My Support Forums - View Single Post - 8yr old boy ADHD

bipolarmedstudent · May 03, 2012, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nams

For 23 you have some darn good advice. I really do appreciate your help I will give the reward system another try with your ideas in place. Thanks for saying what you did you have no idea how nice it is to hear from someone who doesn't love me. I know it sounds silly but for me I feel like they have to tell me these things because its what you do when you love somebody, make them feel better even if you don't know the right answer.
He has such great things ahead of him (he wants to be an Engineer, he always laughs when I ask him why he wants to drive trains, "not that kind Mom, Duh" lol) I just want whats best for him and knowing that you have ADHD and understand it, helps, as every other well meaning person has an opinion and that's appreciated but if you haven't been there, dealt with it you don't know what the helpful/right answers are....including me, research hasn't really helped other than to explain what it is and other than that I am clueless as to what he needs to help him. I have all kinds of advice and its all different.

Thanks again you really have helped me feel a little less frustrated and a little more understood.

Hugz
Namaste

Plenty of people with ADHD are successful. I've been a straight-A student since high school (when I went on ADHD meds), and now I'm in med school.

I think it's good that you are trying to keep him unmedicated for now, while his brain is still growing. But don't hesitate to medicate him when he is older. I think the start of high school is a good time for most kids with adhd to go on medication, especially if they want to go to university. It's a fine balance between not wanting to overmedicate/unnecessarily medicate, but still wanting to give your child the medication he needs to reach his full potential.

Personally, I went on meds in grade 9, and I think that was the right time for me. The school work was getting more intense, the homework was getting more and more, and I just couldn't manage without meds anymore. When it's the right time for your son, he will know.

But the best thing you can do for him is to work through ADHD workbooks and exercises with him to strengthen his skills in the areas he has deficits (concentration, attention-switching, organization, sequential planning, etc.). His brain is forming millions of new connections every day, and this is the time when you can really 'exercise' his brain and make lasting changes to it. I really recommend you get one of those adhd workbooks from the bookstore and do the exercises with him.