Hello, I’m new to the forum. I have been reading a lot of posting in reference to ADHD. Let me start by saying I have a son 10 who was diagnosed with adhd when he was 7. Since then we have been examined and re-examined by psychologists, psychiatrists, behavioral pediatricians, behavioral therapists and occupational therapists. My son has taken Concerta, Adderal, Tenex as well as Strattera. The Strattera make him violent and aggressive with only 20mgs during a 3 week process. With these medications, my son has had extreme tics and stuttering. This school year he started on 36mgs of concerta and it was eventually increased to 54, the tics were unbearable and he would attempt to say something and he would get completely stuck. It’s been a long 3.5 years and the teachers have only reported that improvements still needed to be made. My son is a good kid, he wants to please and he tries hard, even though he does not pay attention he is a A-B student. Recently we went to a private psychologist for a battery of neurological and physiological assessment, this doctor is wonderful, after calling her out of the blue on a Friday during our Strattera episodes she has been very supportive. The doctor has gone to meetings with us and just this week the school agreed to let my son have a IEP. Finally the school is going to do something other then tell me to medicate my son. If the medication had worked for him without causing all these side effects that would have been fine. We now have my son down to 18 mgs. of concerta and his tic have actually stopped for the first time, his speech if fluent. My son is seeing the new psychologist and receiving counseling on a weekly basis. The counselor has agreed to work with the school next year so the school can use the same techniques as the counselor in school. My dilemma is next year should I medicate or not. He will be off the meds all summer, he has never had a break from meds. I am soooo afraid to medicate him and cause these side effects any longer. It impacts his already strained social interactions. Has anyone had this kind of experience?

I'm not a mom, I'm a teacher. And I'm glad to hear that the counselor will actually be working with the school. I would see how that works first. Maybe your boy deserves a chance to prove that he can perform in school without chemical crutches. Do not put him back on drugs unless the counselor determines that the new techniques alone are not enough.

Yes, that is the approach I was leaning towards. Their is one teacher in 5th grade I hope my son gets. She expects a lot from her class. But she is very creative with her lesson plans. How do you feel about asking the school to place him in her class?

After next year he goes to middle school, and I want him to have a positive experience before that.

Have you spoken to the teacher? Ask her if she's dealt with ADD before and if she would work with your son knowing that he is not medicated. Hands on activities are great for ADD kids. These are easier to implement in small groups. Whatever teacher he gets, make sure she knows whether your son starts taking medication or not. Students usually have unusual behaviors when their doses are being adjusted or they are switched to different drugs, and it's easier for the teacher if shes know what to expect.

[This message has been edited by Janik (edited 06-14-2003).]

I will be meeting next Sept. with the IST team, which included his new teacher. I'll be able to discuss it then. As far a communication, I made this years teacher painfully aware of every change prior to implementing them. I also made sure to include all side effects to look for. I don't think she was a ADD friendly teacher, she had no problem telling me what the problems were, she just never had anything nice to say. My son liked her but . . . when he asked her if she did something wrong she said "teachers don't make mistakes". Kind of sums up her attitude. I REALLY tried to work with her.

She has 24 kids in her class and i recently found out in a meeting that she had 14 kids with IEP's. so my son without an IEP was at a disavantage.

I will continue next year with great communication, I just hope to get a teacher who is willing to do the same. My son really needs to hear so positive things. He really wants to please, he wiggles a bit, but has NEVER been defient. Its just been very stressful.

You sound like a very understanding teacher, gotta get one like you : )

Don't be discouraged when teachers have nothing good to say. Kids who don't do so well in normal classroom activities have many other abilities that are never used in a classroom. Traditional testing methods narrow a teacher's perspective even more, but there has to be some standard for testing students.

I hope you get a better teacher next year, and hopefully your son will be able to cope without meds.

Thank you for that. Next year can only be better. My son is not totally of the meds. He has no tics, no stuttering and is eating like a horse. Last night he came to his father and I at 9pm and actually said he was ready to go to bed. Wow! He used to stay up until midnight on the meds, now he is actually tired.

It's good to see him like this, he is still just as hyper, but no more so without the meds. I hope that therapy works better then the meds, therapy has only positive side effects, he enjoys going weekly.