Hi Patnocorps,

In my opinion, it is definitely worth trying medication to see if it helps - I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and I find that medication really helps me to focus on my work. I am also a teacher who works in an inclusion classroom (mix of special ed and non-special ed kids), and I have a lot of students with ADHD. I work with high school kids, not elementary schoolers, but I have seen the difference medication can make. For instance, one of my most hyperactive-impulsive students (and I have a lot of those, so he, as one of the most ADHD students, is a pretty extreme example), who also has some additional learning difficulties, could not sit still and pay attention long enough learn anything. He also tends to get in a lot of trouble for his behavior. Last marking period he started taking medication, and his grades have gone from from a marking period average of about 40% to a C or C-. I also think he has been getting into less trouble during this time. He really notices the difference, too - on several days when I have noticed that he is getting absolutely no work done at all and I have confronted him about it, he has confessed that he forgot to take his medication that morning and was having a lot of trouble concentrating as a result. I know of some other students who are failing simply because they are too spacey to pay attention to anything that is going on in the class, despite the intervention of special education services, and I suspect that their grades would also improve with medication.

For a student of your son's age, it is very important that he is enabled to pay attention at this time of life, as this is the age at which he needs to be developing crucial academic skills such as his reading abilities. As an English teacher and tutor, I have seen how much trouble kids have if they get behind in their reading skills early on: kids who have reading deficits in early elementary school and never get around to "catching up" on these deficits have a hard time all through school because they don't have the skills they need to comprehend the material. It's a lot harder to succeed with poor reading skills when you are in high school and have to wade through works like Shakespeare plays and The Scarlet Letter, not to mention the fact that many high school students' time is so consumed by homework and extracurriculars that they don't have time for the tutoring they need to catch up on their reading and/or math skills.

If there's a chance that taking medication could help him concentrate so that he can be successful in school now, he won't be so likely to end up in the situation that I see so many high school students in: the initial situation of academic deficits is further compounded by the low self esteem and emotional problems that naturally occur after a kid experiences years of academic failure and, as a result, starts to think that he/she is "stupid" and "will never amount to anything." Many kids really come to believe this about themselves to the point that they stop trying in school and therefore turn their faulty beliefs about their abilities into self-fulfilling prophecies. Incidentally, increased attention span as a result of medication may also help him develop those social skills that you say he is lacking.

That is why I think it is worth it for your son to try anything that might help him, including medication, and try it sooner rather than later. If he tries one medication and it doesn't seem to be working, don't give up - I tried Adderall at various doses and it didn't work for me at all, but now I am on Concerta and it is working much better. Just tell the doctor how the medication is working (or not working) and he/she can continue trying different doses and/or medications until you find something that works. You also want to make sure you take him to a psychiatrist who knows a lot about ADHD, rather than to a family practice doctor or pediatrician, who may not be as knowleadgeable about ADHD or about psychotropic medications.

For myself, I am more inattentive than hyperactive, but I find that medication helps me with particular areas that have always caused me academic trouble because of ADHD - for me, this has most notably been careless mistakes on math problems. It also helps me to concentrate enough to get my work done, and helps me not to misplace things all the time.

I hope this info helps. Good luck to your son!