[StarburstOwl26]

How do I deal with this? I mean the kid is only 5 years old and her teachers at Pre-K are already talking medication. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 15 years old but now my 5 year old is being diagnosed with it and I have no idea where to begin to help her. I still struggle with my ADHD from time to time so her diagnosis is a bit overwhelming for me and it's making me feel helpless. I just don't know how to help her without putting her on medication.

[JakeBH9]

Don't force it ever, just let them try and see for themselves. Only then will it ever work out for them, anyway.

[TishaBuv]

The teachers have no right to suggest you medicate your child, yet they all do that. It’s because your daughter is probably too much of a handful and they don’t want to have to deal with that. Plus, they have no right to diagnose her, yet they all do that, too.

My sons was diagnosed by a neurologist with ADHD. I am self diagnosed.

Luckily, he was/is very well behaved, not disruptive. I wasn’t hyper and disruptive either. We showed other hallmarks of ADHD.

I would apologize to her teacher for my daughter’s rambunctious five-year-old behavior and tell them they are doing ‘such a great job’ with their patience. Work with my daughter at home on the scholastics so she does not fall behind. And make my child feel comfortable and safe by telling her that her wild behavior is probably because she has a condition, like her mother, that makes her more distracted than other kids, and help her learn to focus, but in a fun way. Some way that appeals to her.

No way would I medicate a child 5 years old! I really don’t believe in the medication for a child at all. When my son took it, he said it made him not feel happy or like himself. So off the meds he went! He’s in HS now and doing great.

[StarburstOwl26]

Originally Posted by TishaBuv

The teachers have no right to suggest you medicate your child, yet they all do that. It’s because your daughter is probably too much of a handful and they don’t want to have to deal with that. Plus, they have no right to diagnose her, yet they all do that, too.

My sons was diagnosed by a neurologist with ADHD. I am self diagnosed.

Luckily, he was/is very well behaved, not disruptive. I wasn’t hyper and disruptive either. We showed other hallmarks of ADHD.

I would apologize to her teacher for my daughter’s rambunctious five-year-old behavior and tell them they are doing ‘such a great job’ with their patience. Work with my daughter at home on the scholastics so she does not fall behind. And make my child feel comfortable and safe by telling her that her wild behavior is probably because she has a condition, like her mother, that makes her more distracted than other kids, and help her learn to focus, but in a fun way. Some way that appeals to her.

No way would I medicate a child 5 years old! I really don’t believe in the medication for a child at all. When my son took it, he said it made him not feel happy or like himself. So off the meds he went! He’s in HS now and doing great.

Her Ped is the one diagnosing her. We are trying to get to a developmental pediatrician because she is possibly also autistic as she's been showing markers for it since around 10 months old. She really is a handful and a half to deal with. She's blatantly defiant and literally does not listen to anyone but her dad. I am hoping she can be in the regular kindergarten class in the fall but it's looking like she will still be in the special needs class. She definitely has sensory processing problems that we are working on but it's and uphill battle to really get her to sit still long enough to learn the things she needs to know. Thank you for your reply. I am glad to know I am not the only parent that is against medicating a child unless absolutely needed like for her asthma and reflux.

[Sofisol612]

Hi Starbustowl26! I’m new to this forum and I’ve just seen your post and, as your child’s story seems very similar to mine at her age, I thought it would be a good idea to make my first post in this thread.

I think you’re right about not wanting to medicate your daughter. When I was her age I already had an autism diagnosis and many ADHD behaviors (I always lost my school stuff, I seldom paid attention to my teachers and was very disruptive). When I was in first grade, my teachers called my mother to discuss my behavior and they suggested putting me on meds and hiring a special teaching assistant (that my mother would have to pay). She refused to medicate me because she wanted me to do better on my own, and not because of some chemicals making me act like differently, and because she feared the adverse effects it may have. She didn’t hire a teaching assistant either, because I was smart and at the same academic level as my peers, and she didn’t want me to be singled out. Instead, she found another school for me, with less students, where the teachers could give me the help I required without marking me as different from everyone else. Then, as a teen, I went to a big school where I did quite fine off meds, though I had many problems with bullying on my first year. I improved a lot in high school and after graduating I went on to college.

Now I think most of my improvements were due to my mother’s policy of not medicating me unless strictly necessary (she agreed to do it for a year when I was 10 because I had problems with emotional dysregulation and aggression) and not offering help (like teaching assistants) that I didn’t need. I was always encouraged to try things on my own first, and only if when I failed a few times she got me help. That way I learned I could succeed on my own, and not only as a result of external help, like another person’s or meds’. However, I would also advice not to be too hard on her, because it could harm her self esteem.

Good luck!