My son has ADHD with hyperactivity. Me and my husband took our son Joey to the Doctor at the age 5 and found out he has ADHD. We went through differnet drugs for ADHD and used Vyvanse for 2 or 3 years. I go and look on the internet of drugs out there for my Joey. There at school he wasn't doing his homework and having a lot of behavior problems, so I saw Intuniv on the internet. I called the Doctor if I could try the Intuniv. The Doctor gave me a Starter kit of 1mg and 2 mg. I do what is best for my son. I want my son to do good in school. I check out articles on ADHD on the internet. I love my son very much.
I didn't want my daughter on medications because I had known a child her age that was on medication that caused him to become a zombie. He had no personality, no life in him, and he never smiled. But her doctor suggested Focalin and it doesn't affect her personality AT ALL!! She is now a straight A student in school, hasn't had ANY behavior problems at school in 5 months, and she looks forward to going to school every day now!!!
Just a tidbit of info for you. HOpe it helps!
Hey Teresa!
You are a good mom. I know...we parents are always looking for the best ways to help our kids.
We have some information about Intuniv that you may want to read. If you can...please come back and let us know how that works out.
Thank you so much for your comment.
Hi Justamom!
That is really great that you found a medication which works well for your child. It can be a process of trial and error until you find the right one for your child's needs.
If anyone wants to read about Focalin here is some information we have here on our site.
Thanks so much for your comment...hope to hear more from you.
My daughter started out on the Focalin XR in December, but her doctor changed it in January to the regular Focalin 5mg.
The Focalin XR is a 24 hours medication and it worked good in controlling her symptoms, but she was having stomach cramps in the morning and her appetite at dinner time became almost non-existant. In January, her doctor switched her to the shorter acting Focalin. She take it three times a day and EVERYTHING is better. She stopped having the stomach cramps in the morning adn is abck to her normal eating habits!!
I know, in time, we will have to adjust her medications again....probably at her next appointment in June. But I have complete faith and confidence in her doctor. He eventually wants to get her back on teh once a day dosing medications, but he is in no hurry to rush her into something she isn't ready or somethign her body can't handle.
Thank you for your insight, information, and for providing a place for us all to share our joys, trials, and tribulations!!
My son has been diagnosed with several things so, I don't really know for sure which ones to use. He has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, sensory integration, bi-polar, fetal alcohol syndrome (He is adopted) and a couple of others. Recently they opened a new branch at T.C. Thompson Childrens Hospital here and I thought maybe they could help me. I got there and the Dr. that specializes in the area of behavioral told me that my child was mentally retarded and would never get past where he is today. I cried, told her I didn't need her services anymore and politely walked out. They thought that my son at age 2 would never walk or talk. Let me tell you, he runs, laughs, and most times will not hush up. I cannot take Dr.'s who think things like this and tell the parents that their child is mentally retarded without even doing any testing. How could she be so insensitive.
Hi Bcurrent
Yeah...unfortunately I have heard your story many times about doctors who give this horrible prognosis early on before the child even has a chance. And so many times they are wrong. My child wasn't expected to talk for example...but here he is talking away.
We are really glad you are here and I hope to hear more of your story. Thank you so much for your comment.
Merely Me, thank you again for another wonderful post. You always seem to get to the heart of things. I'm the mom of a son with ADHD and Tourette Syndrome.He's also very intelligent and is in a GATE class this year for 4th grade. We just had our Mother's Day program. He's a wonderful speaker and read his poem aloud very eloquently. But of course, later in the program he was the one giggling loudly nonstop during the slideshow. I get icy stares from a lot of those GATE parents, who generally have children more mature and well-behaved than average. Thanks for reminding me that I'm not alone and I didn't cause the ADHD.
Hello EJ!
Thanks for your kind words. And you must be so proud of your son. It is hard when you get the "looks" from other parents but they just don't understand. And it is definitely not your fault that your child has ADHD.
We are glad you are here on this site and...I do hope to hear from you more!
Hi...
This is a wonderful article...and it was at such a right time for me..It really made me feel so much better....
