P.,
Have you ever thought of trying to treat your son with natural methods? I know it sounds almost silly and, believe me, I never used to be the kind of person that would suggest "natural healing" but I've witnessed this to work... My nephew has Aspergers (which has many similar symptoms of ADD) and he has benefitted tremendously from this natural healing program - in fact, before starting the healing program, he was considered Autistic and his recent re-diagnosis as Aspergers is a vast improvement. There is a book called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemic: Autism, ADHD, Allergies, and Asthma" by Dr. Kenneth Bock which outlines the program and also offers many stories of kids with the four disorders. Like your doctor said, it's very common for kids with Autism and ADHD to have many sleep issues. My nephew used to have a horrible time going to sleep and (like your son) often awoke in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep. My sister in law and her husband would have to lay with him to go to sleep for many, many years. Since starting this healing program, he is a MUCH better sleeper - in fact, they only ahve to put him in his room and say goodnight now and 95% of the time, he sleeps through the night, no problem. I even recently read the book even though my daughter doesn't exhibit symptoms of any of the disorders. I wanted to read it because of the importance it places on healthy, balanced diets and nutrition. It was very educational for me. It's hard to believe that just by simply changing a child's diet, you can treat and sometimes practically "cure" them from these disorders but it is happening all the time now. Many kids with ADD/ADHD even get to the point where they don't need any medication - just an altered diet (sometimes removing dairy and/or wheat) and nutritional supplements. Best of luck as I can imagine that this is weighing on your heart.
