ValRN Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Our story is long, so I'll spare the details and make this short. DS 15 has been homeschooled all along. I've always thought there was something different about his learning that I just could not put my finger on. Since he did extremely well on standardized tests, I never looked into it further. Fast forward to this year (9th grade) - DS started the year with 6 (or 7, I cannot remember) courses. He was not able to complete the work. We whittled it down to 4 course, but even with only 4 courses, DS spends every waking moment AND weekends to complete a weeks worth of work for 4 courses. He seemed to also have problems with focus, remembering what he's been taught, and other things of that nature. After seeing his academic confidence wane and his frustration grow, we decided to have him evaluated. Neuropsych eval was Friday. He told us that DS is gifted (in 98th %ile), but had 4 standard deviations. I assume those of you who have been through that knows what that means. Neuropsych explained it to us and said that DS also has dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and ADHD - inattentive type. This doc is not the type to immediately suggest meds (so I've been told by other moms), but he did suggest we try DS on a low dose methylphenidate. I'm not one to jump right on the med bandwagon, so I'm trying to find any and all options to research. My daughter's online teacher who is a certified educational therapist, suggest educational therapy. Well, at $400+ a month, it is not realistic for us. Another online teacher suggest that caffeine could be helpful in maintaining concentration. I've also heard about interactive metronome. I am currently researching all of these things, but I would like to get the ball rolling with helping my son. Those of you with children with an ADD/ADHD diagnosis, where are you in this process? Have you tried AD meds? If so, are you happy with the results? Have your children experienced any side effects? Do you wish you had tried something other than meds? For those of you who have NOT tried meds, what has worked for you? I am open to hearing any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Well congrats on getting the evals! That's the first step. Meds, well at that age I'd slow down and do some reading first, make some lifestyle changes, make some ACADEMIC changes, and let HIM think through that. And just so you know and think through this, once you do meds or receive counseling for adhd, it gets asked on insurance forms. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. I'm just saying you should take your time and think through it. And it's a decision HE should be involved in. You're probably in a bit of shock. Take some time. Do some reading. As far as academic advice for you right now, my only question is *what changed between last year and this year?* It sounds like things were working for you until this year. What changed? High school does NOT have to look like you think, and it might be that changing some things could help you reclaim whatever was working BEFORE this year. You weren't driven this hard to evals before, so you may have unwittingly shifted a work dynamic you had before that had been working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 OhE - I'm sending you a PM. I will definitely allow ds to have a say so in what we do. However, he is very noncommittal when it comes to anything, so I'm quite sure he will not choose anything. He'll say, "I don't know." Strangely, I am not in shock. The results are actually what I expected. I knew ds was bright. I was a bit surprised to hear the neuropsych use the term 'gifted' though. I also knew there was something else going on. I've been telling my DH for years that I felt my son has "a touch of ADD". I could not put my finger of why I thought that, but I think it had to do with the fact that he would become severly mentally drained when he had to concentrate for a long period of time. From the beginning of homeschooling, I knew he did not like to do anything that required fine motor use, especially writing (dysgraphia). So...no shock, but I am stumped about how to proceed with teaching DS. I'm currently reading Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World by Freed. But I feel like I need to change things (as far as hsing is concerned) for him immediately. The biggest change for him from last year to this year (and keep in mind, he's always been slow. Everything just became 100 times worse this year) was probably the fact that he is taking more online courses and working more independently (or WAS working more independently until things caved in). The amount of work and the difficulty level of the work is much more/higher than last year. 2 of his courses are at his own pace and that is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I have just a minute here but we went with meds for our youngest and she went from struggling to focus and get things done to being able to focus and get her work done in a very timely manner. The difference was amazing./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 I have just a minute here but we went with meds for our youngest and she went from struggling to focus and get things done to being able to focus and get her work done in a very timely manner. The difference was amazing./ Ottakee - thank you for responding despite being busy. While your youngest was on meds, did she she suffer any negative side effects? Did meds make her feel differently? I've heard that meds can squelch creativity or even change personalities. BTW - do you mind sharing what med was prescribed for your youngest? Ds's neuropsych recommended something from the methylphenidate class (Concerto or Focalin). Have you tried anything else for your DC - changes in hs, diet, etc.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 We had tried the Omega 3s (help but not enough), a gluten free, sugar free, dye free, dairy free diet (no change--but some kids do respond), exercise, doing things in small segments, etc. The meds were by far the best help for her. She is on Dexedrine as that is a med that tends to be ok for kids with mood disorders which she has as well. She currently takes a full dose in the morning and a 1/2 dose at noon on school days. She has had no negative side effects. Her attitude towards school work improved greatly as well. She also gained 2 years of academic skills in 6 months once she started the meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I have three with ADHD, on elf which is Inattentive type (DD10). Meds have made a world of difference for her! She is on a low dose of Adderall XR (15mg). She is also gifted, but sometimes that just didn't come through because she didn't get the work done, or it was done sloppily. We went from not being able to find a pencil, forgetting what she's doing, and staring off into space to working nicely through her list every day and paying attention when people are talking to her! Of all my kids she has had the least side effects (the only be she has had is appetite reduction, which was worse in the beginning and not so bad now). Meds scared me to death, but after lots of reading, prayerful consideration, and talking with my brother (undiagnosed/untreated Inattentive type) about his growing up and what he thought we decided to try meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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