Does your child have ADHD or ADD?
By mikeysmom
@mikeysmom (2088)
United States
December 17, 2008 9:31am CST
my son was just evaluated by the child study team at his school at my request. he was seen by a pediatric neurologist, social worker, school psychologist and an education expert and the result was ADHD. i have my final meeting with them today to determine what help he is entitled to and i have no intention of placing him on any stimulant medications such as ritalin for instance. in fact i am dead set against the medication. i want him to have behaviour modification and educational intervention and i want him to learn organizational and coping skills. i also disagree with the hyperactivity diagnosis and plan on getting a second opinion. he most definitely has issues with focus and getting his work done on time and on task and he is very distractable. he is aware that he has these issues so we are working on them. i beleive in teaching him that the answer to his problems in life do not come from a pill or a medication but from learning how to cope with things and find a way to fix them and/or deal with them. i would love to hear from other parents on this issue.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
17 Dec 08
I have ADD myself, and both my grown sons show signs of it, but none of us has ever taken any medication. As long as your son isn't having problems with uncontrollable disruptive behavior, then there is no reason to put him on medication. It may be more difficult and take longer to work with him on his issues, but he'll be better off than if he's depending on medication. Medication can suppress the symptoms, and that's all they can do. In real life, the symptoms never go away and you have to learn to deal with them and work around them. I think that's an approach that will make your son a more mature and self-aware person, in the long run.
Good luck, and don't let the experts pressure you into doing something that you don't want to do.
@mikeysmom (2088)
• United States
17 Dec 08
thank you so much for this enlightened response. you have given me the words i need to explain why i do not want him on meds. you have really helped me and i appreciate your candor. it goes a long way and i i am glad to know others are not medicating but DEALING with this.
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
31 Dec 08
Hi there.
I've suspected that my son may have ADD for years. I finaly requested that the school test him, about a month ago. It's a long process, so he hasn't been tested yet.
I have researched it quite a bit. It seems to be a pretty touchy subject with a lot of people. People are VERY opinionated about it.
Some think it's just a label and an excuse for kid that misbehave.
Some ARE too quick to resort to medication in my opinion. But that IS a personal choice and in some circumstances it is probably a valid choice.
I would like to avoid using medication, but it would be helpful to know if he does have ADD because it would answer some of my questions about his challenges in school.
