Newly diagnosed ADHD/ODD and lost!
Hi all, my name is Caley, and my six year old son was diagnosed with ADHD (which we suspected) and ODD (which came as a surprise) last week. I was given some resources at the pediatrician, a TON of stuff to talk to my son's school about, and options for stimulant medications if (but Im pretty sure the implication was "when") we get to that point. I don't know anyone who's personally struggled with this in their kids, and even though I've worked with (as a nurse) and am friends with plenty of adults with ADHD, I'm so lost when it comes to my son. I dont even know where to start in helping my little boy live his best life. Help?
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Message me! My son 8 ADHD /gifted.
I’ve been on this journey for about 4.5 years with my 8.5 year old. My child has been diagnosed with anxiety, ADHD, and sensory processing differences.
We were told by therapy intake that he presented as ODD, but that this is common with ADHD children and frequently it is not actually ODD, just symptoms of ADHD. But because of the impulsivity, children with ADHD are corrected MUCH more than they are praised and often essentially go, “fuck it, I can’t ever make anyone happy so I’m not even going to try.” Which then presents as ODD.
If you can, either/both talk therapy and occupational therapy can be helpful. We learned so much to support our child.
For us, medication was the right choice. It’s taken about 2 years to get the dosage and formulation really dialed in and we’ve also had to add an appetite stimulant to counteract the appetite suppression.
Reach out if you want to chat more. It’s been a journey and has felt overwhelming at points, but we are also making so….
…much progress and really seeing lots of positive leaps in academics and socializing.
Don’t be afraid to go back to your doctor over and over again if the meds aren’t helping or if the side effects are challenging.
Definitely also enlist any resources you can at school. For us, our student services team has been amazing and our teachers have been amazing advocates in helping us know if the meds are making a difference at school.
We found it sometimes hard to tell, especially at first, at home. The demands and rhythms of home life are just different and for my child, the chaos comes out a lot at home in teasing the younger sibling, refusing to help with chores, and just being all over the place (big energy, big movements, big feelings, big messes). But we also get the start of the day before meds kick in and the end of the school day when the meds are waning, so that can be tricky.
At this point, we also have lots of different sizes of doses, so we can give a full dose for the day or give a smaller partial dose that takes the edge off a little at home, but…..
…doesn’t interfere with the appetite as much.
If/when you decide to start meds, know that it will probably take a bit to dial in the particular med, the formulation (extended release or not), and the dose.
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