good morning mamas, i hope christmas was magical for you.
so, my son was diagnosed with adhd and started medication at the end of november/beginning of december. his teacher has stated he is doing much better at school. however, i started feeling like we were getting the short end of the stick. his meds are only for school. and the last couple of weeks, i have felt like evenings and weekends have just been worse than ever. is this normal for adhd kids?
or do you think it's just normal pre-christmas excitement that we're seeing?
it's too soon to tell imo, but last night and this morning, he has seemed calmer and quieter already. but that might just be due to having all these new toys to play with. what do you mamas think?
My boys are crazy and naughty the day or two before christmas. They just can't handle the anticipation of presents. It helps if I keep them busy by reading to them or playing games, but unfortunatly the few days before christmas are very busy, getting last minute things done.
It is both. My son is ADHD / sensory.. not on meds at this time.
We changed his diet, to Gluetn Free around Thanksgiving. and things have been much better.
But Christmass Eve, I had to leave church because my son was a monster (he is 4). Would not listen to me. I know I was stressed with getting them there, and my husband had to work. We later went to my moms where he was mean and rude to my parents. I was ready to rip his head off..
Christmas Day he was much better.
Things that help settle them down..
Drinking a yogurt throgh a straw
cold/ice or hot things
Bath
a nice walk.
These things seem to help my little guy settle down.
My son deals with ADD and has been on (& off for a short time) medication since 1st grade. We only do medication for school but that was our decision. It does take a while for anybody to get used to any medication - let alone a child who is still getting used to the world, life, learning how to live in society, etc. Add to that the irregular schedule of Christmastime, more sweets around the house, family members & friends coming and going, etc.
I think most children get a little crazy around the holidays - anticipation makes them nuts, it's an exciting time and they are still learning how to process and handle excitement.
A couple of things I've learned about ADHD and ADD medication over the last 7 years: you may have to try different medication to find the one that works best for your child. there are a lot of different kinds and your doctor doesn't know all the details of all the medications unless he/she specializes in pediatric neurophysiology. Do your research different medications work best for different condidtions, different ages, etc.; I've learned that there's a "coming down" period at the end of the medication's time span. My son's medication has an 8 hour span - the last hour - which is when he comes home from school and the hour after that are tougher times periods. BUT wouldn't you rather have your child at home with you during that coming down period - so that if he gets cranky, impatient, tired he's surrounded by people who love him? This gets lets prominent as the weeks go by too. - Finally, most kids need a low dose - very few kids need a higher dose and frankly, I think most drug manufacturers don't make a low enough dose. My son was on 10mg of Focalin XR for many years and we only moved him to 15 mg this year - He's 6'1" and 185 lbs. 10 mg is the lowest dose of this drug!
You will get through this mama, you son's ability to focus will get better, he'll do better with his peers, in his classes and eventually at home. How good that you've recognized this and are helping your son early in life while he can work to overcome that "scatter-brained" feeling. I wish I had the medicaiton when I was young! YOu're doing what you need to do mama - you're a good mom and your son will come along well. you go mama!
Yes. She also had a total meltdown when leaving the family gathering last night. My DD does not have ADHD. She's just a kid who was SO EXCITED for Christmas and overwhelmed. I would give it some time after the holidays to see the true effect.
I couldn't tell you if it is ADHD or not but all my kids are little sleep deprived monsters by Christmas.
Both younger ones were asleep by eight last night.
I think the holidays are very tough with any issues like ADD/HD, sensory processing, ASD, etc. They are out of their routine; mom is frazzled - too much commotion.
In my own home I notice that my younger son (15) is much calmer when I'm calm. By last night you guys were probably starting to wind down and the energy level settled. And I would guess the new toys helped too.
Good luck and try to have a restful few days.
I couldn't tell you about whether it is ADHD or not, but my daughter has been a special brand of feisty this Christmas. She does not have ADHD (that I know of). I chalked it up to change in routine (school break began after Friday) and the multiple events that we've had leading up to Christmas. Couple that with stressed parents and lack of sleep, it makes a lot of sense. Even the threat of Santa couldn't cajole our little one to behave...I'm so glad to get back to normal!
NYmetromom stated it beautifully.
My twins have been diagnosed with ADHD for awhile now, and they've been on meds for the past 3 yrs. It took a bit of trial and error to find the right med and dosage that worked for each of them. A medication that allowed them to focus in class to do their school work, and last long enough through the day, to get their homework done as soon as they get home from school. And also the right dosage so that they still act like themselves and not "zombies."
But even though my kids are on the right meds and dosage for them, they were still acting nutso around Christmas. I just chalk it up to the extra goodies they get, the excitement of the coming gifts and family coming over, and really don't give it much thought. If they acted up too much, there's always time out from the new gifts, and my kids always act like time out is the end of the world! lol
