Adhd/add

Lynn, I have a AHDH and ADD and possible Aspergers. On meetup.com, we have a local group called "parents of special needs children". They have "meetups" where parents can get together with others who "get it". Meetup.com is free to join, just search in your zip code. A group that is local may be able to direct you to someone in your area. What age is your kid? School is out now, but our public school has a group for kids up to 5th grade that have "social issues" and they meet for an hour once a week and one of the teachers helps the kids deal with social situations. Anyway, I hope you find something that helps. Good luck!

My son is adhd. He is now 17 and doing pretty good socially. Not the same as my others but pretty good considering how he started. Something to check into before you sign him up for therapy privately. Most public schools have resources for this. My son started with the resource program in 1st grade. They have several times a month a time frame where kids with social issues are put together to work on social issues / cues etc. then they also have times where they are paired up with kids with no issues who are able to be empathetic with these socially awkward kids. It helps a lot.

We've done behavioral therapy since our son was three (he's nine now). I can't say that it's helped with his social skills; mostly it's just helped us gain strategies for dealing with him when the medication isn't active. Medication is what greatly improved his social skills, honestly. He went from having one friend before medication to a group once he was on it.

He still has social issues, though. He does well around other kids but gets timid around adults and can act anti-social. He's known for his unfriendly crabby face.

Still, miles of progress compared to where he used to be.

This is my friends book. She gives some straigh forward ideas for dealing with this. She tells what it was like growing up with ADHD too.

Sorry, for got to add the link....goofy day here.

http://www.amazon.com/Straight-Talk-about-ADD-ADHD/dp/055...

I do believe that if the ADHD is a biological issue, the brain is misfiring, that drugs are a necessary tool. The meds speed the function of the brain up and it starts to sync. Then thoughts and emotions are more normal. It is like a miracle for some people to suddenly feel like a normal person.

I think that meds may be required for some that have this for the rest of their lives, like a diabetic may require meds their entire life.

Do not say no to medications just because. Make sure you listen to the doc and at least try to go with them for a while if it is recommended.

I clicked on this post bc of the title :) it's very homey here... idk if I spelled that right.

I have ADHD and was diagnosed at around 11. My mom chose not to use medications or any form of therapy. Sometime it was pretty tough, bc it's true what they say, the ADHD mind doesn't function exactly the samw way (impulse control). I didn't understand that it wasn't polite to say certain things... etc. Once I became older, I had the choice of using medication (adderal) and it helped me tremendously. I'm 29 now. I may take meds for a year, just to get a grip on things, then I wont take them again for another year... lol of course life becomes quite disrupted.

My hubbs is ADD-Primarily inattenative, great combo between the 2 of us right, lol? He wasn't diagnosed until 2 years ago. Now that he has been and whenever he DOES take his meds, bc he cant remember to take them, he is 100% a different person. He can think and pay attention, react properly in social situations.

The difference is that I knew and developed coping skills. The hubbs did NOT know and just thought something was wrong with him.

Now, I have a 4 year old son and I KNOW he is ADHD like me. LOL he Pedi says the same thing. I joking ask here "hey how about that ADHD eval?" Of course I would never medicate my child so young. But it does help to know so that YOU can take the steps you need to take. This will teach him that there isn't anything wrong with him. He can be anything he wants to be. Guidance will definately help him to be successful later in his adult life, which is what we strive for, right?

Hope it helps :)

Hi, Lynn:

Have you checked out the organization, HDHD/ADD?

www.CHADD.org

Hope this helps.
D.

I have ADD and my husband has ADHD. Mine wasn't diagnosed until I was in my early 20's. I was one who would have benefited from some sort of therapy much earlier in life. My social skills have slowly gotten better but I struggled a lot as a kid. My husband on the other hand was diagnosed early, did well socially and was forced unsuccessfully into therapy. He grew to resent any sort of help with his ADHD and only in the last year has he realized how he truly needs medication to keep him productive.

I would say if a child needs help socially and has ADD/ADHD, definitely talk to their doctor about options for help. It depends what your clinic has available. A few sessions might do the trick or they might need more. One thing is for sure, if they adamantly don't want to do it, then don't force them!

My son (ADHD-combined type) is 6 and just had his last group therapy session for the school year. He goes to both individual and group sessions with the same psychologist (as do the rest of the boys in the group).

For him, it's been helpful because he is bright and can LEARN the social skills, but they don't come as naturally to him as for typical kids, so the group gives him a chance to practice without burning bridges.

His group sessions are an hour long once a week, kids only (boys 6-8 years old). They spend the first chunk playing games (practicing turn-taking, asking to borrow things etc.) then they talk about a topic or issue. We usually go once a month for individual sessions, DS and me, to talk about things that have come up in group or other issues happening at school. The psychologist gives him one or two tasks to practice in the real world.

Before this year, though, his pediatrician didn't recommend therapy because she said he was too young to really benefit and/or wouldn't remember issues long enough to have the sessions pay off. I don't know, I think he could have gotten a lot out of group last year as well.

HTH
T.