My son (aged 7 yrs) has ADHD,Conduct Disorder and some sensory issues as well...
When we came to know of this last year we were devastated....But luckily we got a gd therapist who helped us out...
But like it is said,this an ongoing process for both my son and us...The challenges are never ending....
We keep getting complaints from his school and his school bus too....Many times he doesnt do his classwork or co-operate with the teachers..There are a lot of behaviourial problems at school and at home.I struggle to make him do his homework daily....I too have a lot of ADHD characteristics myself though it has never been diagnosed by a Psychologist(as in my childhood days ADHD was unheard of).So on Mother's day,I had the most awful gift of getting a call from his teacher with a string of complaints about my son...That he troubles the other children in class and hits them and spits at them....and so on....I was most tearful and upset....But today when I read your post I was so happy to see this tribute to mothers of special needs children....It was as if it was meant for me....
Thank you so much merely me.....
Keep the good work going!God bless!
Awww...I am so sorry Jo.
I know...the phone calls from teachers or others are so hard to take emotionally. Because that is your baby they are talking about.
I remember the day that the speech therapist my son had been seeing told me that my son was one of the smartest children with autism that she had seen in her practice. But then added that he was one of the worst behaved children she had seen. We had to stop going as she did not know how to handle his behaviors even despite the fact that I wrote up behavioral programs for her to use.
It is just so frustrating and sometimes you just want to cry. So...believe me...I understand.
I am so glad that my post made you feel a wee bit better.
Thanks for being on this site. I hope to hear more from you.
My nearly 4yo son displays symptoms of ADHD and is trialling medication at the moment. Recently I went along to an information evening at his daycare centre. One of the speakers was a nutricianist. Not a bad speaker I thought until she started about "children in low income areas who are all on ADHD meds because their parents feed them bad food". It was all I could do to sit quietly and not yell at her "you just invited my beautiful son to your sons birthday party and little do you know that he has ADHD you narrow minded person!!". I can't believe that so many people, including this so called professional, have such a narrow minded view of children with these conditions....or can I? Maybe I too thought this way before I was forced to broaden my thinking and opinions? Something to think about .....
I agree that even Dr.'s sometimes are quick to label without actually having tested a child to see what actually is going on inside their little heads and bodies. I had a Dr. that i probably could have told him I thought 30 aspirin a day would work and he would have prescribed it. I quickly got rid of him. Trial and error has taught me a lot about being able to spot good Dr.'s, Psychologist and Psychiatrists, etc...
Jodi...
In my opinion...that is just ridiculous. To pigeonhole parents and children that way is just wrong. Diets don't cure everything...again...just my opinion. I would have been very angry too.
Lots of misconceptions out there aren't there?
Thanks so much for sharing here. I hope we can all support each other.
My daughter, who is 6 1/2 now, was 46% delayed at the age of two and a half. Byt this age, she could say 4 words. I would lay in bed and cry because of the comments I received when I would pick her up from daycare. "She must have a lousy home life if she's THAT old and can't even say "mommy" or put two words together to form a thought." I would get asked all the time "Is it hard dealing with and raising a child with mental retardation?" I wanted to lock her away and protect her from the harsh comments she would inevitably hear if she did not improve. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel for me. Her daycare was part of a state sponsored program for speech development, which also focused on the other aspects of life including hand/eye coordination, logic, and focus. She entered the program when she was 27 months old. The first few months were heartbreaking. She would fight the therapist, throw things, and run away. Then one day, a light came on for her!! All of a sudden, she was coming home naming things in the house!!! 'light', 'book', 'ball'.....WOW!!! My daughter was ACTUALLY recognizing and naming things!!! I was then crying tears of joy.....she WAS in there.
She left the program when she passed the age limit and met the minimal requirements of one year. She was 3 yrs and 3 months old and could make up and tell me stories!!! She could run, jump, and play. She could tell me what she wanted using her words and not pointing and grunting!!! How could life be any better???
