Where Do You Start When Your Child Is First Diagnosed???

Where do you start when your child is first diagnosed???

Danielle - posted on 06/28/2011 ( 1 mom has responded )

My son was just diagnosed with adhd and I know lil about how to go about treating it. My dr said since he is only 5 the only treatment is medication, which i really do not want to do. He will be starting kindergarten in August and his preschool teachers told me he will not pass without medication!! PLease someone help guide me in the right direction!!!!

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Donna - posted on 06/29/2011

Hi Danielle, My son has ADD - he is now 13 and was diagnosed in the 4th grade. If you are writing from the USA, according to Federal Law, teachers may NOT make any comment whatsoever on whether the child takes medication or not. They are not qualified to make that decision. Even if a psychiatrist recommends medication, the decision is strictly up to the parents. However, teachers WILL pressure the parents to put the kid on medication - because it makes their life easier. I would recommend that you read up on the law - see www.wrightslaw.com/. Read up on ADHD - the more you know, the better. Read up on Behavior modification. The sooner you understand what you're dealing with, the sooner you can start a structured, reasoned, behavior plan that fits your family. Behavior modification DOES work with ADHD; however it takes an incredible amount of work and effort on the parents' part - and a lot depends on your child too - each child is different. Medication has its pros and cons. The right medication can make a world of difference and make everyone's life better: the familys, the schools, and the child - who, on the right medication, and the right dose will not get into as much trouble, do better in school, get along better with friends, and be happier overall. However, finding the right medication and the right dose is an experiment of trial and error - an experiment on your child. Very hard for a parent to do. And then there are always side-effects: difficulty sleeping, headaches, stomachaches, slowed growth, development of other things (anxiety, tics, etc). Since every child is different, not every child gets every side effect. And then the medication stops working and you have to switch to another and go thru the whole thing all over again. My son was on ritalin for 4 years, and he did well on it. Now he is not on medication, and he is a teenager, and we are having a struggle --- but we beleive that he is making progress and we (my husband and I) are willing to go that extra 100 miles for him. Good Luck and don't panic.....learn as much as you can....and trust YOUR intuition - you know your son better than anyone - so don't let anyone !!! even the PHDs push you around.