Back from the eval... not what I expected. - Page 2

[JohannasGarden]

You have every right to say "no" to meds. You have the repsonsibility to do some of the things you are already doing and you have the right to ask his school to take similar responsibility.

Another thing I've read is that some (I'm not saying all) kids on the spectrum with ADHD react more unpredictably to meds. I tend to think that is the case. It is hard to know when the ADHD behaviors are mostly sensory-based, anxiety related, etc. I have a local friend whose son has Tourette's and OCD, and school was dead set on a severe ADHD dx and beginning Adderal asap--it turns out the child doesn't even have ADHD but had a mental compulsion of repeating everything anyone in the room said 4 times in his head, which made him pretty inattentive in a room full of people talking. A friend on another board had a doc advise against meds saying something like this, "There are two reasons to hold off trying medication 1) they might not work and you put time and hope in and risk side effects for something that doesn't help and might even hurt or 2) they might work, in which case you will find it very difficult to decide to stop using them.

I would also be annoyed in your situation that they are so set on meds that they can't seem to switch gears and advise instead on the best ways to deal with an extremely impulsive child at home and in the classroom. I am not anti-med even though we've chosen not to use them with our son, but I am against the assumption that comes with it that every person who meets certain criteria should be medicated and that schools/families/communities shouldn't be expected to creatively engage in dealing with differences that could be treated with medication.

Sherri

[sunflowers]

I did read a suggestion somewhere that the child may be able to sit on a big bouncy ball instead of a chair while in class. It gives them an outlet for their excess energy and allows them to concentrate better.

If your son doesn't have any tone issues, you may be able to have methods like that written into his IEP. My own dd has it written in hers that she is allowed to engage in frequent activity changes. She's only in preK3 (for 3yo's) but it is a parallel technique to the bouncing ball seat for a Kindergartener...

[Leatherette]

Like some of the PP's, I read what you wrote about your son, and it sounds like sensory-seeking behaviors. My daughter has the other end of sensory issues (she's hypersensitive and avoidant), but I would look at sensory processing before going the med route.

L.

[fanniefarkle]

Sid was given a "provisional" dx also, but not because the dr. thought that he would "grow out of it" but because she wants another dr. to give a dx and see if they agree.