vivalavix wrote:Agreed. When in doubt, it's ADHD.
waitwhat wrote:This.
ADHD is so widely overdiagnosed
Parents: What do you think about ADHD meds & young kids?
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 KiKiKelly22 |
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Posts: 25967 (08/18/2009 7:28 PM) |
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DoesThatSparkle |
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Posts: 4057 (08/18/2009 7:29 PM) |
RandomnessRocks22 wrote:Well, you aren't really the poster child of good parenting, either. |
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 DunderMifflinInc |
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Posts: 12210 (08/18/2009 7:30 PM) Best SN '09
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DoesThatSparkle wrote:STFU seriously. She isn't fucking bothering your ass, leave her be. |
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DoesThatSparkle |
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Posts: 4058 (08/18/2009 7:31 PM) |
DunderMifflinInc wrote:lol woah there nelly. |
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chocolate covered raisins |
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Posts: 30908 (08/18/2009 7:32 PM) Chris Fanatic '03 |
GOD I'm starting to really hate this place. I didn't mind the bitching when I was 15, but now it's just annoying.
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kariya the dog |
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Posts: 9104 (08/18/2009 7:36 PM) |
I don't see much of a problem is the child is diagnosed properly and medicated properly. However, there are many times that the doctor nor the parent cares
and just medicates the kid up to shut up him/her up and quiet him/her down.
I know someone whose grandson is so messed up from meds. He was put on all that as a kid and now he's 21 and has the mentality of like a 12 year old. He will never have common sense for anything, he will never be knowledgeable of most things that people his age should be, he will never drive, he will never have a girlfriend, he will be dependent on someone his whole life. Don't get me wrong, he does function and he doesn't act like a normal "retarded" person but he functions like a child. And this is all because his parents didn't care to deal with him growing up and the doctor obviously didn't care either. |
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Dr Sykosis |
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Posts: 43170 (08/18/2009 7:37 PM) JJB Therapist '04
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I think 4/5 is a bit young to be thinking about meds. Much overactivity is developmental, and as the child ages, it might slow. Even if your child is ADHD, I
would seriously recommend trying to teach behavior management strategies and self-monitoring skills starting around kindergarten/first grade, before you go to
meds.
As a teacher, I am the first to say that some kids NEED medication. I had a student for the last two years who was absolutely bouncing off the walls, bothering the other kids, unable to sit in his seat, unable to keep from blurting out.. Not only was he not able to learn, the other kids weren't able to focus, and much of my time was spent trying to keep him under control. He was failing every subject, never turning in homework. Mom tried medication, and he finished out the year with all As and Bs, started doing all of his homework, and paying attention in class. Do all kids who are medicated need it? No, and I'm the first as a teacher to tell parents if they doubt the meds, try it without. I teach all of my students self-monitoring strategies to help them be successful without meds. But if your child genuinely NEEDS the meds as he gets older, PLEASE don't dismiss it as "bad parenting" if you put your child on meds. To illustrate that point, I had a student whose mother flat-out refused to put him on meds. He needed it desperately. He had an IQ over 140 and when I was one-on-one with him in a testing situation, he read on a grade level that was four levels above his own. And yet, because he wasn't on meds, he could not control his behavior. He couldn't pay attention to learn, he couldn't rationalize behaviors, he couldn't do anything. Last I heard, he was being placed in a self-contained EBD class for chronic, dangerous misbehaviors. He was smart enough to ace all of his classes, smart enough to have whatever future he wanted, but that choice was out of his hands when he was refused the medication to help him. THAT is bad parenting. |
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Dr Sykosis |
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Posts: 43171 (08/18/2009 7:38 PM) JJB Therapist '04
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Sorry about writing a freakin' novel!
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gravis911 |
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Posts: 13633 (08/18/2009 7:39 PM) |
Your need to wait until your son goes to school and see how he does. They aren't going to classify him as ADHD any time soon.
I think different things work for different kids but for some children medication is the ONLY thing that works and their lived are awful without it. |
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smurfgirl06 |
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Posts: 1683 (08/18/2009 7:47 PM) |
Dr Sykosis wrote: I agree! As a teacher, I see both ends of the spectrum. There are some kids who truly need to be on medication. They actually have ADHD, and the medication is necessary for them to concentrate in school. For those kids, it's bad parenting not to put them on medication. The medication helps calm them enough to concentrate in school, but does not make them "zone out." However, many more kids are not ADHD, and are put on medications because their parents, doctors, or teachers think they are a little hyperactive. You can usually tell these kids because they are zoned out. For these kids, it's bad parenting to have them on the medication. |
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gravis911 |
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Posts: 13634 (08/18/2009 7:53 PM) |
Do the people who think it's overdiagnosed know what goes into classification? Do you know the time period the symptoms have to be displayed for? Do you
know how long it takes to classify?
