AMEN SISTA!!! I am the first to say DO NOT JUST MEDICATE...try other things first. But, I believe that if 5 years of diet, discipline, etc. are not helping and your child is getting worse with the depression, rage, anxiety and mania...well, there's a time and a place for all things.
It just PEEVES me off that the first thing some doctors say is "medicate". You're right, I'd venture to say about 50% of the ADD/ADHD's that are on medication do NOT need it.
. I saw what he was doing and told him where the cleaning supplies were so he could clean the tub when he was finished. He was shocked that it was expected of him, because "Mom always did it".
I have the same issue with my ex husband...he is just a *babysitter* and he tends to react, rather than act...and by the time he's ready to react, he OVER reacts....when the whole situation could have been headed off by a *little bit* of involved parenting.
When I pointed out that daughter wasn't paying attention because she already knew what was being taught, teacher responded that meds would make her easier to handle.
Was JUST having this conversation with my friend over the weekend. I have a *theory* and say what you want...but when these damn educators started moving the date of school entry from age 5 by Dec 1 to age 5 by Aug 1 (or Sep 1 depending on area) I believe the incidents of ADD/ADHD shot through the roof!!!! You have sooooooooooooooooo many kids now in schools that had to wait a FULL year to join in...and by that time everything is behind where they are. My daughter is an Oct 2, she was very bright at home and had to wait, she started doing bad in school around 1st grade and I couldn't understand it. I think they need to rethink that policy. I'd like to see a study on the correlation between late entry and add/adhd/learning problems. I'd bet it's higher on those kids with late b-days. They need to go middle of the road on that...if the b-day is after a certain date, but before say the end of the calendar year (12/31) then they should do tests and see and it should be on a per kid basis, not a general stereotype!
I’ll go back to lurking now.
Oh please don't!!! You have some great input!!! The whole purpose here is different things work for different people and I think we can help each other with resources, ideas, etc. that can for some, decrease the needs for meds or get rid of it altogether.
Here's something for your son to find humor in:
