guinea pigs in many instances.
            
            I dont mean to offend any parents with ADH kids or indeed any adult with ADH symtoms (thats sposed to be on the rise too).
            
            I know we all want the best for our kids-in the end.
            
            I was expressing my experience is all.
            
            Come to think of it many disorders didnt exist years ago.
            
            I think the drug companies have had quite a field day there.

            replyreport
   2. 82

      Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting idea, that ADHD didn't exist years ago, or that it doesn't exist now. 
      
      I remember a boy that I went to school with who displayed classic ADHD behavior, and his sister even told me "He's hyper." (hyper was the term for it then)  I also remember seeing a movie called "A Circle of Friends" which was about a camp for 'special needs' kids - as it turned out, all the kids were on the Autism Spectrum and some of them were Hyper.  This was sometime between 1975-1980. 
      
      These health problems aren't a "sudden onset" but a Recent Understanding That Is, as yet, Incomplete.

      replyreport
4. 68

   Joy56posted 13 years ago

   i think these things have always existed but now they are given a name.....
   
   I have been watching Super Nanny, and the attitude of some children even on waking up in the morning at the tender age of three, is not what you could call normal.  Far too difficult for parents to try to deal with without help and insight.
   
   It's unfair to say there is no such thing, parents do have a difficult time.  My grandson has severe autism, he is 7 and does not talk yet.....  On the autism sprectrum there are varying degrees....
   
   There were always disruptive kids around and maybe it was not always there or there parents fault, maybe they just needed help and understanding....

   replyreport
   1. 82

      Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      OMG!!  I watched Super Nanny every week for awhile, but really?  I can't believe there are that many parents out there that can't control a 3-year-old child throwing a temper tantrum!  Swearing?  At the age of 3??  C'mon!  My difficult and so-often-out-of-control son didn't start swearing until he was 13-14, even though there are times I can swear worse than a trucker!  (yeah...another secret!  lol  my potty-mouth goes in cycles  )
      
      I will agree that many parents aren't sure how to be parents, but Super Nanny takes the problems to an extreme in order to show the benefits of proper parenting skills.

      replyreport
   2. 60

      chaunatyeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, and Supernanny has been such a huge help for me
      I have been going to group counseling with my son to talk with other parents and share stories about how we deal, it really is helpful

      replyreport
      1. 82

         Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         did you see my post above, about the book?  it has excellent techniques for managing ADHD behavior.

         replyreport
5. 73

   Eaglekiwiposted 13 years ago

   I worked with many ADHS ,mainly at the pre-school level, and 10 yrs ago they were very relucant to prescribe medication (usually Retalin) as it slowed social development ,needed for primary/elementary etc.
   Honestly at teacher/parent meeting it was generaly evident that at one of the parents exhibited hyperative tendancies,which left many of us to see first hand that many behaviours were being learned.
   
   Personally it was quite sad to see small children dosed up on drugs that slowed their emotions. Sure they conformed ,but the light had become dim.
   
   I prefered the childish spirit.

   replyreport
   1. 82

      Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I find your experience very interesting.  2 years ago I learned my son has Asperger's syndrome, but has been treated for ADHD since he was 4.  Ritalin was a godsend as it kept my son from a second jump off the top of the fridge (the first jump was a short time before beginning the meds) and calmed his emotions enough that he could communicate with words rather than never-ending screams and objects flying around the house - of course, this was only the case when he was ON his meds! 
      
      Ritalin may have slowed his emotions, but it was a temporary problem as by the age of 8 my son was the class clown of his second grade class!  He enjoyed standing in the lunch line, poking his navel with a finger that he then put into his mouth and said "Yum!" 
      
      At the age of 13 he came running out of the bathroom screaming at the top of his lungs before informing me that "The toilet is talking to me!"  (took me awhile to realize he was kidding....)
      
      The next year he flooded the bathtub - there was an inch of water on the floor leaking out of the bathroom under the door AND through the floor to the basement.  (of course, he wasn't on Ritalin anymore, then, he was on Wellbutrin instead)  He said he wanted to know what it was like to live through a flood....
      
      I understand ADHD is over-diagnosed, but it seriously is Real.

      replyreport
   2. 60

      chaunatyeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      There are so many different drugs out there, and doctors tend to precribe the newest form of medication so that they will get their bonus. With that being said, it's up to the parent to decide whether or not the medicine is good for the child. I will admit that I know some parents who put their kids on meds simply because they were too busy to by parents, and that is a shame, but for those of us who are genuinly concerned for our kids, finding the best medicine for our kids is our goal.

      replyreport
6. 60

   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   "ADHD Diagnosis is Making Drug Companies Billions"..."It is felt by many doctors such as Fred A. Baughman Jr., M.D., a neurologist and lecturer with 35 years of experience, that the ADHD diagnosis has been created to bolster drug sales.".
   "Honestly at teacher/parent meeting it was generaly evident that at one of the parents exhibited hyperative tendancies,which left many of us to see first hand that many behaviours were being learned.". Good one hadn't heard that one before.

   replyreport
7. 60

   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   By coincidence just ran across this:
   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gre … &tsp=1

   replyreport
8. 60

   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   "I didn't "infer" the term 'kiddy coke',". Go ahead and infer it. Never heard it before. I do thank for you for now I have. If that's what they call it that is what it probably is for many if not most. Who would know better?

   replyreport