A year later, she was 'unofficially' diagnosed with ADHD. I say 'unofficially' because the state we were living in at the time had regulations against diagosing this condition in children under the age of 6. We were dealing with tantrums, improper outburts, and other symptoms that were incontrollable. No amount of time out or taking things away from her would get her to stop. Soon after her unofficial diagnosis, we moved to another state to be closer to family.
These conditions and symptoms continued until she reached the age of 6 and I immediately took her to a doctor for evaluation. Sure enough.....it was now official.....she was diagnosed with severe ADHD and was put on medication for her condition. She was in the first semester of Kindergarten and was already on the track to being held back if things didn't change SOON. She began ADHD medication treatment in December of this last year.
Well, to make a long story short, she is in the last few weeks of Kindergarten now. She is a straight A student, hasn't had ANY behavioral problems at school in 5 months, and will be receiving TWO academic awards at the school's award ceremony!!
And for the past 5 months, I have been told how amazing I am for being able to deal with her problems; for not ripping my hair out with the frustrations of having a "special needs child", and for having the guts and fortitude to do it alone. I know there are other moms out there that hear the same thing. To me, EVERY child is a special needs child. My child is NO different than any other child in the world. EVERY child has special needs......but EVERY child's needs are different!! That is the ONLY difference in my child and any other child on this planet!! And no, I am not a superhero....I don't have more patience than any other parent....I love my child just like you do. I want my child to succeed just like you do. And just like you do, I do what is necessary to make that possible!!
To ALL the mothers in the world.....I am no more special than you are!! God gave us gifts when he gave us our children!! I love and treasure my gifts from God just as you do. It's just that my gift from God comes with a little extra duty sometimes!!!
Happy Belated Mother's Day to every single mother on this planet.....as we are ALL the mothers of SPECIAL CHILDREN!!!
Oh my...I need a tissue for reading your story!
Goodness...
What an amazing experience you share with us today. This is the kind of story which gives such hope and inspiration to others who may be travelling a similar path.
I can so relate to when they say their first words...it is such a gift.
I really hope you stay on this site to share more with us and to support other parents here.
Thank you very much for telling your story. We are so glad you are here.
Thank you so much for your kind words. It has really been a long and difficult journey, and the journey has truly just begun.
I wish would have had the opportunity to have the support back then that I have now, and that I have found on this website. It has REALLY opened my eyes and my heart and shown me that I'm erally NOT alone in all of this.
Thank you all so much for your support and for sharing your stories with me. You have given me the courage to open up and share my stories with you as well!!
My daughter was diagnosed with ADD when she was in the third grade and that was 6 years ago. She has struggled in school and I kept working with her and she has come along way. Finding ways to keep her focused and obtain the knowledge she gains have been a long journey. She still has problems at times, but she has improved so musch. My son has ADHD, behavioral problems and Asbergers disorder. My son has many problems, but with patience and support from my son's school, he has come along way too. When he was a small child people would just stair and give me looks of pity. I never let those looks prevent me from taking hom out to continue to help him develop how to control his behavior. My children are special to me and the joy that they bring me over ride all the hard times of helping them grow.
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Very nicely said.
If you haven't already read the poem by Edna Massimilla entitled "Heaven's Very Special Child" or Erma Bombecks thoughts on special children entitled "The Special Mother", you should. These helped me through raising a special needs child as a single parent. They make the parent's of special needs children feel very special themselves.
Hi there!
Well I most certainly will read these. The one thing I read early on was "Going to Holland" I think it was called. That struck home for me.
I appreciate you comment and I do hope you come back to the site to share more.
Hi,
I've read that one too. It was very touching. I hope you get a chance to read the others I mentioned.
My daughter has VCFS and was diagnosed with it at age 12. She is now 31 and does real well for herself. She's worked very hard to get there.
I will keep this website as one of my favorites.
Hi again Dale!
Just wanted to tell you...you probably already know this but have you visited our Friends of Quinn site? Quinn also has VCFS.
Hope to hear more from you at this site and also FOQ!
Yes, I receive his newletter monthly. That's where I saw your tribute to moms with special needs kids. I couldn't believe it when I found that site - what a blessing that is! Thanks.