lesliemarie
Cathlete
I have been looking for a good support room to chat with other mothers about kids with ADHD, so I thought I would ask to see if anyone knew of a good site for me. I have two boys with ADHD and pulling my hair out.
OT: ADHD chatrooms
- Thread starter lesliemarie
- Start date
ElaineP
Cathlete
Hi,
I was wandering if you tried any of the CHADD.org sites. I've only looked at them myself. My son was diagnosed two years ago as being only borderline ADHD. Which means we get no help from his school on trying to help him focus. I've been doing some reading on how I can help him deal with it. This school year has been very stressful for him and our whole family.
I'd be intreseted in learning of a good web support group.
Good Luck,
Elaine
I was wandering if you tried any of the CHADD.org sites. I've only looked at them myself. My son was diagnosed two years ago as being only borderline ADHD. Which means we get no help from his school on trying to help him focus. I've been doing some reading on how I can help him deal with it. This school year has been very stressful for him and our whole family.
I'd be intreseted in learning of a good web support group.
Good Luck,
Elaine
A good site that was recommended to me (by KathyS) was www.help4adhd.org. No chat room but you can ask questions and there's a link to CHADD. Another site that has a forum is The Amen Clinic www.amenclinic.com. Good site for info but I'm not impressed with the forum. HTH Alexis
Elaine,
My 12y/o dtr just got dx with ADD and the school have to provide assistance under this cival law called 504 plan. Unsure if your son would qualify for this. I wouldn't have known about this if somone from the yayas forum wouldn't have told me about it. My school system didn't even mention it to me.
Thanks for posting link to gets help. I am in search of chatrooms or support to learn how to assist her and ourselves.
hths
Bec
My 12y/o dtr just got dx with ADD and the school have to provide assistance under this cival law called 504 plan. Unsure if your son would qualify for this. I wouldn't have known about this if somone from the yayas forum wouldn't have told me about it. My school system didn't even mention it to me.
Thanks for posting link to gets help. I am in search of chatrooms or support to learn how to assist her and ourselves.
hths
Bec
lesliemarie
Cathlete
Yes it is, just ask your school about it and also requires your childs Doctor to write a letter of the needs of the child being on the 504 program. I heard that it allows kids to be able to turn in their late work and get full credit for it. That is what my sons Psychologist has told me. I have to call my sons school today and remind his councilor that I have submitted the letter from the doctor and get him on it.
ElaineP
Cathlete
Thank you. I'll have to inquire at his school about it. My 9 year old is able to complete his work but has trouble staying focused in class and at test time. We have MCAS testing coming up and I'm nervous for him. It requires the children to remain sitting for a long time and do comprehensive reading. It will be a nightmare for my son to do this test. I'll have to see if through the 504 plan if they can let him take small breaks.
Thanks agian,
Elaine
Thanks agian,
Elaine
Just chiming in here. In order for your son to receive special services, there is a whole process with the school district that needs to be completed, at least in Illinois. A letter from the MD is just the beginning of the process. A team will meet with you and discuss a strategy plan. This entire process usually takes months. If your child really needs special services, then the school will "flag" him as such but the meetings with the school will continue. If he has such a diagnosis, he will be allowed extra time for testing including when he gets older and takes the ACTs or SATs.
My own son was sixteen when he was diagnosed and wanted no part of special services. It is a stigma that they become aware of and I respected his wishes. Dealing with ADD or ADHD is usually a medication and coping skills. I can't emphasize the coping skills enough. We sought the help of a counselor for my son and us who specializes in ADD. The counselor is ADD himself and my son bonded with him immediately. They understood each other. My son is going to the college of his choice this fall WITH a hefty scholarship. We included a letter from his doctor to account for his less than stellar grades in his junior year but that was it.
I'm going on here I guess because it looks like you both need help. If the medication is not working then pursue that. Find out why. If the meds are working, then the next step is to develop coping skills. And believe me, that takes time. Your child just wants to "fit in" but he doesn't know how. That is where the real guidance and learning new skills comes in. Good luck, Alexis
My own son was sixteen when he was diagnosed and wanted no part of special services. It is a stigma that they become aware of and I respected his wishes. Dealing with ADD or ADHD is usually a medication and coping skills. I can't emphasize the coping skills enough. We sought the help of a counselor for my son and us who specializes in ADD. The counselor is ADD himself and my son bonded with him immediately. They understood each other. My son is going to the college of his choice this fall WITH a hefty scholarship. We included a letter from his doctor to account for his less than stellar grades in his junior year but that was it.
