ADHD

My son has just been diognosed with ADHD and they will be medicating him, he will be six in november. We have noticed problems with Josh since he was about nine months old.We are glad that after all the appointments and assesments we finally know what we are dealing with but I am afraid of the uphill struggle from now, getting DLA and him statmented for educational support, can anyone help us, tell us your story or give us advice if you have been through the same thing.I worry about how people will look at us as a family now, the media has such a bad view of ADHD especially children being medicated for it, are we doing the right thing,I am sure his teacher does not believe there is such a disorder we feel so small when talking to her.I just want to give Josh the best I can but I feel it simply isnt good enough sometimes and I am making alot of poor decisions where this is all involved. hope someone understands where we are coming from.xx kel

hi not sure i can help that much, my nephew his is 10 had ADHD plus lots of other thing, his teacher was the same as your son's which make it very hard to get statemented they keep saying he was fine but he has a reading age of 4 and he is 10 in the end my SIL has put him in a new school who are realy understanding and are realy pushing for a statement

don't ever give up keep on at the school if you have to move schools you know your little boy better than them don't let them fob you off

i hope he gets the help he needs soon

Carla xxx

my friends son has adhd and she joined adders , they have a really good site and forum -adders.org I think it is. It is based in kent but people from all over the uk post on the support forums.

personally i dont know that much about ADHD - but i take Ethan playgroup evey tuesday and there is a little girl there with it - she is 4 but has the mental age of someone around Ethans age. she is a lovely little girl, although now and then she screams (and i mean like shes being attacked) for no reason - i dont know if she knows shes doing it or its something ADHD sufferers do. she also likes to throw things - big hard things!! but she is a sweetheart. its just knowing how to deal with it. we live in a world of some very nasty and judgemental people - dont let what people think get to you - i suppose people acting they way they do around your child is there way of saying they dont understand - it doesnt take much for somebody to ask you about it.

at the end of the day hun you know what is best for josh - and so do the doctors - these drugs and whatnot wouldnt be available otherwise.no matter what your decision - im sure you choose the right one - dont let anyone but you decide what happens

Hi

The one thing I can add about statementing is that it is nothing to do with the school, and is instead the responsibility of the LEA or maybe even the health authority.
There was a possibility that my son would be statemented due to a visual impairment and somebody from outside of the school was involved and made that decision. The decision was reached by her viewing my son at school, some tests and talking to my sons teachers.
Try this site as it talks about what you need to do, and how to get help.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslear...lNeeds/DG_4000835

hopefully this will be helpful

my eldest son has adhd, he was not diagnosed until the age of 11..basically he survived junior sch as his intelligence carried him through, although we were constently battling with him, teachers and so on about numourous issues..they thought he was naughty, disruptive, had family problems..all sorts. we started seeking help when he was about 4, thinking it was food intolerence..

however he is now 14, we have to pay for his school as he could not cope at all in a state mainstream school , and the teachers just didn't understand..
but..every single penny is worth it..he is lovely, bright, funny, imaginative as well as being a total pain ( eg constantly walks in the room and farts, or walks in and says "mum to which i say "yes" and he replies.."smells" which has the little one in fits of giggles and can really be annoying..but overall we can really enjoy the wonderful personality that is thanks to adhd. and in no way at all dulled by medication...he still takes 54 mg a day and he is nearly 6 ft tall.

xxxxx

54mg of what. My nephew has medication issues due to other illnesses but he is trying out new medications. I was wondering which ones you have tried and which work in your opinion.

My heartgoes out to you. I know just what you are going through because I also have a son with ADHD.

The first thing you need to do is get rid of the guilt. ADD/ADHD is not anybody's fault, least of all yours. And yes, it does exist. ADD/ADHD is not an excuse for bad behavior or poor academic performance. It is a biologically based brain disorder that really exists.

Perhaps if it's possible you should get your child to switch schools so that he can be in a more supportive environment. Both the school and the home need to work together so that your child can make maximum progress.

Don't only medicate your child and leave it at that. There are so many small and simple changes that you can make that will make a remarkable improvements in your son.

Sign up for the free report offered in my sig. file for some useful strategies you can implement right away.