mountains27 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I'm sure there are some people out here that do this too and can offer advice and support! A little background- My son who is 6 1/2 was first diagnosed with anxiety when he was in pre-K two years ago, on to PS kindergarten and towards the end of the year I got lots of emails and calls from his teacher about him being disruptive and not calming down in class. Now the counselor he sees is observing more ADHD signs and I am too! He is so full of energy and can't focus on much except Legos :/ I do get bits and pieces of his attention in 10-20 minutes spurts and he is able to learn and doing really well as a first grade homeschooler but I worry when the work load has to increase in the years to come and wonder when I need to seriously consider meds, if at all? What is the experience of others? Do you skip medicine since they aren't in a public school building for 7 hour stretches? Is it possible to homeschool ADHD without medicating? I'm not totally against medicating but want to explore other options before jumping right into it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Post this over on the Learning Challenges board, too. There are many there that might be able to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 . Homeschooling is not a reason to deprive someone of medication if the med will be helpful for that individual. When someone grows up the ADHD does not vanish. Years may have been lost that could have included learning self-management skills with the ancillary benefits of a carefully selected medication. Sure would have helped me in many, many ways had I been diagnosed earlier than at the age of forty-five. I homeschooled one with ADHD. Meds used. He is finishing graduate school now. We can see the differences if he comes off for some reason. Also, if you do obtain a confirming diagnosis from a psychiatrist (not from a pediatrician) you do not need to worry about bad effects on growth. My guy always ate heartily and grew to be two inches taller than his father. EDIT: On the other hand, is the doctor treating your son for the anxiety issues? Always possible that anxiety is "the engine" rather than ADHD. (In passing, though, my son mentioned above has both conditions, and is helped accordingly.) Best wishes as you work through things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 You can homeschool a child with ADHD without meds. It can be exhausting for both parent and child (ask me how I know). DS10 is on meds this year for the first time, and it has made a huge difference in his ability to do his work as well as in his behavior. I agree with posting your question on the Learning Challenges board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have 3 (one inattentive, and two combined) with ADHD. I agree it is possible to HS without meds, but you may be depriving them of tremendous benefits! Some research indicates that children who receive medication and direct instruction in executive functioning skills are so much more able to assimilate these skills that when they get into their 30s and their brain development catches up they may be able to manage very well without meds. We chose to medicate because, although we found ways to educate without meds, the social-relational effects of being medicated were essential. My kids would literally get up and leave the room as I was talking to them and not even realize it, fail to keep eye contact for more than a few seconds, constantly cross-talk and interrupt people, and impulsively grab/cut in lines/touch people/etc. They really were like the "Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes." All those symptoms don't disappear, but they were improved significantly enough that the kids had more positive interactions with both peers and adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 My $.02 - those who think that you don't need meds if you aren't in school are likely not dealing with ADHD but symptoms brought on by an environment inappropriate for the age. ADHD doesn't go away on weekends and summer break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 What everyone else has said about the meds is spot on. We waited until mine was in 3rd grade and started the meds. Night and day difference. He can actually learn now. I'm sure others will chime in with techniques you can use without meds and you can try those techniques first, but don't discount the meds just because you homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 My 8yo is homeschooled and is not on medication. We do a gluten free, dye free, artificial sugar free diet for her and she takes omega 3. If you do omega 3 make sure you get a good quality one, ADHD kids need more epa than dha in their omega 3. I've also tried b vitamins, zinc, and magnesium. I didn't notice a difference with those but there are a lot of people that do. She is fine with dairy but from what I've read it can affect kids. I've done a lot of trial and error to find out what works for her. It's really hard trying to figure all of it out, we did an elimination diet and went from there. I don't know that I would have just done no medication without the adjustments to her diet and the omega 3. I want her to be at her best so that she can learn. The homeschooling environment has really allowed her to thrive beyond what I would have ever thought thought. She started off in public school I was told she was at the bottom of her class, she was constantly in the principles office, at one point a teacher told me she thought she might be a sociopath. She is now testing above her grade level and I've had multiple people from our co-op who don't know our situation come up to me and tell me she is such a great kid and how she knows the answers and participates in all the classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FreeRangeMom Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 My 7 year old has some signs of ADHD although no official diagnosis. We are able to keep symptoms in check using diet and supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountains27 Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 Thank you all! These replies have been super helpful! I really am not against or for meds at this point- just trying to see what other people do and their experiences. I have heard about diet change for ADHD kids and might try looking into that more and will read up on Omega 3. if my son can have a better quality of life and socialize better on meds I would not deny him that-I will need to talk to his psych more about this next week when we see her. Thank you again this has helped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Omega 3s benefit almost everybody, anyway. I would, however, like to offer a caution from personal experiences. We were taking one of the very high quality fish oil preparations. (People are fierce partisans regarding brands, so I won't join in that fracas here!) The substance also is a blood thinner. One child developed horrible nosebleeds and I ended up with blood in the urine, perplexing the doctor. Reducing the dosage solved both problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnsinkableKristen Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 We are on the fence again about meds, after trying and then quitting twice, so this was quite helpful! DS8 is at a point where no matter what we feed and how much he wants to focus, his little body just can't. I think we are probably going to make an appointment with his doctor again pretty soon. Thankfully, she understands my hesitancy and is very cool and calm about it all (and is a fellow homeschooler with ADHD kids!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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