I'm sure there is more dianosis than necessary, like with an medical condition. But just becuase there are more cases of ADHD now doesn't mean that they're just slapping the title on everyone. They're learning more about it. Heck, Aspergers wasn't even recognized until the mid 80s. Does that mean it's ocerdiagnosed because more people have it now than when we were kids? No. |
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forever121young |
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Posts: 11672 (08/18/2009 8:02 PM) |
I'm not a parent but BEHAVIORAL THERAPY before and while on ADHD meds. It's the only way.
It sounds like your son is acting out because he's not the center of attention anymore. Has he ever been in daycare/ interacted with other children (not family) on a regular basis? Also, do NOT let the teacher pressure you into getting him on meds. Only you can make that decision. But definitely take him to behavioral therapy so he can learn to modify his behavior on the day to day. |
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Dr Sykosis |
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Posts: 43176 (08/18/2009 8:03 PM) JJB Therapist '04
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There's a whole process that goes into it. Kids have to show a series of behaviors that are either inattentive or hyperactive for a period of six months
that have been maladaptive. It's entirely possible a lot of kids are exhibiting these behaviors. It's things like failing to pay close attention to
details, making careless errors, has difficulty organizing, loses things, reluctant to engage in tasks that require long-term attention.... Yes, they are all
signs of inattention.
However, many of these behaviors are also nothing more than normal child behavior. Few children have the sit-quietly-pay-attention-during-a-boring-class mentality in school. Displaying these symptoms is not immediately ADHD - it could be hormones, a child's age, a child's personality.... It's because of THAT that I think it's overdiagnosed, not because I think doctors are just getting kicks off increasing the numbers. Also, children live in a digital age. Video games, action movies.... There's been research on the fact that the media kids have most exposure to (movies, video games, computer games, TV shows) has stimuli that comes much more rapidly than in the past. The brain has adapted by more rapidly processing information. But we still don't know if the cost of that more rapid processing is a less thorough comprehension of what was processed. The rapid processing also means that kids focus on stimuli, especially in a classroom. An air conditioner whirs on, and because kids' brains process that so quickly, their attention shoots to it right away. Thanks to video and computer games, more children than ever tend to be more visually abled with learning, and yet most classrooms tend to be much more auditory focused. So the kids aren't always being hit with their strengths, so of course they lose focus. That isn't ADHD at all - it's environmental impacts. So yeah, a really long way of saying that while I do think it is overdiagnosed, I think it's because the quote-unquote "normal" child is becoming more and more like an ADHD child. I don't know if that made any sense.
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Dr Sykosis |
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Posts: 43177 (08/18/2009 8:05 PM) JJB Therapist '04
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At least in the state of Georgia, it's illegal to tell a parent whether to medicate or no. I don't know of any teachers that would actually put forth
that opinion in front of a parent, much less pressure a parent into medicating their child!
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Spamster |
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Posts: 4270 (08/18/2009 8:11 PM) |
I think sometimes there are physical things that cause ADHD but I also think if parents would set boundaries and discipline their kids more this crap
wouldn't be going on like it is.
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smurfgirl06 |
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Posts: 1685 (08/18/2009 8:20 PM) |
Dr Sykosis wrote:I think it's illegal in most states, because a teacher is not a doctor. I know I can suggest testing, but I can't suggest medication. Only the school psychologist can do that. I can discuss it if the parent brings it up first, but even then, I'm not comfortable talking about it. I usually refer them to the guidance counselor or the school psychologist, who knows more about the effects of the medications than I do. |
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SilentM |
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Posts: 2570 (08/18/2009 8:30 PM) |
As a teacher, I would wait to see how he does in school and then take him to the doctor if she says she's tried everything she can think of to try to curb
his misbehavior. If he's bouncing off the walls he's not going to be able to learn anything.
Your son's behavior sounds like how my little brother was when he was younger and he was diagnosed as adhd in the 3rd grade. He is 22 now and hasn't been on the medicine since the 8th grade (his choice) and has calmed down a lot. |
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rokhas1yummybumbum |
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Posts: 14552 (08/18/2009 8:48 PM) |
Spamster wrote: Pretty much. A lot cases are just poor nutrition and lack of boundaries and self control. |
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shalom yall |
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Posts: 6353 (08/18/2009 8:56 PM) |
RandomnessRocks22 wrote:I agree. I wasn't diagnosed until high school, so I don't know what it would have been like had I been on medication at such a young age, but I definitely would suggest waiting and seeing how he is in school before testing and/or medicating. |
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emilyanne58 |
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Posts: 3412 (08/18/2009 9:18 PM) |
I am the mother of a At times, he is up every two to three hours. It was making me go a bit crazy. He has severe severe anxiety and can barely sit still for
anything. I have had him checked out for autism and I have been told no. Is it fair not to medicate a child who can't sleep through the night? Is it fair
not to medicate a child if it interferes with their learning? Is it fair not to medicate a little boy who is seirusly anxious all the time?
As his mom, I say no. He is on medication for anxiety and to help him sleep. Amazingly the medication has still not gotten him to sleep every night but most nights he makes it until at least six am. A really good article on ADHD at various developmental stages http://jamesdauntchandler.tripod.com/ADHD/adhd_part_1.htm#_Toc151458814 |
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