I'm going on here I guess because it looks like you both need help. If the medication is not working then pursue that. Find out why. If the meds are working, then the next step is to develop coping skills. And believe me, that takes time. Your child just wants to "fit in" but he doesn't know how. That is where the real guidance and learning new skills comes in. Good luck, Alexis
Alexis,
Thanks for giving us this information as I am just learning about ADD.
Elaine, I had orginally requested for the school to do testing on my dtr for learning disability. That did take a while for them to do and I had to keep pestering them. If you requested in writing, they have to do this testing by policy. It came back that she past all testing but barely...so I think she still might have a mild learning disability.
The 504 plan, I did a search online when I found out about it. What upset me about my child's school was that the teachers or school psychologist didn't mention this to me that it was available. We have a meeting with them this Friday to write up the 504 plan. I can let you know more about it than.
I also took my dtr to a psychiatrist who diagnosis her with ADD and I gave the school the report consult when we met to discuss the learning disability testing. Alexis is right...it does take months. I orginally ask the school to test my dtr in November and we are still waiting. My dtr has been seen a private psychologist 3 times but I am not sure if this helped her much. I am going today to a support meeting for parents with ADD/ADHD. I hope to learn more there. It supposed to be held at our public library.
I am not sure if medication is right for her and the psychiatrist pretty much left it up to us. He did explain the pros/cons and gave me a list of medication she can be on. He told us to think about it, research them and take her back if I decide I want her on medication. I am very confused about this.
I wish you best luck.
hugs~
Bec
Thanks for giving us this information as I am just learning about ADD.
Elaine, I had orginally requested for the school to do testing on my dtr for learning disability. That did take a while for them to do and I had to keep pestering them. If you requested in writing, they have to do this testing by policy. It came back that she past all testing but barely...so I think she still might have a mild learning disability.
The 504 plan, I did a search online when I found out about it. What upset me about my child's school was that the teachers or school psychologist didn't mention this to me that it was available. We have a meeting with them this Friday to write up the 504 plan. I can let you know more about it than.
I also took my dtr to a psychiatrist who diagnosis her with ADD and I gave the school the report consult when we met to discuss the learning disability testing. Alexis is right...it does take months. I orginally ask the school to test my dtr in November and we are still waiting. My dtr has been seen a private psychologist 3 times but I am not sure if this helped her much. I am going today to a support meeting for parents with ADD/ADHD. I hope to learn more there. It supposed to be held at our public library.
I am not sure if medication is right for her and the psychiatrist pretty much left it up to us. He did explain the pros/cons and gave me a list of medication she can be on. He told us to think about it, research them and take her back if I decide I want her on medication. I am very confused about this.
I wish you best luck.
hugs~
Bec
Hey guys, The Fed. Disabilities Act was passed decades ago in an effort to mainstream children who had severe disabilities. The law was passed, and the school districts had to figure out how to incorporate the children into the classrooms. I mention this because it was a wonderful milestone in achieving equality among students. The districts are now overloaded with requests for services for children who can function fairly well, but need help. I'm not a fan of the "district" machine, but I understand their plight. They are severely overworked.
My guess is that your first meeting will be a "presentation" of the facts. The principal, psychologist, speech therapist and a plethera of other therapists will be in attendance. By law, they have 90 days to get back to you with their findings. Then you have another meeting deciding whether services are needed or just extra help. Presenting your outside doctor's findings is helpful, but not necessarily a shoe-in. So don't be disappointed in the length of time the "machine" needs to move! As a teacher of at-risk preschoolers, I have never seen a child be diagnosed AND receive services in the same school year. It takes that long.
I have always been against meds until my own son fell apart. I thought it was an easy out to give meds. It took some trial and error in finding the best med for him (about 8 months). It has been a miracle, I kid you not. We were absolutely in shock at the immediate change in him - for the better. It's like he became the kid he was supposed to be. So now my opinion has changed. The best analogy I can think of is this: Your standing in a dense fog and your teacher is holding a book 4 ft away, asking you to read it. You can't because of the fog. She keeps asking you to read and you keep saying that you can read, just not in the fog. Get out of the fog and you can read it just fine. What these kids don't know is that they're in a fog. Take them out of it and they discover a whole new life where it's easier to see. Alexis
My guess is that your first meeting will be a "presentation" of the facts. The principal, psychologist, speech therapist and a plethera of other therapists will be in attendance. By law, they have 90 days to get back to you with their findings. Then you have another meeting deciding whether services are needed or just extra help. Presenting your outside doctor's findings is helpful, but not necessarily a shoe-in. So don't be disappointed in the length of time the "machine" needs to move! As a teacher of at-risk preschoolers, I have never seen a child be diagnosed AND receive services in the same school year. It takes that long.
I have always been against meds until my own son fell apart. I thought it was an easy out to give meds. It took some trial and error in finding the best med for him (about 8 months). It has been a miracle, I kid you not. We were absolutely in shock at the immediate change in him - for the better. It's like he became the kid he was supposed to be. So now my opinion has changed. The best analogy I can think of is this: Your standing in a dense fog and your teacher is holding a book 4 ft away, asking you to read it. You can't because of the fog. She keeps asking you to read and you keep saying that you can read, just not in the fog. Get out of the fog and you can read it just fine. What these kids don't know is that they're in a fog. Take them out of it and they discover a whole new life where it's easier to see. Alexis
Well, the doc suggested Adderall to start so we used that. I think the dose was a bit high and my son got aggitated very easily which was a big change from his laid-back self. The doc switched him to Strattera which had been out only a month. The doc liked this drug cuz it's not a stimulant but we used it for 6 months, trying different doses, and it caused depression in the poor kid. So we switched him back to Adderall in a lower dose and he loves his new self. And so do we!
What drugs did your doc suggest? There are many different kinds of ADHD that work best with different meds. My son has the inattentive type. Alexis
What drugs did your doc suggest? There are many different kinds of ADHD that work best with different meds. My son has the inattentive type. Alexis
Alexis,
My 12y/o dtr has inattentive type-ADD also. The doc recommended for me to read up on Ritalin, Adderall, Aexedin (?sp)..all of this are the stimulant type and than also he wrote down Strattera-non stimulant.
I just wondered if for ADD is one better than the other. I am thinking it's going to be very individualized for each person.
thanks,
Bec
My 12y/o dtr has inattentive type-ADD also. The doc recommended for me to read up on Ritalin, Adderall, Aexedin (?sp)..all of this are the stimulant type and than also he wrote down Strattera-non stimulant.
I just wondered if for ADD is one better than the other. I am thinking it's going to be very individualized for each person.
thanks,
Bec
I really don't know. I don't know of many kids who are prescribed Ritalin anymore but it still may be popular, just don't know. Adderall is a time-release that works well for us and another friend of mine. He takes it in the morning and he's done. I think I mentioned the Amen Clinic before. Go to www.amenclinic.com and read some of the articles. There is one where he describes the 6-7 different kinds of ADD and what he finds works best for each type. If it's not there, the library should have Dr. Amen's books and the types are described there. What you say is true, it's all individual. But I can tell you that in my experience and talking to people, Strattera seems to work for some people and for others it does nothing or even produces significant side effects - severe heartburn and depression are the two biggies. Hugs, Alexis
stargirl1987
New Member
Here's a great information room w/message boards and chat rooms. For teachers and parents even kid's. http://www.ldonline.com Hope this helps.
Kim
Kim
I used to not believe in medication either. My son is almost 8 and has autism. After our marriage and lives pretty much fell completely apart, we started clonidine (yes, it's a hypertension medicine that they have found works wonders for these kids). Clonidine has helped alot. Unfortunately we waited too late to try it. I would have tried medication earlier if I had realized it really could have helped but I wasted many years trying things like the Feingold diet, gluten free cassein free diet, cod liver oil, high vitamin B supplements, and the list goes on and on and on.
I don't believe any of the crap out there about diets and autism and ADHD. It makes me mad that I wasted all that time trying to find the right diet for my son while our lives fell apart.
Lisa
I don't believe any of the crap out there about diets and autism and ADHD. It makes me mad that I wasted all that time trying to find the right diet for my son while our lives fell apart.
Lisa
Kim, thank you so much for this link. I am finding lots of good information there. I went to the teacher's site first and wow...can I sympatize with them. It just makes me want to give our school another chance and not be so hard on them. I know I was mostly hurt by feeling like they were holding information from us. I want the best for my dtr and know that if I work together with the school...she will do better.
hugs~
Bec
hugs~
Bec